RealCareer™ Employability Skills Program

CAREER-READY

WORKPLACE
SCENARIO CARDS

www.realityworks.com
Suggested uses for
Workplace Scenario Cards:
5-minute icebreaker activity
1. Begin your class with a quick 5-minute workplace scenario challenge.
Pick one scenario and read it to the class. You could also show it on a
document projector.
2. Get students into small groups to discuss the workplace scenario, key
questions and various points of view.
3. Have the class come back together and share answers to the key
questions.

Journaling activity
1. Teach the employability skills lesson. At the conclusion, choose the
Workplace Scenario Card that matches the skill taught in that lesson.
2. Use the workplace scenario as a journal-writing prompt and have
students answer the key questions in writing.
Pre- and post-assessment
1. Choose the employability skill you wish to teach. Find the Workplace
Scenario Card that matches that skill. Have students answer the key
questions in writing.
2. Teach the lesson on the employability skill you have chosen.
3. After the lesson has been taught, have students go back to the original
Workplace Scenario Card and answer the key questions again using the
new skills they have learned in the lesson.

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RealCareer™ Employability Skills Program

Listening
Scenario: You have been employed at a new
company for about six months. A co-worker,
David, has been repeatedly sexually harassing
you. You finally decide you’ve had enough
and decide to file a complaint with Human
Resources. You meet with the HR Director,
Monica. During your meeting, she never takes
any notes as you speak. She keeps checking her
phone and also her Facebook on her laptop. You
notice that she is doodling on her notepad. At
the end of the conversation, you wonder if she
really understood your concern at all.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Monica, the HR Director
• David, the co-worker

Key questions
• Has Monica shown active listening behavior? What non-verbal cues
has she shown the employee about her level of interest?
• What could Monica do to be a better active listener in the future? Do a
short role-play between Monica and the employee, where Monica uses
active listening strategies in the meeting.
• How do you, the employee, feel after your meeting? Do you feel that
your concerns were heard?

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RealCareer™ Employability Skills Program

Respect
Scenario: You arrive at the grocery store you
work at in a bad mood because someone cut you
off on the freeway. Your co-worker, Max, reminds
you that you are responsible for unloading
canned vegetables from a truck this morning.
The truck is already there and waiting when you
arrive and the driver needs to leave shortly. You
yell at Max, telling him you’ll unload it when
you’re good and ready to. Your manager, Sasha,
sees and hears all of this. Now you are in her
office and she wants to address the situation.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Max, the co-worker
• Sasha, the manager
• The delivery driver

Key questions
• How could you have handled this differently? What steps can you take
to make things right?
• Who is disrespected in this scenario and how? What should you have
done to show respect to everyone involved?
• How do you think Max feels after your conversation?
• If you were Sasha how would you feel about this employee?

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RealCareer™ Employability Skills Program

Responsibility
Scenario: You asked your co-worker, Michael, to
drop off a package at the post office after work
on Tuesday. It is not too far out of the way home
for him to do so, and you live farther away. It is
important that the package be at its destination,
National Manufacturing Incorporated, by noon
on Wednesday. It includes a proposal that
is going to be discussed at a meeting with
international business partners who are in town
only for that day. You find out on Wednesday
afternoon that the package never arrived. You
are responsible.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Michael, the co-worker
• Management at National Manufacturing Incorporated
• The international business partners

Key questions (Review the definition of responsibility)

Responsibility – A duty or task that you are required or expected to
do; something that you should do because it is morally right, legally
required, etc.
• What are you responsible for in this scenario?
• Who is holding you responsible?
• What should you have done differently?
• What could happen if you do not take responsibility in this situation?
• How can you restore trust after you have been irresponsible?
• How has this impacted each party involved?

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RealCareer™ Employability Skills Program

Patience
Scenario: You are part of a team that is
preparing a presentation for a major conference.
The final meeting on the presentation is this
morning at 9 a.m. There are four participants:
Mia, Julio, James and yourself. You arrive in the
meeting room at 8:55 and James is there. Julio
arrives at 9:02. You continue to wait for Mia to
arrive so you can begin. No one has heard from
her. You are getting irritated and feeling anxious.
At 9:10 you can feel your muscles tightening and
breathing increasing. James and Julio are visibly
angry and talking about how stressed they are.
You NEED to get this done today. At 9:20, all of
you are fidgeting and decide to begin. At 9:23,
Mia arrives with no apology or explanation.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Mia, the late co-worker
• James and Julio, team members

Key questions
• What signs of impatience are team members exhibiting?
• What is the root cause of the impatience?
• What can the team members do to manage their impatience?
• How does the reaction of the team members make Mia feel when
she arrives?
• How does Mia’s lack of concern for the other team members make
them feel?

