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>> Good afternoon.
Thank you for joining us for today's webinar --
Discovering Your Potential:
Using Discovery to Identify Your Employment Goals.
I am Elizabeth Jennings with the LEAD Center and I am pleased to have joining us today the two subject matter experts
and presenters -- Abby Cooper with Mark Gold Associates and Janet Steveley
with Griffith Hammond Associates.
The LEAD CENTER is the National Center on Leadership for the Employment
and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities.
It is a collaborative of disability, workforce and economic empowerment organizations led
by the NDI with funding from the US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy.
Before we get started to welcome you today we have our partners at the US Department
of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy.
>> Speed Davis or Chris Button, do we have you?
My apologies -- we are having technical difficulty.
We will come back in a moment.
Before we get started with the webinar, I would like to invite my colleague,
Nakia Matthews to offer housekeeping tips.
>> Good afternoon, everyone.
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>> Today's agenda is going to include an introduction to customized employment.
Using discovery to identify your contributions, considerations, and interests,
steps a job seeker can take if there are not customized employment resources
in their local community, and resources on customized employment and group discovery.
>> As a result of participating in today's webinar,
we hope that attendees have a better understanding of customized employment.
Have a better understanding of a discovery as a way to better understand their ideal conditions
of employment, next steps to implement their own discovery,
and examples of strategies to connect with employers.
>> I am now thrilled and it is my honor to be able to welcome Abby Cooper
and Janet Steveley who will be presenting to you.
Take it away Abby.
>> Hello, this is Abby Cooper.
Were I would like to start -- for those have that have not been on our webinars before,
is to talk a little bit about "what is customized employment?".
The official definition of customized employment is: "a flexible process designed
to personalize the employment relationship between a job candidate and an employer
in a way that meets the needs of both.
It is based on the individualized match between the strengths, conditions,
and interests of a job candidate and the identified business needs of an employer."
So, if we think about this definition for just a second,
it kind of turns how we think about employment on its head.
Most people on the line who have sought employment have truly thought about it in terms
of how to meet the employer's needs.
How do I take the job description and tweak my experience
so that it looks like I am a perfect match?
Rarely have we thought about it in terms of what do I need from employment?
What do I bring to the table?
What will highlight the strengths that I have?
What kind of job will highlight my interest so that I truly meet the employer's needs?
If any of you have had the opportunity to read "Workforce of One," I believe it is
by Susan Cantrell and David Smith, it talks about customized employment in the sense
of the trend that businesses are going toward.
Particularly businesses that want to have a leading edge in the future.
Traditionally, we have had HR systems and thought
about employment in terms of one system fits all.
What customized employment does is say there is a different way to think about this.
It starts with who the job seeker is.
>> There are some assumptions behind customized employment that are important to talk about.
One is the unbundling of job descriptions into separate tasks.
This allows employers to see the unmet needs in their workplace.
There are a couple of trends going on currently.
These tie directly to this -- beyond Workforce of One --
if you look at the efficiency movement in healthcare
and the efficiency movement is doing exactly that.
Unbundling job descriptions and looking at what tasks flow better together and make better sense
so the workplace runs more efficiently.
>> The other assumption behind customized employment is negotiating tasks
that people can do to meet an employers need in a more effective way.
If we think about this, employers have been doing this for years.
For those who would have the fortune like myself of owning a Dell computer,
you know that 15 years ago Dell did exactly this.
They did it in terms of customer service.
They were one of the first businesses
that said we will customize your computer to meet your needs.
This customized employment is flipping it over to how you think about obtaining employment.
Rather than meeting the customers needs, it is negotiating tasks the employer needs done.
It also has the assumption that the job seeker, knowing what he or she has to offer an employer
and what is needed for success, has the ability
to increase securing employment that meets both parties' need.
For anyone on this line was had the great pleasure of working in a job that did not meet
who you were, what your contributions were, --
over time, you lose the job or quit the job because the match is not good.
>> In customized employment, one of the assumptions is that it helps people
to think before they even take a job -- before they even look for a job --
what do they bring to the table and what do they need from the business in order for it
to be a successful transaction between everyone?
>> What is different in that is that it starts --
the employment search starts with the person rather than the employer.
A lot of people on the phone say -- of course.
It starts with the person knowing who they are.
For any of you who have ever read What Color is your Parachute?
It seems like every near there is a new one.
This book which has been the Bible of looking for employment, it echoes the same thinking.
It must start with who you are.
It's got to start with what you bring to the table.
Rather than what the employer is asking for.
>> This is done through a process called Discovery.
In Discovery, you gain a better understanding of your contributions and conditions
and interests surrounding employment.
>> With Discovery, this helps you to understand your Contributions --
what contributions are is what you have to offer an employer.
We all know that what an employer is seeking is wide and varied.
It may be education, past work experience, a unique skill or knowledge that you have.
It is whatever you bring to the table that will make that business more productive.
That is your contribution.
>> Your conditions are what you need from a job to be successful.
You should have -- we will talk about this later on - both Janet
and I are - in terms of conditions.
Conditions are deal breakers.
What you need from a job to be successful, to be at your best.
You can't have 100 conditions.
It is really that the conditions need to be tied
to how it increases what you have to offer an employer.
>> Then, there is interests.
>> Interest are -- what are the interests you have
and tdo those interests translate into employment tasks?
We all have a lot of interest.
We don't want to utilize some of the interests for pay, but there are others interests
that do translate into employment tasks.
What Discovery does is help you to think of all these components so that
by the time you seek an employer, you know what you are looking
for and you know how to offer it.
At this point, I will turn it over to Janet.
>> Good afternoon, everyone.
I will pick up where Abby left off -- talking about your Contributions.
Contributions are what you are offering an employer and what you are bringing to the table
that is useful and valuable to the employer.
Think through each of these bullet points for a minute.
First, your skills.
