Now that the rain is dropping daily in Portland, I'll admit that the summer is over, and my hiatus from posting is over.
The last few months were eventful, and there was one work particular work-related incident that I think will leave a permanent change in my world view.
In September, I accompanied a customer on her first day of classes this semester at Portland Community College. I previously mentioned this customer in a post about delayed gratification. She is a smoker, and she was very surprised to learn that PCC is now a tobacco-free campus. That means all of campus, including outdoor walkways and lawns, and the parking lot.
Normally, I would think that tobacco-free is a good idea. It's great for non-smokers (I love tobacco-free restaurants and hotels), and a good push for smokers to quit.
But based on my customer relationship, I hate PCC's policy. My customer already has to manage anxiety, attention deficit disorder, PTSD symptoms, undiagnosed learning disabilities, and recovery from drug use. I was on-campus with her to help put her at ease. Unfortunately, cigarettes are the usual tactic she has for overcoming nervousness.
Maybe nicotine gum will ease her cravings between class. Maybe she will kick the habit. That will help her long term, but what about this semester?
When I think about this shift in my view on the tobacco ban, I think about general employment specialist views on criminal history. Of course, we don't like that someone broke the law, but we still see someone with value and the ability to work, and it's easy to fall into an us against them trap with employers. Likewise, I'm not happy that my customer smokes, but I'm disappointed by the potential effects of the smoking ban on her grades.
Here's a Radio Lab segment discussing the study that inspired my previous post on delayed gratification.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Why do you do what you do?
Here's another TED video. In this one, Dan Pink discusses intrinsic motivation and its value in future workplaces.
Dan argues that intrinsic motivation is made up of "autonomy, mastery, and purpose." He also says that this form of motivation will be necessary as work moves from simple and repetitive tasks to complex and creative thinking tasks (knowledge/information economies). According to behavioral psychology research he references, traditional incentives such as bonuses are not effective for jobs of the near future.
Last month, I saw a job posting for an employment specialist that advertised $50.00 bonuses per placement as part of the compensation. According to Dan's talk, it should be better to build the bonuses into the salary and offer a higher base pay. Job placements require so many different factors to come together that it's hard to feel a direct connection between placing a job seeker and receiving an extra $50.00 weeks after the job begins. Also, placing someone already feels rewarding; the emotional experience can outshine the monetary reward.
See this post for another view on intrinsic motivation. It identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as factors for intrinsic motivation...2 out of 3 factors in agreement (autonomy, competence/mastery).
Dan argues that intrinsic motivation is made up of "autonomy, mastery, and purpose." He also says that this form of motivation will be necessary as work moves from simple and repetitive tasks to complex and creative thinking tasks (knowledge/information economies). According to behavioral psychology research he references, traditional incentives such as bonuses are not effective for jobs of the near future.
Last month, I saw a job posting for an employment specialist that advertised $50.00 bonuses per placement as part of the compensation. According to Dan's talk, it should be better to build the bonuses into the salary and offer a higher base pay. Job placements require so many different factors to come together that it's hard to feel a direct connection between placing a job seeker and receiving an extra $50.00 weeks after the job begins. Also, placing someone already feels rewarding; the emotional experience can outshine the monetary reward.
See this post for another view on intrinsic motivation. It identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as factors for intrinsic motivation...2 out of 3 factors in agreement (autonomy, competence/mastery).
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
MI:SE
Last week, I attended a training by Jon Larsen on Motivational Interviewing (MI) within Supported Employment programs.
Jon argued the case for MI (assessing interest and readiness for employment, identifying strengths and barriers) and provided practice on techniques and tools for putting it all into practice.
Some points:
Actively listen: Jon asked us to role play a dialogue where the Employment Specialist was only allowed 2o words. The challenge was to keep the conversation going as long as possible up to the 20 word limit.
Be patient as a problem-solver: This refers back to the listening point. Use MI to gather information, to guide a customer in thinking through a decision, or explore setbacks.
Ask permission: If you must absolutely interrupt and offer an opinion or suggestion during MI, ask permission first. Leadership Through People Skills offers a similar tactic for managers: gauge for reciptivity before beginning a discussion.
The training had good information and Jon was an excellent presenter. He had frontline knowledge from his own work and mixed in entertaining stories. My only recommendation is that Jon include more practice in the session.
Jon argued the case for MI (assessing interest and readiness for employment, identifying strengths and barriers) and provided practice on techniques and tools for putting it all into practice.
Some points:
Actively listen: Jon asked us to role play a dialogue where the Employment Specialist was only allowed 2o words. The challenge was to keep the conversation going as long as possible up to the 20 word limit.
Be patient as a problem-solver: This refers back to the listening point. Use MI to gather information, to guide a customer in thinking through a decision, or explore setbacks.
Ask permission: If you must absolutely interrupt and offer an opinion or suggestion during MI, ask permission first. Leadership Through People Skills offers a similar tactic for managers: gauge for reciptivity before beginning a discussion.
The training had good information and Jon was an excellent presenter. He had frontline knowledge from his own work and mixed in entertaining stories. My only recommendation is that Jon include more practice in the session.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Bored people are boring
What do your employment workshops look and sound like?