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Presentation Skills
Scenario: You are selected to present the
new advertising campaign your marketing
team has worked up for a new client. If you can
close the deal, it will mean a huge financial
win for the advertising firm. You want the
presentation to look great to your marketing
director, Scott. However, speaking in front of
people is a secret fear of yours. You decide to
practice the presentation in front of your team
member, Samantha. You talk fast to get it over
as soon as possible. You don’t smile or make eye
contact. You fold your arms and stay as serious as
possible. You have a very long and complicated
slide presentation that has no focus. Samantha
has a hard time listening to your monotone
voice. The practice presentation was a disaster.
You don’t have much time until the real thing!
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Samantha, team member
• Scott, Marketing Director
• Marketing team members
• Potential client

Key questions
• What did you do during your practice presentation that was
ineffective?
• If Samantha were the potential client, would she have hired your
advertising firm based on your presentation?
• What should you change and do for the real presentation to make it
more effective?
• How could Scott, as your director, help you improve?
• What could your other marketing team members do to help the
situation?

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RealCareer™ Employability Skills Program

Using Technology
Scenario: Micky loves to use technology. In
fact, he just got the latest smartphone and boy,
was it expensive. He loves to use it to listen to
music, play games and stay connected with the
world. However, sometimes that gets him in
trouble. You see, he loves to use social media
and to archive his every move, every day! The
problem is that he is so known in the social
media world and he has shared some pretty
private posts. He is worried about his future
employment in the business world if they see
some of the posts he has shared. So today he
decided he is going to start changing how he
uses technology in the social media world.
Points of view to consider
• Micky
• Potential future employers
• Potential client

Key questions
• What are some ways for Micky to keep himself on track?
• What are appropriate and inappropriate examples of technology usage
for his future employment opportunities?
• Have you ever had a potential employer search your social media
profile?
• Do you think employers have the right to search the social media posts
of candidates they are considering hiring?

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Problem-solving
Scenario: Enrique and Anna are both sales
employees at the same company. However,
Anna has gone on a vacation and Enrique has
volunteered to take over her business calls
while she is away. On the first day of her trip,
one of Anna’s customers stops in the office
and asks a secretary for a price on a new
product. However, the secretary notes just the
customer’s first name, “Bob”. With thousands
of customers, what can Enrique do to find out
who the customer was and get them what they
need?
Points of view to consider
• Enrique
• Anna
• Bob
• Secretary

Key questions
• What issue are you trying to solve?
• What are your options for solving the problem?
• What is the best solution?
• How does this solution satisfy everyone’s interests?
• What could be done differently in the future to prevent this scenario
from happening again?

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Negotiation
Scenario: You were just offered a job with a
local bank. The job posting did not give wage
information. During the interview, the human
resources manager said that the pay range
would be based on the candidate’s experience
and qualities. You leave the interview still unsure
of what the pay range was. You really want a
minimum of $12 per hour with two weeks of
vacation per year. You have prior experience as
you worked for another bank for six months. You
have also been the student manager at an on-
campus coffee shop. The offer you just received
is for $10.50 an hour with one week of paid time
off after one year.
Points of view to consider
• You, the potential employee
• Human resources manager

Key questions
• Do you accept the offer as is? Why or why not?
• Why do you believe you are worth at least $12 per hour?
• Do you believe you should negotiate starting pay? Why or why not?
• How can you use the five stages of negotiation (noted in the
RealCareer™ Employability Skills Program curriculum) to reach an
agreement?

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RealCareer™ Employability Skills Program

Networking
Scenario: Allen recently graduated from
college and is searching for his first job in the
graphic design field. He knows that in order
to find a great position, he needs to network
and get his name out in the field. Allen has
an account on Facebook and enjoys posting
his weekend activities, some of which can get
pretty wild and crazy! Allen is hoping to use
Facebook to make connections with other design
professionals who may be looking to hire. He
has been trying for three months and has not
had any success using this approach.
Points of view to consider
• Allen
• Other design professionals and/or potential employers

Key questions
• Do you believe that Facebook is the best social media source for
creating quality connections?
• What other social media platforms could you use for making
meaningful professional connections?
• What can Allen do to maintain a respectable image on social media?
• If Allen looked at your current social media profile on Facebook or
other sites, do you think he would want to connect with you? Why or
why not?

