How can you connect this new skill to the student’s priorities? How can you assure ownership by making the development of this skill the student’s goal rather than just your goal for the student?
Many students want to be employed and are very motivated to find a job. This can be a positive factor in the job hunt, but can also be much more anxiety-producing if the student is fixated on a specific career goal or position. Your presentation of the waiting process as described in Step 1 of the task analysis can serve to make the process predictable and less frustrating to many students. Social narratives might be necessary to prepare the individual for potential rejection and to help him understand that people may not get their dream job, especially at first.
Make the “rules” regarding how to contact potential employers after an interview as simple as possible. Complexity can add to frustration and can lead to waiting responses that adversely affect job hunting. Information is power for many students, and seeing the sequence, having specific rules defined, and using scripts or templates can increase a student’s confidence and motivate him to engage in the entire job hunt process with a better sense of what to expect in any situation.
As you introduce this skill, how will you incorporate (visually, thematically) the student’s unique interests?
Can you make it visually clear to the student who is resistant to change that his assumption is only one way of looking at things? Can your use of visual supports and self-assessments help get agreement that there is a problem, get agreement on the solution, and create the motivation for change?
For some students, their rigidity in the expectation for a specific job could be more challenging and require the use of a decision tree or thinking story to realistically define the path towards their career goals. Some will apply to or interview for only one job and want to wait for a response, but have no plans as to filling their time in the interim. It will be important for the student to understand that he needs to continue to apply for other positions. A social narrative could be designed to show the pros and cons of pursuing other options. A visual list of productive activities, including further job searching, would help to keep from fixating on that one position and give the student positive options to stay engaged during the wait.
Interspersal is a proven technique involving the presentation of familiar, higher success tasks with the new, more challenging task. When it is appropriate, are you varying the activities to maintain the student’s confidence and focus?
The key element of interspersal involves inserting a complex task into other activities that are not so frustrating or difficult. Specifically monitoring employer responses and following a system for following up on applications can and should be a scheduled activity that occurs for short periods of time intermittently. Having a ‘busy’ schedule is a deterrent to worrying and fretting over the absence of an employer response. Having other activities for the student to choose and complete is a means of reducing the stress associated with waiting. Is there a scheduled time of day for the student to review his applications and his schedule to determine what he can do within the ‘waiting’ process?
Before the student encounters a situation where he will need to perform this skill, how do you help the student prepare? How do you orient the student to the upcoming situation? How do you orient him to the materials he will use?
As noted, schedule a specific time (how often is appropriate?) to review his waiting process materials, to review his calendar, to use his plan for making contact, to practice calming activities, and/or to practice the use of specific scripts and reminders just prior to contact.