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

Step Three: Develop effective solutions.

Now comes the fun part! First, we identified “barriers” by thinking like the employer and understanding what the candidate thinks could hold them back. Then, we got both parties perspective about each barrier. Now, it’s time to overcome the barrier by developing solutions that work for the employer and the candidate.

Good News!
Any barrier can be overcome! Of course, this doesn’t mean we can eliminate criminal history, change someone’s age, or make a disability disappear. But, there are people in the workforce who face any barrier your candidate does. So, the question isn’t whether it can be overcome, but how. What’s more, not only can any barrier be overcome, but any barrier can be overcome with our five simple solution tools. You may have 12 or 112 candidates who all face multiple barriers. Do the math! That’s a lot to overcome! So, keep it simple.

WorkNet’s Five “Solution Tools”
Using our five “solution tools,” and teaching your candidate how, allows you to focus, and your candidates to cultivate skills vital for success on the job. If it’s helpful, use the acronym “SOLAR” to quickly remember all five. Here they are.

S – Learn a New Skill – In the job search process, little things make a big difference. If a candidate shakes hands poorly, interrupts, asks too many or not enough questions, sits, stands or walks wrong, doesn’t maintain eye contact, arrives late, etc., they may not get the job. Many of these skills can be taught before the candidate interacts with employers. If they learn the skill adequately, employers don’t need to know the candidate didn’t dress for success, ask questions or send a thank you note before. Often, we must role model, and actively teach these new skills as quickly as possible. Remember, telling is not teaching. Our teaching process is to tell, show, watch, praise, correct, repeat! Sharon Bowman’s work on accelerated learning is excellent, and mentors and role models work well too. If the candidate is still learning a skill needed to do the job, they may verbally acknowledge this to the employer.

Note: Unless your program/services are designed to teach them, we recommend accessing a resource to teach vocational and bigger skills. Partner with another organization and stay focused on your goal.

O – Adjust An Outlook – Sometimes, the problem is not (or not just) the issue, it’s the candidate’s outlook about the issue. They’re sure their age, work history, lack or plethora of education, criminal history, family name, race, gender or something else is holding them back. There may be truth in this, and the other four solution tools can help, but first the candidate should be challenged to adjust their outlook so they don’t sabotage the process. They key is to help them see the “WIIFM?” (what’s in it for me) to adjust. People adjust their outlook only when they see how it hinders them from getting what they want. Help them see that they can have ONLY the outlook (no one will hire me because, everyone I know who, employers never/always…) OR the goal (a job, promotion, leadership opportunities, more money), but not both, then have them decide which is more important. If it’s more important to keep the outlook, which many be safe and familiar (if not growth-promoting), they won’t adjust. At this point, I recommend connecting them with the resource of someone who faces similar “barriers” and is reaching similar goals, such as a female felon who owns a successful business or company man whose job was eliminated and forced him to successfully reinvent himself at 50-something. They can say in moments what you can’t in weeks, and may get the candidate to adjust. If they remain stuck, you might change where they look to focus on opportunities they think they can get.

L – Change Where You Look for Work – This is a quick way to overcome barriers! Often, we don’t think of it, because we’re busy so molding the candidate into our own image (or that of an acceptable career professional) that we don’t think of it, or it feels like a sell out. Consider it! The idea is to find employers who won’t be put off by the issue, or are even looking for the candidate’s attitude, image, whatever! There’s a place in the workforce for everyone, and we get to help them find it! There are basically three ways to “change” where you look:
1)    Change the skills group used (moving away from or toward certain titles and roles),
2)    Change the field they work in (considering work environments, interests, company culture), or
3)    Change another issue for which we use the catch-all phrase values (image, geography, pay, schedule, etc.)

When choosing jobs, there’s value staying in a field where the candidate has knowledge and contacts, and in maintaining the title and using the skills they already have. So, identify what must change and endeavor to maintain the rest, unless the candidate wants to change them too.

A – Develop A Good Answer – Some barriers must be explained to the employer, especially negative past events or patterns like having been fired, relocating often, decrease in pay, poor reasons for leaving, job/field hopping, lack of education, having filed a workers compensation claim, criminal history, chronic illness and more. Often, an interviewer will ask direct questions about these issues, other times the candidate may choose to acknowledge the unspoken issue.

