Target Selection and Task Analysis:

How can you break this skill down?

1. First, provide a way to understand the waiting process. It is important to concretely clarify what happens after an application or interview.  The employer reviews the student’s application, along with other applications.  Depending on the company to which the student applies, a decision might be made very quickly (e.g. within 24-48 hours), or it might take 2-6 weeks to conduct reference checks, background checks, etc.  A key point to emphasize is that this period involves waiting AND keeping busy with other productive activities. Within this period, it is important for the student to understand that after an application or an interview, one of four things might happen:  1) He might never hear from the company again.  2) He might be contacted by phone, email, or letter and told that he did not get the job.  3) He might be contacted by phone, email, or letter and offered the job.  4) He might decide to find out whether he is still being considered for the job.  As you present these four outcomes, you may depict them in visual form (via a visual cue or graphic organizer). 
   
   
2. This may also be the point where you and the student identify and practice strategies that he can use to cope with the stress and frustration he may feel during this waiting period.  Again, keeping busy with other productive activities is one of several coping strategies you will target.
   
   
3. Identify the productive activities that the student can engage in during this period.  A most obvious activity is to continue to apply for positions at other companies.  Priming may be critical here, as some students will argue, “I applied for this job,” why do I need to look elsewhere?”
   
   
4. If the student does intend to follow up after the application or interview, develop a concrete plan (using a visual schedule and/or to-do list, and concretely defined rules) for how and when to make contact. Identify how the student will make contact: email or phone (including voice mail). In most cases, support the student in using a schedule /calendar so that he can keep track of when he can first make contact and when he can make one more attempt after a defined period of time has passed. Make a rule for this and depict it in visual form (e.g. 3 business days after submitting an application; 5 business days after an interview).  Explain and visually depict the “why” (perspective-taking and professional behavior) behind this rule in terms that the student will understand. The contact method should be primarily determined by the student’s strengths and needs, as well as any information that the company provides about contact methods.  For many individuals, email is a “safer” route.
   
   
5. Devise repeated opportunities (supported by graphic organizers, visual reminder cues, and other visual aids) to practice making contact via email or phone (including voice mail), depending on the student.  Email contact involves practice in crafting messages to intended recipients and proofreading those messages. This also involves ensuring that the recipient would not perceive the message as having an angry or irritated tone, and emphasizing why this is important. You might use a basic script (refer to Communication Systems, Scripts and Scenarios) as you teach following up via email.
   
   

   Include appropriate subject line such as “Status of application.”

    “Dear Mr./Mrs./Dr. ________________ (particularly if you interviewed with a        person) or Dear Sir or Madam (if you did not interview, and are not sure who reviews applications)”

    1 sentence: Indicate the job you interviewed for or applied for, and the date you   interviewed or applied.

   1 sentence: Indicate that you are very interested in this position.

   1 sentence: Ask if a hiring decision has been made or when one might be made.

   1 sentence: Express appreciation for any information the person might be able to   provide.

    “Sincerely, first and last name”

    If the student receives a response to his email, it is likely that the response will say one of three things:  1) no decision has yet been made, 2) you are not going to get the job, or 3) you have been offered the job.  The student will require practice in responding to these messages. Refer to Graphic Organizers and Visual Cues for tools to use in this process.

   Within this practice in waiting and responding, provide concrete “rules” regarding if and when to follow up on the first email, and emphasizing the “why” (perspective taking) behind these rules.  Within the context of role-play, video scenarios, and live practice with familiar people on the other end of the telephone,  guide the student in rehearsing what to say and how to say it during phone exchanges. 

6. As the student shows increasing competence with this basic interaction “formula”, begin to target responses to increasingly complex variations:  The person says that they do not have your application on file; you want to ask when or if you can follow up again to find out if a decision has been made; the person asks you questions about your availability (even though they may have asked this on the application or in an interview), etc.

 What sub-skill should you target first for the student to initiate? Given what the student can do presently, how will you present the task so that the student can perform steps within his capacity while learning a new step? 

Understanding the waiting process and what to expect (step 1) is obviously a necessary framework for later steps. Beyond that, the next step may involve assuring that the individual has self-calming strategies available to him. For those who have established self-calming strategies, the next step is to define and practice the alternative activities that will keep the student busy. Then the development and practice of the concrete plan for how and when to contact potential employers become the focus.

Waiting is a skill that happens naturally in a variety of situations. Some individuals might need ongoing practice at a basic level. How does he handle waiting until the end of the day for his progress report? How does he handle waiting for the instructor to call him during class time for a conference? How does he handle waiting for a test or the results to be posted on a virtual site? The anxiety level of a student and his ability to use his coping strategies would determine how much practice should be incorporated into his schedule and devise longer waiting periods when possible to practice these skills.

Following up after an interview is usually easier for students through email. If the student is already comfortable using email to contact instructors regarding projects, assignments, or tests, he already has some of the necessary skills in determining style, tone, and format.  He might also have experience in understanding how long a response may take, and have developed coping strategies while waiting. Your assessment of his email skills will help determine what practice is necessary to assure professional interactions with potential employers. If the student has limited experience in writing and sending emails, more intensive instruction and practice would be needed.