I’ve cancelled our remaining conference calls due to scheduling conflict, and I’ve decided not to reschedule them. I don’t think the phone calls are really helping anyone.  How our project (Real World Job Development) ends will be largely up to you.

The best way to improve job development skills is to gain experience and to reflect upon that experience.  In a group people can reflect upon and learn from the experiences of others.  Experience typically comes from actually doing job development, but it can also come from role plays and other simulations.

For our project, the assignments are intended to create experience, and our group interaction, whether online or on the phone, is intended to promote reflection. So far, not much of either has taken place. 

Are you learning anything? Are you gaining experience in job development? Are you reflecting on your experiences, or maybe on the experiences of others?

What’s keeping you from doing job development? What’s keeping you from checking in with the group?

I’ll be calling each of you to talk about this project and the limited amount of time we have left.  I’m also asking you to post comments in response to what I’ve written here.  Post whatever comes to mind: a suggestion, a complaint, a thought, etc.

What can we do to make this project a positive learning experience for us? 

I like to compare job development to swimming.  You can watch videos of swimming, read about swimming, think about swimming, and talk about swimming, but you’ll never learn how to swim unless you get in the water.  Job Development is like swimming in that you’ll learn more from just a little bit of experience than you will from lots of instruction. While some people possess advanced job development skills, the basics really are basic. The basics can be expressed in less than 10 sentences:

1. Introduce yourself to the employer. Say, ”Hello, my name is________, and I _______.” Fill in the blanks with your name & what you do that will benefit the employer.  
2. Whether the economy is weak or strong, figure out the employer’s needs by asking good questions. 
3. Listen. Good listening skills are more important than skills of persuasion.
4. When job hunting for a person with a criminal record, be honest & forthcoming. 
5. For any job seeker who is non-competitive for whatever reason, focus on desireable traits such as punctuality, work ethic, and dependability.
6. When possible, match the skills of the individual to the tasks that must be done.
7. Building relationships is important, but the end goal is to have the employer hire someone. Ask for a hire.
8. When an employer says ”no,” ask for things the employer is more likely to grant. Try to end with a ”yes.” 
9. Follow up, follow up, follow up.  Following up builds credibility, strengthens relationsips, and increases the likelihood that you’ll happen to catch an employer right when he or she is needing to hire someone.

“Job Placement is all about relationships.” 

 I’ve heard this a lot over the past 2 years, and it’s true…sort of.

The problem with this perspective is that sometimes job development ends with the “relationship” and never reaches the point of someone being hired.  Some Job Developers join the chamber of commerce,  get involved in the community, and rub elbows with all sorts of influential business people without securing an actual job placement. While this community involvement can be fun, it can also be frustrating if it never produces job placements.

The first step toward a hire is to ask for it directly.  Often we mistakenly think if people know who we are & what we do then they l will let us know when job opportunties arise.  This risky assumption leads to missed job leads.

If an employer is not hiring, for whateve reason, it’s worthwhile to ask for something else — something that the employer is more likely to agree to.  This technique strengthens the relationship and keeps the door open for future interactions.  The less investment of time and/or energy your request expects from the employer, the more likely you are to receive some kind of agreement.  

You can ask an employer to provide a mock interview, review a draft job application,  review resume drafts, etc.  These tasks require much less commitment than hiring someone, and they perpetuate a relationship in which you are asking and the employer is agreeing.  

Sherry, a colleague of mine, recently suggested asking the employer if an individual could participate in a job shadow or  job try-out. These types of situations allow the employer to assess someon’es work ethic and potential without an obligation to hire.

Eventually, when the timing is right, you can re-visit asking the employer to hire.

When the economy is very good (and unemployment is very low) employers are more likely to face high turnover. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that when jobs are easy to find, they’re also easy to quit.

During a bad economy, with high unemployment, employer’s need every hiring decision to be the right one.  Faced with stacks of job applications from strangers, the employer needs some efficient way to find the right employee as quickly as possible.

Whatever an employer’s problem is, the job developer can offer a unique solution. During low unemployment the job developer can provide that loyal employee who is ready to stick with the first employer who gives her a chance.  During high unemployement, the job developer can provide a job candidate who has been pre-screened according to his ability to perform the essential tasks of the job.  In either case, the job developer offers ongoing follow-up that will help make sure the hiring decision is working out for everyone involved.

It’s like a colleague of mine recently concluded, “We don’t just provide offer employees, we offer to help.”

An onging relationship with an employer, and an understanding of that employer’s needs, combine to make the job developer a significant factor in the hiring decision.

What problems do you see employers facing now?  What solutions do you offer?

I heard these words as a young adult looking for work.  While the message was not particularly encouraging, it  comforted me to know that others recognized the challenges of a job search. Eventually I became an employment counselor for people with disabilities.  In other words, finding jobs for others became my own permanent full-time job. 

I love my job, but it can be tough.  For me and many others, making the first contact with an employer can be intimidating. I discussed this challenge with a small group of experienced professionals today, and we developed the following guidelines:  

• When time allows, make cold calls in person, rather than on the phone.  You’ll develop a better rapport this way, and you’ll be able to pick up on more subtle communication, like body language and facial expressions.  (Phone calls, however, are better than nothing, and can be effective.)
• Expect to contact an employer several times before you’re really taken seriously.   Persistence increases credibility. 
• Target your contacts.  Consider which employers are most likely to hire the job seekers that you’re helping. 
• State your purpose very early in your introduction, and express a desire to meet the employer’s hiring needs.  
• Follow up, especially after the employer hires someone referred by you.  Maintaining contact ensures that your around to help prevent little problems from becoming big problems.

Following these basic guidelines will prepare you to get the most result for your job placement efforts, and experience will be your best teacher. It may not be easy, but it’s worth it.

Share what works for you (and what doesn’t work).  We can post our experiences here and learn from each other.