This document discusses the importance of tapping into the "hidden job market" for finding employment opportunities for clients with disabilities. It provides two success stories of job developers who found jobs for their clients by networking within the community and identifying opportunities not posted publicly. The article stresses that as a job developer, building rapport and observing your community closely is key to devising hidden jobs that match clients' skills.
What You Should Expect from Your Advertising Agency Account Executives
jtprnov10apse
1. continued on Page 2
Choose Work Tour Under Way
DOL Announces Continued Funding
for Youth Center
Make Time to Create a
‘Personal Brand’
Supporting Employment Choices:
Lessons Learned — Part I
Success Story: Curtis T.
Lack Career Direction?
These Tips May Help
Resouces
Fast Facts
Programs Fueling Green Jobs
Effort
INSERTS
APSE Connections: Enough with
the Employer Awareness Already!
by Richard Luecking
Featured Inside
A
great deal of attention is
being paid to what is referred
to as the “hidden job market,”
especially as it relates to specialized
industries. It makes sense that if you
are a rocket scientist seeking employ-
ment, then you will hobnob and net-
work with other individuals who are
also part of the rocket science industry,
keeping your eyes and ears open for
possible employment opportunities in
this field.
But what about employment
specialists who work with individuals
with disabilities, especially those
with developmental or cognitive
disabilities?
As a former job developer, I didn’t
necessarily want to hobnob and net-
work with other individuals with dis-
abilities on behalf of my clients.
Instead, I wanted my clients to inte-
grate and work in environments where
disability was not the focal point of the
employee base. I wanted them to work
in the same environment as those rock-
et scientists, as it were, performing
work that was worthwhile and unique-
ly tailored to their skills.
Even in this day and age of
craigslist job postings, there are still
companies that do not advertise open-
ings. This is the “hidden” or “invisi-
ble” job market I enjoyed tapping into
as a job developer working with my
clients with disabilities.
How the ‘Hidden Market’Works
Let’s examine why a company may
choose to not advertise or post a job
November 2010 Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com JTPR 1
for professionals who support employment for people with disabilities
JOB TRAINING &
PLACEMENT REPORT
Volume 34, No. 11
November 2010
34 years
of service
Why the ‘Hidden Job Market’ is So Important
By Merrie D. Heath
opening. Some business owners and
managers may only have a vague idea
about a job — they aren’t clear on an
actual job description.
Second, given the tough economy
and sheer number of individuals look-
ing for work, even mid-size companies
get overwhelmed with applicants and
inquiries. These companies may prefer
to rely on word of mouth to advertise
the position, as opposed to an online
and/or print classified.
Third, consider that small business-
es make up the majority of the
employers in any given area. These
firms often don’t like to advertise
because they would rather hire some-
one they know either directly or
through someone who does; someone
they trust, and someone who has the
abilities that they need.
From a job developer’s perspective
this is a good thing! I don’t like taking
my client from place to place, putting
in application after application, walk-
ing into big box places with no warm
bodies to speak to about the skills and
abilities of my client. I would much
rather tap into the “hidden” job market,
make friends, and network with
decision makers from various compa-
nies, putting my client out there as a
viable candidate.
‘Hidden Market’Success Story
One of my most cherished “hidden”
job market stories occurred years ago,
just as the economy began to slide in
the rural community where I worked.
My client was a young lady with
traumatic brain injury due to a stroke.
She got upset easily, and was very vul-
nerable and drawn to animals. She
could barely remember where she
lived, but she could recite details of
virtually every Animal Planet episode
she saw on television.
Her work skills were very limited.
Due to her vulnerability, I ruled out the
obvious employment options such as
the local humane society and the big
chain pet stores. I scoured the usual
job listings for any opportunities that
could be considered for her. Plus, I
had to factor in her lack of transporta-
3. November 2010 Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com JTPR 3
T
he Social Security
Administration’s Office of
Employment Support
Programs recently announced the
launch of its Choose Work Tour —
a series of Ticket to Work training
sessions designed to help providers
in their efforts to grow resources
for greater service capacity.
