October 27, 2016

by: OakLeaf Services Contributor

Job Development Process

This month’s expert article was written by Andrew Kruse. Andrew is a Job Placement Specialist at OakLeaf Partners, an employment program for adults at UCP of Greater Cleveland, where he works to match transitioning students and adults with disabilities with employers in Northeast Ohio. Previously, he lived in the Pittsburgh area where he also worked to find competitive employment for individuals with disabilities. Andrew credits his previous career in the IT field as one of his greatest assets as a job developer.

OakLeaf Partners recognizes that the decision to seek employment is a potentially frightening prospect for many individuals. Each person that comes to OakLeaf Partners is at a different stage in the job seeking process. Our organization prides itself on working with clients with varying backgrounds, ranging from individuals looking to enter the job market for the first time to those who may need to alter a previously defined career path due to unexpected circumstances. It is our responsibility to determine the specific interests, goals, and needs of each individual so that the job development process is truly client-focused. Once a personalized job placement plan has been developed, our staff works with each client to teach fundamental skills that will be applicable to various employment opportunities in the future.

Career Exploration & Discernment
Many clients come to OakLeaf Partners with a focus on entering the workforce; however, they may not have a clearly defined job goal. Using tools such as career exploration, informational interviewing, work assessment, Project SEARCH and summer work, the staff at OakLeaf Partners will identify the type of work opportunities that best fit the individual. Job Placement Specialists also continually monitor the local employment market to determine trends in job availability.

Job Seeking Skills
Once a job goal has been determined, the staff at OakLeaf Partners works to ensure that the client is properly prepared for their job search. We specifically focus on resume development, interview preparation, and learning to optimize job searching on the internet. OakLeaf Partners staff also continually communicates with HR professionals to ensure that the resumes that they develop are what employers are looking for. Once the resume is complete, Job Placement Specialists work with their clients to prepare for interviewing. Recognizing that the interview can often be the most frightening part of the job search, OakLeaf Partners takes extra care to prepare their clients for this step in the employment process. This can happen in a number of ways including mock interviews with local business professionals, scripting answers to common interview questions, and video recording of mock interviews for review. When a client feels comfortable with their interviewing skills, the Job Placement Specialist works with them to find specific employment opportunities using internet-based job search engines and local job postings.

Job Searching & Development
The job development staff of OakLeaf Partners considers many factors when helping an individual find employment. The process begins by identifying the individual’s available transportation options to ensure that once a job is found, the individual will not encounter transportation barriers that limit success. After identifying a geographical target for the job search, the Job Placement Specialist will then develop a list of opportunities that are appropriate for a particular client’s skill set and interests. The Job Placement Specialist utilizes various networks to find such opportunities. This process always begins with the client’s social network. Clients are encouraged to identify family, friends and community members that may have links to the field in which they are seeking employment. This has traditionally been, and continues to be, the most common way of finding a job lead. OakLeaf Partners also operates its own Business Advisory Committee (BAC) that consists of a network of business professionals that are committed to the hiring of individuals with disabilities. This provides another source of job leads. Job Placement Specialists are also tasked with regularly identifying businesses that may be interested in joining the BAC so the network can continue to grow. Job Placement Specialists often assist with the completion of applications and also accompany individuals to interviews. When permitted, by both prospective employer and client, the Job Placement Specialist will often participate in the interview as well. When a job offer is made, the Job Placement Specialist can assist with the on-boarding process and will advocate for any accommodations that may be needed for the client to successfully meet the requirements of their job.

Job Coaching
Each client has access to professional job coaching after they have been hired. The goal of job coaching is to augment the training that each employer provides. Job coaching can be done on- or off-site depending on the preference of the client. The coach utilizes different teaching styles and tools to help clients complete work tasks. Job coaching is intended to be short-term support that fades as the client develops independence and natural supports at work.

Through this process, OakLeaf Partners has successfully placed 88 clients so far in 2016, and we are looking to grow that number even larger next year. For more information on the job development process, please contact OakLeaf Partners Transition Services Manager Sharon Meixner at (216) 791-8363, ext. 1261 or smeixner@ucpcleveland.org.

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