Name: Elisabeth
Web Site: http://www.worknetsolutions.com
Bio: Elisabeth is co-author of No One Is Unemployable: Creative Solutions for Overcoming Barriers to Employment, The WorkNet Model of Career Development & Job Placement for People with Barriers and the WorkNet curriculum used across the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., and is the President of WorkNet Solutions
Posts by Elisabeth:
Career Development for Clients with Significant Barriers: The Creative Job Search
July 20th, 2009Hope & Practicality from Elisabeth - Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions
The WorkNet Model is “a model of career development and job search for people with barriers”. It’s a long name, and if we could shorten it we would, but each part is necessary. The revolutionary part, when it comes to serving clients with significant barriers, is the career development approach. After all, the average unemployed person can find job search support in many places, but few will encounter quality career development. But, we can’t drop the “job search” reference either, for two reasons. First, too often career development services focus on career assessment and planning without becoming tangible enough for so many clients, perhaps especially those facing significant barriers who notoriously struggle to transition theory into practice. The other reason we must refer to the job search from the start, is because difficult clients who need to work immediately are commonly encouraged to job search in a too-traditional way. Here are ideas on making the job search piece effective.
In any job search, there are four important steps to getting a “yes”… know what job you want, avoid being screened-out, prove you are a great match for the job, and get to the person who can hire you. Here are some tips for avoiding the traditional traps, and staying creative with people who face significant barriers and need to work immediately.
Clarify the Job Target – As always, I start with thoughts of career planning. Quick Tip: Don’t get stuck on skills! Assess not just current skills, paid work history, and formal education, but the client’s fascinations, values, unpaid and natural skills, and non-traditional or unpaid experience. People bring more than just the work they have been paid to do and the classes they have taken. The employer gets it all, so assess it all. Then, identify not just the job title (skill group) they will target, but the fields, industries, and company cultures they will focus on, based on their fascinations and values. A Receptionist job in a social service agency, a luxury auto dealership, a family-run plumbing company, and a long-haul trucking firm are very different jobs, so knowing the skills and title isn’t clarifying enough.
Avoid Being Screened-Out – Hiring employers get an average of 120 responses for each job they advertise. Their first question is, “who can I get rid-of?”. More than 60% go in the “no” pile, and the others in a “maybe” pile. The next question is, “who else can I eliminate?”, and another 20-30% are tossed. The employer has spent less than 90 seconds per candidate, screened-out 90% of them, and still has no “yes” pile. Only when they have their top 3-5 candidates does the question become, “Why should I hire you?” For most of the process, the client is being screened-out, not hired. Reduce time and frustration by discovering anything employers may use to screen the candidate out before truly exploring their strengths or making a connection with them. Look for barriers and distractions about their ability to do the job, but also their presentation, attitude, dependability and other concerns. To reduce or eliminate each issue, clients can use the five solution tools presented in “No One Is Unemployable”, change where you look for work, access a resource, learn a new skill, adjust their own outlook, and develop a good answer.
Prove They Are A Great Match for the Job – Jump into the employer’s shoes and discover their top 10-12 needs, including the abilities and experience they are looking for, but also what makes for an ideal candidate in terms of presentation, motivation and other areas of “fit”. Then, help the client prove they can meet each need and are a great match overall. Tip! Pull from their entire life experience and all their skills, whether they have ever been paid to use them. Many people I work with gained their best skills and most qualifying experience in prison, as the oldest of six or the mother of four, in an addiction treatment program, or in other unpaid or non-traditional settings, but the employer gets it, so we use it (I’ll share our strategies on this another time). The proof you have gathered becomes stories, demonstration, quantified selling points, and credible references that they use to market themselves on paper, over the phone, in person, and via references.
Get to the Person Who Can Hire You – 90% of candidates are screened-out before interacting with anyone who has the power to say “yes”, and people with barriers go first! If you want to help your difficult clients skip the screen-out process and go directly to the hiring process, teach them to use side doors while their competition is still waiting in the lobby. Side doors are techniques for meeting and talking with the person who makes the hiring decision BEFORE you submit your resume or application. Many of us have gotten interviews and job offers before submitting an application, and our clients can too. Help them find ways to casually meet and talk with the business owner, Manager or Department Head, either as a customer, the friend of an employee or associate, a volunteer, a fellow member of an association, a person doing research, a participant at civic events, or in dozens of other ways. This takes a bit more planning, creativity and guts, but it reduces job search time. In fact, it’s the way we find work.
Built upon the ideas I shared about career planning, and cultivating career resilience, these tips can help even our most difficult clients get the job. In the words of one of my favorite story tellers, Garrison Keillor, “be well, do good work, and keep in touch”.
This article appeared originally in the Career Planning & Adult Development Network Newsletter
Photo by Egan Snow
Career Development for Clients with Significant Barriers: Cultivating Career Resilience
July 13th, 2009Hope & Practicality from Elisabeth - Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions
So often, unemployed people with significant barriers to are offered quick job placement, with anyone who will have them, and “any job is better than no job”. In my last article, I challenged that approach, as I do in my daily work across the nation, and shared some thoughts and strategies for making career development a viable option for them. I think there are three vital problems in employment services offered to these difficult clients: 1) Lack of time given to high-quality Career Planning, 2) Lack of training and support to create long-term career resilience, and 3) Lack of creativity in the job search as they pursue a position that puts them on a career path. In my last article, I focused on the Career Planning piece. Here are some thoughts and strategies to cultivate career resilience… even in people who need to work as soon as possible and face significant barriers.
I think we would all agree that there are just a few reasons people don’t keep a job once they have it. One, they can’t manage work and life so they quit, resign or stop showing up. Two, they are fired, let go, or otherwise asked by the employer to leave because of performance, attendance or other issues. Three, they resign or move on because they get a better offer. Clearly, the third is the most preferable… but you are not reading this article to affirm your success with “easy clients”. Here are some ideas to help people prone to the first and second situations.