The first Choose Work event
kicked off in Phoenix, AZ where
providers of vocational and
employment support services
joined government agencies and
people with disabilities to partici-
pate in educational sessions.
Sessions incorporated training,
peer-peer panel discussions, best
‘Hidden Job Market’ cont’d from Page 2
This month’s
cover article by
Merrie Heath is a
perfect example of
how a subscriber’s story idea
(stemming from a reader survey)
can end up in print.
Merrie suggested that JTPR
publish a story about the “hidden
job market.” While we’re happy
to pursue story suggestions on our
own, I first asked Merrie — as I
sometimes do — if she’d be inter-
esting in writing the article.
Readers should always bear in
mind that expressing an interest in
writing about a specific topic for
Editor’s Notebook
JTPR, doesn’t mean you have to
write it at that particular time!
We’re happy to work with readers
on a time frame that will work for
them. We just ask that you keep
us informed about when to
expect the article, and if you
have any additional questions
about writing it.
Thanks Merrie for coming
through! Until next month.
Mike Jacquart, Editor
(715) 258-2448
mike.jacquart@impacttrainingcenter.net
practices, inspiring personal sto-
ries, and/or community partnership
networking. Sessions included:
Work Incentive Seminar
Event (WISE), which educated
beneficiaries about Work
Incentives and the potential advan-
tages of participating in the Ticket
program.
Ticket 101: A Ticket to
Work Overview, which offered
guidance on what beneficiaries
need to know, payment structure
for Employment Networks (ENs),
and how to become an EN.
Work Incentives 101, which
highlighted the various work
incentives (including health care
coverage) that provide a safety net
for beneficiaries as they transition
to work and self-sufficiency.
EN Business Models (and
EN Administration) sessions,
which offered valuable insight
from experienced Employment
Networks who shared successes
and lessons learned about partici-
pating in the Ticket program.
Networking luncheon,
which featured two beneficiary
speakers, Terri G. and Victor Q.,
who shared their personal experi-
ences about unemployment, the
Ticket program, with having
choices, and the feelings that
accompany finding a path to
self-sufficiency.
Inspirational stories that feature
real people are at the heart of the
Choose Work campaign.
For more information, visit
www.CESSI.net/TTW and click on
the “Choose Work Tour” icon!
Source: SSA Ticket to Work Recruitment
and Outreach, CESSI, a Division of Axiom
In the News
Choose Work Tour Under Way
I have worked with job developers
who know their client; and understand
the right position exists for him or her.
Consequently, they reach out, look
past the usual classified ads or post-
ings, and never leave a stone unturned
in exploring companies, positions, and
people. This is where the “hidden job
market” comes into play.
To find the right position for your
client — network; make multiple
contacts throughout the community;
and put yourself at the right place, at
the right time, and with the right
client. You will “see” the “unseen”
employment opportunities. This is not
rocket science!
Merrie D. Heath is the director of
Mission Services of Goodwill Industries
of Northern Arizona. She is a former
vocational rehabilitation counselor and
job developer/job coach, also in Arizona.
4. 4 JTPR Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com November 2010
In the News
DOL Announces
Continued Funding for Youth Center
T
he U.S. Department of
Labor’s Office of Disability
Employment Policy recently
announced that it will exercise the
second option year of its cooperative
agreement with the Institute for
Educational Leadership and award
an additional $999,926 to continue
funding the Youth Technical
Assistance Center through the
National Collaborative on
Workforce and Disability for Youth.
“Focusing on transition-age youth
is an important part of addressing
the under-representation of people
with disabilities in the labor force,”
said Kathleen Martinez, assistant
secretary of labor for the Office of
Disability Employment Policy.
“Many youth with disabilities still
don’t have access to age-appropriate
experiences, especially when it
comes to work. We are working to
change this at ODEP.”