Here is a page with some example presentations for inspirational purposes: You are in the presentation business. I think the first one is the best use of design, and the voice is dramatic. Larry Lessig's delivery in #2 has good timing, but I don't find it interesting.
Here is my favorite TED video: Hans Rosling and "the best stats you've ever seen."
More slide shows: Slideshare.
I borrowed some style from "What teachers make" for a presentation on dressing during a job search (door to door visits). I took out the pictures for privacy reasons. You'll need to use your imagination.
Slides included photos of onestop employment specialists demonstrating the right and wrong ways to dress. Including staff made a huge impression on the audience, who commented that it was much better than generic pictures of models or strangers. For further involvement, ask job seekers to participate as models. As we went through the slideshow, we asked participants to critique the outfits.
Here is a page with some example presentations for inspirational purposes: You are in the presentation business. I think the first one is the best use of design, and the voice is dramatic. Larry Lessig's delivery in #2 has good timing, but I don't find it interesting.
Here is my favorite TED video: Hans Rosling and "the best stats you've ever seen."
More slide shows: Slideshare.
I borrowed some style from "What teachers make" for a presentation on dressing during a job search (door to door visits). I took out the pictures for privacy reasons. You'll need to use your imagination.
Slides included photos of onestop employment specialists demonstrating the right and wrong ways to dress. Including staff made a huge impression on the audience, who commented that it was much better than generic pictures of models or strangers. For further involvement, ask job seekers to participate as models. As we went through the slideshow, we asked participants to critique the outfits.
Dressing for job search
View more presentations from employmentspecialist.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A Hamburger Today...or Two on Tuesday?
I'm catching up on the July posts that I promised! If you're having trouble waiting, there is bad news in store. Self-control and delayed gratification may be connected to success in life, according to a long-term study described in this New Yorker article by Jonah Lehrer.
In May, I accompanied a job seeker on a job hunting trip. We picked some employers in a nearby neighborhood and hit the sidewalk with resumes in hand. She was dressed nicely, business casual with a spring flair, and she had taken the time to fix her hair and makeup. It was a noticeable effort that I complimented. Then, she said, "And I can't smoke, right?"
That's right!
The next hour and a half was a battle over an extreme example of self-control: resisting nicotine addiction. She made it to 7 businesses before I let her have her cigarette reward. At that point, she looked through her purse and found that she had lost her last one.
Along the way on our trip, she found a twenty dollar bill on the sidewalk. That made the lost cigarette a minor disappointment.
While cigarette cravings are not the type of impulse referenced in the New Yorker article, the situation helped me link the study with employment services. What kind of impact, I wondered, could an inability to delay gratification have on a job seeker?
Some ideas:
1. Unrealistic expectation of a short job search; frustration grows as time goes on.
2. A lack of long-term planning; no investment in training, education, or working oneself up from entry-level.
3. Disassociation between the effort necessary to apply and the reward of being hired; there may be too large a gap between the action (targeted resume and cover letter, fully completed application, follow-up calls or visits, interviewing) and the result (job offer).
This is where an employment plan with short-term goals -make a big deal about checking them off- can pay off.
In May, I accompanied a job seeker on a job hunting trip. We picked some employers in a nearby neighborhood and hit the sidewalk with resumes in hand. She was dressed nicely, business casual with a spring flair, and she had taken the time to fix her hair and makeup. It was a noticeable effort that I complimented. Then, she said, "And I can't smoke, right?"
That's right!
The next hour and a half was a battle over an extreme example of self-control: resisting nicotine addiction. She made it to 7 businesses before I let her have her cigarette reward. At that point, she looked through her purse and found that she had lost her last one.
Along the way on our trip, she found a twenty dollar bill on the sidewalk. That made the lost cigarette a minor disappointment.
While cigarette cravings are not the type of impulse referenced in the New Yorker article, the situation helped me link the study with employment services. What kind of impact, I wondered, could an inability to delay gratification have on a job seeker?
Some ideas:
1. Unrealistic expectation of a short job search; frustration grows as time goes on.
2. A lack of long-term planning; no investment in training, education, or working oneself up from entry-level.
3. Disassociation between the effort necessary to apply and the reward of being hired; there may be too large a gap between the action (targeted resume and cover letter, fully completed application, follow-up calls or visits, interviewing) and the result (job offer).
This is where an employment plan with short-term goals -make a big deal about checking them off- can pay off.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Dying newspapers and growing application piles
Recent discussions with Portland, OR employers have revealed the following.
*A job listing in the daily Oregonian newspaper received only a few responses (walk-in applications only).
*The same job listing on craigslist a week later resulted in a steady stream of applicants, but only on the first day. Responses dropped off to only a handful on day 2. The employer was reluctant to post on craigslist due to previous issues with the quality of applicants ("interesting people").
*One discount department store is receiving up to 50 applications a day. Over the summer, hiring will slow down due to participation in the youth (WIA) summer jobs program.
*A job listing in the daily Oregonian newspaper received only a few responses (walk-in applications only).
*The same job listing on craigslist a week later resulted in a steady stream of applicants, but only on the first day. Responses dropped off to only a handful on day 2. The employer was reluctant to post on craigslist due to previous issues with the quality of applicants ("interesting people").