Match, Match, Match – Now, I’m supposed to be focusing on career resilience and not career planning, but it’s hard to get the first without the second. Clearly, people are more likely to perform well, fit-in and work to keep a job that matches them well. Get them in the right job (skill set, role), in the right field (fascinations, environment), in the right company culture (values, culture). My last article offered some practical ideas on how to do this.
Teach Them Today’s Business Culture – Helping your clients become acculturated to today’s business culture is an important step in creating on-the-job and long-term success. This is especially important if you work with people who have had little or no exposure or success in the world of work. It’s also helpful for clients who have recently succeeded in a job for more than four years, because although they may know that company’s culture they are likely to experience culture shock when they re-enter the ever-changing world of work in general. We teach today’s business culture as if it were a foreign culture, and our goal is to help clients become “bi-cultural” so they can succeed and fit-in at work without feeling like they have to sell-out. If a week from Tuesday the client were flying to Japan, they would probably agree that they should learn a few choice phrases, the cultural greeting, appropriate dress, mannerisms, and more so they could feel comfortable and successful. However, when we suggest that for a client to succeed in an interview or on the job in their home town they should speak, greet, dress or behave differently, many get defensive. For this reason, we objectify the business culture, teach it as a foreign culture, and remind them that it’s not about being like us (we are bi-cultural too, and we speak, dress and behave differently at work than we would on a Saturday afternoon at home, at a ball game, or in church). This approach reduces client defensiveness and resistance, and prepares them to behave in ways that will help them succeed on the job.
The Grass I Greener… Where You Water It! – This was the title of a marriage enrichment retreat I heard about a while ago. I like it and, call me a career professional, but it reminds me of work. So often, people think they will be happier if they get a new job, but as is often case in life, they bring problematic dynamics with them. Perhaps they need to take better care of their current work. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves motivated, focused, and excellent on the job. Help your clients figure out how to make the job they have, the job they love. What tasks and opportunities result in the most success and satisfaction, and how can they maximize the time they spend doing them? What makes the job difficult or unenjoyable, and how can they minimize, delegate or balance-out those things? What can they do to create a better life/work balance, like investing in a hobby, volunteering, or increasing an important dynamic (relaxation, creativity, physical activity, spirituality, socialization) in their off-time?
Teach Them to Leave Gracefully – People find themselves in jobs they realize they don’t want to keep, and some of your clients will too. Rather than creating another gap, burning another bridge and having more to explain, teach clients how to leave a job gracefully. Offer training and support in the art of searching for a job while you are still working so you have a seamless transition (many of my clients think the first step in getting new job is quitting the one they have so they have time to look!). And, teach them how to quit a job well by giving notice and getting references before they go (if positive and possible).
It has been fun over the years to welcome a new client or group of clients and announce up-front that our goal is to help them get their first raise and first promotion. I often get concerned looks from people who think I’m bit confused. “We’re unemployed,” they remind me. “Yes, I know. One of our hopes is that this is the last time in your life that you job search from an unemployed standpoint. We want to help you catch a vision for work so the next job you get puts you on a path to something you care about… and even if the boss is a jerk or the car breaks down, you get there anyhow. We’re going to teach you how to be an amazing employee, and how to make a planned career move so that for the rest of your working life you can make work work for you.” Some clients buy-in and like it from the start; others remain skeptical. Over time, as we use the ideas above (we have job seeker curriculum on these topics, if you are interested), most of them see the long-term value and willingly make the investment… which is wonderful, because as much as I enjoy working with a client, I don’t want to do it every nine months. Career development is a viable option even for those facing significant barriers. Offering career planning services and teaching career resilience increase the odds that clients will become contributors to our work and resources to clients in the future, and not repeat customers. I wish you joy and success!
This article appeared originally in the Career Planning & Adult Development Network Newsletter
Photo by Soon
Is Career Development A Reasonable Option for Clients with Significant Barriers?
July 6th, 2009Hope & Practicality from Elisabeth - Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions
I consult to a lot of organizations serving clients with significant employment barriers. In addition to felony convictions, mental health problems, and gaps in employment, most of these clients have little work history, less formal education, no career vision… and they need to start working very soon. On top of this, the service providers have little expertise in employment coaching and placement, and almost no exposure to career development. There is concern about whether these people are employable at all, and an almost unanimous sense that careers are out of the question. But, I know that career development is a viable option, because I see it work its magic all the time. Here are some ideas from my journey. We’ll start with the Career Planning piece.
When people facing the barriers mentioned above are offered employment services the focus is often on quick job placement, with anyone who will have them, and “any job is better than no job”. Rarely are they encouraged to dream, clarify their interests and long-term goals, or do career planning and exploration. The service provider generally begins with the job market, gathering open market leads, then works to fit the client into whichever opening they might be able to do. It’s no wonder there is little buy-in from the client, and that resistance and sabotage run rampant. It’s also not surprising that job retention rates are abysmal. Imagine the difference if we took a career development approach… beginning with the client, assessing their most important fascinations, skills and values, encouraging them to dream again, re-defining work as something they can delight in rather than simply endure. Walking these clients through career planning and exploration, allowing them to dream big, may be met with initial resistance and disbelief by the client, but it’s worth it. I say, “I can help you get a job that’s ‘a job’ that will get you an income. Or, in about the same amount of time, I can help you get a job that you actually like, that leads to something you care about. Which do you want?” In every case, the client has admitted that if they are going to work, they might as well like it… and we dive into an interactive, ever-relevant assessment process that is clarifying and constantly engaging, even to people who do not enjoy test-taking, self-exploration or anything that feels like school. Here are some specifics:
Re-Define Work – It is said that, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” So we first help clients cast a positive vision for the role work can play in their lives. We remind them that whatever it is they love to do, would do for free… someone is getting paid to do. Why not them? People get paid to talk on the phone, create, tear things apart, meet new people, be outdoors, read, draw, you name it! Many of these clients have never been asked about their dreams, or never believed they could reach them. For many, “work” is doing something you don’t like, with a bunch of people you don’t want to be with, in a place you don’t like going, for too many hours, and not enough pay. Who wants to work? We begin by shattering the negative rap work has gotten, inviting the client to dream big, assuring them that their next job can move them toward that dream, and acknowledging that work can be a blessing or a curse in their lives, and they get to choose.