Think about things like -- I am proficient in Microsoft Office.
I can operate a lathe.
I am fluent in American sign language.
Think about the skills you have that you could offer an employer.
Also, your education or training or any other relevant experience.
For example, "I have a high school diploma.
I am a certified nurse's assistant.
I have a bachelors degree in education.
I have a class C drivers license."
Make sure that you think through and list out your education and training
as a relates to a particular job.
>> Also, your unique knowledge.
This may be things like -- I have a good understanding of Asian culture.
I am really good with maps and excellent at directions.
Anything that is unique knowledge that you have.
>> Another area is your personality traits.
Things like I am prompt, dependability, friendly, conscientious, detailed oriented.
As well as your abilities.
This might be things like "I am a good problem solver.
I am the mechanically inclined.
I am good with my hands."
The more you know what he an employer is looking for,
the more you can present those things that match their expectations.
>> On the next slide -- what you want to do is make a list of your contributions.
Write them down.
Some will come quickly and others you may need to think about for a while.
Think of it is a list you can keep adding to overtime.
Most people have a hard time seeing their own strengths.
We are often modest and we don't to appear boastful or conceited.
On the next slide -- if you have difficulty thinking about your own contributions
or about what is great about you, interview people that you know
that are positive about you and your work.
People like family members.
Teachers, former employers.
Anyone who knows you well.
Ask them -- what they see as your contributions and write down what they say.
You might need to break that down for them a little bit.
You might say things like "Think back - what are may greatest skills?
What personality traits would be the most useful to an employer?"
Everyone else sees you from a different perspective.
Getting their input can be helpful.
I have been through some exercises like this with coworkers doing a workshop
and it surprised me the things that my coworkers said about me.
They weren't necessarily that I would've said about myself.
When I thought about it, it was true.
>> If you don't want to ask anyone, another way to think about contributions is to write
down all of the duties you had in jobs, or school, or volunteering.
Make a list of the positive things that people have said about you in the past.
Whether it was through performance evaluations or report cards or whatever it might be.
>> Once you have your list of contributions, then you want to think about and write
down the types of employer that might need those contributions.
For example, if I had knowledge of auto repair and I described myself as efficient and friendly
and a quick worker, what employers come to mind?
I think maybe Jiffy Lube place or - I don't know if everyone has a Les Schwab,
but Les Schwab is a tire company that has great customer service.
I start to think about particular employers.
As you think about all of your contributions, make a list and think
about what employers might need those things.
You might also think about employers that have the type of environment
that brings your best out, and Abby's going to talk about that in a minute.
>> Continue to add to your employer list as you think of different employers.
>> [indiscernible - multiple speakers] Go ahead.
>> One think you want to think about is -- what brings out the best you have to offer at work?
We all know that different environments in different times of day make a difference to us.
You want to think about when should work occur for you -- what time?
For some we have an obnoxious personality of waking up and ready to go.
Totally focused early in the morning.
It annoys everyone that likes to get up late.
Why do I have so much energy?
>> By the afternoon, we have fizzled out because we have used all our energy.
There are other people that really are night people or afternoon people.
That is when they are focused.
One way you can figure out the best time for you is to pay attention
to your daily routine for a week.
Pay attention to when you are really focused and how you wake up.
That will give you an indication.
Are you a person - another thing you want to think about is it would be better
to have a job that starts early or late?
Another thing to think about -- what brings out the best in you -- the tasks you're doing.
It sounds silly, but getting a visual picture of when you are at your best in terms of the time
of day and the tasks you are doing.
You may be doing software programming or washing dishes.
You may be driving a car.
What are the tasks that make you really focused and you are at your best.
Also try to track and think about interactions.
Many people lose their jobs due to soft skills.
Soft skills tend to be totally related to interactions.
Pick about the types of interactions required in a work environment.
Is it face to face and you are a people person so you like to talk to people?
Or are you someone who is more withdrawn and --
e-mail and texting is great because you don't have to interact too much with people.
>> Are you someone that likes to talk on the phone?
Those interactions and how you like to communicate
and interact is something you should think about in terms
of a work environment because this can trip you up.
If you are in a work environment that requires a lot of interactions
and everyone is a phenominally social, and you are not, that is a hard work environment
for you to feel comfortable with.
>> Think about pacing and your natural pacing.
Are you someone that loves to get things done and you like to move speedily and you want
to finish a task and you don't wanted to linger?
Or are you more methodical?
You want to make sure to get everything exactly correct.
So, you take your time when you do a task.
When you have a task that requires it to be incredibly fast,
you find that to be amazingly frustrating.
Think about the pacing of how you do things.
Then, think about the environment that you need.
Whether it is inside, outside, the noise level, etc. It is a chaotic or calm environment?
Does it have overhead florescent lights they give you headaches?
It's not like you're going to get everything on the list.
>> If you start to think about when you're at your best and what you need
from your environment, it helps you to hone in on employers
that can provide some of those things.
This will help you to be at your best.
>> Also, thinking about expectations.
What do you need from a supervisor?
There are a lot of people on the line --
if I asked everyone of you to tell me what a bad supervisor is, you could tell me exactly.
But, usually it takes a little more thinking to figure out what type of supervisor you need
to help highlight your strengths.
What kind of coworkers do you need
that will highlight your strengths and sometimes customers.
>> The basic point of this is to really think about --
when you go to work, what will bring out the best in you?
The best you have to offer?
I've never met anybody yet who doesn't want to be successful.
You help your self by thinking about the elements you need to be successful.
All of these things are part of the puzzle.
>> Now, back to Janet.
>> Interest is another piece of this puzzle.
And interest is something that is strong enough to make you want to go to work each day.
Not just something that you know to do.
>> For example, both my niece Rachel and I love to cook.
She really loves to cook.
She likes to experiment with recipes and she likes to feed people and get their feedback.
