Helping Diverse Clients Overcome Job Search Problems

1. Helping Diverse Clients Overcome Job Search Problems Helen LaVan, PhD, LPC, NBCC Professor DePaul University 1 E. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, Il 60604 312-362-8539 hlavan@depaul.edu

2. Helping Diverse Clients Overcome Job Search Problems • Long History Of Unemployment • Poor Prior Evaluations • Insufficient Experience • Recruiter Not Getting Back To Candidate • Fear Of Drug Tests • Fear Of Psychological Profile

3. Helping Diverse Clients Overcome Job Search Problems • Don't Know Career Options Or Likely Employers • Criminal Record • Poor Credit History • Depression Or Other Psychological Problems • Problem: Difficulty In Diagnosing/Solving Personal Problems

4. 1. Problem: Long History Of Unemployment: Resume Strategies • Don’t use dates with each entry. Use one date for entire Employment History. • Overall dates—No months in employment section of resume. • When listing dates worked, use a range of years rather than months. For example, write 2008-2010 rather than 5/2008-1/2010.

5. Problem: Long History Of Unemployment—Avoidance Strategies • Work with your current employer for reduced schedule. • Build and keep your network before you need it. • Stay active in professional associations. • Volunteer in community, school and civic organizations. http://www.volunteermatch.org/search • Engage in temporary or contract work. • www.ifreelance.com • www.sologig.com/All+Jobs/

6. Problem: Long History Of Unemployment—Interview Strategies • "As you know, the current situation resulted in mass layoffs. I took some time off to reflect and focus the direction I wanted to proceed in. I began researching industries and actively interview and that's why I'm excited to be here today.” • An answer like that demonstrates that you've done your homework and are looking for a long-term position that meets your requirements, rather than rushing into any paying job. • If you became unemployed as the result of a mass layoff rather than a performance-based firing, make this known in the interview.

7. 2. Problem: Poor Prior Evaluations • Check this is actually being communicated, since prior employer has vested interested in getting individual reemployed with new employer. • Explain poor fit for prior job.

8. 3. Problem: Insufficient Experience • Volunteer. • http://www.volunteermatch.org/search • Internship—even short term unpaid one. • http://www.simplyhired.com/a/jobs/list/q-internship/l-Milwaukee%2C+WI • Temporary work or projects. • http://www.freelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-jobs.php

9. 4. Problem: Recruiter Not Getting Back To Candidate • Do not be set on one company or opportunity. • Let company rather than self-evaluation of qualifications. • Reapply. • Send something to attract attention, such as article, coffee gift card. • Try to identify either hiring party or recruiter and communicate but not stalk.

10. 5. Problem: Fear Of Drug Tests Detectability. Pay for private drug test. Products to self-test: Saliva or urine. Know legal consequences which can vary by state, municipality and company policy. Some companies do not have a Zero Tolerance policy. Consider possibility of false positives.

11. 11

12. False Positives In Drug Test • http://www.askdocweb.com/falsepositives.html

13. Substances That May Cause A False Positive

14. 6. Problem :Fear Of Psychological Profile Research assessments using Tests In Print/Mental Measurements Yearbook

15. 6. Problem:Fear Of Psychological Profile Practice with freely available assessments. http://www.rileyguide.com/assess.html

16. 7. Problem:Don't Know Career Options Or Likely Employers • Career Assessments. • O’Net. • Lexis Nexis.

17. Career Assessment Solutions http://career-intelligence.com/assessment/Career-Assessment-Matrix.asp

18. O’Net to Identify Career Options http://www.onetonline.org/

19. Identifying Likely EmployersUsing Lexis Nexis

20. Identifying Likely EmployersUsing Lexis Nexis

21. 8. Problem: Criminal RecordCompanies That Hire Felons http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-companies-that-hire-felons/business-and-company-info

22. Problem: Criminal Record Expungement http://www.wisconsinexpungement.com/WisconsinExpungement.html http://www.state.il.us/defender/expforms/07instguide.pdf

