It’s now been a few months since my initial article in the print newsletter kicked off efforts to share what we’re learning and learn from all of you as Caritas of Austin initiates a full time Job Developer position. I’ve been saving up this rant to vent my frustrations and seek some advice from others. This issue is really where I could use some help and I think it could provide the context to generate some diverse perspective and strategies.
I felt really good about several new employers I targeted and convinced to hire a client. My lofty plan was to send a great first candidate, wow them with our support services and seal the relationship for future placements. That reads well, but the reality has been different. It seems like we only get one shot. If the first client we place doesn’t work out for some reason, we don’t get another chance. Here are examples:
*** I worked for months to develop placements at a large, locally owned, city contractor that sorts recycled plastics and turns them into pellets that they then sell as a raw material. We placed an English speaking African client. The overnight crew was all Spanish speaking and at least a foot shorter than the 6.6 ft. Congolese. Everyone was visible in the open warehouse and they said he needed to work faster, watch how others behaved and mimic them. They fired him despite our efforts to provide an interpreter and coaching. Now they won’t even return my calls.
*** A casual Japanese café was poised to franchise and we thought it would be a great partnership. They hired two part-time people and were happy with them, but they quickly got jobs with more stable hours. Now, the owner won’t respond to my calls, but I always see ads for hiring as they expand.
*** A small private motel hired a client, but she accepted a better offer at the same time. They’ve never even been willing to interview another client since then.
*** We got four people hired in the kitchen at a start-up high end cinema that advertised on Craigslist. We provided all kinds of support, but all four clients quit and stated various reasons. The employer perceived that they just didn’t like the hard work. We haven’t been able to place anyone else there.
I strongly believe that our clients are the best marketing for refugee employment. But, these false starts have left me feeling really discouraged. I’d really appreciate suggestions and comments from the experiences of others out there.
Hi Laurel, thanks for sharing your experience! We posted to our Twitter feed about it, so hopefully we'll get some feedback!
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough one. I'm not a job developer, so maybe this idea is way out in left field. But what if you gave some sort of incentive for clients to stay in their jobs for a certain amount of time?
ReplyDeleteClients don't really have a good reason to value the relationship between their resettlement office and their employer. It would obviously be helpful if they did, but your experience and dozens of others I've listened to seem to indicate that would be more of an exception rather than the rule.
The idea of paying a client not to quit their job may initially sound absurd. But what is it costing your organization to have to start over every time when it comes to building employer relationships? How much time is invested into each of those new employers to get to the point that they choose to bring someone on board? What is the true value of a good relationship with an employer?
It doesn't have to be a huge incentive, but it should be something that gives a client pause before simply giving up.
As a Job Developer, I would love the ability to provide a financial incentive to clients who retained their employment. However, since that is not the case, I try to make sure that my clients are well aware of the networks at play when they obtain an interview with one of my employer contacts, as well as commit to them that if they keep the job for at least 3 months, I will assist them with finding alternative employment if they are still looking.
ReplyDeleteI have several clients currently employed who would not be had I not expressed this to them. I also have other clients who have quit their jobs in spite of my attempts, so it is not a foolproof method.
The other thing that I keep learning and re-learning in this job is that it ALWAYS comes back to giving the employer what they want. In hindsight, I can see that there have been several instances where clients have quit their jobs (or failed at interviews and then I was not given a second chance to bring more clients to interviews) due to being the wrong match for the job in the first place.
Thanks for sharing your experiences!