She became a chef.
She actually went to culinary school and became a chef
because it is something that she wants to do everyday.
I love to cook, too, but I don't want to do it all the time.
That would take all the fun out of it for me.
I, however have different interests such as teaching
and helping other people -- things that are important to me.
>> Think about interests that you have and the interests that are strong enough
to make you want to go and work each day.
Whether it is learning about computers or landscaping or working on machines,
or music or whatever it might be.
>> As you think about those interests, think about employers who also share those interests
or have a need for somebody with that interest.
For example, my niece, Rachel, the chef -- right away you think about restaurants.
Who else could user contributions?
Certainly there are caterers, bakeries,
wineries that do food pairings, food magazines, food shows.
There could be a lot of different employers that would value somebody with her contributions.
>> The last incredibly important piece we have alluded to is Tasks.
Tasks are different pieces or duties that make up a job.
So, if I am a driver, one of the tasks is picking up people.
Another task is tracking who my fares have been during that day.
Another task is parallel parking.
Maybe another task could be marketing.
Employers bundle tasks together into job descriptions.
For everyone who is working on line, you all have job descriptions.
You probably know -- if you are the average person, you know about 70%
of your job description, but you don't know everything.
That is what you got when you first got hired.
One way or another, you morphed this into what needed to get done
and what highlighted your strengths and skills.
>> So, all of us end up customizing our jobs to the tasks we do once we are hired.
What customized employment does is make you think about it before you are hired.
By unbundling tasks, it is easier to see the portions of job that meet your contributions.
That is what we naturally do what we are hired, but we don't think about it before we are hired.
>> It is also easier to see employers' needs when job descriptions are unbundled into tasks.
>> For anyone on the line who is job developing these days, you know very well when you talk
to employers -- they talk about how people have to multitask.
In the reality, with less people employed and more people multitasking, what happens is some
of the duties fall by the wayside.
>> Those become unmet needs of the employer.
The assumption is that everybody can do everything.
But in reality, that is not true.
>> In terms of tasks, what I would suggest you do is write
down the tasks you want to do for pay.
>> With that, what interests do you want to use in the job and how does that tie
to an interest that you have had.
>> For example, I may be interested in small motors.
The task that I want to do is take apart used lawnmowers.
I need to think of an employer who might have the need
for this task and could use my interest.
Maybe that would be a junkyard or a repair shop.
What you need to do is add to your list of employers in terms of the tasks you want to do
for pay and what interests you want to use in this job
and how this interest relates to those tasks.
>> We mentioned this earlier --
I want to reiterate this because it is such an important concept.
It is important if you have been employed for a while.
For anyone who has been unemployed for a while, as you know, you are at the point
when you would take anything in figure out how to make it work.
It is weird to think about conditions, but it is important to think carefully about Conditions.
They are elements that you need to be successful.
>> Transportation frequently is a big one.
If I have to take six buses to get to a job,
then by the time I get to the job, I am worn out.
I started at 4:30 AM to get there on time.
This means that I may not be successful.
I may want to think about a condition that I need a job that is one bus ride away
from my home where I am not on the bus for more than 40 min.
These are the deal breakers.
If the job does not mean your conditions, you cannot accept the job.
My rule of thumb is try not to have more than three conditions.
>> They really are not elements that you want or would be nice to have -- those are preferences.
Preferences are important, but they are not deal breakers.
Conditions really are deal breakers.
>> The basic rule of thumb -- the more conditions you have,
the longer it will take you to secure employment.
That may be okay for some people.
I am willing to wait for the perfect job.
But, if you are saying that, I would suggest that you think carefully about the downside
of being unemployed for too long and what that does to you.
>> Make a list of your conditions.
Think about why those are your conditions.
Think about how those conditions will make you more successful on the job.
How they will end up making you a better employee.
In the end, whether it is customized employment or self-employment
or traditional employment, employment is a negotiation.
Employment is -- I can do this for you for pay
and this is why it would be beneficial for you as an employer.
You need to think about why you have those conditions
and how the conditions will help you to meet the employers needs.
>> You also need to think about the trade-off.
What are you offering to the employer in return for the employer to offer you these conditions?
>> Let's talk for a second about Conditions versus Preferences.
>> Once you create a list of conditions, then you can create a list of preferences.
My recommendation to you is that it is a good idea to prioritize your preferences.
>> Think about what you're trade-off sorry regard to preferences.
If you prioritize your preferences, then let go of the ones at the bottom of the list
because once again we are trying to find a situation --
you are trying to find a situation -- where you will be most successful.
You don't want to sabotage yourself.
You don't want to have too many conditions, you don't want too many preferences
but on the list you want to have what you need.
On the other side of the list you need to be able
to highlight what you are offering the employer.
>> Employers are more than happy to meet your conditions and preferences
if they believe you are going to be a highly qualified beneficial employee.
>> Just as any of you would if you were hiring.
>> The other thing that is important in your list is setting of priorities.
>> Think about what is most important to you.
Are wages most important - how much you earn?
For many of us, that is the first place we go: "I need to earn a certain amount of money."
>> In reality, there are a lot of other factors and priorities
that impact how happy we are in our jobs.
>> The type of work that is one thing.
What you do and work.
The hours you work the tasks you do.
>> The environment and culture of the workplace.
As we talked earlier and looked at all the elements around work, is it an environment
that is generous to its employees?
It is at an environment that people feel good about working there?
Or is it an environment where dog eats dog?
Is it an environment where everybody is a young adult and you happen to be 50 years old?
So, the culture of the environment may not fit with what you want.
>> What are your priorities around coworkers and who you work with?
Probably one of the biggest priorities to think about is location.
The ease of the commute and how important it is to you.
>> Right now it might not be important to you all.
It may be important after you have had a two-hour commute for two years.
"You know, I want a job that's closer to my home."
