Ace Your Job Search

The Ace your Job Interview course consists of five hours of online instruction/study. Students have 90 days, from the date login information is emailed to them, to access the management system in which to complete the coursework.

Course Outline

1. Course Introduction

2. Before Beginning Your Job Search

3. Questions to Consider: Career Development and Job Fit

4. Work-Life Balance and Finding Personal Fulfillment

5. Goal Setting

6. Social Media for Job Seekers

Part One - Tailoring Resumes and Cover Letters for a Perfect Fit

• 1-1 Why Do I Need to Tailor My Resume and Cover Letter
• 1-2 The Resume
• 1-3 Expert Spotlight: Top Five Resume Tips
• 1-4 Personal Information Section
• 1-5 Education Section
• 1-6 Experience Section
• 1-7 Other Resume Sections
• 1-8 Benefits and Candied Bullet Points
• 1-9 Writing Effectively for Resumes
• 1-10 References
• 1-11 Resume Organization
• 1-12 Submission Methods
• 1-13 Formatting Your Resume
• 1-14 Expert Spotlight: Nick Corcodilos
• 1-15 The Cover Letter: Do I Have To?
• 1-16 Expert Spotlight: Top Five Cover Letter Tips
• 1-17 Sleuthing Your Way to the Interview Roster
• 1-18 Tips for Writing Successful Cover Letters
• 1-19 Common Cover Letter Problems
• 1-20 Application Gallery
• 1-21 Module Review
• 1-22 Test (5 questions)
• 1-23 Summary
• 1-24 For Further Exploration

Module Feedback

Part Two - Interviewing Skills: Make the Right Impression

• 2-1 Interviewing: An Introduction
• 2-2 Interviewing: The Five Stages
• 2-3 Types of Interviews
• 2-4 Informational Interviews
• 2-5 Stage One - Preparation and Research
• 2-6 Research Exercise
• 2-7 Stage Two - Rehearsal
• 2-8 Practicing for the Interview
• 2-9 Answering Tough Interview Questions
• 2-10 Stage Three - The Interview
• 2-11 Handling Anxiety
• 2-12 Handling the Unexpected
• 2-13 Stage Four - Following Up
• 2-14 Stage Five - Reflection
• 2-15 Module Review
• 2-16 Test (12 questions)
• 2-16 For Further Exploration

Module Feedback

Part Three - Interviewing Skills: Ace Those Tough Questions

• 3-1 Interviewing: An Introduction
• 3-2 Tell Me About Yourself.
• 3-3 Why Did You Leave Your Previous Job?
• 3-4 Why Should We Hire You?
• 3-5 What's Your Greatest Weakness
• 3-6 A Narrative of Success
• 3-7 Behavioral Interview Questions
• 3-8 The Interviewing Stress Tactic
• 3-9 How Would Your Previous or Current Supervisor Describe You?
• 3-10 Brainteaser Questions
• 3-11 Explain Something You Are Interested In
• 3-12 Job Interview Tips
• 3-13 Module Review
• 3-14 Test (5 questions)
• 3-15 Summary
• 3-16 For Further Exploration

After completing this course, the learner will be able to:

• Identify key career development questions to ask before beginning a job search
• Employ a written goal-setting process to establish career development and job search priorities
• Recognize whether a job aligns with your career objectives
• Understand the purpose of tailoring a resume and cover letter to a position
• Develop a more effective resume
• Develop a more effective cover letter
• Identify the five stages of the interview process
• Conduct industry and company research efficiently using web-based resources
• Brainstorm potential interview questions and answers
• Recognize what constitutes an acceptable answer in the mind of a hiring manager
• Anticipate some of the most common interview questions
• Explain to a hiring manager how the past successes represented on your resume will translate to future success in your desired position

Quizzes and Testing

• Each of the three parts of the course contain exercises and quizzes. Additionally, a self-assessment (test) is included in each course part. Students are required to earn a minimum of 70% on the three self-assessments (tests) to earn their certificate and receive their CEUs. Students are allowed unlimited attempts to achieve the 70% threshold for each test during their period of access.
• As a non-credit (non-degree) course, students only earn a complete/incomplete status. Letter grades are not issued, nor recorded by Duke Continuing Studies

All registrants must meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Possess word processing and internet skills
• Be fluent in the English language (including reading and writing)
• Be familiar with how online programs work and be comfortable using them
• Be computer literate, have reliable internet access and a valid email account (Please note personal email accounts are preferred as they are less likely to be blocked by fire walls and spam filters)
• Meet the computer technical requirements specifications

Admission is discretionary. The office of Duke Continuing Studies, Professional Certificate Programs, requires students be a least 18 years of age and meet minimum suitability standards. Students are not matriculated Duke University students and university student privileges do not apply to Continuing Studies students.