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Self-Confidence
Scenario: You’re in a meeting with your co-
workers, brainstorming ideas for a big upcoming
project. Most of your co-worker’s ideas are
being rejected by the project leader. He seems
to be waiting for that one really great idea. You
think you have it, but are afraid of speaking up
because the idea of speaking in front of groups
is nerve-wracking for you. If your idea is chosen,
it would make a great impression with your
new manager.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Your co-workers in the brainstorming meeting
• The project leader
• Your new manager

Key questions
• Should you share your idea? Why or why not?
• What kind of positive self-talk can you use to increase your confidence?
• What could the team leader do to make the atmosphere more
comfortable for sharing ideas?
• What can you do in the future to help co-workers feel free to share
ideas?
• What can co-workers do for you to help increase your self-confidence?

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Stress Management
Scenario: One of your employees needs help
with a project that is due soon. You also have
another employee who is asking for you to
mentor her. You need to meet with the Board of
Directors tomorrow for an important quarterly
meeting. The board members will be arriving
tonight and you need to pick them up from the
airport and take them out to dinner. In addition,
you have several important presentations to
prepare in the morning for the board meeting.
You are feeling anxious, tense and having
difficulty concentrating and getting things
done. You feel pulled in many directions and are
feeling very stressed out!
Points of view to consider
• You, the manager
• Your employees asking for assistance
• The Board of Directors

Key questions
• What signs of stress are you exhibiting?
• What stress management techniques could you use to calm down?
• How do you handle multiple tasks at one time? How do you prioritize
and decide what is important?
• How can your employees help?

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Teamwork
Scenario: You have been asked to be part of the
Activities Committee at work. This committee
is in charge of planning the upcoming summer
picnic, which will include all employees and
their families. The company CEO gives the
committee full control to plan the event, with
expectations to have 80% of employees attend
while keeping the cost under $1,000. Tess is the
committee leader and has already booked a park
where the event will be held, booked a caterer
and determined the picnic will be hosted on the
second Friday in July because that is what works
in her schedule. You meet the first week in July
to start planning and then inform employees of
the event by posting signs around the building.
The event occurs and is a great success, but only
40% of employees attend.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Tess, the leader
• Event attendees, employees and their families

Key questions
• What aspects of the team were missing in planning the event?
• Who was the true leader of the group and what role did he or she play?
• What could he or she have done to be a more effective committee
leader?
• What was the goal of the summer picnic?
• What could the committee have done differently to ensure the goal
was met?

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Communication
Scenario: You’re a sales rep for a local food
distribution company. When you get into the
office Monday morning, you have an email from
the customer service team: “Please call Lindsay
Bock from Joe’s Steak House after 3pm regarding
an order for 10 cases of beef.” You email Lindsay
a quote for 10 cases of ground beef, the monthly
special, but do not hear from her again. You
follow-up with an email a week later asking if
she needed additional information and still hear
nothing back. A month goes by and you decide
to call Lindsay about her quote to see if she is
ready to purchase. She informs you she did not
want ground beef, but 10 cases of steak - a much
more significant sale. She informs you she has
chosen to go with a competitor and hangs up.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Lindsay, the customer
• Customer service team

Key questions
• How could you have handled your communication better?
• What steps should you have taken to clearly communicate with
Lindsay?
• Where did the communication channels break down in this instance?
• How can you work to better serve customers in the future?
• What written communication and verbal communication could have
helped in this instance?

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Motivation
Scenario: You have been employed at your
company for a year and are pretty familiar
with the routine responsibilities of your job.
Lately, however, you have been struggling to
accomplish basic tasks, and you feel disinclined
to participate in an upcoming team project
with Jackie, your co-worker. One day, you
start to notice that Rebecca, your supervisor,
is checking in on your tasks and progress more
regularly than ever before. You feel intruded
upon by this close supervision, and wonder
how to demonstrate that such supervision
is unnecessary.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Jackie, your co-worker
• Rebecca, your supervisor

Key questions
• What could you, the employee, do to increase your motivation to work
hard and be a productive member of the team?
• How is Jackie’s job affected by the lack of motivation in you, her co-
worker, especially if it continues?
• How do you think Rebecca, the supervisor, perceives your sudden lack
of motivation, and how does that lack affect your performance?
• Why is self-motivation a positive skill in an employee?
• What intrinsic motivation can you identify to apply to your job?
• What extrinsic motivators could increase your performance?