Get the whole story from the candidate, then help them develop an answer in which they: 1) welcome the question to set a comfortable tone, 2) take responsibility for the issue without glossing-over or it or blaming, 3) share their moment of clarity which assures the employer that the issue won’t recur, 4) paint a new picture of their life today so the employer’s concerns are fully reduced, and then 5) transition to what the employer gains by hiring them so they move from negative to neutral to positive ground and end the answer there. Steps 1-4 are designed to reduce the employers concerns, while 5 allows the candidate to share how they can meet the employer’s needs for the job and end positively. The candidate should maintain a natural and comfortable presentation while sharing the answer. They should avoid giving too little or too much information, and ensure, even invite, the employer to ask follow-up questions.

R – Access A Resource – This is another quick way to create solutions. In many cases the employer never needs to know that until recently they didn’t have reliable transportation, a professional wardrobe, an address or phone number to use in the job search, etc. In other cases, resources require more time and other tools must be used too. Whether the need is for dental work, counseling, tool belts and work boots, mental health care or make-overs, we’ve always believed that “whatever you need, someone’s got!” Be creative! Partner to access needed resources for free, or barter. Then, be sure the candidate actually accesses the resources, makes good use of them, and thanks the source!

With these five solutions tools, we develop individualized, effective solutions for thousands of unique candidates. They are memorable, flexible (clearly within each are hundreds of specifics!), and reliable.

The Best Solution Tool – It has to work for the employer!
Remember, solutions are only effective if they satisfy the employer and work for the candidate. With any barrier there are several solutions that would satisfy the employer. For example, if a candidate is competing for a lower-paying job than they’ve recently held, they may:
1)      Share a good answer that reduces employer concerns that they’ll demand more money, want to advance quickly or will leave as soon as they get a better offer, and proves they can meet the employer’s needs,
2)      Learn the skill of marketing their qualifications while downplaying their work/salary history so the employer isn’t distracted by it,
3)   Change where they look to pursue growing companies that want people willing to sacrifice to grow the company and increase their compensation as the company succeeds, or
4)     Change where they look to focus on companies that would be glad to have their skills at the lower rate for even 3 to 6 months while they continue job searching.

Imagine a candidate whose image doesn’t match that of the industry/companies they are pursuing. They might:
1)   Access a resource to update their wardrobe and learn the new skill of presenting a new image,
2)   Change where they look to focus on companies with an image similar to theirs, companies they patronize or companies pursuing new markets and customer bases, or
3)   Change where they look by focusing on jobs that don’t require much customer contact in companies whose image they don’t fit, then develop a good answer about why they would be great for the job and will make the company more than they cost, despite the image disconnect. This is riskier, but still an option.

The point is, there’s always more than one way to overcome a barrier, and more than one way to satisfy the employer. So, what’s the best solution tool to use? Those that make most sense for the candidate as long as it will also satisfy the employer.

The Best Solution Tool – It depends on the candidate!
For anyone whose goal is not mere job placement, but retention, excellence, advancement and satisfaction, the best solutions are those that produce long-term results. Effective solutions must be TRUE. They must clearly and honestly represent what the candidate offers today. And, they must be SUSTANABLE by the candidate. Those that only work in a mock interview with us, or that the candidate can “pull off” for the first few weeks on the job aren’t the long-term solutions we should promote. Candidate’s must “own” the solutions and present them as a natural part of who they are today.

So, our candidate who is competing for a lower-paying job than he has recently held has several options (see above), but the best choice is one that works for him. If he’s recently picked-up a felony, can’t return to his old field and must take whatever he can get, he’ll need to change where he looks, learn to market himself without getting off the subject, and develop a good answer. If he’s merely tired of the corporate world and looking to do something more creative and entrepreneurial, he may change where he looks to focus on small, growing companies, and develop a good answer to explain that his priority is opportunity and creativity, not immediate income. Understanding what is true of him today will help choose the best tools and develop the most effective solutions.

The candidate with the image disconnect also has several choices. If his image is a non-negotiable expression of who he is, he may simply change where he looks to focus on companies he already matches. If he decides he wants a “real job” or discovers he can make the money he wants in a more traditional company, he may adjust his outlook, access the resource of a professional wardrobe and learn the skill of dressing for success in the business world. Either will work for the employer, so the choice is his.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS… things I’ve learned along the way!