Dream Big & Get Practical – As they digest this new definition of work as a positive part of their life, we begin assessing their most important fascinations, skills, and values. We also assess their “killer skills”, those they have but do not enjoy using, so we can help them actively avoid jobs that rely on them more than 20% of the time. [We do not assess type due to short timeframes, the attention span and processing level of our clients, and the lack of expertise among our service providers. If you have the time, the clients, and the talent to make it valuable, go for it.] Next, we combine the fascinations, skills and values the client wants incorporated into their career planning process, and identify jobs that incorporate as many of them as possible, jobs the client may want to do down the road. Often, the jobs we discover at this point seem a far cry from where they are, but they represent goals the client is willing to work for. We call them Dream Jobs (not fantasy, simply the fascinations-skills-values mix they are willing to work toward over 3 to 5 years). This engages the client, but let’s get practical before it starts to feel like a pipe dream and they resort to getting whatever job they can. Next, we take each Dream Job and create several Backward Career Paths® by calling and learning the career path of someone who does it. This introduces the client to several ways to get to their Dream Job, and lets them discover jobs which put them on a path to their Dream Job that they can pursue immediately using their current skills.
I once worked with a man who was 49 years old, without a GED. It would have been easy to see him as a candidate for mere job placement, but we are committed to career development. So we helped him assess his fascinations, skills and values, dream big and choose a job that inspired him to move forward. Turns out, he wanted to be a Pediatrician. Now, here’s golden moment. How do we respond? It would have been so easy to help him see how “unrealistic” this was (by the way, I had to remove the word ‘unrealistic’ from my vocabulary because too often when I said it, I meant, “I don’t see that happening for you, and I’m not working toward it, so choose another goal.” I’m not assuming you do the same, but if you use ‘unrealistic’ in this dream-crushing way, you might remove it). So, Pediatrician… how exciting. What about being a Pediatrician is interesting to you?… the medical field, prestige, helping people, working indoors, the white lab coat. Alright then, you seem inspired. How can we get you started in the field, on the path, using your current skills?” We took leaps and bounds back from Pediatrician, and within a month he was hired at a hospital as a Groundskeeper. Within 22 months, he had completed his GED, met a cool guy in a white lab coat who didn’t have a four-year degree, changed his dream, and become a Radiology Technician. Let them dream, get them started in their Field of Fascination, and see what happens!
In a recent training I conducted, I encountered a Job Coach frustrated by a certain client and his dream. “This guy reads at a third grade level, and it isn’t going to get any better, but thanks to CSI, all he wants to be is a Forensic Scientist. I’ve met with him twice, tried to get him to give it up, and he won’t.” At the end of the training, this coach shared his most important lesson… “For my clients, the Backward Career Path is the way forward. You’ve all heard me complain about a certain client. The truth is, I don’t think he will ever be a Forensic Scientist, but now I am willing to let him have his dream. I realize that he could be a Cleaner at the Courthouse and love it. He could courier specimens somewhere in the field and be happy as anything. I’m going to help him figure out how he can use the skills he has in the field he loves.”
Career development, its hopeful spirit and practical techniques, should be offered to more people who ‘just need to get a job.’ When it is, we see wonderful results for the individual whose life will never be quite the same, and in the numbers. Here are few recent examples I have had a hand in:
#1: The largest network drug and alcohol recovery centers in the U.S. offers a 6-month, residential recovery program. Many of the people they serve also struggle with mental illness, and have criminal backgrounds. Like so many agencies, they are very good at their core mission, but lack expertise in employment. In 2006, we partnered with them to design and implement a WorkNet career development “re-entry” phase to help graduates catch a vision for how work integrates into their life and recovery, make wise decisions about careers and jobs, become career resilient, and experience a supported transition back into the community and workforce. To date, we have established re-entry phases at 10 centers. 299 graduates have chosen to engage, with 71% completing. Of those who competed, 70% are working, with 38 of them in entry-career jobs on a path to their chosen career goal. Already 15 people have achieved a raise or promotion.
#2: A men’s prison in Jacksonville, FL offers a WorkNet career development program on Monday nights. It’s been running for about a year and has become one of the most popular courses. Already the prison’s recidivism rate has dropped from 68% (within 3 years), to 8% (within the first year). This is amazing! Career development, and the faith-based approach the prison is taking, is making an exciting difference! [This prison is one of 8 newly organized “faith-based, character-building” institutions in FL which are seeing a dramatic decrease in recidivism. There are 16,000 inmates waiting to transfer to these facilities].
So, infuse these ideas into your career planning process, even if you or the client thinks it won’t work. You’ve got nothing to lose and so much to gain. Next time, I’ll pick up another part of the wonderful process of career development and share how we make it work for people with significant barriers.
This article appeared originally in the Career Planning & Adult Development Network Newsletter
Photo by Andrew Finegan
Thankful for Lessons
June 29th, 2009Hope & Practicality from Elisabeth - Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions.
Today I am thinking of thankfulness, thankfulness for the difficult clients I have worked with over years and for the important lessons they have taught me.
My early experience was serving difficult clients in a tough economy (shelter-dwelling welfare moms, in the recession of the early 1990s). In those years, out of need, I cultivated a mindset that is relentlessly hopeful, a practicality that gets results despite unemployment numbers, and proof that people with significant barriers can find good work even in a recession. I didn’t have the distraction of having worked with easier clients in easier times, so it was years before I realized the value of that time. You see, there are lessons we can learn and qualities we can develop ONLY through difficulty. Patience comes only when we are forced to wait, to put others before or above ourselves. Compassion is cultivated when we must deal with people who are in a place of weakness and need for what we offer. New perspective is gained once we step (or are forced) out of our own experience. My I am thankful for the patience, compassion and perspective I have gained from mentors in the form of my most difficult clients.