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Work Ethic
Scenario: You’ve just been hired at your first full-time
summer job, along with a co-worker Sarah. Although the
position is not related to anything you currently envision
for yourself in the future, you’re excited because you know
the job will A) provide you with an income of your very own
for the summer and B) enable you to start building your
resume with true job experience. Your hours are 9am-5pm
Monday-Friday, with a 30-minute paid lunch. However, you
spend each day that summer arriving at 7:45 and leaving
at 5:15, and you typically do not take a full lunch. Sarah, on
the other hand, struggles to get to work by 9 and is usually a
few minutes late. You cheerfully accept for any task that your
boss, Jessica, asks of you: filing, phone calls, research, even
basic office housekeeping - and tackle each task with a smile
and focus. Sarah feels like you get the better tasks to do. By
the second month, you’ve learned to anticipate many of the
tasks Jessica will need each day and whenever possible, prep
them before she’s even asked. Sarah keeps telling you how
glad she is that this summer is almost over! By the end of
the summer, Jessica has offered you full-time employment
over winter break and the following summer - along with a
raise. Sarah hears about this and is jealous.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Jessica, the supervisor
• Sarah, your co-worker

Key questions
• What message were you, the employee, sending each day that you
arrived shortly before your scheduled time and leave shortly after?
• How did Jessica perceive you each time you accepted an assigned task
with a smile?
• How do you think you felt at the end of the summer when you were
offered continued employment?
• What negative characteristics was Sarah exhibiting?
• What positive characteristics were you showing?
• Is there anything Jessica could have done to help improve Sarah’s work
ethic?

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Flexibility
Scenario: You are a manager at a local grocery
store. Your full-time, salaried employee, Wanda,
who is always on time for her shifts, requests to
leave for an hour during the middle of your shift
for an appointment. You look at the schedule
and determine there is enough coverage for
her to leave and grant her request. A part-time,
undependable, hourly employee, Marcus, hears
about this and is upset that Wanda is getting
special privileges. Marcus is now in your office
saying that it is unfair. He previous asked off for a
half-day to sleep in after attending a late-night
concert and you declined his request.
Points of view to consider
• You, the store manager
• Wanda, the salaried, full-time, dependable employee
• Marcus, the hourly, part-time, unreliable employee
• Your store director

Key questions
• How can you explain the flexibility you are giving Wanda to Marcus
without upsetting him?
• How would you explain your decision to your director?
• Did you make the right decision in letting Wanda leave?
• How will you handle this differently the next time it happens or would
you handle it differently?
• What could Marcus do to begin earning your trust and in turn, more
freedom?

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Interpersonal Skills
Scenario: You work for a small dog daycare
and grooming company. You have held the
same position, dog walker, for over three years.
Your boss, Mercedes, tells you that you will
now be working the front desk, meeting with
customers and answering the phone. This is not
in your current position description. You know
that being flexible in your position will help
you become a more valuable employee but are
hesitant to take on this task. You are very shy
and like working only with the dogs. You have a
hard time making small talk with strangers.
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Mercedes, your boss
• Customers
• The dogs

Key questions
• How will you handle this request?
• What questions would you have for your boss?
• Which interpersonal skills should you work on to be able to accomplish
these new tasks?
• What could Mercedes do to help ease you into this new part of the job?

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Time Management
Scenario: You have a really busy day with many
things to do at work and in your personal life.
You work in the marketing department at a local
company. The final layout of the annual catalog
is due today to your manager, Stan, by 5pm.
You are easily distracted and have a hard time
keeping focused when busy. Here are the tasks
you have noted to accomplish today:
• Go out to dinner to celebrate your friend Madison’s birthday
• Meet with the catalog photographer, Al, to make sure you have
final digital copies of all catalog photos
• Meet with the product manager, Julio, to double check pricing
accuracy in the catalog
• Clean off your desk so you can find files quicker
• Read personal email
• Check your FaceBook
• Schedule a meeting with your manager, Stan, to review the final
layout
• Answer your work emails received today
• Go grocery shopping
Points of view to consider
• You, the employee
• Stan, your manager
• Madison, your friend
• Al, the photographer
• Julio, the product manager

Key questions
• Using good time management strategies, prioritize your task list into
these four areas:
• What is urgent and important?
• What is important but not urgent?
• What is urgent and not important?
• What is not important and not urgent?

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Interviewing
Scenario: You decide you’d like to get a part-
time job to help save money for college. You’ve
never had a job before. You look at the local
job listings online and apply for an account
manager position in sales. You receive a call
from the human resources director, Sierra, for a
personal interview. You know very little about
this company and are really nervous about this
interview. The HR director says that you will
be interviewing with a panel including the
sales manager, Benjamin, and the operations
manager, Edward. What can you do to prepare
for this interview?
Points of view to consider
• You, the potential employee
• Sierra, the HR director
• Benjamin, the sales manager
• Edward, the operations manager

Key questions
• What do you do to prepare for the interview?
• What questions will you ask the sales manager?
• What questions will you ask the HR director?
• What questions will you ask the operations manager?
• What can you do to create a great first impression?

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