Class Taught Lessons of the Real World

I retired in 1991 in the Washington, D.C. area. At that time there was a transition class offered by a private contractor, which spanned four weeks, two evenings a week, with each session lasting approximately three to four hours. The cost was $500, but three psychological/suitability tests (and the corresponding evaluations) were provided at no additional cost.

The first night was the "shocker," and provided the class with an assessment of how raw the outside world could be. He covered corporate ethics and provided several examples of the situations that corporations had found themselves in and how they dealt with it.

The rest of the classes dealt with how to create effective resumes, how to prepare for interviews by researching the companies; how to dress for interviews, and many others. A lot of the material was based on common sense, but he provided many subtle tips, such as where to sit while waiting for your interview to start, and what reading material to pick up while waiting (e.g., if it's a tech company, don't pick up an issue of Motor Trend if an issue of Information Week is also available).

The battery of psychological tests were the most revealing for all of us, because it gave us some real insight as to what we may be best suited for. In retrospect, the information provided to me was accurate and useful.

The last week was devoted to the conduct of mock interviews -- all of us went through at least one. There were about 60 of us going through the transition class, so it was hectic to say the least. The other good thing about this class was that the instructor and his staff reviewed every resume prior to it being sent out by a student, and he had us keep in touch after the class and still submit resumes for review.

The class was pricey at the time, but well worth it from my experience. Sadly, the instructor passed away about a year after our class finished, and I do not know if that particular company is still in business.

(Submitted by Art Strong)