*One discount department store is receiving up to 50 applications a day. Over the summer, hiring will slow down due to participation in the youth (WIA) summer jobs program.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Employment specialist, unplugged
The New Yorker is emerging as my main source for ideas that can be adapted to workforce development. It's fitting since I love Malcolm Gladwell.
This article by John Colapinto (also good), "Brain Games, The Marco Polo of neuroscience," is a fun look into contemporary research on autism, atemnophilia (a compulsion to amputate healthy limbs), and other conditions. The research is described as evidence of the brilliance of Dr. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran. He is certainly smart. The details of how he works are the most interesting part:
"Ramachandran listened closely as Jamieson talked about his condition. In a specialty that today relies chiefly on the power of multimillion-dollar imaging machines to peer deep inside the brain, Ramachandran is known for his low-tech method, which often involves little more than interviews with patients and a few hands-on tests -an approach that he traces to his medical education in India, in the nineteen-seventies, when expensive diagnostic machines were scarce. 'The lack of technology actually forces you to be ingenious," he told me. 'You have to rely on your clinical acumen. You have to use your Sherlock Holmes-like deductive abilities to figure things out."
Job seekers need computers: resumes and cover letters, craigslist, indeed, employer websites, email contact, linkedin, etc.
Employment specialists need computers: tracking databases, matching job seekers to openings, skills assessments, reading blogs, etc.
But can we get by without them?
Now that I'm working in Supported Employment, I'm encouraged/required to get out of the office and work with customers in other settings: meet with employers, going out to submit applications together, onsite job coaching. It's still hard to get away from the computer, and I realize there are things that I do in my cubicle that don't have to be done there.
Employment plans, reviewing job leads, resume reviews, mock interviews, counseling... Really, if a jobseeker is computer literate (word processing and internet), all employment specialist-job seeker interaction can take place without a computer nearby. The exception would be assisting individuals who cannot edit their own resumes or submit online applications (even then there are other options for applying). The only currently essential task that requires computers is data entry for internal program reasons, not for direct services.
By interacting with the jobseeker free of the computer distractions, one of Ramachandran's techniques pops up: you can listen more closely.
Getting away from the computer also prevents one of my professional fears: that my role as an employment specialist becomes simply a middle-man for craigslist posts and support services.
Something else came to mind as I reread the piece for this post. Ramachandran frequently uses mirrors to manipulate how a subject perceives him or herself. I wonder how having mirrors present would affect discussions about the proper way to dress for job searching and interviewing. Mirrors may also have an impact in building self-awareness and hopefully self-esteem.
This article by John Colapinto (also good), "Brain Games, The Marco Polo of neuroscience," is a fun look into contemporary research on autism, atemnophilia (a compulsion to amputate healthy limbs), and other conditions. The research is described as evidence of the brilliance of Dr. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran. He is certainly smart. The details of how he works are the most interesting part:
"Ramachandran listened closely as Jamieson talked about his condition. In a specialty that today relies chiefly on the power of multimillion-dollar imaging machines to peer deep inside the brain, Ramachandran is known for his low-tech method, which often involves little more than interviews with patients and a few hands-on tests -an approach that he traces to his medical education in India, in the nineteen-seventies, when expensive diagnostic machines were scarce. 'The lack of technology actually forces you to be ingenious," he told me. 'You have to rely on your clinical acumen. You have to use your Sherlock Holmes-like deductive abilities to figure things out."
Job seekers need computers: resumes and cover letters, craigslist, indeed, employer websites, email contact, linkedin, etc.
Employment specialists need computers: tracking databases, matching job seekers to openings, skills assessments, reading blogs, etc.
But can we get by without them?
Now that I'm working in Supported Employment, I'm encouraged/required to get out of the office and work with customers in other settings: meet with employers, going out to submit applications together, onsite job coaching. It's still hard to get away from the computer, and I realize there are things that I do in my cubicle that don't have to be done there.
Employment plans, reviewing job leads, resume reviews, mock interviews, counseling... Really, if a jobseeker is computer literate (word processing and internet), all employment specialist-job seeker interaction can take place without a computer nearby. The exception would be assisting individuals who cannot edit their own resumes or submit online applications (even then there are other options for applying). The only currently essential task that requires computers is data entry for internal program reasons, not for direct services.
By interacting with the jobseeker free of the computer distractions, one of Ramachandran's techniques pops up: you can listen more closely.
Getting away from the computer also prevents one of my professional fears: that my role as an employment specialist becomes simply a middle-man for craigslist posts and support services.
Something else came to mind as I reread the piece for this post. Ramachandran frequently uses mirrors to manipulate how a subject perceives him or herself. I wonder how having mirrors present would affect discussions about the proper way to dress for job searching and interviewing. Mirrors may also have an impact in building self-awareness and hopefully self-esteem.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Rags to Riches in 15 days!
I recently read Get Hired Fast: Tap the Hidden Job Market in 15 Days by Brian Graham, which I acquired as an impulse buy at FedEx Office. I bought it after skimming through and seeing that it focused on cold calling, which is a common deficiency in job searches. It is taxing to make enough cold calls to get good at it, and people generally stay away from doing things they are not good at, which leads to few cold calls.