NCWD/Youth focuses its techni-
cal assistance efforts on state and
local workforce development sys-
tems and assists them in better serv-
ing youth with disabilities.
NCWD/Youth and its partners,
including experts in disability, edu-
cation, employment, and workforce
development, strive to ensure that
policy makers, youth service profes-
sionals, educators, families and
youth receive cutting edge informa-
tion on the connection between edu-
cation, employment and independent
living.
In September 2007, the Labor
Department competitively awarded
IEL a 24-month cooperative agree-
Employment Trends
Make Time to Create a ‘Personal Brand’
ment for $1,850,000 with three
option years to manage a consor-
tium for developing effective prac-
tices and policies to enhance
employment opportunities for youth
with disabilities.
The other members of the con-
sortium include the National
Association of Workforce
Development Professionals in
Washington, DC; the PACER
Center in Minneapolis, Minn.; the
Center on Education and Work at
the University of Wisconsin-
Madison; and the University of
Minnesota’s Institute for
Community Integration.
Source: ODEP. To find out more about
the NCWD Youth National Technical
Assistance Center visit
www.ncwd-youth.info.
E
veryone has a personal brand.
The problem is that 98% of
people don’t understand what
personal branding is, so they fail to
use it in their job hunt and career,
says Evelyn Salvador, author of
Step-by-Step Cover Letters (JIST
Publishing).
Salvador notes this is unfortunate
because personal branding is what
sells candidates to hiring managers,
wins job interviews, and increases
salary potential.
“Personal branding helps you
establish a successful, credible iden-
tity that gives hiring managers
insight into your value proposition
and return on investment, making it
cost effective for employers to select
and hire you,” explains Salvador.
She says there are five critical
components to consider:
Assets and features: These
are the qualities, attributes, skills
and know-how you possess that can
be valuable or useful to a prospec-
tive employer.
Benefits: These are ways in
which your assets help employers.
Benefits might include any type of
assistance, advantage or contribution
to the employer’s mission, objec-
tives and/or bottom line.
Competitive edge: This is the
clear advantage that you have over
other candidates by way of certain
unique strengths or aspects that make
you stand out from others in your
profession. It is your individual “mar-
keting mix” of assets and benefits.
Value proposition: This is the
total worth of all of the benefits you
can offer an employer in exchange
for salary by way of promised deliv-
erables backed by matching achieve-
ments. Employers seek candidates
whose value is higher than the cost
of paying them.
Return on investment (ROI):
This is a measurement of your con-
tributions (and expected future
value) to an employer.
Salvador stresses the importance of
conveying these components in
résumés, cover letters, interviews, and
other aspects of the job search.
5. November 2010 Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com JTPR 5
L
ittle is known about the
factors that influence
employment-related
choice-making for individuals
with intellectual and developmen-
tal disabilities (IDD).
As a result, research staff from
the Institute for Community
Inclusion interviewed 16 individu-
als with IDD at four community
rehabilitation providers (CRPs)
throughout Massachusetts, along
with their family members and
employment professionals.
The goal was to understand
what factors influenced employ-
ment choices, and how preferences
compared with perceptions of the
employment services and opportu-
nities available.
The purpose of this article is to
present the study’s major findings
and practical suggestions for
employment professionals.
Findings
Findings showed a collection of
people and factors considered
influential in employment-related
decision-making for individuals
with IDD. Family, school-based
staff, the CRP, the job developer,
and personal preferences each
played a role at certain points in
participants’ lives and in the deci-
sions they made.
The role of family in the
formative years:
Family members served as
role models for employment
throughout the individual’s child-
hood and adolescent years by
instilling the belief that work was
an expectation for adulthood.
Participants reported that
individuals were influenced by
watching their siblings and parents
go to work. They learned that
work leads to independence and
the means to support themselves
and their families.
The role of school based staff and
early employment experiences:
Teachers and other high-
school staff provided the first
exposure to work that often set the
individual on a particular employ-
ment path.