>> Flexibility -- how important is it to you that the employer's ability
to meet your unique needs - that's going to help you to be the most successful.
>> Your priorities will change over time.
Everybody's priorities do change over time.
It is something to think about higher to getting a job.
>> It is also important to think about your desired salary and wage.
How much do you want to learn?
How much do you want to earn now and in the future?
How does this help you pave the way to being financially stable?
>> How much more what you want or earn is what you are living on now.
Now if you are living on social security and you are living on $700, and you decide that you want
to earn $3,000 per month, this may or may not be possible.
This depends on what your unique skills are and what you bring to an employer,
but it doesn't mean that earning $3000 per month is not something to put into your game plan.
In terms of thinking about this is how much I want to earn now and this is how much I would
like to earn in six months and how much I would like to earn two years from now.
>> So, think about -- do I need all this additional income right away, or do I have time?
Once you figure out how much you need to earn and want to earn, there is also a piece
of thinking about -- what impact will salary have on your life?
>> Will it be good or bad -- if I make a lot of money --
will people want loans or back payment on things I owed money on
or if they put a lien on your wages?
Think about the impact the salary will have on your life -- the impact on where you live --
if you are in the section 8 housing, what does that mean for your housing and benefits?
Have a clear idea.
For a lot of people, if they have not worked for a long time, they do not think about the salary
and wages, then what happens is that they go to work and they are hit with all the things
that they didn't have time to process and have not planned for.
Whether it is back childcare payment or an overpayment in Social Security
or whether it is an impact on rent in section 8 housing.
It is a good idea to think this through before hand.
It is also a good idea to think about -- once you start working, what do you want to buy?
>> You want to know what to save, but the other pieces what do you want to buy?
Whether it is an iPad for your son or whether it is the clothing for yourself --
whatever it is -- what do you want to buy with your first paycheck?
Once you start to work, you should get reinforcement from working.
Think this out beforehand.
>> What are the trade-offs you are willing to make to have a particular salary?
I am willing to take two buses and spend 1.5 hours on the bus so I can be paid $13 per hour.
In my neighborhood, that is not a possible salary to have.
>> What is the downside of that salary?
What will you have to give up to earn that amount of money?
Time away from the family -- whatever it is.
Think about it.
The whole reason for this exercise is to prepare you.
To get you in a mind set of understanding the trade-offs and to start
to have a plan around the money that you earn.
If you are someone on SSA, SSI, SSDI - when will you talk to a benefits planner?
Not only do you want to talk to a benefits planner to help with a game plan,
it is also how to use the work incentives.
How can I use the incentives strategically?
How can this be a part of my plan to put me in a better financial situation?
>> The last thing I want to talk about before I turn it over to Janet is disclosure.
>> Disclosure is almost always a tricky issue for a lot of people.
What information will you share
about your accommodation needs and your disability and when?
It may not be disability related.
You may be a person that has a criminal record.
You may have other sensitive information in your background that you need to figure out how
to share with an employer or with the person that is helping you to find a job.
>> My advice is that it is very important to ink about that before you meet with an employer.
So you know what you will say and at what point.
>> You need to think about what is reasonable to share and what is not.
From my experience, a lot of people share too much.
It is critical whether you are sharing it or a job developer is sharing it for you.
Frame it in terms of your contributions.
Abby is an amazing receptionist if she has a voice-activated computer.
>> This is how a voice-activated computer will really make her more productive.
Always start with the positive and always show how whatever you are asking for is going to make
that person -- make you more productive.
>> Now I believe it is Janet's turn.
>> By knowing your contributions, interest, and conditions of employment and when you are
at your best, it allows you to focus on employers that need those contributions rather
than just randomly applying for jobs.
It allows you to target the employers where there will likely be a good fit
between what you have to offer and what they need.
That way, this will hopefully reduce your time in job searching and get you working
and making money sooner and avoid you being frustrated with filling
out applications and not getting anywhere.
That is the point of customized employment.
>> If you are having somebody help find you a job -- if you are working with a job developer
or an employment specialist, make sure you share this information with them.
Use it to help you and them work together effectively and talk
about why certain employers make sense and why others may not.
>> If you are working with a job developer or an employment specialist, make sure that the two
of you are on the same page with regard to employers you will contact
and the information you are comfortable sharing and how you might negotiate a job.
>> If you are securing employment without the help of the job developer,
you need to be prepared to negotiate a job for yourself.
>> Customized employment seeks to help people avoid the rut of going and applying
for the same jobs everyone else is applying for.
You are proactively going out and seeking employers who have needs
that match your interests, contributions and conditions for employment
and you identify how you might help them meet one or more of their needs.
>> You want to identify employers that have needs that match your contributions.
You have made a list of them, but now you need to think of how to connect with them.
One way to do that is to connect with other people.
Use your own social networks to find out who you know that knows that employer.
Who you know who knows somebody that knows the employer.
There are a couple of reasons.
First, it is a way for you to learn more about the tasks that occur there
and the employer needs and secondly, you can name drop.
People like to help people they know.
If you can say something like -- your brother-in-law George said I should talk to you.
That employer will take more time to listen to what you had to say.
Employers often hire people that they know or that another employee of the business knows.
Make sure to let people in your social circle know that you are looking for work
and let them know the interesting contributions that you have.
>> Also, if you are developing a job for yourself or working with somebody,
you might want to create a 1 min.
presentation on your contributions and tasks that you want to do for pay
and use that when you present yourself to an employer.
The presentation should include the task you want to perform
and how it would meet their needs.
>> For example, Sally is just out of high school.
She is interested in working with children.
Some of the contributions that she brings are that she has experience
with children and she is had babysitting jobs.
She has her first aid and CPR training.
She is thought of as a natural teacher in her family.
She is also really good with computers
and teachers other family members how to use computers.
>> She has a difficult time coming up with personality traits that she could share.