According to Get Hired Fast, it is a mistake to shy away from cold calls, and I agree. The book's strong suit is its support for cold calling as the focus of a job search strategy, from researching employers to developing a script for calls. It's all part of a regiment that prescribes a short (3 weeks) but concentrated (150 calls) calling campaign.
There are 2 things I've started to tell job seekers lately. The first is that job search is what they do outside of my cubicle (meaning that they need to be active outside of our visits). The second is that of all the job seekers who have found jobs while in our program over the last year, only 1 has gotten a job from online-only sources. All the others have used personal contacts (including job developed by employment specialists), walk-in visits (including in-person visits to employers advertising online), or cold-calls to find open positions that they've applied for and gotten.
Get Hired Fast corroborates this position that job seekers need to get away from the computer as much as possible. Unfortunately, cold calling is only the subject of half the book. The rest of the pages are repeats of standard job seeking advice about interviewing and responding to job offers. This highlights the difficulty with cold-calling; even a book about cold-calling needs a little sugar to help the medicine go down. Instead of this generic advice, I wish it would have included more about script writing and more about dealing with rejection. It honestly states that there will be a lot of rejection.
Get Hired Fast is also like a guide to losing 10 pounds or quitting smoking. It tells you what to do and it tells you how to do it. It doesn't make it easy or fun, though, and the hard work is up to you. If you're advocating for job seekers to make cold calls, I recommend checking it out from a library; it is not essential to have it permanently on your bookshelf.
As a bonus, it can help with job development, where cold calling skills are useful.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Summer Slowdown
I've always wondered why the summer is a time of tv re-runs and magazine combined issues. Now that I'm writing this blog, I see why. Summer outings (and evening runs and picnics) means less time for production.
There are several posts that haven't made it from my head to the blog:
1. The NY times article this weekend about the success of employment training programs.
2. A New Yorker article on self-control and delayed gratification as predictors of success.
3. A New Yorker article that inspired me to wonder what employment services we could improve by removing computers from Employment Specialist desks.
4. A post on improving workshops and presentations for job seekers.
5. Another post on first-hand job development information.
6. An activity for encouraging job seekers to write cover letters.
I'll write all of these posts before the end of the month. Also, I'm planning some changes by the end of the summer (bigger and better).
Here's some of what I've been doing instead of writing blog posts:
There are several posts that haven't made it from my head to the blog:
1. The NY times article this weekend about the success of employment training programs.
2. A New Yorker article on self-control and delayed gratification as predictors of success.
3. A New Yorker article that inspired me to wonder what employment services we could improve by removing computers from Employment Specialist desks.
4. A post on improving workshops and presentations for job seekers.
5. Another post on first-hand job development information.
6. An activity for encouraging job seekers to write cover letters.
I'll write all of these posts before the end of the month. Also, I'm planning some changes by the end of the summer (bigger and better).
Here's some of what I've been doing instead of writing blog posts:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The employment specialist world of tomorrow, expanded
Michele Martin presented a workshop on Using Free Internet Technologies to Support Customer Job Searches and Provide High Quality Services at this year's Garden State Employment and Training Association Conference (GSETA). It's a great how-to for following through with using social media and other web tools for workforce development services. Check the conference wiki for the handouts to the other workshops as well.
Here is the outstanding GSETA blog.
Here is the outstanding GSETA blog.
Fate or free will?
As the workforce shrinks, it's interesting to see the difference between the media reports of mass layoffs and the actual ways that individuals are losing their jobs. Job seekers can easily interpret the poor economy and continuing layoffs as signs that no one is hiring, but job openings happen every day as new positions are created or as workers in critical positions leave or get fired. Here's a list of how jobseekers I work with have left their employers in the last 8 months:
1. Quit due to not getting along with supervisor
2. Fired for not making it to work (within first 2 weeks)
3. Laid off in order to make room for the owner's daughter-in-law
4. Fired for disagreements with customers
5. Quit due to not getting along with supervisor
6. Laid off for not calling in for on-call work
7. Resigned due to health complications
Of these 7, only 2 appear to have been unavoidable (#3 and #7). The others were the result of poor soft skills such as teamwork, responsibility, following procedure, punctuality and attendance. Soft-skill job coaching is clearly important for maintaining employment.
Of the 2 terminations that were unavoidable, the economy was definitely a factor in #3, which was a residential housekeeping position, a field that is losing demand in these tough times.
I know some of these positions were refilled, but I don't think they all were. Several employers have stated over the last year that they are not actively laying people off but are reducing their staff by not filling positions when individuals resign or are fired. Instead, duties and hours are being spread among the remaining employees.
While large layoffs do occur, they target specific locations and industries, which do not seem to directly include the individuals I serve in Portland. 2o minutes away (Intel, Nike, Columbia Sportswear and others), the story is different.
