DO YOU WANT THE HARD-TO-EMPLOY RESOURCE LIST?

 I have compiled a list of best practice reports for making employment progress with the hard-to-employ youth and adults. For a copy of the list email larry@larryrobbin.com and put Hard-to-Employ in the subject line. I know you will find it to be helpful in your work. For information on the training and consulting I provide for organizations serving the hard-to-employ click here.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO FILL A JOB OPENING?

 One of the most frustrating parts of job hunting is waiting to hear back from an employer. Do you know what the average turnaround time is for a job offer so you can help your job seekers anticipate how long it will take? Do you know that there are both regional and industry differences in the turnaround time? You need to read this report and share its findings with your job seekers so they can manage their expectations and reduce their job search anxiety. Click here to read the report.

ARE YOU TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO HANDLE ALL THE INTERVIEW STYLES?

We prepare job seekers to give the right answers for interview questions. But, we rarely help them anticipate the many different types and styles of interviews. In addition, our mock interviews often fail job seekers because we only conduct them in one format and one style. If you want the best way to prepare your job seekers for interviews that will get job offers, you need to teach them how to be successful with a variety of interview formats and styles. For more information on this topic click here.

ARE YOU USING TWO GENERATION STRATEGIES TO HELP CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES IN POVERTY? 

Two-generation models target low-income children, youth and parents from the same families in hopes of interrupting the cycle of poverty. However, the models themselves vary widely and policymakers and practitioners need guidance on how to best design them to achieve their ambitious goals and capitalize on their multiplier effects. To that end, this brief builds on the insights from the Housing Opportunities and Services Together (HOST) Demonstration to present an updated theoretical framework for two generation models. The framework emphasizes the importance of using family goals as the lens for targeting individual family members, setting individual goals, and aligning tailored appropriate solutions. This lens also necessitates prioritizing relationship building over programs, designing flexible evaluation approaches, and working for systems change to support families in their efforts. For more information on two generation approaches click here.

WHEN IS IT A GOOD STRATEGY TO DECLINE A JOB INTERVIEW AND HOW SHOULD IT BE DONE?

We work so hard at helping people get job interviews that it is hard to think about helping them decline an interview. There are six possible reasons why it is a good strategy to decline an interview. This article will help you understand those reasons and give you strategies you can share with your job seekers about the best way to turn down an interview. To see the article, click here. 

WOULD YOU LIKE RESOURCES ABOUT BEST PRACTICES FOR INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLANS TO HELP YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES?

Youth with disabilities and their parents must navigate the complicated world of education in order to ensure that schools give these youth the proper accommodations and resources in order to make sure they get the best education possible. This set of information briefs will help workforce development professionals assist youth, parents and schools to make Individual Learning Plans successful. For more information click here. 

 

For information about the training and consulting I provide for organizations serving people with disabilities click here. 

HOW DO EMPLOYERS HIRE?

 How did employers fill over 300,000 jobs this year? What were the most used sources for finding candidates? What does this mean for how your job seekers spend their time or waste their time in job search? For the answers to these and other very important questions about how employers hire click here.

HUMOR ABOUT WORK

 Sam walks into his boss's office and says, "I'll be straight with you, I have three companies after me, and I would like to respectfully ask for a raise." After a few minutes of haggling the boss finally agrees to a raise, and Sam happily gets up to leave. "By the way," asks the boss, "Which three companies are after you?" "The electric company, water company, and phone company!"

WHAT ARE THE TOP COMPANIES FOR DIVERSITY?

 More than 1,800 companies participated in the Diversity Inc. 2016 survey to determine the best companies for diversity. There is no fee to participate and every company receives a free report card assessing its performance against all competitors. The survey, now in its 16th year, leads to a detailed, empirically driven ranking. This is not a superficial look at diversity. The free report card assesses performance based on four areas of diversity management:

* Talent Pipeline: workforce breakdown, recruitment, diameter of existing talent, structures 

* Talent Development: employee resource groups, mentoring, philanthropy, movement, fairness

* Leadership Accountability: responsible for results, personal communications, visibility 

* Supplier Diversity: spend with companies owned by people from underrepresented groups, accountability, support. 

To find out more about the 50 companies that scored the highest in this report card click here.

HOW TO SAY YES TO THE PERSON AND NO TO THE TASK

The job description for people who work in workforce development is a simple phrase, "other duties as assigned." We are asked to do to so much in so little time that it easily leads to stress and burnout. We are not very good at saying no when a request pushes us past our capacity. This helpful article will give you strategies for saying yes to the person making the request at the same time you say no to the task. Click here for this helpful article.

FIVE STRENGTHS THAT WILL SELL MATURE WORKERS TO EMPLOYERS

 If you work with people over the age of fifty-five or if you do job development for them, you will be more successful helping them get hired if you and your job seekers know these five selling points. These selling points can help to convince employers of the value of hiring mature workers. For more information about the training and consulting I provide for mature worker programs click here.  Click here for the list of the five strengths.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION, STRESS AND JOB PERFORMANCE?

Many workforce professionals and the people we serve experience workplace discrimination. A wealth of psychological research shows that discrimination can exacerbate stress. Moreover, discrimination-related stress is linked to mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, even in children. In this year's examination of the state of Stress in America, the American Psychological Association (APA) highlights the connection between discrimination and stress, along with the resulting impacts on relationships, employment and overall health. It is very important that you and the people you serve understand the connections between workplace discrimination and stress and job performance in order to take the steps necessary to reduce or eliminate workplace discrimination. Click here for this important article.

WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO TO QUIT THEIR JOBS THE RIGHT WAY?

As workforce development professionals, we focus most of our energy on helping people get jobs. But an important part of working life and getting ahead in the world of work is knowing how to quit jobs. We rarely discuss the best practices for quitting. Quitting in the wrong way will hold people back in the world of work, while quitting in the right way keeps them on the pathway to success. This article has some important lessons about how to quit jobs the right way. You should be incorporating these lessons in your work with job seekers. Click here to learn more about helping people quit jobs in the right way.

ARE YOU TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO WRAP UP THEIR INTERVIEW ANSWERS?

 We teach people how to answer interview questions. Their answers are only part of the equation for giving a job interview that will lead to a job offer. The answer to an interview question is like the opening in a sales presentation. What really matters is how they close the answer. This information is often left out of interview training and it is often the difference between an interview that goes no where and one that results in getting the job. You need to help people understand the formula for wrapping up their answer to an interview question. Click here to learn how to do it. 

THE BEST PRACTICES FOR SERVING OPPORTUNITY YOUTH

This is an excellent collection of ideas and best practices from programs serving youth facing multiple and severe barriers to employment. It features ideas and strategies that will help you make employment progress with opportunity youth. For more information about my training for programs serving disconnected youth click here.   To access the best practice information click here .

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2017

I want to thank all the people that used my consulting services and that attended my trainings in 2016. I also want to thank the many individuals that I worked with in my volunteer work. In addition, I want to thank my fantastic webmaster and newsletter editor, Further Evaluation. All of you are a never ending source of support and encouragement that helps me continue to do this challenging work. As I look ahead to 2017, I want to thank all of you for the lessons you have taught me and for the support you have given me. You have inspired me in so many ways. You make me feel that the work we do to help people overcome their barriers to employment and the work we do with employers is some of the most important work that can be done in a lifetime. Thank you so much for being a part of my work and a part of my world! I look forward to reconnecting with you in 2017!