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Teacher Tip Sheet

​​Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) is an opportunity for your students to learn more about their career interest and goals. It is important to prepare all students for the day so that they can maximize their experiences.

Goal Setting:

Help students write down goals by finishing the following sentences:
 

  • My educational goals are to ___________________________.

  • My career goals are _________________________________.

  • My personal goals are to _____________________________.

Exploring Skills and Strengths:

Help students explore their skills and strengths by finishing the following sentences:
 

  • Some things I’m really good at are_______________________.

  • My friends/teachers/family would describe me as___________.

  • I would be an asset to a job because I am__________________.

  • I would be an asset to a job because I can_______________.

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Help them use a diagram such as the one below to plot out important skills and how they relate to career goals:

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And then have them answer:


What are some of the things that can go in the middle section of the diagram? In other words- what are you good at that you also have to be good at to do your dream job?

Mock Interviews

Help your students learn to think and talk about themselves. Students should be able to introduce themselves and tell their mentors a little about themselves and their goals as well as ask questions. Help students work up a script and do mock interviews with the class and allow students to help their classmates. Some suggestions follow:

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Interview 1 (Talking about Yourself)

  • Mentor: Tell me about you. What sort of career do you want to have?

  • Mentee: _________________________________________________

  • Mentor: How do you plan to get that job?

  • Mentee: (students can talk about education, short-term goals, internship possibilities, etc)

  • Mentor: Why that job?

  • Mentee: (students can talk about strengths, accomplishments, general goals, etc)

  • Mentor: What sort of experience do you have?

  • Mentee: _________________________________________________
     

Interview 2 (Learning About Mentor’s Job)

  • Mentee: Hi, My name is _______________ and I go _______________ (name school).

  • Mentor: Hi ____________ (mentee name). My name is Susan Smith and I work at the Department of Labor in the Human Resources Department.

  • Mentee: (Possible questions, please choose a few or come up with your own)

  • What do you do there?

  • What do you like about your job?

  • What are your biggest challenges?

  • How did you get to your position?

  • What is a typical workday for you?

  • How do people learn about job openings in your field?

  • What types of employers, other than yours hire people to perform the kind of work you do?

  • If you were hiring someone for an entry-level position in your field what would you look for?

  • Is there any advice you can offer me?

Introduction to the Workplace

It important for students to know what to expect from Disability Mentoring Day and since many have not been in work environments we recommend you prepare the students with a brainstorming activity. Some questions to be brainstormed:
 

  • What are appropriate behavior and manners?

  • What will you learn?

  • What will you get out of Disability Mentoring Day?

  • What’s a good way to make a good first impression?

  • What’s a good way to make a good final impression?

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