She will ask the people that she babysits for how they would describe her best work qualities.
The things that came up consistently were that she is reliable, conscientious, and patient.
Sally has been making notes on this.
She's been writing this down.
Based on her contributions, she developed a 1 min.
presentation that she can use to negotiate a job that employer.
For example, if she is approaching a day care center in your area, her 1 min.
presentation would go something like this: "Hello, my name is Sally Field
and I am seeking a job that allows me to work with children.
Being the oldest of five I helped raised my younger brothers and sisters
and I have three years experience with babysitting.
I am a high school graduate and I have completed my First Aid and CPR training.
I am also computer literate and I enjoy teaching others how to use computers.
My former employers have described me as reliable, patient, and conscientious.
Would these qualities be valuable to you here at the day care center?"
>> She has used her 1 min.
presentation to introduce herself and introduce her contributions and tasks she's looking to do.
If Sally had been able to network and learn a little more about the needs
of the day care center, she might have modified her presentation a little bit.
For instance, she might have said something like Mrs. Jones who works
in the office here told me you might be needing help in the 3
to 4-year-old class as enrollment is going up.
Could my qualifications help you fill that need?
Practice your presentation so you can use it wherever you go.
Practice it enough so that you can be flexible with it.
You can modify it a bit based on who you are talking to her the situation you are in.
>> Sally tried to get some information
about the business she was approaching before she talked to them.
She mentioned Mrs. Jones and her friend's mother who also worked at the day care facility.
She was also able to speak to Mrs. Jones beforehand and learned
that enrollment was increasing in the 3 to 4-year-old group.
She knew the employer might have a need she could fill.
>> She used this is Jones -- first she dropped her name to help connect, but she was also able
to bring up a potential need that she could fill.
>> Think about who you know that works in a business that you are interested in working in.
If you can, try to find out from them what might be potential needs that the business has
and also asked them if you can use their names or if they would be willing
to set you up an informational interview.
We will talk about that more in a moment.
>> Use your existing network.
Think about the people that you know or the people your family knows.
People you come into contact with on a regular basis.
For example, people that you know where you grocery shop
or were you bank or by gas or purchase clothes.
Use connections at those places.
Also, think about -- it anyone that you or your family knows owns a business
and they might have needs that match the contribution to bring.
If they don't have needs, maybe they would be able to help you network
with other businesses that might be a better match.
>> Sometimes we don't have connections to a business that you are interested in
and you don't know anyone that works there and you don't know anyone who knows anyone.
Then you are starting from scratch.
One strategy you might use -- to get in and meet the person that makes the hiring decisions
and to learn about the business is to use something called an informational interview.
When I do an informational interview,
I would schedule the interview ahead of time for about 20 min.
It is different than a job interview.
It is different because the purpose is really to learn more about the industry
or that particular business to help identify unmet needs.
I might set up a short interview -- 20 min.
or so -- during the interview, you are asking the employer to tell you about their business
with an ear open for potential needs.
>> You go in with a list of questions prepared ahead of time.
You want to make sure that some of those questions might get at their unmet needs.
For instance, you might ask them directly questions like --
is there anything that doesn't get done here are the doesn't get done well enough?
If you had an additional staff person, what would you have them do?
Other questions that might get it there needs --
things like how do you see your business growing in the next five years?
How has technology changed your business?
What new trends are happening in your field?
>> So again, in a informational interview, you're not asking for a job.
You were there to learn about the business or larger industry and their needs.
>> Let's say that Sally Fields didn't know Mrs. Jones.
Instead she would set up an informational interview to learn
about the needs of the day care center.
She might start out by asking some general questions
about the day care center and about positions there.
Then she might ask about future enrollment.
She might learn that there is growth in the 3 to 4-year-old group.
Sally also will ask if there are particular things that parents ask for or complain about.
What she learns is that parents are interested
in having their children learn more about computers and iPads.
Sally has used the informational interview to identify needs that match her contributions.
Now she is in a position to make a proposal to the employer to consider hiring her.
She proposes that they consider hiring her to assist in the 3 to 4-year-old class
and as an added value she bring the ability to provide instruction on computers and iPad.
In her case, the employer -- she was impressed with what Sally had to say.
She wasn't in a position to hire Sally.
But, she was intrigued by her ability and teaching computer skills.
As a result of their discussion, the employer was willing to allow Sally
to conduct a short survey with parents to identify if they might be willing to contract
with Valley for tutoring their children in computer skills.
As it turned out, many parents were interested.
In this case, it did not turn into a typical employment situation, but Sally was able
to start her own business within the larger day care center business.
The day care center provides the space for Sally to work and handles the billing for her
as a part of the regular monthly billing, but Sally benefits because it creates work
that she lost and it meets her interests and contributions and conditions of employment
and the business benefits by a being able to add additional services for customers
that make the children and parents happy.
>> If you are requesting an informational interview, you might develop a script.
For instance: "hello, my name is Sally and I have a strong interest in working with children.
Susan Armstrong recommended that I call you to see if I might be able to set
up a short interview to seek your advice and recommendations on how I might enter the field.
Would you be willing to meet with me for about 20 minutes
anytime next week?"
>> Generally, people are willing to help people with several interests.
She is talking to somebody at the day care industry.
They are into working with children and they probably started the same way.
They had an interest in working with children and ended up in that job.
Likely what they will say is "yes, I would like to do that.
Let's figure out a time that works."
>> You might wrap it up by saying something like "great I will be there at one o'clock on Tuesday."
Let them know if possible it would be great to take a tour of your business
after the interview if there was time.
Thanks so much.
>> When you go to the interview, make sure that you are respectful of people's time.
If you said 20 minutes
-- I usually set these up for 20 minutes
-- they often going our because people like to talk and share about what they do.
But, it is always polite to check in at 20 min.
and say this is really interesting and you are sharing great information.