Duke Continuing Studies reserves the exclusive right, at its sole and absolute discretion, to withhold registration or require withdrawal from the program of any student.

The materials used in this course are copyrighted and are intended for individual use by registered students. Unauthorized or illegal use, or attempted use, of these materials will result in a suspension and/or cancellation of the user’s account.

Registration is ongoing; therefore students can register for the program when it is convenient for them.

Note: our enrollment system is a separate system from that used for your online training, and therefore, access to the online training is not an automated process upon your registration. Please be aware that there may be a time delay of up to 5 business days before you receive the email with your access to the online program. This delay will not affect your allotted completion time for the program.

Please check your spam/junk folder because sometimes the access emails may be filtered to that folder in error

Enrollment steps

• Register for this program and pay tuition in full.
• Receive an email within five business days from our program partner, MindEdge, containing details about how to access the learning management system.
• Log in and begin coursework. Students will have 90 days to complete their coursework from the date the email is sent.

Do students have to log into the online learning system at a specific time to access course material?

No, this course is completely self-paced allowing students the flexibility to log into the course material (24/7) based upon the schedule by which they wish to study.

What is the timeframe to complete this course?

Students are given 90 days to access and complete this course. Please note the start of access time begins from the date the login email is sent to the student from our partner, MindEdge.

Are textbooks needed for this course and if so, are they included in the cost of the tuition?

There are no textbooks associated with this course and therefore students do not incur any additional expense for participation in this course.

Is this program affiliated with any other office at Duke University?

This program is not affiliated with any other Duke office. As a non-credit professional training course, it is offered exclusively through Duke Continuing Studies in collaboration with a program partner.

Does Duke Faculty serve as instructors/mentors/subject matter experts for this course?

For the online programs/courses that may include such features, we have chosen to enrich the professional adult learning experience by using individuals whom currently practice in the industry, and in most cases are also certified in the subject area being taught. Currently, this course does not include such features.

When does registration begin for this course?

Registration is ongoing and available 24x7 via our online system on this site or by calling our registration team at 919 684-6259. (Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm EST).

After registering, when will students receive additional program details?

Students can expect to receive an email from our partner, MindEdge, within 5 business days of enrollment. This email will provide the information needed to access the learning management system to begin your course. The start of the 90 days access begins the date this email is sent.

Is access to a computer required during this program?

This is an exclusively online program and access to a reliable computer is required for the duration of the program.

How long does the course take to complete?

The course is estimated to take 5 hours to complete. Completion time will vary by student.

Are extensions granted to students who request them?

No extension is given for this course due to the short duration of the course (5 hrs.) and the sufficient time provided at the onset (90 days) to access and complete the course. If the course is not finished by the access deadline, and a student wants to re-enroll to complete it, the individual will have to purchase the course and restart the training from the beginning of the course.

What are the computer technical requirements to access and participate in this online program?

Please refer to the “Requirements” section listed above.

Whom do students contact if there are technical issues or have general questions while enrolled in the course?

Students should contact Dee via email @pcponline@duke.edu or call our registration team at 919 684-6259.

Students can expect a response within 3 business days

What are the requirements to earn a certificate of completion for this course?

To earn the certificate the student must:

-Complete all program content within the allotted access time (90 days)

-Achieve a 70% minimum score on each of the three self-assessment tests only

-Pay tuition in full upon registration

How do I receive my certificate?

Students will only be able to receive their certificate through a self-download from the learning management system.

Is this course transferrable to a degree?

No. These courses are non-credit bearing and are not applicable to a degree.

Upon completion of the course how do students receive verification of their Continuing Education Units (CEUs) earned?

The certificate students download from the learning management system, upon meeting program requirements, will include the CEUs earned.

What is the refund policy for these courses?

There are no refunds given for online courses

Can I transfer my tuition to another course if I prefer to enroll in another offering?

Currently, we are unable to honor such a request.

Tuition: $95