1. Quit due to not getting along with supervisor
2. Fired for not making it to work (within first 2 weeks)
3. Laid off in order to make room for the owner's daughter-in-law
4. Fired for disagreements with customers
5. Quit due to not getting along with supervisor
6. Laid off for not calling in for on-call work
7. Resigned due to health complications
Of these 7, only 2 appear to have been unavoidable (#3 and #7). The others were the result of poor soft skills such as teamwork, responsibility, following procedure, punctuality and attendance. Soft-skill job coaching is clearly important for maintaining employment.
Of the 2 terminations that were unavoidable, the economy was definitely a factor in #3, which was a residential housekeeping position, a field that is losing demand in these tough times.
I know some of these positions were refilled, but I don't think they all were. Several employers have stated over the last year that they are not actively laying people off but are reducing their staff by not filling positions when individuals resign or are fired. Instead, duties and hours are being spread among the remaining employees.
While large layoffs do occur, they target specific locations and industries, which do not seem to directly include the individuals I serve in Portland. 2o minutes away (Intel, Nike, Columbia Sportswear and others), the story is different.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The employment specialist world of tomorrow
Despite spending most of my day (work and personal time) on a computer, I'm a skeptic about the promises of world-changing web applications. I think MySpace is for kids and I figure that 99% of videos on Youtube are better off not seen. I follow people on Twitter, but don't tweet myself as I don't think my employer would approve. Of course, I do blog.
Still, I think these are all great tools for workforce development. Here's a roundup of the most hyped sites and thoughts on their potential in our field. Real life examples reveal the early adopters and some hiccups with blogs that were suspended after three posts or social networking profiles with zero friends.
Twitter
Basic:
1. Announce Events
2. Celebrate successes.
Advanced:
1. Connect to employers.
2. Advertise specific candidates.
-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas tweets.
-Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande tweets.
-Wise (VA) Workforce Center tweets.
-Worksystems Inc (Portland, OR) tweets.
Youtube
Basic:
1. Recruiting/Informational Brochures
2. Event Recaps
Advanced:
1. Self-produced (targeted) training
2. Employer interviews/profiles
-Workforce Solutions (Houston-Galveston-Gulfcoast) application and interviewing videos on Youtube.
MySpace/Facebook
Basic
1. Announce events.
2. Recruit.
Advanced:
1. Maintain follow-up contact.
2. Connect participants to other resources.
-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas Myspace.
-Columbia-Greene Workforce NY Myspace.
-Worksource Vancouver (WA) Myspace.
Other examples:
Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast blog.
Huron County (OH) employment specialist interview by the Toledo Blade on Youtube.
Cumberland County (NC) Workforce Development montage on Youtube.
WorkOne Southeast (IN) youth commercial on Youtube.
Wise (VA) Workforce Center podcasts.
Still, I think these are all great tools for workforce development. Here's a roundup of the most hyped sites and thoughts on their potential in our field. Real life examples reveal the early adopters and some hiccups with blogs that were suspended after three posts or social networking profiles with zero friends.
Basic:
1. Announce Events
2. Celebrate successes.
Advanced:
1. Connect to employers.
2. Advertise specific candidates.
-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas tweets.
-Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande tweets.
-Wise (VA) Workforce Center tweets.
-Worksystems Inc (Portland, OR) tweets.
Youtube
Basic:
1. Recruiting/Informational Brochures
2. Event Recaps
Advanced:
1. Self-produced (targeted) training
2. Employer interviews/profiles
-Workforce Solutions (Houston-Galveston-Gulfcoast) application and interviewing videos on Youtube.
MySpace/Facebook
Basic
1. Announce events.
2. Recruit.
Advanced:
1. Maintain follow-up contact.
2. Connect participants to other resources.
-Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas Myspace.
-Columbia-Greene Workforce NY Myspace.
-Worksource Vancouver (WA) Myspace.
Other examples:
Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast blog.
Huron County (OH) employment specialist interview by the Toledo Blade on Youtube.
Cumberland County (NC) Workforce Development montage on Youtube.
WorkOne Southeast (IN) youth commercial on Youtube.
Wise (VA) Workforce Center podcasts.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Labor Pains
"We have declared war on work..."
I watched this TED video featuring Mike Rowe ("Dirty Jobs" tv show host) a few weeks ago. As I was trying to come up with a way to fit it into a post, last Sunday's New York Times Magazine came out and featured a related story on blue collar work.
In the TED video, Rowe describes things he has learned from interviewing and working alongside blue collar workers. He also discusses the need to promote vocational training in order to supply the next generation of skilled labor. Be prepared for a story about sheep castration (dirty job); the story is told cleanly enough for the professional TED crowd.
The above quote is followed by 4 points from Rowe:
1. Hollywood and other media have a history of devaluing jobs such as plumbing
2. Advertising sells a leisure attitude that paints work as something to escape.
3. Government can promote/impede access or growth of industries
4. Tools (tech) are changing.
In the New York Times story, Matthew Crawford recounts his experiences as a Ph.D in political philosophy who works as a motorcycle mechanic. He also adds to his first person account a discussion of the decline in trades and vocational education.
Along with recent government pushes for infrastructure improvement projects and green manufacturing jobs, it is interesting to see media promotion turning to less glamourous jobs, which is what Rowe calls for.
