4 Job Development: The Path to Careers - VCU RRTC

1 4 Job development : The path to Careers The shift between organizational personnel engaged in job development activ- marketing and job development will be ities with critical information, to influence and relatively seamless, in the supported employ- shape the overall service provisions of the ment organization that incorporates organi- organization. Conducting business in this zational marketing as a significant function of manner will ultimately build a strong organi- their service delivery practices. Quality sup- zation and a solid community reputation. Target ported employment services will include areas for information gathering includes the planning as a critical and on-going activity. The items listed in the table below. planning function of organizational marketing, as well as job development ensures that all employment related services are driven by the MARKET-BASED PLANNING &.

2 Specific interests and needs of: 1) job seekers INFORMATION GATHERING. with significant disabilities; and 2) community AREAS. employers. Yet, because individual interests and needs are never stagnant, the re-sults of the # Interests and Needs of People with planning process will constantly be evolving and Significant Disabilities continually individualized. If supported # Interests and Needs of Community employment personnel are actively engaged in Employers cultivating a strong open relation-ship between # Labor Market Information ( status themselves and individuals with significant of business growth and decline). disabilities and community em-ployers, both # Economic Trends ( unemployment individual and group needs will be rate, current and projected). communicated back to the organization. When # Political & Social Influences Af- implemented correctly this process will allow fecting Supported Employment Ser- vices ( community perception of supported employment organizations to always inclusion, compliance with ADA, and/.

3 Be in a position to deliver needed ser-vices in a or other disability related legislation.). timely manner. # Demographic Data (who lives in the As presented in chapter 2, market-based community and in what locations). planning provides supported employment The employment specialist will engage 98. in a wide variety of activities associated with of all successful objectives. These accomp- job development . At first glance many of these lishments will then be evaluated along with activities will not appear to be directly assisting issues and concerns in the job development a supported employment job seeker in ob- process. taining a job. A common mistake among many employment specialists is to expect that all job IRECTING THE. development activities will lead to a specific D JOB-HUNT. job. While this is the ultimate goal of job Supported employment customers will development it may not always be achieved.

4 Choose to lead, direct , actively participate, or Rather, job development dovetails with simply stay informed during the job develop- marketing and as such, entails developing long ment or job-hunt process. The key to providing term, mutually profitable, and valuable rela- a customer-driven approach is to work with tionships. Consequently, every interaction is a supported employment customers to assist them building block of this relationship and must be in determining their role, duties, and re- understood as such. If an employment special- sponsibilities. Job seekers should be en- ist understands the objectives behind each of the couraged and supported to exert control over activities associated with job development , then their own job development process. Therefore, the job-hunt process will become re-warding for the employment specialist is always working all of the parties involved.

5 From a least to most intrusive approach and is For example, the supported employ- careful not to provide more assistance than the ment job development objective for mailing an job seeker needs to be successful in obtaining organizational letter of introduction to a com- employment. It stands to reason that munity business is to successfully gain access to customers who have been very active in an employer with the identified business. obtaining the job of their choice will have a Therefore, when an introductory letter assists greater sense of success and a stronger supported employment personnel in securing a commitment to the business and to their business appointment, this job development employer. activity should be considered a success; even if There are a variety of different ways for a supported employment customer never gets a a customer to participate in the job develop- job at the particular place of business.

6 Gaining ment process to include: creating a resume, access to the employer was a successful job- telephoning the employment specialist with job hunt activity because the employment spec-ialist leads, cold calling employers, and networking was able to meet with the employer, gain with family and friends. Regardless of how the important information about the business, and customer shapes his or her role, the employ- obtain specific details regarding personnel hiring ment specialist would continue to be available issues within the corporation. It will be and to provide direct support or assistance. important for employment specialists and The partnership that is ultimately developed customers to acknowledge the accomplishment 99. between the customer and the employment that the employment specialist will be able to specialist will require supported employment become familiar with an individual's positive personnel to develop a strong working knowl- characteristics, preferences, potential needs, and edge of the interests, abilities, and experiences significant family and community supports.

7 In of all job seekers. The following table presents addition, the accomplishment of this step will various avenues for increasing customer in- help to define the roles and responsibilities for volvement in the job development process. It is the customer and the employment specialist important to remember that most customers will during job development . choose to use a combination of the tech-niques Taking time to really get to know an presented here. individual will enable the employment special-ist to rely upon recent, first hand knowledge that has been obtained through direct con-versations TECHNIQUES FOR INCREASING and observations. Typically, the majority of this CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT IN information will be obtained during the JOB development customer profile component, as described in Chapter 3 of the handbook.

8 Yet, many # Develop an Employment Resume supported employment customers and # Contact the Employment Specialist employment specialists will want to spend some with Job Leads additional time getting to know each other for # Ask Family Members About Job role clarification. There are many creative ways Openings to accomplish this objective and to collect the # Ask Friends About Job Openings information desired. Several techniques can # Cold Calling Employers easily be incorporated into the employment specialist's routine activities during job development to include: schedule a home visit, plan an information sharing meeting, invite the K NOWING THE JOB SEEKER job seeker to accompany the employment specialist during a community analysis and labor Before job-hunting can begin for a market screening (encourage the individual to specific individual, it is imperative for the direct this activity by visiting those community employment specialist to gain first hand businesses that are of per-sonal interest to the knowledge about the individual and to establish job seeker), encourage the job seeker to an effective and comfortable level of communi- participate in several job analysis activities that cation.

9 Creating the opportunity to get to know appear interesting or are in an area that is a supported employment customer is some- totally unfamiliar, and ensure times difficult. For this reason it is often overlooked as a step in the job development process. Yet, it will be through this process 100. regular and consistent contact once job be two-fold. First, effective communi-cation development has begun. The table below will enable the employment specialist to gather provides a list of job development activities that important interest and preference information the job seeker and the employment specialist from the customer to guide the job development can perform together in an effort to gain process. Secondly, once the em-ployment information and to establish a rapport. specialist and the customer establish a strong communication system, together they will be able to demonstrate this method, through TECHNIQUES FOR ESTABLISHING routine interactions and thereby edu-cate the RAPPORT WITH THE employer, co-workers, and others.

10 Often times JOB SEEKER this type of informal education and/or demonstration can be extremely effec-tive in assisting an employer to feel com-fortable and # Home Visit reduce her or his concerns about future # Information Sharing Meeting employee communication issues. # Community Job Market Screening Activities Assertive Communication # Structured Business Site Visits Di- Establishing a comfortable and open rected by the Job Seeker's Personal form of communication is equally important. If Interests the supported employment job seeker does not # Employment Site Visits in Occupa- feel comfortable with the employment specialist, tional Areas that are Unfamiliar to the Job Seeker he or she is not likely to share ideas or feelings that later could be critical in selecting an # Job Analysis Activities employment position.