My name is Jenna Sharp and I am 17 years old. I have been in the Youth Employment Preparation (YEP) program for 3 years now. Throughout the years, I have learned a variety of things concerning job applications, steps towards getting a job and what to do during employment. The YEP program is for Canadian students living abroad to give them an opportunity to have summer jobs while living out of Canada. The first year of the program is the most difficult and time consuming. Every few months there is a mandatory conference call via the online platform, Webex. Each call is a different workshop focusing on steps towards getting a job. It first began with a call about writing a resume and cover letter. It went through how to write a resume step by step so the process will become easier in the future. I learned how important it is to add every little detail to my resume. But in my cover letter, I tried not to add any unnecessary information. The second Webex of the first year focused on how to write a good resume and cover letter as well as how to comport yourself at your workplace. Throughout the year, there were about 4 or 5 calls focused on different subjects. I enjoyed the calls, because all of the information was explained with a lot of detail and it made sure that I didn’t make a lot of mistakes in the time of writing my actual resume.
I also learned that for every future job that I have, I don’t have to write a new resume, rather just add onto the original one. It was also convenient to know all of the basic requirements of working, and how to act in a workspace. I used my knowledge of how to act in a workplace throughout my summer job that year working with MFS(E). I believe I did very well at the job and got more experience with working with my supervisor and my co-worker. The second and third year of the YEP program were pretty similar. It began with a review of how to write a resume and cover letter, but the main focus was how to make your cover letter more reliable how you can use your first one as an outline. There were only two Webex calls throughout each year focusing on specific subjects. One very important subject was once again workplace etiquette and how to do well in a job interview and what supplies you need as well as how to prepare for one. In the first year, there was a variety of homework assignments, but for the last 2 years of being in the program the amount of work that has to be done decreases. This is because the majority of the work has been done in the first year. Overall, I am now going into the 4 th year of being in the YEP program, and have worked at the MFS for two summers in a row (by choice). With my resume that I have developed and edited throughout the years as well as who I am as a person now, I am confident that I will be able to get any job that the YEP program offers me. This is an amazing program which gets you prepared for the years of work and job interviews to come and for any Canadian teens living abroad, this would be great for them. I really enjoyed the experience because of the amount of things that I have accomplished, and how I am now much more educated, mature, and prepared for the work world.