I watched this TED video featuring Mike Rowe ("Dirty Jobs" tv show host) a few weeks ago. As I was trying to come up with a way to fit it into a post, last Sunday's New York Times Magazine came out and featured a related story on blue collar work.
In the TED video, Rowe describes things he has learned from interviewing and working alongside blue collar workers. He also discusses the need to promote vocational training in order to supply the next generation of skilled labor. Be prepared for a story about sheep castration (dirty job); the story is told cleanly enough for the professional TED crowd.
The above quote is followed by 4 points from Rowe:
1. Hollywood and other media have a history of devaluing jobs such as plumbing
2. Advertising sells a leisure attitude that paints work as something to escape.
3. Government can promote/impede access or growth of industries
4. Tools (tech) are changing.
In the New York Times story, Matthew Crawford recounts his experiences as a Ph.D in political philosophy who works as a motorcycle mechanic. He also adds to his first person account a discussion of the decline in trades and vocational education.
Along with recent government pushes for infrastructure improvement projects and green manufacturing jobs, it is interesting to see media promotion turning to less glamourous jobs, which is what Rowe calls for.
Monday, May 18, 2009
More Job Development
Here are additional resources from job development consultants, training organizations, and state agencies:
Allen Anderson articles at Dover Training Group & Employment Management Professionals. Check out the whole site. I like this from the DTG-EMP About Us page:
Job development powerpoint presentation to Oregon Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS).
Additional materials from OVRS.
Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) podcast, What Do Employers Want?
ICI article, Increasing Placement Through Professional Networking
Allen Anderson articles at Dover Training Group & Employment Management Professionals. Check out the whole site. I like this from the DTG-EMP About Us page:
- Job seekers do not have to be job ready to go to work. Plenty of people who were not job ready are working.
- A linear path works for the most able and a nonlinear path for the less able.
- We respond to the job market; the job market does not respond to us.
- Job development is sales and marketing, not education or counseling, although education and counseling are often sales and marketing.
- Employer needs are the keys to jobs, not candidate skills.
- Failing at a job is a good beginning, not a poor ending.
- The employer is the linchpin to jobs - gain control here and all is possible.
- The only absolute must in going to work is the motivation to work.
Job development powerpoint presentation to Oregon Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS).
Additional materials from OVRS.
Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) podcast, What Do Employers Want?
ICI article, Increasing Placement Through Professional Networking
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Business Class
Job development is not on the job description of every employment specialist, and it can look very different across the spectrum of workforce development programs.
In Youth WIA, I've seen job development handled as an extension of paid work experience (or on-the-job training). As a core onestop service, I've seen job development refer to soliciting or receiving job orders. In customized and supported employment, it becomes an intensive hands-on part of most job searches.
The competitiveness of the current job market emphasizes job development as a key element in employment services for job seekers who face tough barriers to employment. Unfortunately, it is harder to be successful at job development than it is to make a good resume or teach a job readiness workshop.
Even for great and experienced job developers, approaching businesses leads to rejection!
Job seekers don't get every job they apply for, but we still encourage them to keep trying. With coaching and practice, they will get a job. Employment specialists need to summon the same courage, take on the urgency of the job seeker, and keep trying as well.
Here are a few links to job development tips & tricks from around the web:
The Toolbox from Cygnet Associates: 23 tips for job development, and other workforce development guidance for general customer populations.
Massworks Tips for Job Development During Tough Times. 5 tips addressing job development in tight job markets. This is a post from Massworks' blog which has a strong focus on workforce development for people with disabililities.
Job development best practices via Powerpoint for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project. Includes basic strategies for incorporating employment into case management, and job development tips useful for working with all job seekers.
Supported Employment job development tips & trends from Canada. The last post is dated 2006, but I didn't see the 3 tips under the heading Relationship-based marketing on other lists.
How To Design and Deliver an Effective Job Development and Placement Program. A Dept. of Housing and Urban Development guide for its Neighborhood Works program. This guide includes telemarketing tips and a sample phone script.
Building Your Pitch, an MS Word outline for an elevator pitch from the Department of Labor's Performance Enhancement Project.
In Youth WIA, I've seen job development handled as an extension of paid work experience (or on-the-job training). As a core onestop service, I've seen job development refer to soliciting or receiving job orders. In customized and supported employment, it becomes an intensive hands-on part of most job searches.
The competitiveness of the current job market emphasizes job development as a key element in employment services for job seekers who face tough barriers to employment. Unfortunately, it is harder to be successful at job development than it is to make a good resume or teach a job readiness workshop.
Even for great and experienced job developers, approaching businesses leads to rejection!
Job seekers don't get every job they apply for, but we still encourage them to keep trying. With coaching and practice, they will get a job. Employment specialists need to summon the same courage, take on the urgency of the job seeker, and keep trying as well.
Here are a few links to job development tips & tricks from around the web:
The Toolbox from Cygnet Associates: 23 tips for job development, and other workforce development guidance for general customer populations.
Massworks Tips for Job Development During Tough Times. 5 tips addressing job development in tight job markets. This is a post from Massworks' blog which has a strong focus on workforce development for people with disabililities.
Job development best practices via Powerpoint for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project. Includes basic strategies for incorporating employment into case management, and job development tips useful for working with all job seekers.
