Connecting Clients to Employment Mary Crosby, M.S.Ed. Senior Job Developer

ForKids Who We Are Where We Serve What We Do What Services We Provide # of families who receive housing support >175 Children who receive educational support 400 Number of Housing Crisis calls in FY15 21,292

ForKids Employment Team Having a team of dedicated employees has allowed us flexibility across the region to effectively assist clients with employment needs. In the first quarter of 2015 alone, we assisted 38 clients in successfully finding employment. Senior Job Developer Job Coach (Norfolk) Job Coach (Chesapeake) Job Coach (Haven House) Employment Assistant

Searching for employment is hard work, which requires patience, dedication, and persistence. Clients need us to navigate and encourage them along their journey.

Employment Services We Provide Employment assessments Individual and group resume writing sessions and workshops Individualized employment search planning One on one application sessions Weekly Job Huddles Community job search Follow up guidance Referrals to outside agencies Workshops on Job Retention Strategies Mock interviews Interview attire Childcare assistance Transportation assistance Transportation advocacy

He or she who gets hired is not necessarily The one who can do the job best; But, the one who knows the most About how to get hired. -Richard Lathrop

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly “There are plenty of jobs, eight million of them per month in the U.S.” “30% of all unemployed persons in the U.S. spend more than a year looking for work.” “The number of people with part-time jobs who really want to work full-time is 7,400,000.” Source: What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles

Employment Barriers for the Homeless Transportation Childcare Lack of Education Lack of Experience / Work History Health and Mental Health Issues Criminal Backgrounds Housing Stability

Guiding Documents for Employment Search Employment Assessments Contact Records Resumes / Cover Letters Individualized Employment Plans Follow Up Documentation Community Job Searches Bonding Letters

Why more paperwork? Many clients struggle to remember where and when they applied for a position. They often spend hours completing job applications, but forget where they applied. Without proper documentation, case managers and job coaches are unable to encourage follow up, help prepare clients for interviews, or know phone numbers, addresses, positions applied for, and names of hiring managers. Organization is a critical component of an employment search.

Employment Assessment Upon entry into ForKids, every client meets with a job coach for a comprehensive employment assessment to assess background, training and education, job readiness, and work history. This allows us to identify client needs and to begin working to combat employment barriers.

Employment Assessment Form

Contact Records All job coaches maintain an employment contact record for each client that we are serving. This data and information helps support case management and program meetings for clients.

Resume Writing ForKids has created a client Resume Bank. Almost all clients need a new or updated resume and cover letter for employment applications. Clients are required to complete a resume writing worksheet prior to meeting for a formal resume writing session. One on one resume and cover letter sessions take approximately 1.5 hours. Did You Know? Burger King requires a resume and cover letter to apply for their restaurant.

Resume Tips Alleviate gaps in employment as much as possible with volunteer opportunities or family care/childcare Capitalize on every experience Neat, clean, simplistic formatting that clients can easily update Keep it to one page Ditch the objective Eliminate jobs that were only a few months long Recent experience should be first

Job Huddles We offer Job Huddles at one one of our locations every day of the week. Childcare and transportation are provided by our employment team to reduce barriers to attend. During Job Huddle, clients attend presentations by employers, receive job lead packets, have access to the computer lab and technology assistance, one on one job application assistance, quick resume updates, mock interviews, access to a phone for follow up calls, and a raffle of incentives.

Applications Online applications are tedious, time consuming, and require computer literacy. One online application can take as long as 90 minutes to complete. Online applications should be taken seriously. Based on the application and completed assessment, applicants are usually given a rating. Often, hiring managers cannot interview someone who does not receive a proficient rating. The Assessment Question Trick

Individualized Employment Plans

The Importance of Following Up Following up is an opportunity to get a name across to the decision maker again, so they'll be looking specifically at the application or resume. Encourage clients to follow up in person and via phone. Clients should be professionally dressed with a polished resume for in person follow up visits. What is going to make a hiring manger pull an application out of a pile of 500?

Community Job Search Paper applications are quickly becoming a thing of the past, but many small, locally owned businesses regularly post “apply in person” positions. These are great leads for clients who struggle with technology or have a criminal background. Community job searches should be planned and organized to maximize effectiveness.

Bonding Letters

Employment Advocacy Developing and maintaining relationships with ‘partner employers’ has been critical to ForKids success. This relationship building is done by the Job Developer around the local community. Establishing partnerships with employers of this nature should occur prior to client need, and be focused on the reputation of the organization and it’s mission. Recongizing partner employers with incentives specific to your program where possible (ForKids has a childrens art program, for example, and pieces are donated to partner emp)

My Favorite Resources Craigslist.com – Make sure the posting lists the company name, and that it is a legitimate company. Virginia Employment Commission – Great info on upcoming job fairs and employment opportunities. When at all possible, have clients directly apply to the website of the actual company rather than a third party. This increases the chances of receiving an interview.

Contact Information Mary Crosby Senior Job Developer, ForKids (757) Regional Housing Crisis Hotline: (757)

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