Time in development: 1 month

My Role: Instructor, Instructional Designer

Tools used: PowerPoint, Zoom

I designed this workforce development training for female Afghan professionals who are currently searching for jobs in the USA, and needed an introduction to US stylistic conventions and formatting of CV/resumes. The goal of this training was to help the participants to write effective CV/resumes in order to be noticed by recruiters and/or employers.

Challenges:

• Participants needed more support in developing their Work History.

Solutions:

• Focused specifically on the Work History section and showed several examples of sample resumes to highlight use of action verbs and key words from job descriptions.

• Drawing from professionals' work experiences, co-constructed more concise and result-oriented descriptions of work histories.

Results:

• By the end of the training, the participants had a better understanding of how to tailor their CV/resume to a job description.

• The participants improved the drafts of their CV/resumes, using the STAR Method and effective action verbs.

Time in development: 2 months

My Role: Instructor, Instructional Designer

Tools used: PowerPoint, Zoom, Lumen5

I designed a training on effective presentation skills for English language professionals from 7 West African countries. This training was offered as part of a U.S. Department of State public diplomacy program in which English language experts lead English language projects designed by Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies worldwide to respond to local needs. The goal of this project was to prepare the professionals to present at an upcoming virtual English language conference.

Challenges:

• Constant internet connection problems due to low connectivity, and very few had access to a computer.

Solutions:

• Focused on key elements of effective presentation skills.

• Included opportunities for the participants to participate by showing them examples and having them practice in small groups.

• Recorded sessions and sent materials so that everyone had access to the course materials and sessions.

Results:

• By the end of the training, the participants felt confident, empowered, and ready to present at the conference.

• Working in groups enabled them to problem solve, share skills and expertise with each other, and collaborate with participants from other West African countries.

• The training was relevant, outcomes-oriented, and practical: They were able to improve their delivery and the layout of their PowerPoint presentations and to include more audience participation.