These early employment
experiences shaped individuals’
thoughts about employment, influ-
encing preferences, career plan-
ning, and self-confidence related
to work.
The role of the CRP’s culture:
The CRP’s culture (com-
prised of its mix of services and
philosophy about job readiness)
affected the way staff perceives
and offers employment options.
Individuals were more likely to be
working or actively considering
employment when supported by a
CRP with a strong focus on inte-
grated employment.
Staff from CRPs that offered
a mix of services (community
employment, sheltered workshops,
enclaves etc) directed job develop-
ment resources only to individuals
who wanted to work in the com-
munity. There was no expectation
for someone to leave the sheltered
workshop. These staff also
believed that individuals needed to
meet prerequisites to be consid-
ered job-ready.
On the contrary, staff from
the CRP that provided only sup-
ports for community-based
employment directed all resources
to job development and job coach-
ing. They held the belief that all
people were ready to work.
The role of the job developer:
The job developer emerged
as the most influential person dur-
ing the job search process, often
directing decision-making about
employment choices and some-
times persuading individuals to
keep less satisfying jobs or
remain at the workshop until the
job developer could find better
job matches.
Individuals and family mem-
bers often viewed their job devel-
oper as responsible for finding
employment, and thus were only
minimally engaged in the actual
process of finding a job.
The role of personal reasons
for work:
Individuals’ personal reasons
for work also influenced employ-
ment-related decision-making.
These personal reasons
included earning money, produc-
tivity, the admiration of others,
and the quality of social relation-
ships.
NEXT MONTH: Practical rec-
ommendations will be presented.
For more information about this study,
contact Jennifer Bose at 617-287-4353 or
Jennifer.Bose@umb.edu.
In the News
Supporting Employment Choices:
Lessons Learned — Part I
By Jennifer Bose
6. 6 JTPR Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com November 2010
C
urtis T.
worked in
an apart-
ment building for
people with
mental health
disorders. When he was sidelined
with bipolar disorder, Curtis
stopped working and went on
Social Security Disability
Insurance (SSDI).
As he received treatment and
considered a return to work, Curtis
worried about whether anxiety
would interfere with his employ-
ment in the future. Would he be
able to concentrate and focus for
extended periods of time? Curtis’
confidence in himself and the
value he could add to a workplace
had been shaken.
Curtis learned about Social
Security’s Work Incentives,
including the Ticket to Work pro-
gram, when he received informa-
tion in the mail. Because he was
between 18 and 64 and receiving
SSDI or SSI, Curtis was a
“Ticket Holder” (i.e. he was
eligible to participate in the Ticket
to Work program).
Ticket to Work provides support
for Americans with disabilities
who want to work by funding
employment service providers that
help Ticket Holders prepare for,
find or maintain employment.
Curtis assigned his Ticket to the
Tulare County Office of Education
(TCOE). TCOE is an Employment
Network (EN) with SSA’s Ticket
to Work program. Linda Singleton,
Karen Davidson, and the staff at
TCOE addressed many of Curtis’
concerns about returning to work.
“It was a relief to know I would
have a safety net while I began the
long road back toward stable
employment,” Curtis says. “I was
released from the anxiety of wor-
rying about losing control of my
benefit choices, and
could focus on building career
goals again.”
Supports associated with the
Ticket program offered Curtis the
1:1 guidance he needed to succeed
over an extended period of time.
Moreover, the flexibility and
support associated with Ticket
to Work and Work Incentives
allowed Curtis to become
independent again.
As his income level rose, Curtis
stopped receiving SSDI cash pay-
ments and Medicare. However, he
knew that these services could be
available again in the future,
should he be eligible for them.
Because the impact of entering
the workforce is different for each
individual, it is important to make
informed decisions with the help
of a Certified Work Incentives
Coordinator (CWIC) or other
knowledgeable advisors, as Curtis
did. (Visit the “Resources Map” at
www.choosework.net.)
Work Incentive Seminar Events
(WISE) are a good place to begin.