I want to make sure that you are doing okay on time.
I said 20 min.
Be respectful during the informational interview.
>> If you to have an opportunity to take a tour, you are looking for unmet needs.
These are possible areas that the employer might need additional support for.
Whether it be episodic duties -- what I mean is duties
that happened periodically during the week.
But, they don't happen every day.
If we go back to the childcare example --
there may be a thorough cleaning of all the toys three times a week.
Daily there was a spraying down of the toys.
The thorough cleaning would be an episodic duty.
There might be slower components of a task that need some --
sometimes quality assurance elements or slower components of a task that need
to be checked before it goes into the packaging.
It has to be totally correct.
There may be backups or bottlenecks.
Certainly, everyone on the phone has walked into a service counter,
particularly if you take your car in -- there is one person working there.
There are 10 people waiting.
All of them are frustrated because their car has broken down.
That is a perfect place for that bottleneck and having somebody else at particular times a day
that could help with customer service and improve productivity of the business.
>> There is material -- this is frequently in cities --
the landscaping folks or the road repair people come back into the central area with their tools
and all the tools have to be checked in.
Because there are not enough people, the tools are just thrown in
and sometimes tools and materials are loss.
>> Look for where there is interruption.
Frequently in situations where there is a lot of interruptions, this is a situation
where tasks are not getting done because people are repeatedly being interrupted.
If there can be somebody there to cover some of the interruptions,
the work will flow more smoothly.
Wasted movements -- a part of my job although I am at the front desk --
part of my job is to distribute the mail throughout the building
and the mail comes in at different times.
There are times when I am away from the desk and it is totally a wasted motion
of me going throughout the building.
So, as you do a tour, you are looking to see -- what is not quite getting done?
>> You can play this game -- do this throughout your daily life.
If you go into Target or Best Buy or to the doctors office, pay attention.
Look around.
All of a sudden you see bottlenecks and materials not been put back.
You see things not being done.
All of a sudden you are able to focus on what unmet needs are.
The real question if you're going on a tour is --
any other tasks or contributions that you want to offer --
do they meet the unmet needs that you saw on the tour?
In Sally's instance, she knew through an interview
that they were expanding a certain age group for childcare.
You may know it from an informational interview or from a tour.
If you notice something on a tour, it is okay to say is this an area that needs more assistance?
"Oh yeah, Jim is supposed to cover this -- but he does something else."
Try to ask questions germane to what you see.
Part of what you are trying to do is see if you would be a good fit
for that particular need of the employer.
>> Let's spend some time talking about how to present yourself.
There is a traditional way -- I'm sure that everyone is well aware of this -- a resume.
A resume works great if you have good skills and experience.
>> Your resume will go to the top of the pile.
But, if you are someone with good skills but maybe has a long time of being unemployed,
sometimes the resume doesn't work so well for you.
There are two different ways -- to other approaches to think about.
>> -- One that works well in the high-tech industry is a working interview.
This works well also for somebody who perhaps has great skills,
but is just a bad interviewer.
-- a Stinky interviewer.
>> For that person, if they could see how you were, this would be far more beneficial
than sitting through a painful interview when you know you will not do so well.
>> There is another possibility, too.
That is a visual resume.
I will show you a template of a visual resume
and then I will talk you through some of the slides.
>> First I will move to the template.
>> The way a visual resume works -- couple of different ways it can look.
It can be in a PowerPoint format and then placed in a profile slip jacket where it sits
on the desk and you turn each page.
It can also be sent to an employer beforehand.
It can also be turned into a video resume.
This is the standard template.
Usually it is a picture of you -- a portrait shot -- you look really good.
Then there is your name.
>> On the next slide there is a spiel -- here is a sample -- I am here today to find employment.
I have lived in this community for the last 10 years.
Or another statement that connects you.
The purpose of this is -- back to what Janet said -- people help people but they like.
People they are connected to.
Part of this is showing how you are connected to the community.
I would like to talk to you about my skills and what I have to offer you.
>> Then, see if my contributions meet your needs.
If my contributions do not meet your needs, my hope is that you may be able
to suggest other employers in the community who would be interested in my contributions.
>> The next thing -- this is just a sample, so you would modify it to fit who you are.
I am very interested in something.
You list your interests and provide a really nice picture
of you doing the element you are interested in.
This slide should show interest or involvement in the community.
It is another way to make a connection with an employer.
>> Next -- I am looking for an employer that has needs in the following area --
this is where you insert a picture of one of the tasks listed or in that type of environment.
Whether you are looking for an employer that has needs in the mailroom, sorting, delivery,
computer programming, office support, preparing, scanning, preparing documents --
whatever you are looking for -- list those tasks.
Show a picture of yourself doing it.
>> Say that you have past experience in whatever you have passed its.
In. If you have a strong work history, highlight the experience
that ties directly back to what you are looking for.
>> If there are not big holes in your work history, I would advocate.
If there are, I would just talk about where you work.
>> The next slide -- contributions I bring to the workplace.
In these, you want to put in as much business language as possible.
Whether it be that you are a quick learner or outcome driven or a problem server or work well
with diverse populations or winning attitude -- hey, this is what is cool about me --
this is what I will bring to your workplace.
>> Then, in closing you will want to recap the important points he made.
That you want a job that matches the employer's needs
and also -- always start with the employer.
I wanted job that matches your needs.
My contributions.
You were interested in working there because -- whatever it is.
What is the employer see as the next step?
This is meant to be a simple template to give you an idea.
>> So, that is a template for a visual resume.
To reiterate, it is an -- in the end you have a portrait and pictures in a narrative.
This describes the connections to the community and the contributions and attributes experience.
It is really an alternative -- is two things -- an alternative to a resume and a marketing tool.
>> If you decide to use a visual resume, once you have got it together,
make sure you have your friends and spouse and parents
and business owner that you know critique it.
