Developing%20Employment%20Opportunities%20for%20Deaf%20and%20Hard-of-Hearing%20Job%20Seekers%20in%20Today

1

• Developing Employment Opportunities for Deaf and
  Hard-of-Hearing Job Seekers in Todays Economy.
• What should we be doing differently?
• Dawn Lucas
• National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)
• Center on Employment (NCE)
• Rochester Institute of Technology

2

3
The NCE Team!
4
What do we do?

• We prepare our students for seeking, securing and
  maintaining employment
• We connect our current students, graduates and
  alumni with employers
• We educate employers about our students, their
  skills and about how deaf and hearing employees
  can work together effectively

5
The Economy is BAD!Seriously this time!
6
So what?

• What does that mean to us who help people find
  jobs?
• What do we do? What are our options?

7
Options

• We give up and go home
• We explain to our clients/students that the
  economy is bad so they probably wont find a
  job anytime soon
• We face the challenges, figure out what is
  working and adjust our strategies and
  expectations accordingly. We work smarter.

8
Challenges that We are Facing

• Not as many jobs out there
• Tougher competition for existing jobs

9
Figuring out whats working

• Identify and evaluate successes
• Analyze where efforts seem consistently wasted
  or ineffective
• Develop a plan
• "A goal without a plan is just a wish."--Antoine
  de Saint Exupery

10

• Todays economic climate Developing a Plan
• How do we advise job seekers? How should they
  adjust their job search strategy?
• How do we enhance our employer development
  efforts to maximize their effectiveness?

11
Job seekers

• Job Seekers must evaluate the
• What?
• Where?
• When?
• How ?

12
What job will I do?

• Positions that you are slightly over-qualified or
  slightly under-qualified for
• Temporary or internship positions
• Volunteer opportunities
• Jobs in industries that interest you, but may
  not be the position were specifically trained for
• (Foot in Door strategy)
• A

13
Where will I do it?

• Consider relocation when possible
• Flexible commute expectations
• Think outside the box related to the types of
  organizations at which you will apply for work.
• For example, applying at a construction
  company for an accounting position.

14
When will I work?

• Flexibility with start dates
• Flexibility with shifts
• Seasonal work

15
How much will I make?

• Consider both hourly and salaried positions
• Take geographic location into account when
  analyzing pay rates
• Consider complete benefits package, not just
  wages
• Consider entry positions with less pay in order
  to gain valuable experience

16
Whats not working

• Limiting job search to one location or one
  field/industry
• Uploading resumes to national job search sites
• Relying on job postings in local newspapers and
  on-line resources exclusively

17
More important now than ever

• CUSTOMIZED resumes and cover letters targeted to
  specific organizations.
• GPA
• Experience/Demonstrated work ethic
• Demonstrated leadership/community involvement
• Positive demeanor
• Intuitive Interviewing skills
• NETWORKING

18
Employers

• In developing employment opportunities we must
  evaluate the
• Who
• What
• When

19
Who

• Federal Disability Hiring authorities
• Deaf Service Agencies
• VRS/Telecommunication Organizations
• HR- Workforce Development Execs
• EEO/Diversity
• Department managers/supervisors
• Alumni
• Co-op students/interns

20
What

• Employer orientations
• Training - Working Together Workshop
• On-going resource of information
• NCE Website
• Access NTID Job Fair, Resume packages, On
  campus recruiting
• Confidence and Motivation
• You Decide Video

21
When

• Get Involved
• Company Disability Awareness initiatives
• ILG/Chamber of Commerce sessions
• Lunch and Learn programs
• Any time - Never too early or late
• Takes time.. Sometimes a LONG time to develop
  some employers

22
Employer Development Whats not
working?Targeting HR offices
exclusivelyMailing resume packages to
organizations and hoping they contact one of your
job seekers for an interviewPosting company job
announcements on-line and advertising to job
seekers
23
In SummaryEvaluate what is and
isnt working for your job seekers in todays
economyDevelop strategies in line with what you
findDont waste efforts with what is no longer
effective. Using the same approach again and
again will yield the same resultsBe persistent
and patient, it will pay off!
24
Most Effective Employment Development Strategy
for working with both Job Seekers and
EmployersBE A PARTNER!
25
Thank you.