These are free seminars designed
to help job seekers and family
learn about how returning to
work could affect benefits.
They are held across the country,
and online.
Curtis has enjoyed successful
employment at the Blue Sky
Wellness Center, a non-profit orga-
nization devoted to assisting others
who live with mental disabilities
return to a healthy, social lifestyle.
Promoted to supervisor, he
manages staff, peer support
groups, and has now added stand-
up comedy to the therapeutic
regime at the center. Curtis’ gigs
are at Blue Sky, and plans are
under way to bring his act to other
stages in the area. Curtis is grate-
ful for the courage and self-esteem
that have been restored.
“I have far more self-esteem
and confidence,” he says. “I am
doing something I really have pas-
sion for, and the people I work
with are top-notch. This program
is so unique and is so needed.”
Source: SSA Ticket to Work Recruitment
and Outreach, CESSI, a Division
of Axiom.
Success Story
Curtis T.
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November 2010 Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com JTPR 7
I
n the wake of burdensome col-
lege loans and a job market
that’s been tough for grads to
navigate, parents are feeling a
tremendous amount of pressure to
help their children achieve a sense
of career direction.
Yet, many parents don’t under-
stand how to help their children,
without alienating them or making
all of the college and career deci-
sions themselves.
In her book Parent’s Guide to
College and Careers: How to Help,
Not Hover, Barbara Cooke explains
that a parent’s role (and that of an
employment professional for that
matter) is to be a resource and to
point him or her to other resources
available that will move the youth
forward into adult life. She offers the
following advice:
Encourage the youth to con-
duct informational interviews.
“Talking to others already working
in a particular occupation or industry
helps validate or reject an initial
career idea,” Cook states. She adds
that informational interviews also
lead to other ideas for career explo-
ration, and expand self-understand-
ing by holding up a “mirror” of an
adult who is working in a career day
to day.
Introduce the youth to
career interest inventories.These
are brief questionnaires available in
print and online versions that can
help an individual identify interests,
values, and other work-related pref-
erences. A job developer, other
employment specialist or career
counselor may assist.
Prompt the youth to research
the job market. Any individual
needs to research the job market for
a major before, not after, choosing a
major. Make sure that expectations
are grounded in the realities of the
job market.
Have youth write a 30-sec-
ond want ad. To help someone
uncover the type of work he or she
would enjoy doing, have him or her
write a brief paragraph outlining the
skills he or she enjoys using and the
values important to him or her. After
the child has written this description,
have him or her ask others what type
of job that sounds like. This may
help a youth identify jobs and indus-
tries that coincide with his or her
skills, interests, and values.
Keep a positive attitude.
Maintaining a positive attitude will
help prevent fears from creating ten-
sion and adding more pressure to an
already difficult and confusing time
in your child’s life.
Cooke notes that with the right
foundation of education and work
experience, and confidence in his or
her skills and networking abilities,
any youth will have the tools needed
to find his or her way — even in
uncertain times.
More guidance can be found in
Parent’s Guide to College and
Careers: How to Help, Not Hover,
available at www.amazon.com,
major bookstores and from the pub-
lisher (www.jist.com or
1-800-648-JIST).
Job Training and Placement Report is published monthly. For subscription information contact: Job Training and Placement Report, E502 State Rd. 54, Waupaca,
WI 54981. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding
that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services
of a competent professional should be sought. (From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee
of Publishers.) Job Training and Placement Report does not necessarily endorse any products or services mentioned.
Quick Ideas
Lack Career Direction?
These Tips May Help
—Resources—
e-Resumes: Everything You
Need to Know About Using
Electronic Resumes to Tap into
Today's Hot Job Market, by
Susan Britton Whitcomb and Pat
Kendall, McGraw-Hill,
mcgraw-hill.com. Nearly 70% of
employers use the Web for job
posting or recruiting. The authors
show how tocreate, post, attach
and send the perfect e-resume for
the job.