My dear friend and colleague Vicki says, “Difficult people are a gift to me. They allow me to learn and grow in ways I couldn’t otherwise; and often they are a mirror showing me the very tings I need to deal with in myself.” When asked to share the lessons they have learned from difficult clients, here is what some colleagues shared:
Maggie is thankful to have learned that, “We can’t pretend to have been in our client’s shoes if we haven’t, but we can meet them where they are and establish trust that overcomes the distance between our circumstances and histories,” when a client told her that he liked his career coach but couldn’t work with her because, “she has book learning, but she hasn’t walked in my shoes.”
Cori has developed the skill of not judging and staying aware that everyone has a different value system and different work needs, and that her role is to help people discover and articulate their values and needs so they can find a career they are passionate about. This was tested recently when she was told by a particularly bright and motivated, and very pushy, job seeker who claimed she ‘needed’ to make at least $45,000 a year so she could continue to eat organic food! Cori, who was supporting herself and her partner (who was in graduate school) on less than $40,000 a year, had to keep from judging.
Vikki believes that the toughest clients are those who don’t believe they deserve to dream again and therefore refuse to set a goal or pick a career field. A lot of prayer and listening to what may seem like inconsequential statements have led to her greatest breakthroughs. Feeding into client’s spiritual needs with the constant assurance that God still has a plan for their lives (to give them a hope and a future), allows that door to new vision to open wide once again. She has had at least one candidate in every group for whom the need for God’s love to be shown was the key to that door. She says, “I have been so blessed to be a part of that process.”
Mary Ann, who transitioned from a university career center to a community program, has learned to use your experience when it’s helpful, but to easily adapt if your approach isn’t working. She assumed the resume creation process would be routine, but quickly discovered that her new clients needed a patient, caring, and supportive environment to walk them through the entire process. She says, “I no longer simply ‘critique’ resumes or I have clients ‘fill in the blanks’ to write a resume. We work together to create the individual summary of their work experiences and goal for the future. My greatest hope is for that future to include a long, happy, and satisfying career for our clients.”
Deb has learned to identify transferable qualifications, not just “skills”. Max was a successful Lawyer, but his Paralegal who solely served their Spanish-speaking clients, got caught swindling hundreds of customers out of money. The Paralegal fled the country, and Max was held responsible. His law license was suspended until he repaid the money. Deb met him at a homeless shelter two months later. They looked at his transferable selling points. His greatest asset was his network, which had helped him build a large personal injury firm. He contacted any friendly competitor who would love to have his contacts, and proposed that they hire him in a non-licensed position and pay him a percentage of what he brought in. They got a trained Lawyer to do paralegal work, and within 6 months he had paid-off enough of the debt to get his license back.
Serving people with disabilities over the years, Steve has learned patience and creativity, and that building business relationships and joining local professional organizations is important. He once worked with a slow, but bright young man with Down Syndrome who wanted to file in an office. While they practiced interviewing, Steve found a Bank on the bus route and approached HR about his services and client. The young man interviewed, tested, and was offered a job as a File Clerk. To succeed, he simply needed a list of clear expectations each day. With support and positive encouragement, the he worked at the bank for over eight years.
Rebecca is thankful that she has learned to deal with client fear, and to trust the process even in the midst of great resistance. She served a female client who had never been employed, had been incarcerated for the last 20 years, and was resistant in every way possible. The client feared the whole concept of career coaching and getting a job. As Rebecca walked her through WorkNet’s career development journals and maintained constant communication, she started to trust the process. When the journals addressed fear, it brought up all that the client was feeling, but she kept showing up and doing what needed to be done. She is now a proud Server in a good restaurant and has been for the last 3 months. She is their newest Server, and the only one they kept when they did lay-offs. She is now able to live on her own, bought a reasonable vehicle, and is successfully off parole.
I am keenly aware that many of my most important lessons are the result of working with difficult clients. I am a better coach, consultant, and person because of what they have taught me. I can only hope that my effect on them has been as positive, profound and long-lasting as their effect on me.
This article appeared originally in the Career Planning & Adult Development Network Newsletter
Photo by Gisela Giardino
The Bricks of Life… and the Glorious Glue that Holds them Together
June 22nd, 2009
Hope & Practicality from Elisabeth – Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions
Isn’t it ironic… for so many people who might get labeled “difficult” when it’s our job to help them begin and succeed in careers, or at least maintain the appearance of searching for a job, lack of employment is not the most important problem.
Over the years, I’ve worked with people for whom mental health, family stability, physical health or safety, maintaining housing or sobriety, or staying out of prison are more important. And yet the solution so many of us are offering is employment. If the problem is mental illness, domestic violence, homelessness or addiction, clearly employment is not the solution… or is it? No, and yes. Employment isn’t the immediate solution for mental illness; it won’t help, and it could hurt. This is also true for domestic violence, drug or alcohol abuse, and living on the street. Searching for and starting a new job is a challenging and stressful endeavor for many of us… it won’t make you mentally stable; however, once mental illness is stabilized, employment can help sustain it. If a person doesn’t know where they’re going to sleep tonight or eat and shower tomorrow, job searching and starting to work won’t help; but once a person has shelter, work can certainly help them keep it! Employment is often not the most important problem facing difficult clients, but it can be part of the solution.
When you ask most people what is most important to them, they generally start with family, faith, community, and their passions, not work. Perhaps in another time or another place, we could devote ourselves to our passions without the distraction of having to make a living, but most of us must also figure out how to pay for it… that’s where employment comes in. So, employment is important, but usually not most important. Lately, I’ve been thinking of it like this… imagine life’s journey as a brick road that leads to our dreams or a house that represents what we want in life.
The most important stuff in a person’s life… their faith, a desire to stay out of prison, their children’s future, proving someone wrong, are the “bricks.” And employment is the glue that holds it all together. Over the last 15 years, I’ve seen many people get stable in terms of housing, sobriety, or mental health… only to lose it all when they can’t maintain an income. I’ve watched people choose new relationships, get their children back, come to faith, vow never to return to prison, or otherwise change their lives… only to see it all slip away when they can’t find work. Studies show that drug abuse, criminal behavior, and family violence decrease when people are working. And we can all share stories of the positive, stabilizing effect employment has had in the lives of people we know.