23. Problem: Criminal RecordReferral To Social Service Agencies For Ex-offenders: http://www.saferfoundation.org/

24. Problem: Criminal RecordReferral To Social Service Agencies For Ex-offenders http://www.saferfoundation.org/

25. Problem: Criminal RecordReferral To Social Service Agencies For Ex-offenders http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/

26. Problem: Criminal Record Fidelity Bonding Program http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/bonding/

27. 27 9. Problem: Poor Credit HistoryThe Fair Credit Reporting Act • The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the federal statute that places limits on an employer’s ability to use background checks on employees and potential hires, will soon add a new requirement.  Employers’ use of background checks, and credit history checks in particular, has come under scrutiny.  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has pursued disparate impact claims against employers that rely on credit checks as part of the employment process on the theory that the recent economic downtown has impacted minorities and women more severely, and as a result, employer screening based on credit history has a disparate impact on minorities and women. • http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/meetings/10-20-10/crawford.cfm

28. 28 Problem: Poor Credit History Prevalence • Credit checks are becoming an increasingly prevalent practice in the employment sector. According to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, approximately 60% of its employer members use credit checks as a hiring tool, compared to 35% of employers in 2001. Some employers report that they use credit checks in hiring for all positions.

29. 29 Problem: Poor Credit History Lack of Predictability of Performance • Credit information does not predict job performance or risk of crime in the workplace • Credit reports provide limited and often flawed information. • Credit checks negatively impact communities of color. • Credit checks can be contrary to state and federal laws. • http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/meetings/10-20-10/crawford.cfm

30. 30 Problem: Poor Credit History The Fair Credit Reporting Act • Notice and Authorization. Before an employer can ask for reports about you from any companies that provide them, it must tell you that it might use the information to make a decision. This notice is separate from other documents you get — like an application. An employer may not get a report about you for employment purposes without getting your permission or authorization first, usually in writing. • Pre-Adverse Action Procedures. If an employer might use information from a credit or other background report to take an “adverse action” — say, to deny your application for employment or a promotion, to terminate your employment or to reassign you — he must give you a copy of the report and a document called A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act before taking the adverse action. Read your report, and contact the company that issued it if you find inaccurate or incomplete information. • You also can explain any inaccurate or incomplete information to an employer, but that won’t fix errors in your report. To do that, you have to contact the company that issued the report and dispute the information. If an investigation reveals that a correction is warranted, the credit reporting company or other company providing background information must send an updated report to the employer if you ask them to. Even if the information is not corrected in time to benefit you with that particular employer, it’s a good idea to dispute inaccurate information so it can be corrected before your next job interview or assignment comes along.

31. 31 The Fair Credit Reporting Act • Adverse Action Procedures. If an employer takes an adverse action against you based on information in a report, it must tell you — orally, in writing, or electronically. The notice to you must include: • The name, address, and phone number of the company that supplied the credit report or background information; • A statement that the company that supplied the information didn’t make the decision to take the adverse action and can’t give you any specific reasons for it; and • A notice of your right to dispute the accuracy or completeness of any information in your report and to get an additional free report from the company that supplied the credit or other background information if you ask for it within 60 days. • http://business.ftc.gov/blog/2011/06/fair-credit-reporting-act-social-media-what-businesses-should-know

32. 10. Problem: Depression Or Other Psychological Problems • Diagnosis by Career Counselor. Consider using DSM IV, soon to be DSM V. • Referral to psychologist or psychiatrist.

33. 33 Problem: Depression Or Other Psychological Problems Depression Diagnosis According to DSM IV • This disorder is characterized by the presence of the majority of these symptoms: • Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). (In children and adolescents, this may be characterized as an irritable mood.) • Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day • Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5 percent of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. • Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day

34. 34 Problem: Depression Or Other Psychological Problems Depression Diagnosis According to DSM IV • Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day • Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day • Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day • Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day • Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

35. 11. Problem: Difficulty In Diagnosing/Solving Personal Problems • Examples include problems in time management, financial problems, goal setting. • Might need life coach or counselor acting as a coach. • May have student development/personal development activities/courses at community colleges.