Career Exploration: Asking the Experts
After conducting research on your career interests, most of you should have a pretty good idea about what your career offers and other related data. Next you will follow up with writing a letter to someone who is actually living it.
Parameters and Guidelines
- Full Block Format – same format as the cover letter
- Include a border
- Your name and contact information
- Date
- Addressee's name and contact information
- The tone is formal, like a business letter
- 5 paragraphs – introduction, body, conclusion (see below for specifics)
- No spelling, capitalizaiton, grammar, or punctuation errors
- Save as "AskTheExperts" in your Integrated Lit folder or CSB Folder
Writing the Letter
First, you will need to identify someone to address this letter to. It must be a person working in the industry in which you want to pursue a career in. You may address the letter to someone you know, like a family friend or a relative. If you dont' know someone in the industry, ask a friend or two if they know someone who works in the career field you are interested in. If you can't find anyone that is a friend of a friend, or a relative, then you will need to find a person who works in the industry on the internet. You will be addressing this to a real person, so you need to find someone to send this to – no exceptions, no excuses
Yes, the intention is to send/give this to a REAL person – so don't fake it!
Introduction
Paragraph 1 – Introduce yourself, state your intentions.
Be precise and to the point. If you currently have some type of friendship with the person you are addressing this letter to, you don't necessarily need to go into detail about yourself, i.e., "During our last visit, you briefly mentioned the work you do in the insert name of industry field here, and I am interested in learning more about these types of jobs." However, if you don't know the person you are writing to, explain who you are, i.e., "I'm currently a senior at Crater High School of Business Innovation and Science, and I'm interested in learning more about insert name of industry here."
This paragraph should simply state that you have an interest in the type of career field he/she currently works in, and that you would like to learn more about the industry and the types of positions available.
Body
Paragraph 2 – Describe your interests and career goals.
Focus on who YOU are as a person – your interests and what you want out of a career in a general sense. Don't focus solely on this type of career – you will write more specifically about what interests you in this career in the next paragraph.
For example, "To give you more information about myself, I'm the type of person that enjoys working with others in an outside environment; I can't imagine working in an office cubicle. I enjoy hands-on work where I can see the direct results of my efforts, which is why I believe pursuing a career in Firefighting will give me the most rewarding experiences in a career."
Paragraph 3 – With your current knowlege of the subject, describe what you like about the industry, and if possible, relate to a personal experience.
Focus on the things you know about this career field and how it fits your interests and personality. AVOID REPETITION
For example, "While I have a genuine interest in helping people, my true passion is to provide care for infants in a birthing center such as at Rogue Valley Hospital. My nephew was born two months prematurely, and I was impressed by the professionalism and attention the nursing staff in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit gave him. If it wasn't for them, I don't think he would have survived; I want to be a part of something that bring happiness to new moms like the NICU staff did for my aunt."
Paragraph 4 – Write your questions about the profession.
Write at least 3 - 5 serious questions that will result in thoughtful responses. You're looking for opinion directly from the source, not answers that are easily found through the internet (i.e., how much do you make?) – ask questions that only this person would know because he/she has LIVED it.
Questions to help you get started:
- What are some of the rewarding experiences of your job?
- What are the most difficult challenges you face on a regular basis and how do you handle them?
- Have you ever considered changing careers, why or why not?
- How is your work environment? Do you enjoy where you work?
- Is your industry subject to the ups and downs of the economy, and if so, how has it affected you?
- If you could give one piece of advice about this type of career, what would you say to someone thinking about entering this line of work?
Conclusion
Paragraph 5 – Thank you, I appreciate a response, and schedule a time to discuss this topic more
Close with thanking the person for their time, and appreciating their response. Also, ask if they would be willing to meet to discuss this career and answer your questions. Could be a face-to-face meeting, a phone call, or perhaps a Skype meeting – your call.