Work may not be the most important thing in life, but it seems to be the glorious glue that holds together so many of the others bricks of life that are important. Which means, people who haven’t got time to even think about making work work may need it most of all.
So part of dealing with difficult clients is realizing that so often employment is neither the primary problem nor the most effective solution, and that we need to deal with the “bricks of life.” Here are a few no-cost resources that can help your clients get stable before they dive into a full-time job search.
www.servicelocator.com connects you and your clients with more than 3100 workforce centers across the U.S., many of which offer special services to non-custodial parents in errars for unpaid child support, people with disabilities and criminal convictions, various resources for housing, mental and physical illness, and more.
www.salvationarmyusa.org connects you with the nearest Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Centers which offer residential recovery from drugs & alcohol at no cost to participants.
www.agrm.org/missions.html allows you to locate rescue missions near you, which offer shelter as well as a variety of services for men and women, including drug and alcohol recovery, domestic violence assistance, counseling, spiritual and personal growth, employment assistance, and more.
www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov directs you to free mental health care services in your area.
Hopefully, these ideas and resources will make some of your difficult clients less difficult, and allow you both to focus your partnership on employment… the glorious glue that so beautifully holds together the many important “bricks of life.” I wish you joy and success. Keep in touch and let me know how I can help.
Photo by Fey Ilyas
Hope & Practicality… A Beautiful Partnership
June 16th, 2009Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about hope, and hopelessness. I’ve heard it said that, “Where there is no vision/hope, the people perish.” That may seem a bit extreme, but we see manifestations of hopelessness all the time in clients who are depressed or disengaged, negative or self-sabotaging, or committed to the “yeah but” or a-problem-for-every-solution approach to their forward movement. It’s often some version of hopelessness that makes a client difficult to work with. But, hope and hopelessness are spiritual things. Surely, hope can be bolstered or dashed by our practical interactions, but it starts in the heart, in the soul. Fortunately for us and our clients, the career development process, by its very nature, is one that brings and strengthens hope. I’ve been reminded of this lately in some wonderful, tangible ways.
I was in Jacksonville, FL this month to mentor a group of Christian missionaries involved in inner city ministry, including employment, across the nation. We visited a men’s prison that offers a career development program on Monday nights (based on the WorkNet Model of Career Development & Job Placement for people with significant barriers… that’s me). It’s been running for about a year and has become one of the most popular courses. I got to sit with the men and hear from them what this program and the good news of career development means to them. Overwhelmingly, they spoke of hope and practicality. I never believed, but now I see… I have value, I have skills, I have options. I didn’t know, but now I know… how to choose a job, to market myself, to explain my past so employers can see that I will make them more money than I cost. This hope and practicality means more of them will get out and stay out of prison. Already the prison’s rate of return-to-prison has dropped from 68% (within 3 years), to 8% (within 1 year). This is amazing! [This prison is one of 8 newly organized “faith-based, character-building” institutions in FL. These institutions are seeing a decrease in return-to-prison. There are 16,000 inmates waiting to transfer to these facilities]. The hope and practicality of spiritual growth and career development are making an exciting difference!
Last month, I met a man who graduated from The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in January ‘07 [in CA]. He shared, “In all my life, I never thought of myself as an employee. I’ve spent most of my life avoiding work or working just enough to get the drugs I wanted. 2 years ago I was in recovery, but when I got out I didn’t have a plan and I relapsed into my addiction. I came back to try again, and figured I’d go get a job at Burger King when I graduated. I didn’t want to work at Burger King, but I didn’t have any other ideas. This time I got to go through the Re-Entry program (WorkNet Career Development), and it’s made a huge difference. Now, I know I can have a career, and I’ve already started. I created my Backward Career Path, I know the Dream Job I want in 5 years, and I’m in my Entry-Career Job on my career path. I keep my Backward Career Path by my bedside and I review it a couple of times a week. I feel like my recovery, my relationship with God, my work, my life are all going in the same direction, in the right direction. I can see that my life will be different and better in the future. I’m gonna be able to give back what has been given to me.” I was teary-eyed half-way through his story. It’s a joy to hear some of the long-term results that we help impact everyday!
Every day of the week, across the U.S., 12-step meetings end with the Lord’s prayer or the Serenity prayer, and a mantra… “It works if you work it, and it won’t if you don’t… so do it!” It’s simple, yet so true. In place of new ideas and tips for you this month, I have a reminder that we have in our hands a process that is proven to work (if we work it) with even the most difficult clients, and an encouragement to include in each step of this bless-ed process the hope and practicality that creates the immediate forward-movement and the long-lasting results we desire.
Life/Work Planning: Forget the labor market for a minute, and start with the unique, valuable (even if hurting) person before you. Help them catch a vision for work, and the vital, nurturing role it can play in their lives as it gives back to them far more than in takes. You know the process, you have the tools… work it with all you’ve got! Once the vision is cast, we have a goal and a direction, and with a little backtracking we have high-quality next steps (Entry-Career Jobs).
Overcome Barriers: People are much more likely to solve problems (and overcome barriers) if what they get is something they want. Help clients identify and overcome anything that could get them screened-out from their next job. Need some hope and practicality?… any barrier can be overcome with our 5 SOLAR Solution Tools: new Skills, adjusted Outlooks, changing where they Look, good Answers, and Resources (see 3-06 article).
Job Search: The workforce has room for all types of people! But, hiring is mostly about screening-out, so teach clients to find the “Side Doors” that get them right to the people who can hire them. Avoid helping anyone craft a traditional job search. Even clients with lots of barriers, and those who are very difficult to work with can cut their job search time in half if they search in the Hidden Market, find side doors and get to the decision makers. Also, setting reasonable expectations for the number of contacts clients will make before they get a positive response, an interview and an offer.
Onward Career Development Soldier!… Take this process, innately hopeful and practical, and work it with every client who crosses your path! Let me know how I can help.
Photo by Adam B.
