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Week 5: Hired! — Job Skills & Mock Interview

6th Six Weeks | Business Management & Administration Cluster | 5 class periods (50 min each)

Lesson Objective

Students complete the full job-seeking skill set: identify job search steps, write a cover letter and thank-you letter, complete a sample job application, learn the protocol for selecting and using references, and participate in a mock interview demonstrating professional appearance and communication.

Demonstration of Learning

"I can complete a job application, write a cover letter and thank-you letter, select appropriate references, and participate in a mock interview with professional appearance and communication."

TEKS Alignment

  • d(6)(A): Identify the steps of an effective job search.
  • d(6)(B): Describe appropriate appearance for an interview.
  • d(6)(C): Participate in a mock interview.
  • d(7)(B): Write business correspondence including a cover letter and thank-you letter.
  • d(7)(C): Complete sample job applications.
  • d(7)(D): Describe the protocol for selecting and using references.

Materials Needed

  • Chromebooks with internet access (1 per student)
  • Hats & Ladders student accounts + H&L Workbook (Ch 11: Human Services, pp. 178-182 Job Interviews & Practicing for a Job Interview; Ch 12 p. 196 Job Applications)
  • Xello Job Interviews lesson (7th-grade task list)
  • CareerOneStop Job Interview Tips: careeronestop.org/JobSearch/Interview/job-interviews.aspx
  • CareerOneStop Practice Job Application: careeronestop.org/JobSearch/job-application.aspx
  • Printed Cover Letter Template (1 per student)
  • Printed Sample Job Application form (1 per student)
  • Printed References Guide (1 per student)
  • Printed Mock Interview Question Cards (1 set per pair)
  • Printed Mock Interview Rubric (1 per student)
  • Timer for mock interviews

Career Connection

Students assemble the full professional-document set (cover letter, application, references, thank-you letter) and practice a mock interview with peer feedback. These are the documents and the interview format used in any job application across every Irving ISD pathway.

What is Happening at Irving ISD? This week's content is universal across all Irving ISD CTE pathways, every pathway eventually requires students to interview, apply, and provide references when they enter the workforce.

Vocabulary

  • Cover Letter: A one-page letter sent with a resume introducing yourself and explaining why you want a specific position.
  • Job Application: A formal document providing an employer with your personal information, work history, education, and references.
  • References: People who can speak positively about your character, skills, and work ethic to a potential employer.
  • Mock Interview: A practice interview that simulates a real job interview, used for rehearsal and feedback.
  • Thank-You Letter: A brief letter sent within 24 hours of an interview thanking the interviewer and reaffirming your interest.
  • Greeting / Salutation: The opening line of a business letter, usually "Dear [Name]:", addressed to a specific person if possible.

Bridge to Theory (Hats & Ladders)

H&L Ch 11 (Human Services, pp. 178-182) provides the foundation for this week's interview work. The chapter includes:

  • Job Interviews (Ch 11, p. 179): Background reading on dressing for success, getting ready for an interview, and following up
  • Practicing for a Job Interview (Ch 11, pp. 180-181): Pair activity with 8 standard interview questions and a thank-you email step

The H&L Ch 12 workbook (p. 196) has the Job Applications activity. Students fill out a standard application for "Future Work, Inc." with all required fields. This is reused this week for d(7)(C).

IISD Instructional Strategies

  • Modeling: Teacher models every document on the projector, cover letter, job application, thank-you letter, and runs a fishbowl mock interview with a student volunteer before students do their own.
  • Fishbowl: One pair conducts their mock interview in front of the class while others observe and score using the rubric. This provides a clear model.
  • Worked Example: Teacher writes a cover letter live on the board for a sample job posting before students write their own.
  • Active Monitoring: Teacher circulates during mock interviews observing body language, eye contact, and answer quality.

Week at a Glance

Day Focus Key Activities Deliverable
1 Job Search Steps + Admin Pathway 7-step job search review + H&L Admin Hats + cover letter intro Cover letter outline
2 Cover Letter Writing Teacher modeling + Cover Letter template completion Completed cover letter
3 Job Application + References H&L Job Applications activity (Ch 12 p. 196) + References Guide Completed application + 3 references identified
4 Mock Interview Prep + Fishbowl H&L Job Interviews reading (Ch 11) + 8 question prep + fishbowl demo Interview question prep + fishbowl observation notes
5 Mock Interview Day Paired mock interviews + thank-you letter Mock interview scored on rubric + thank-you letter

Formative Assessment

  • 7-step job search recall (Day 1): d(6)(A)
  • Cover letter format and quality (Day 2): d(7)(B)
  • Application completeness and neatness (Day 3): d(7)(C)
  • Reference selection and rationale (Day 3): d(7)(D)
  • Interview prep quality (Day 4): d(6)(B)
  • Mock interview rubric score (Day 5): d(6)(C)

Summative Assessment

Mock Interview + Professional Documents Portfolio (Day 5): Each student submits:

  1. Cover letter (d(7)(B))
  2. Completed sample job application (d(7)(C))
  3. References list with rationale for each (d(7)(D))
  4. Thank-you letter (d(7)(B))
  5. Mock interview scored via rubric on appearance, body language, answer quality (d(6)(B), d(6)(C))

Plus the d(6)(A) job search steps recall from the Day 1 exit ticket. Six TEKS standards verified in one portfolio.

Differentiation

Scaffolded Learning

  • Sentence-by-sentence cover letter template with blanks for students to fill in
  • Simplified job application with fewer required fields
  • Allow students to use their notes as a reference during the mock interview
  • Mock interview question cards with suggested answer frameworks on the back

Extensions

  • Second mock interview with a different partner for an improvement comparison
  • Write a cover letter for a REAL summer job or volunteer position the student wants
  • Research video interview best practices and prepare answers for a video format
  • Practice with the Xello Job Interviews lesson as additional reps

ELL Language Support

  • Pre-teach: Cover Letter = Carta de presentación, Job Application = Solicitud de empleo, Mock Interview = Entrevista de práctica, References = Referencias, Thank-You Letter = Carta de agradecimiento
  • Bilingual cover letter template with Spanish sentence starters
  • Mock interview question cards with Spanish translations on back
  • Allow ESL students to mock interview with a bilingual partner
  • Bilingual interviewers are highly valued in DFW, make this an asset, not a barrier