Supported Employment job development tips & trends from Canada. The last post is dated 2006, but I didn't see the 3 tips under the heading Relationship-based marketing on other lists.
How To Design and Deliver an Effective Job Development and Placement Program. A Dept. of Housing and Urban Development guide for its Neighborhood Works program. This guide includes telemarketing tips and a sample phone script.
Building Your Pitch, an MS Word outline for an elevator pitch from the Department of Labor's Performance Enhancement Project.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Horrible service, with a smile
In recent weeks, I've been in situations as a customer where cheerful and chatty individuals did a poor job of getting me what I needed. The first instance was an inconsequential visit to a deli that had closed its grill, but didn't have a sign saying so and still had its order slips out. Only after I filled out an order did the friendly guy behind the counter happily tell me that the grill was closed. No big deal now that I look back on it, except that it has made me start to recognize similar instances: supermarket cashiers who try to find out what I'm making for dinner, while slowly making an awkward pile of my groceries; low-pressure auto service mechanics who commend our small fuel-efficient sedan, and offer to sell us spark plug wires for a car that doesn't use any.
It's made me paranoid about the quality of service I'm giving, and how it balances with my friendliness. Long-term case management is built upon strong relationships. On one hand, it's important to be warm and engaging. More importantly, though, it's necessary to provide a product that the customer will value. In this case the product is competent advice, practical steps to job search, adequate support services, and accessible, demand-driven training. Job seekers need to trust that they are receiving something that will help them, and that there is a benefit to working with an employment specialist.
Why should someone make regular visits, stay in contact, and follow the instructions of someone who is not helping them, or someone who is telling them things they already know?
By providing quality employment services, an employment specialist can also maintain a relationship when providing feedback that is not obviously "friendly customer service." Sometimes, you need to tell a job seeker something that they do not want to hear. It's easier to take such advice from someone with a track record of providing wise guidance.
How I work towards good service:
1. Complete a tangible activity/provide a meaningful resource during each meeting with a job seeker.
2. Don't get lazy and allow job seekers to use cover letters, resumes, applications that are not perfect. If they resist making edits, try different suggestions.
3. Get job seekers as prepared as possible for talking to employers/interviewing.
4. Give job seekers worthwhile action steps to take following each meeting.
5. Keep seeking out new ideas, techniques, and trainings
It's made me paranoid about the quality of service I'm giving, and how it balances with my friendliness. Long-term case management is built upon strong relationships. On one hand, it's important to be warm and engaging. More importantly, though, it's necessary to provide a product that the customer will value. In this case the product is competent advice, practical steps to job search, adequate support services, and accessible, demand-driven training. Job seekers need to trust that they are receiving something that will help them, and that there is a benefit to working with an employment specialist.
Why should someone make regular visits, stay in contact, and follow the instructions of someone who is not helping them, or someone who is telling them things they already know?
By providing quality employment services, an employment specialist can also maintain a relationship when providing feedback that is not obviously "friendly customer service." Sometimes, you need to tell a job seeker something that they do not want to hear. It's easier to take such advice from someone with a track record of providing wise guidance.
How I work towards good service:
1. Complete a tangible activity/provide a meaningful resource during each meeting with a job seeker.
2. Don't get lazy and allow job seekers to use cover letters, resumes, applications that are not perfect. If they resist making edits, try different suggestions.
3. Get job seekers as prepared as possible for talking to employers/interviewing.
4. Give job seekers worthwhile action steps to take following each meeting.
5. Keep seeking out new ideas, techniques, and trainings
Monday, May 4, 2009
All other duties as assigned
There are certain skills and scopes of knowledge that should be expected as an Employment Specialist, including: resume & cover letter writing, job search, job development, labor market information, application procedures, professional dress, and interviewing.
Then, there are those unexpected things that we learn along the way. Here are 4 big ones:
1. Public transportation: I commute by bus or bike, but what has really taught me the local bus system is Google mapping employer sites for job seekers, complete with public transportation directions. Here in Portland, I also have the luxury of using the regional transit's trip planner.
2. Criminal justice system: Working with post-prison reintegration job seekers has taught me about parole/probation reporting requirements, diversion, restitution, and other aspects of the justice system. Also, when I lose contact with someone and hear a rumor about an arrest, I can confirm it through the Victim's Notification Network. In Portland, I can also get information on recent arrests from the Multnomah County Sherrif's Office.
3. Trade/Vocational Education: I can have educated conversations about and provide accurate job search counseling regarding phlebotomy, welding, flagging, bank telling, and other trades that I have no experience in due to what I've learned from placing individuals in vocational training programs. Each job seeker is an opportunity to learn about a new field.
4. Driver's License/ID, Social Security card, Birth Certificates: In addition to the classic employment conundrum, "You need experience to get a job; You need a job to get experience," there is this problem: Lose all your identifying documents. Try to get an ID without a social security card, or a social security card without an ID.