Helping People with Barriers Shine & Save Time
June 9th, 2009
Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions
In the beginning, the hiring process is about who not to hire! So, a job seeker’s first goal is to AVOID BEING SCREENED-OUT (especially if they have distracting barriers). Then they should focus on marketing what they offer so employers can decide to hire them. Keeping it simple, there are 3 ways to market to an employer… paper, phone and person. Credible references are 4th category, but even these come to employers on paper, over the phone or in person. Understanding this, and asking a few key questions allows anyone to job search in a way that lets them shine and saves them time.
PAPER: Any opportunity an employer has to experience the candidate on paper or on-line, including applications, cover letters, resumes, thank you notes, letters of reference or introduction, email correspondence, point by point letters, business proposals, portfolios, personal websites, what comes up when they “Google,” samples of work, etc. On paper, grammar, spelling and punctuation, handwriting, and even the quality of the paper and pen can help or harm.
PHONE: Any opportunity for an employer to experience the candidate over the phone, including cold or warm calls, calls of introduction, Backward Career Path™ or investigative calls, phone interviews, follow-up calls, etc. Over the phone, voice tone, diction and grammar, accents or speech impediments, as well as the answering message, background noise, and anyone who answers the phone when an employer calls (fair or not, they represent the candidate!) can help or harm.
PERSON: Any opportunity for employers to experience the candidate in-person including the interview, but also cold walk-ins, going in as a customer, introduction by a mutual acquaintance with a great reputation, job fairs, community, business and charity events, investigative interviews, internships, job shadowing, volunteering, and anywhere else a potential employer could see them in action… Starbucks, the grocery line, kids’ soccer game, etc. In person, dress, grooming, body language, the handshake, and observations made when we’re unintentional such as smoking, outbursts or doing the extra can help or harm because the employer assumes what it will mean over 40 paid hours a week.
Choosing the Best Strategy & Tools
So, how does a person choose? Consider yourself… your education, experience, personal style, barriers, strengths. In general, how do you make your best first impression to employers? Paper, phone or person? Having asked thousands of professionals this question, I guess that less than 10% say paper, fewer say phone, and most say person. Consider the difficult clients you serve… how do they make their best first impression? The numbers are the same. The problem is that we spend much of our time teaching them to job search with paper. But no gets a job with paper!… because no employer reads an application or resume and declares, “Call her and tell her she’s hired!” The very best result from paper is a phone or in-person interaction. Job search strategies that work allow candidates to make their first impression in a way that lets them shine. This is easier than you may think. Ask the following questions to identify the best general approach (paper, phone, person) and specific tools in each category:
Minimize Distractions: Considering my barriers, which approach & tools should I avoid?
To avoid being screened-out, someone with a difficult accent or speech impediment should avoid the phone, those with a visible disability might avoid first impressions in person, and someone with poor work history should avoid applications and perhaps resumes (though a point by point letter or letter of reference could work).
Let Them Shine: Considering my strengths, which approach & tools should I focus on?
To impress the employer, an attractive person may choose to lead with in-person interactions, while someone with great education and experience may choose paper, and someone with a pleasant voice and good communication skills might initiate contact over the phone. In each case, they choose specific tools within the category.
Demonstrate Ability: Considering the job qualifications, which approach & tools should I use?
To let the employer see them using the skills for the job, someone pursuing an outside sales job could go in person, a hopeful Dispatcher could lead with the phone, and a proofreader could start with paper.
Last & least… Employer Preference: Considering the employer’s preference, which approach & tools should I consider?
Job seekers who can play within the employer’s rules and win, should. When they have the talent, but the rules ensure they’ll be screened-out early, bend the rules! If the employer wants resumes and no calls, but their talent for the job isn’t easily seen on a resume, they may call first, hand-deliver the resume, or do something else to let the employer see what they offer (so they’re already sold or at least hooked when they see the resume).
You see, no ones hires the disabled, felons, welfare recipients, etc. They hire people, people they believe can do or learn the job, who they trust, who fit into the team, who happen to have a disability, have a felony, be making that transition, etc. Effective job search strategies present the candidate as a person, with talent, experience, passion that benefits the employer… who also happens to have barriers (as we all do).
In the end, the job search is like the old joke… Two men are hunting in the woods and suddenly come upon a bear. The bear looks angry and hungry, and the men realize they look like lunch. One man whispers, “I’m gonna run for it.” The other replies, “You can’t outrun that bear.” The first man says, “I don’t have to outrun the bear… I only have to outrun you,” and he takes off running! Your client doesn’t have to be the slickest job seeker or greatest salesperson ever, but they do need to outrun their competition. These ideas will help them avoid getting screened-out and outshine their competition so employers can see what they offer and hire them. I wish you joy and success! Keep in touch.
This article appeared originally in the Career Planning & Adult Development Network Newsletter www.careernetwork.org
Photo by Spring Dew
Explain This! Developing Good Answers to Tough Interview Questions
June 2nd, 2009
Hope & Practicality from Elisabeth
Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions
Remember how the adults spoke in the old Peanuts cartoons? Wanh-wahhh-wanh-wahhh-wah. Based on the non-response we so often get, this must be how we sound to children. This reminds me of an interview when a person with something to explain fails to do so and merrily goes about sharing their strengths, experience and the glories of hiring them. If employer’s concerns are not reduced, it all starts to sound like wanh-wahhh-wanh-wahhh-wah.
No one gets hired without answering for past mistakes, addressing employer concerns and marketing their qualifications, especially when there are major issues! A good resume may get an interview, but an honest explanation that reduces the employer’s concerns and allows the job seeker to share their qualifications gets the job!
What Requires A Good Answer? Issues that could make employers think the person will cost them more money than they’ll make them, requires a good answer… even if it’s not legal, fair or nice to ask about! They fall into 4 categories which are dealt with below. Stop and think of 3 issues for which your clients need to develop good answers.
What Makes It A “Good” Answer? A good answer must honestly represent the situation and the job seeker, and it must satisfy the employer which means it REDUCES CONCERNS they have about hiring the person, and allows the job seeker to prove they MEET THE NEEDS. f it does one but not the other, it’s not enough to get them hired.