8. 8 JTPR Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com November 2010
F
rom e-waste solutions to sus-
tainability partnerships,
Goodwill Industries®
is building
on its history of clothing and textile
recycling with innovative programs
that meet green job needs in communi-
ties nationwide.
Program participants are putting e-
waste to good use in Goodwill
Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo
and Martin Counties’e-cycling pro-
gram — recycling and refurbishing
more than 2.5 million pounds of com-
puters and other electronics each year.
In response to the community’s
recycling and employment needs, the
agency signed on to the Reconnect
program, a partnership between
Dell and Goodwill, in 2005. (To
find out more, visit
http://reconnectpartnership.com).
“In 2003, the state of California
passed e-waste legislation, banning
electronics from landfills,” explains
Director of Environmental Business
Kim Fox. “By providing these services
to our community, we’ve been able
to create jobs in our salvage depart-
ment, as well as in our recycling and
reuse business.”
Eighty percent of the current
employees obtained their positions at
Goodwill after completing the
agency’s transitional jobs training,
which combines basic computer skills
with hands-on training in sorting, dis-
mantling, and packaging shipments of
recycled or refurbished electronics.
In addition to these opportunities,
job seekers enrolled in the Goodwill’s
six-month IT technician training pro-
gram may apply for a paid, 120-hour
green electronics reuse internship at
the Goodwill’s e-waste facility or at an
outside company.
“The course and internship provide
a foundation for a lot of different
career paths. We expose [individuals]
to different green-sector certificates
and advanced training they can take
after they complete the program,” Fox
notes.
In the fall of 2009, the County of
San Mateo took note of the
Goodwill’s successes and included the
e-cycling program in its winning pro-
posal for a Workforce Investment Act-
funded California Green Jobs Corps
award. In 2010, 17 youth from fami-
lies with low incomes, ages 18-24,
were selected to participate in the IT
technician training and green electron-
ics reuse internship program.
“We have a responsibility to make
sure we’re training in green industries
that are growing in our local area,”
Fox maintains. “Computer recycling,
refurbishing, and repair are a big ser-
vice area in California, and we expect
business will need increasing numbers
of workers with that skill set.”
Partnership Proves Key
A new green jobs training program
at Goodwill Industries of Greater
Grand Rapids (Grandville, MI) proves
there’s strength in numbers when it
comes to preparing job seekers for
sustainable careers.
As a central partner in Grand
Rapids Community College’s
(GRCC’s) $4 million federally funded
Green Pathways Job Opportunity
Program, the Grand Rapids Goodwill
is joining forces with key community
agencies to provide education and
training to 1,080 participants in target-
ed green occupations.
“We knew there was a need for
green jobs within the community,” says
Vice President of Community Relations
Jill Wallace. “After working with
GRCC on a previous green construc-
tion project, we knew that we needed
to continue to incorporate the education
component into future training.”
The Green Pathways program pro-
vides classroom and hands-on training
in five green industries:
Energy efficient building
construction and retrofit;
Renewable energy;
Energy efficiency;
Green facilities management;
and
Advanced battery manufactur-
ing.
Target participants include unem-
ployed workers, people without high
school diplomas, and individuals with
criminal backgrounds.
“We are focusing on people who
have no skills training, no place to go,
and who want to better themselves but
don’t know how to do so on their
own,” Wallace notes.
Participants in the Green Pathways
program start with the fundamentals
— completing training on employabil-
ity skills, building résumés, dressing
for success, and other job essentials.
Once comfortable with basic work
skills, individuals pursue a formalized
green vocational or certification train-
ing at GRCC.
After individuals complete their
education, the Goodwill provides
them with transitional work experi-
ence in their field of study, with the
ultimate goal of placing them in per-
manent, full-time green jobs within
the community.
Source: Reprinted/excerpted with permis-
sion from “Working!” a publication of
Goodwill Industries International
(www.goodwill.org).
Program Models
Programs Fueling Green Jobs Efforts
Participants
disassemble
computer
equipment
at the San
Francisco
Goodwill.