>> It just like sending in a resume with coffee stains on.
That will not get you the job.
You want your visual resume to be a marketing tool.
It should represent you well.
>> So, think carefully when you do this and think carefully about the wording.
I cannot tell you about how many the jewel resumes --
people forgot to think about the future that the wording
and picture portrays them as completely competent.
>> You are a skilled multitasker --
short-term and long-term deadlines versus complete different jobs as needed.
See how the differences?
One way if you want to think about this -- one good trick to think about the wording --
look at what the wording that employers use -- indifferent advertisement.
Pull out some of the wording.
>> Use it in your visual resume rather than performing yardwork --
you really should say perform landscaping duties.
We also want to use employment language -- competent professional versus polite, smart.
>> Rather than saying friendly or outgoing, you have the ability
to work with diverse populations.
Think about your wording.
Remember, this is a marketing tool.
The words should match whatever picture you put on your visual resume.
>> It should also include contributions that you have to offer an employer.
Tasks you are looking for.
We saw at least template.
I am looking for an employer with neither the following area -- list the tasks.
One thing I have found by listing the tasks is that it helps people think.
In our current economy, a lot of employers are willing to say -- were not hiring.
But, when you start to break it down into tasks, all of a sudden they start
to think well, yes, I do have a need there.
>> So, I think breaking it down into tasks also helps you pull the employer hand
to help him over think about it.
If you have a passion or a unique contribution, including picture of it.
Whether -- I worked with a woman once who was an incredible seamstress.
Her real passion was making dolls.
She had a sideline business of making dolls.
She ended up getting employed at a Taylor's office where they made suits
and dresses and a lot of different things.
This was because of her passion related to dolls.
>> The owner of the shop at the exact same passion.
That is what soldier in hiring this person.
If you have a passion, you never know who else out there might have that exact same interest.
>> One example is -- whatever you are looking for --
I am looking for an employer who has needs in the following area --
delivery, inventory, running small equipment, busing tables, annotating, --
entertaining old people or children.
If you are a person who is multitalented, and you have tons of things that you can do,
then what I would do with the visual resume is to lead by industry.
It part of your interest is working in an office,
I would say all of the office tasks you are looking for.
If part of your interest is working in a museum,
I would put all of the tasks related to museum work and art.
All of us have a variety of tasks we can do.
All of us have a variety of places we can work.
If you are seeking ones that are varied, I would make myself more than one visual.
>> A visual resume tailored to the industry you are looking at.
In summary, customized employment is a set of tools
and strategies to ensure successful outcomes.
The other thing that I truly love about customized employment
and Discovery is that it empowers the job seeker.
For many of us, we start to get the job after we've looked for a lot
of jobs and got a lot of rejection.
Basically, we start to feel like we don't have anything to offer.
What discovery does -- not only does it help you to gain a better understanding
of your contributions and conditions and interest, but it also subject
to realize you have a ton to offer an employer.
This gives you the energy and power to want to apply for jobs and to want to talk to employers
and to negotiate a job works for you.
Customized employment is a negotiation used to create jobs.
Versus relying on job market indicators.
A lot of time the job market indicators don't really fit who we are.
We try to sandwich ourselves into them.
Sometimes we are successful and sometimes not.
I will now turn it back to Elizabeth.
>> Thank you.
>> A little delay -- no problem.
>> I want to take a moment -- take a moment first to say thank you to Abby and Janet
for wonderful information presented in a way that should be helpful to everyone on the line.
We will open up for questions in a minute, but before that, I want to invite our partners
at the Department of Labor and office of disability under the employment policy
to share a few of their comments.
>> Thank you, Elizabeth.
This is Chris and [indiscernible] joins me as well.
We are excited about this presentation today.
We think that Janet and Abby did a wonderful job.
They went a little deeper around discovery and how to get to a customized position.
I found it fascinating -- we were delighted to see that we had 311 sites joined.
This is such an expression of interest in this topic.
There is a lot of buzz, if you will, across the country around customized employment
and Discovery and doing things a little bit differently so that people have an opportunity
to freely build on their contributions and to have increased power
in the negotiation process with employers.
I think that this was really illustrated beautifully today.
I also wanted to let people know that this morning up in the Senate the Senate proposal
for reauthorization for the workforce investment act was passed out of committee.
Through this reauthorization bill, there are references to customized employment.
So, I think what we are talking about today will become even more important
when we initially get a reauthorization bill
that acknowledges customized employment and acknowledges his approach.
We at ODEP have been doing research about state policy
and we have been finding increasing states were customized or elements
of the customized process are showing up in regulations and policy guidance documents.
It is really quite exciting.
So, I thought the presentation today was wonderful
and I am looking forward to the Q&A section.
PICU, Elizabeth, for helping to organize this.
>> PICU, Chris.
If you have a few questions you would like to ask Abby and Janet,
now is a great time to put them in the chat box.
We will give you a moment to do that.
In the meantime, we will point you back to the slides.
There are places you can go to learn more.
There are videos on customized employment and Discovery located at the ODEP website
and there are also webinars on the Southeast website.
For additional information, the subject matter experts are from Mark Gold associates
and Griffin Hammes Associates and links are noted.
>> The first question -- there seems to be a trend and employers using a new model
of hiring were all employees are expected to be able and willing to do all tasks and positions,
eliminating the ability to job carve and therefore eliminating the ability
to provide customized employment.
These employers tend to be hiring entry-level jobs
that are typical jobs some of the individuals I work with.
What is your advice for these situations?
We will ask Abby and Janet.
>> A couple of things -- you are right --
there are a segment of employers that want everybody to do everything.
A couple of different things I have to say about this.
One is that customized employment doesn't work for all employers.
>> It does work for most.
If you are working with an employer who says everyone has to do everything,
then honestly, I would not waste my time.
I would go and work with another employer.