DEVELOPING GOOD ANSWERS
Here is a process and for addressing the four situations that require good answers. In each case, the preliminary steps are designed to reduce the concern and the final step gives the job seeker a chance to share how they meet the employer’s needs for the job. This moves the interview from negative, to neutral to positive ground. Employers should always feel welcome to ask clarifying follow-up questions.
For Negative Events or Patterns in Past… If you’ve done it before, you’ll do it again!
WHAT? Gaps, re-locations, fired, quit laid-off more than once, incarceration, addiction, etc.
HOW? When the employer asks… #1: Welcome the question, #2: Take responsibility (watch he language! use words that are less scary & positive so employers don’t get stuck and stop listening), #3: Share the moment of clarity that ensures it won’t happen again (must equal the seriousness of the situation. consider what’s important to employers, and be sure they will value each lesson), #4: Paint a new picture of life today (Share examples of what keeps it from recurring, new friends, new skill, recovery program, faith, etc.), and #5: Tell the employer what they gain (redirect to selling points, why they are worth the risk). Use steps 1-4 to reduce the concern, and step 5 to focus on meeting needs. Be sure the employer feels they can ask follow-up questions.
For Current Life Situations… If you can’t manage your own life, you can’t help me with my business!
WHAT? Small children/child care, sick family member, no car, long commute, visible limitation, etc.
HOW? When the employer asks…#1: The job seeker may welcome the question/acknowledge the concern, or simply #2: Share their solution (the plan and back-up plan as proof that it won’t cause problems, and #3: Tell the employer what they gain (selling points, and why they are worth the risk). The focus here is on the solution, not gory details about the issue.
For Negative Beliefs About “People Like Me”… I know all about “people like you.”
WHAT? Age, race, gender, lifestyle, religion, disability, addiction, felony, weight, etc.
HOW? Because it’s illegal or uncomfortable, the employer won’t ask, so… the job seeker can ignore it and hope it isn’t used against them (though it may be and they’ve had not chance to address it), or they can #1: Acknowledge the concern (their comfort can put the employer at ease), #2: Share how they are the “exception to the rule” (specific examples about themselves as an individual rather than “one of those people,” picture of how they’re different than the stereotype of “people like me”), and #3: Tell them employer what they gain.
For Anything Else They Hope Doesn’t Come Up!… I feel you’re hiding something, and that concerns me.
WHAT? Anything that’s true or might become true of the person that they don’t want to talk about! What if they ask if I’m… homeless, divorced, living with parents, gay, planning to have children, ever hit a customer, returning to school, etc.
HOW? #1: Identify the issue, #2: Decide what type of issue it is (from 3 above), and #3: Develop an answer using the given process.
For more ideas and samples, see our curriculum and “No One Is Unemployable.”
This article appeared originally in the Career Planning & Adult Development Network Newsletter www.careernetwork.org
Photo by Dani Lurie
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Mining for Gold in the Dark! Resumes for People with Wacky Work History
May 26th, 2009
Employers use resumes to screen people out, and those with wacky work history usually go first! People have talent that’s worth paying for, even if they’ve never taken the class or done the job, but employers can’t see past the red flags. So, part of our adventure is to “mine for gold” in the life of the client. Without the formal experience and education that makes resume writing easy, it can look a little dim, but we ask our most hopeful and reliable questions, then look for the glimmer of qualifications and proof. Sometimes we get distracted by fool’s gold, bright shiny stories and examples that turn out to causes more problems than they solve. Other times, with a simple question about their daily routine, a family event or a current life struggle, we strike gold… a mother load of quantifiable, verifiable proof that they can do the job.
Here are some lessons from our experience writing honest, effective resumes that help people with wacky work history (none, little or no legal, too many jobs or short blocks, lots of relocations, gaps, negative reasons for leaving, decrease in responsibility or pay, quitting or being fired, etc.), and other barriers (convictions, little or no qualifications/proof from formal sources, worker’s comp. claim, new to area or field, etc.).
The purpose of the resume is to get the interview. So, effective resumes reduce concerns that could get the client screened-out, highlight strengths to prove they can do the job, and make the employer want to meet them! We recommend a skills-based resume that focuses on the job they’re going for, pulls qualifications from their whole life, and minimizes issues that could get them screened-out (sample, www.worknetsolutions.com).
Prove It! Once the client has clarified the job they want and identified the employer’s top needs for it, they must prove they’ve got what it takes. We recommend pulling qualifications and proof from their whole life, because the employer gets it all! This includes non-employment and non-paid experience such as hobbies, natural talent, family and life experience, volunteerism, responsibilities from prison, government or other programs, etc. (examples below). Ask about their daily life, involvement in PTA, a 12-step group, worship community, family projects, and more. If it proves they can do it, use it… unless it causes more problems than it solves (which is rare!), or they don’t want to use it. Then, develop quantified selling points to prove they can meet the employer’s most important needs for the job. This is the focus of the top 2/3 of the 1-page resume.
~ “Caregiver for the Elderly, 2003-2005, Private Home, Milwaukee, WI” (she was caring for her grandmother until she passed away, not paid, not full-time, 15 months, 11/03 – 3/05).
~ “Computer Lab Ass’t, CDC, Corcoran, CA, 2004-2006” (work assignment, prison, CA Dept. of Corrections).
Listing “Experience” Near the bottom of the resume, give a chronology of experience (paid & non-paid, employment & non-employment) to account for time and show where they gained some of their qualifications. For each experience, list a title, company (or self-employed, private home, etc.), location and dates. List these details in the order that markets the client best for the job. List them in the same order for each experience.
Which markets best for a hotel or motel “Front Desk Attendant”? “Housekeeper, Marriott…” and “Breakfast Attendant, Hampton Inn…” –OR– “Marriott, Housekeeper…” and “Hampton Inn, Breakfast Attendant… ” Clearly the second because it shows field knowledge and experience, without the distraction of making the candidate look like a cleaner rather than a customer service agent.
To minimize gaps, state the dates using years only, and place them in the middle or tack them at the end of the line (not off to the far left or right). Or, add up several short stints of experience. Allow for non-work and non-paid experience by using the heading “Experience” (rather than “Paid, Employment or Work” “History or Experience”).
