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.
Showing posts with label Onestop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Onestop. Show all posts
Thursday, June 11, 2009
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?"
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