The other thing to think about in that is in a discussion with the employer
in the nicest way possible is to say I understand your need for everybody
to do everything, but as I look around your business,
I see that you have some needs here that aren't being met.
Are you interested in me helping you to figure out how to meet those needs?
I would give them an opportunity.
I would also provide them with information and in terms of trends
that are happening around employment.
And what the most successful employers are moving toward.
But, there are employers that will just say no, that is not how we do it
and I am not going to do it that way.
>> Usually, with those employers, they say no when they --
when the higher-ups say this is how you are going to do it.
>> I think part of it is gauging.
Can I educate this person?
Can I help them to think of a different way to do it?
Or are they stuck in the mud?
Then, I will move on.
>> Janet?
>> I agree with everything that Abby said.
A book that she mentioned earlier -- Workforce of One hits at the newer trend she is talking
about witches more around individualizing employment opportunities.
In terms of educating employers about that --
this could be something that you want to take a look at.
The one thing I would add is that often times whether we are job seekers
or people helping job seekers, we tended to focus on big business.
The big box stores.
The Walmarts and others.
Some of the big places because they hire a lot of people.
But, but we are talking about people who have customized needs,
maybe they are not the best people to focus on.
Maybe smaller companies that don't have huge HR departments and don't have set job descriptions,
they are much more flexible about negotiating around needs and unbundling tasks.
That would be something I would suggest.
Looking at smaller employers.
>> I think you're absolutely right, Janet.
I want to add one thing.
And working with a larger employer, and particularly when I am working with one
of those people that says everyone has to multitask,
I try to have them say what it would look like if that didn't happen.
I want to know where their fear is.
I want to know where the biggest barrier is.
To see if I can address the barrier or if I need
to say thank you very much and put my energy elsewhere.
>> Great. We have several more questions.
One of them is -- how can this project --
process work with youth with severe cognitive disabilities
that are nonverbal and are still in school?
How do I approach the school to suggest that they use Discovery?
>> Janet, you can go first.
>> Janet, go ahead.
>> I am not sure what your position is.
But during school is a wonderful time to think about discovery because you got a lot of time.
You got a lot of time and people around in the circle that knows the student well.
To help them collect information.
Setting up work experiences.
Other experiences to help get at their interests and contributions and conditions.
A great thing that could be happening right now, too, is putting together the visual resumes
or portfolios that they can share I'm not sure of the position of the person that asked that --
a parent or an adult service provider.
If there are any interagency groups that meet around transition and implement,
that would be a good place to discuss that and what might come out of it.
>> Abby?
>> I agree with everything you said.
The thing I would add -- if it is your school you are struggling with, I would point to --
the indicator -- everyone in special ed -- I forget the indicator.
The schools are required to go back and look at what is happening with kids after they graduate.
But argument -- my argument to a school official would be that if you do this now what they are
in school, these kids have an opportunity to be employed by the time they leave school.
Right now, we are focusing on how to improve their deficits.
We are not looking at the you nuke -- unique contributions they can bring to the table.
We are in a position to learn that and figure
out the assistive technologies can assist this person.
As Janet said, the timing is great.
I apologize for not remembering the indicator.
>> Our partners at ODEP have had -- it is indicator 14.
>> You.
>> We have another question -- one of the attendees asks are visual resumes really used?
How successful are individuals at using visual resumes wax great question.
The reality is I don't know.
I use visual resumes every time I job developer a person.
I use these for the last 10 years.
I have found them to be incredibly successful.
The piece I don't know is how many people use them for themselves.
I certainly have presented to an employer with a person who has utilized the visual resume.
I was there as backup support.
A lot of the work that I do is working with people
with multiple physical and cognitive issues.
They needed me to turn the pages of the resume.
>> I don't know how many people use it for themselves.
>> I know that in representing the someone it is a great tool.
The people but I do know that it used it
for themselves representing themselves -- it was a good tool.
It is a different way to think about it.
It invites the employer to be a part of the process in a different way.
Sorry I can't give you the numbers.
Janet, can you?
>> No, but when I think about industries having a portfolio
to share -- that is expected kind of thing.
For people with more severe disabilities, -- youth with disabilities that are nonverbal --
this is a way for the person to have more of a direct connection with the employer.
>> Yes.
>> If I can't talk and tell them
about my contributions myself, it is a way to help share this.
But, I don't know how common it is that people are using them.
>> You might be able to think of other visual ways, too.
I've seen people use video resumes.
There might be other visual ways to present this information.
I like the template that Abby provided.
>> Thank you so much.
That's all the time we have for questions today.
There were a few questions that came in that we were not able to respond to,
particularly around personal situations.
For those people on the line, I will encourage you to e-mail your questions to me,
Elizabeth Jennings -- we will be sure to return a response.
I want to share more information with you about the LEAD CENTER webinar series.
We provide a new webinar on the last Wednesday of the month from 3 PM to 4:30 PM.
Eastern time we have been providing this through miniseries --
one on economic advancement which is now complete, one on implement which is complete
and the next miniseries will focus on leadership or public policy.
These are the links to join these webinars.
Also, we will advertise them through different lipservice
that you found out about this one through.
We webinar I -- we archive all of our webinars and hope
that you will go back and view them at your leisure.
If you missed the others in the employment series, they are available now.
They were -- introduction to customize deployment and customized self employment
and group discovery -- an alternative assessment tool
for workforce centers and community-based providers.
Is it our website at LEAD CENTER to view these archives.
>> We also have the archives of the webinar series and if you would like to reach
out to either of our subject matter experts, the information is on the screen now.
Any questions that you have, please feel free to direct these to myself
and we will sure to get you a response.
Thank you to the subject matter experts -- Abby Cooper and Janet Steveley and to Nakia Matthews.
Thank you for joining us.
We hope to see you again next month.
We will begin the next series on leadership and public policy.
Thank you.
>> Goodbye.