Other things learned:
5. identify theft prevention
6. motivational psychology
7. free email (for job seekers)
8. frugal shopping (support services)
9. background/criminal history checks
Then, there are those unexpected things that we learn along the way. Here are 4 big ones:
1. Public transportation: I commute by bus or bike, but what has really taught me the local bus system is Google mapping employer sites for job seekers, complete with public transportation directions. Here in Portland, I also have the luxury of using the regional transit's trip planner.
2. Criminal justice system: Working with post-prison reintegration job seekers has taught me about parole/probation reporting requirements, diversion, restitution, and other aspects of the justice system. Also, when I lose contact with someone and hear a rumor about an arrest, I can confirm it through the Victim's Notification Network. In Portland, I can also get information on recent arrests from the Multnomah County Sherrif's Office.
3. Trade/Vocational Education: I can have educated conversations about and provide accurate job search counseling regarding phlebotomy, welding, flagging, bank telling, and other trades that I have no experience in due to what I've learned from placing individuals in vocational training programs. Each job seeker is an opportunity to learn about a new field.
4. Driver's License/ID, Social Security card, Birth Certificates: In addition to the classic employment conundrum, "You need experience to get a job; You need a job to get experience," there is this problem: Lose all your identifying documents. Try to get an ID without a social security card, or a social security card without an ID.
Other things learned:
5. identify theft prevention
6. motivational psychology
7. free email (for job seekers)
8. frugal shopping (support services)
9. background/criminal history checks
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Quick Quotes
Here is some humor overheard in the cubicles at work:
"I had this dream..."
"Was it a Martin Luther King kind of dream or a Freddy Kreuger kind?"
"Half a paycheck is better than no paycheck."
and
"I got a phone now."
"You got a phone!"
"It's not like that. My lawyer got it for me."
"Oh, are you on his plan, too?"
"I had this dream..."
"Was it a Martin Luther King kind of dream or a Freddy Kreuger kind?"
"Half a paycheck is better than no paycheck."
and
"I got a phone now."
"You got a phone!"
"It's not like that. My lawyer got it for me."
"Oh, are you on his plan, too?"
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
I know how to job search, I've been doing it for YEARS
There are at least 2 struggles regarding job search knowledge as an Employment Specialist. One involves establishing authority as an "expert" at gaining employment. Another involves sorting through all the job search advice that is floating around in our universe.
A couple of weeks ago, I followed posts at Ask A Manager in which the Manager debated another blogger who advised readers that they are free to burn bridges with past employers/supervisors without repercussion. (I side with Ask a Manager; job seekers need those professional references!)
Then this week at a job fair, a workshop facilitator included this in a list of "10 truths" about job search:
"You do not need a resume to do a job search."
Is it possible to get a job without a resume? Sure. Can all my job seekers throw away their resumes? The idea frightens me.
There is probably a nuanced explanation to the "no resume" job search, but the 1/2 hour presentation didn't leave time for that.
Another "truth" revealed was:
"In most cases people hire people they know and like -- whether or not the candidate has the exact experience, background or skills to do the job."
I think it's absolutely true, BUT it needs to be managed carefully. If an employer doesn't know the job seeker, the qualifications are very necessary. The key word is "exact." Many people may replace "exact" with "any" and start applying for jobs that they should not be considering, and they may neglect opportunities they are qualified for in favor of long-shot applications.
My coworkers found a simple way to improve the statement: In most cases people hire people they know and like IN ADDITION to having the experience, background or skills to do the job.
I don't think the advice is wrong; I think it's careless advice in a sea of job seekers with different skills and abilities. We can't expect everyone to be able to discern when to use a resume and when not to, or when to overreach or not.
A couple of weeks ago, I followed posts at Ask A Manager in which the Manager debated another blogger who advised readers that they are free to burn bridges with past employers/supervisors without repercussion. (I side with Ask a Manager; job seekers need those professional references!)
Then this week at a job fair, a workshop facilitator included this in a list of "10 truths" about job search:
"You do not need a resume to do a job search."
Is it possible to get a job without a resume? Sure. Can all my job seekers throw away their resumes? The idea frightens me.
There is probably a nuanced explanation to the "no resume" job search, but the 1/2 hour presentation didn't leave time for that.
Another "truth" revealed was:
"In most cases people hire people they know and like -- whether or not the candidate has the exact experience, background or skills to do the job."
I think it's absolutely true, BUT it needs to be managed carefully. If an employer doesn't know the job seeker, the qualifications are very necessary. The key word is "exact." Many people may replace "exact" with "any" and start applying for jobs that they should not be considering, and they may neglect opportunities they are qualified for in favor of long-shot applications.
My coworkers found a simple way to improve the statement: In most cases people hire people they know and like IN ADDITION to having the experience, background or skills to do the job.
I don't think the advice is wrong; I think it's careless advice in a sea of job seekers with different skills and abilities. We can't expect everyone to be able to discern when to use a resume and when not to, or when to overreach or not.
More Excel Chart Fun
This is in response to:
1. Job seekers who rush through applications and submit incomplete or half-hearted applications
2. Application forms that don't have areas that let individuals shine through.
3. The "Do I need a cover letter?" debate.
1. Job seekers who rush through applications and submit incomplete or half-hearted applications
2. Application forms that don't have areas that let individuals shine through.
3. The "Do I need a cover letter?" debate.
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