I wanted to introduce you to Harry Crawford. He’s the Employment Program Manager at Caritas – my boss. He has more than 25 years of experience in workforce development. And, he’s very wise. Lots of times in meetings with outside agencies, I have to laugh because everyone ends up taking notes while Harry explains something we all need to understand. Two pieces of his wisdom are counterintuitive, but they always guide us through difficult aspects of working with clients, so I wanted to share them with you.
Some Clients Have to Hit the Wall: Sometimes, no matter what you do, clients have a hard time reconciling themselves to taking the first available, entry level job. When we’re feeling stress and worry about their family’s financial stability, Harry reminds us that some clients have to face a crisis before they can internalize the need to start in a job that they may feel is beneath them. When they run out of options and money, they are forced to accept the realities of US work culture and that’s the best thing for them in the long term.
Finding a Job is a Numbers Game: The more job leads we have, the more referrals we make. The more referrals we make, the more placements we can count. Clients often get really frustrated and discouraged by applying for lots of jobs and never even getting a response. Practice strengthens their skills and, eventually, if they apply enough places, someone will call and they’ll get a job.
No comments:
Post a Comment