~ “Driver, Cintas, 2005, Flint, MI”
~ “Customer Service, various retailers, Las Vegas, NV, 2.5 years”
Listing Education Near the bottom, list any education (formal, on-the-job, seminars, self-study) that qualifies them for the job, will impress the employer, or fills a gap. For each, list the topic, institution, accomplishment (degree, coursework, certificate), and dates in the order that markets them best. If their knowledge is current but the dates are old, simply state “current.” Don’t list a HS Diploma or GED unless it’s required in the listing.
Resumes can’t get someone a job, but they can get an employer to call or invite them for an interview. This is the goal, and these tips will help. Try them, and let me know what’s working for you!
Photo by Jakub Friedl
Helping Job Seekers with Disabilities
May 18th, 2009
Hope & Practicality from Elisabeth
Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions
Anna was diagnosed as bi-polar a few years after high school and has struggled to maintain her stability and quality of life ever since. She cycles often and dramatically, but is a talented office worker and wants to do something productive… Michael lost most of his right arm in an on-the-job accident over 4 years ago. He wants to re-enter the workforce… Carl is schizophrenic, has been stabilized on medication for several years, and wants to do something with his days to bring more meaning to his life… Jonathan has always had trouble with learning and retaining. He’s been in the workforce for years, but has been fired, quit twice, and has a few gaps. He needs to work but feels hopeless about ever succeeding on a job.
“A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity, such as hearing, seeing, speaking, thinking, walking, breathing, or performing manual tasks”… that’s how the U.S. Census Bureau defines disability. More than 51 million Americans (18.1%) had some level of disability in 2002, and The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 57.7 million American adults (26.2%) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Whether your focus is helping people at top-levels transition their careers, or helping people enter the workforce for the first time, chances are you encounter job seekers with disabilities.
When I think of helping people with various disabilities get, keep and succeed in a job, these things come to mind:
Go SOLAR!: As always, I recommend using our “Five Solution Tools” for overcoming barriers… helping the client to acquire new SKILLS, adjust their OUTLOOK, changing where they LOOK for work, Developing a good ANSWER, and Accessing a RESOURCE.
Get Support: Even if you are a therapist or have been an SSI/SSDI worker, if your primary focus is on employment, partner with local service providers who can focus on the disability, so you and your client can succeed. They can help clients stabilize, access disability-specific resources and information, advocate with employers for reasonable accommodation or job re-structuring.
Check the Attitude: Be sure your attitude is as productive and helpful as can be. People with disabilities participate, succeed, even lead in the workforce everyday! Their attitude can drive or stall this process. Many people with long-term disabilities or more recent injuries self-identify strongly with it. Every story they tell about themselves is steeped in the disability, injury, ensuing trauma or resentment, etc. This makes it difficult to initiate a job search, let alone succeed in the interview. So, verify that they believe they can succeed or introduce them to others with disabilities who are succeeding, then proceed.
Match Well: Whether the disability is physical or mental, matching well is key.
Match the job: Have the client (perhaps with the help of a disability expert) research the qualifications (we use “PADMAN,” see my article 9/05) to see that they meet them.
Match the field/employer: Some fields/employers are more likely to consider the client, such as those that serve people with disabilities, those that focus on people, personal growth and relationships, or those with which the clients have a natural network.
Match the job search strategy: Encourage the candidate to job search in ways (paper, phone, person) and use tools that highlight their strengths and minimize the disability so employers can see what they offer without being distracted by it.
Does the Employer Need to Know?: The client can decide whether to self-disclose the issue. In general, I encourage clients to disclose it only if they will ask for a “reasonable accommodation” in accordance with the American Disability Act or if the employer will find out otherwise (a reference, work history, etc.) and feel like the client was deceiving them by not bringing it up.
Solutions!
Here’s what I might do with the clients I mentioned above.
Anna: I’d encourage her to approach temp agencies and let them know she wants assignments that last 1 day to 3 weeks. This allows her to work successfully when she can, without any expectation when she destabilizes or begins to cycle. It also means she can control the hours she works to maintain her benefits. She may or may not tell the temp agency about her situation, and employers would never need to know. If employers want to keep her longer or hire her on, she can respectfully decline and even let them know that she prefers the flexibility and variety of temp work.
Michael: We’d choose jobs wisely according to his current ability, as well as fascinations and values. Then, we’d structure his job search so employers don’t meet him in person until they decide they’re interested, and I’d help him develop a good answer to eliminate the employer’s concerns and prove he can meet their needs. “You may have noticed that I have use of one of my arms. I lost the other in an accident a few years ago. Since then, I’ve… You may be surprised how much I can do with what I have. I’ve learned that I’m capable of more than I realized, so I keep a positive attitude and look for new and better ways to do things. I want to work with you because…” For ideas on good answers, see WorkNet’s “No One Is Unemployable” and “Explain This!: Good Answers that Get the Job!”
Carl: First, I’d help him identify a good job match and volunteer to create relevant experience and references, and prove his stability. Then, I’d help him develop a good answer and support him in his job search. His good answer may specifically mention the illness, which will surely come up because of the lack of work history, or allow for a discussion with the employer. “Several years back I learned something about myself that helped explain a lot. I have a chemical imbalance that’s now taken care of with medicine. I’ve been quite well in the last couple of years, and recently began volunteering with …” (transition to skills and experience).
Jonathan: I’d define work as “getting paid to do what you’re good at and enjoy doing” and identify jobs that match has abilities and passions. I may also have him tested and diagnosed, so we have access to resources, and we’d brainstorm how he can manage his own learning needs once on the job. I know people who use a hand-held recorded to capture verbal instructions/tape meetings, take notes every time they get instructions, have an agreement with their supervisor that they can repeat back instructions or ask clarifying questions, etc. I’d prepare him to share with employers what he has learned about himself, his solutions and what he needs to perform best for them.
This article appeared originally in the Career Planning & Adult Development Network Newsletter www.careernetwork.org
Photo by Ashley Kyd
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