Change the Job Target, Not the Candidate!
Changing where you look is a quick and easy way to overcome barriers. For many potential barriers, we can identify a job title, an industry, a company or a hiring manager for which the issue is not a barrier by creatively avoiding some opportunities and/or actively focusing on others. For example:
~ Criminal History – Avoid fields and positions the candidate is legally banned from working in, opportunities that would put them in compromising situations, and companies with policies against hiring people with criminal history. Focus on industries and companies proven to consider people with criminal histories (i.e., construction, the trades, corrective services, etc.). Within these fields are opportunities to use a wide variety of skills.
~ Job Hopper – You may focus on fields and positions that experience high turn-over and consider 3 to 12 months a reasonable stay. There may be good reasons for the turn-over and it may not be a great job, but it’s a place to start.

Try A Combo!
Often combining2 or 3 of the tools works best, or is even necessary. For example:
~ Teaching a candidate the skill of highlighting strengths and minimizing barriers generally requires developing good answers to explain barrier issues when they arise.
~ If a candidate has no transportation and accesses the resource of a bus pass, they must also change where they look to focus on companies located near the bus line, and they may want to develop a good answer to reduce employer concerns about them riding the bus. If they’ve only recently become carless, they may need to adjust their outlook about having to take the bus to work (this ensures the good answer works) and learn to use the system.

Adjusting Outlooks is Often Foundational
How many times have we arranged an appointment or scheduled an interview, and the candidate didn’t even show up!? Have you ever offered a resource or developed a good answer that they never used?! We like to point fingers at the candidate, but this often happens when we fail to see their perspective. We arranged for them to access interview clothing, but they don’t believe anyone will hire them because of their age, current legal battle with a past employer, visible disability, etc. We developed a good answer to satisfy the employer, but didn’t account for their fear or doubt, so they sabotaged! Recognizing where the candidate’s outlook is causing problems and encouraging a process by which they adjust it is often the piece that makes the other tools work. Missing it can result in frustration, disconnect in the partnership and wasted time. If you find that the solution you develop are going unused, re-visit their outlook and start fresh.

Watch Your Default!
We are not the most important people in this process, but we have a job to do. Watch yourself. Chances are you have favorite ways of overcoming candidate barriers, but the best solutions aren’t those quickest or most convenient for us to develop, but those that work for the candidate and employer. You may be prone to challenging candidate outlooks (maybe even to think, dress, or behave more like you!), when it’s more appropriate to change where they look so they “fit” (perhaps into an environment you wouldn’t choose). I know “resource junkies” who have a phone number for every problem and think giving it to the candidate solves the problem. Sometimes a resource is a great way to overcome a barrier, and other times it’s simply what’s easiest for us. Watch which tools you use by default, and be willing to diversify to choose the best tools for each situation.

Good Answers Are Great!
Honestly, if I had to choose between only developing a resume with my candidates and only developing good answers, I’d choose the good answers. Mostly because it’s not possible to get a job with paper (resume, app, references). Paper helps, but no employer reads a resume and calls the person with a job offer. The best the candidate can hope for is a phone call or interview. I’d rather help my candidates  (who tend not to look great on paper, by the way) prepare good answers, then interact with employers over the phone or in person before they are seen on paper. Good answers get the job. Good answers allow the candidate to be a real person, reduce the concern and prove they can meet the needs. I use all five solution tools, but this may be my favorite (perhaps I need to diversify!). Good answers are a quantum leap in the job search for many of my candidates, and I highly recommend them.

It’s Not Just for Candidates!
A final thought on this reliable, versatile tool box. It’s not just for job seekers. We use them in solving all sorts of “barriers,” from marketing and business development, staffing issues and even personal, relational and parenting dilemmas. I hope they serve you well. Let me know how you use them, what’s working and what’s not!

Remember, a barrier to employment is “anything the candidate or employer is willing to use to screen-out the candidate.” If it’s a problem, develop a solution. It increases candidate motivation, confidence, and long-term success, and decreases frustration and job search time. A worthy investment!

So, we’re at the end of this series on our three step process for overcoming any barrier. Feel free to contact WorkNet to order “No One Is Unemployable” or our Barriers Card Sort Game, find out when and where I’m speaking, and put in your vote in for future article topics. Until next time, stay hopeful, innovative and practical, or “H-I-P” as we say!

This article appeared originally in the Career Planning & Adult Development Network Newsletter www.careernetwork.org

Photo by Patrizio Cuscito

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