KCSpeaks

I was working with a job seeker whom was extremely frustrated. Many of her frustrations were due to her circumstances. This woman had never found it so difficult to land employment before in her life. She was 55+ years old, too young to retire, and considered to be too old in many employers’ eyes. Having been a hard worker her entire life, she could not understand her prolonged period of unemployment and how it was not enough to just tell an employer how badly she wanted a job.   During our conversation, I discovered that her method in selling herself to employers dated her to the past tense. I gave her some information with many of the tips and tricks of the trade, but I could tell that she was fearful of changing her ways. She did not really understand why her résumé format needed an upgrade and why she needed to take advantage of networking opportunities. That’s when I told her to be a hamburger. Not just any hamburger, but THE hamburger of an employer’s desires. The ...

There are times in each person’s life when things do not work out as expected. Sometimes those times are personal and other times those times are professional. Everyone has a moment when the outcome was not as planned and this can be quite difficult to stomach. An individual goes back over the event in his or her mind and tries to figure out what went wrong. The “if only” phrase comes to mind and suddenly the event replays like a broken record. Suddenly, the spiral is out of control and a past tense event is front and present. It is not that life can sometimes be unpredictable that is the issue. Rather the issue is the repeated replay of events. Sometimes a job seeker will come in the office with a “life happens” story that caused his job loss. In workforce development land this scenario is quite common. If there are a million stories in the naked city, there are just as many in workforce development land.   The job seeker explains what happened to his job to you and because...

There is something about being in Las Vegas and at a conference that makes your head spin. Not a bad spinning like a horror movie, but a good spinning. From the conference, my mind is buzzing with new ideas and hearing about the innovations in other areas of the country. From the action of Las Vegas, my head is spinning from seeing all the sights to hearing the chiming of the slot machines. One observation about Las Vegas is that there should be a job for everyone here. As I walked around, I saw those that live in poverty. Many were homeless.  From an outsider looking in at Las Vegas, Nevada, I saw opportunity for jobs everywhere. Yet there was still need. That is why the work of a workforce development professional is never done!   I started my conference session by co-facilitating in a workshop about the New and Emerging Professionals(NEP). Myself and other members of the New and Emerging Professionals discussed our capstone projects. There are currently nine members of...

 First full day of the conference. The sessions were packed. I started my day yesterday having a meeting with some great workforce development professionals. I am a member of the New and Emerging Professionals cohort group for the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (More about this in another blog). We had a breakfast meeting to discuss our project work for the group and the organization. Any time, you get the opportunity to sit down with professionals from other areas to share ideas, take it.  An opportunity like this is always worth the time. The first session that I attended, "Beyond Branding," was the highlight of my day. This presentation on implementing a social media strategy within a workforce development organization on all levels. The presentation not only discussed teaching social media to job seekers,  but how all staff in an organization can use social media with job seekers, to develop themselves professionally, and how ...

Today has been a whirlwind day. Between traveling to Las Vegas today from the East Coast and attending the conference upon arrival, I am tired, but excited. Attending a conference is not only a change of pace from my day to day, but it reminds me that everyone in workforce development is fighting the same battles, has the same concerns, and also is doing the work in the field for the same reason.   The opening session was the highlight of the day. Josh Davies, spoke about leadership and got everyone motivated for the conference. Although the session had some great general tips on leadership in any industry, he reminded the room of workforce development professionals that in times of great change, there is opportunity for great leadership. This presentation arrives at a time when the industry is changing from WIA to WIOA. Innovation and Opportunity? The time is now. See everyone tomorrow. Also, I will be co-presenting in a session about the New and Emerging Professionals on W...

Going to a conference seems like fun, but there is a lot of preparation involved. Right now I am preparing for the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) Annual Conference in Las Vegas! To attend a large multi-day conference, you need to have a plan. I am right now in plan development stage. Part of my plan is to meet as many people as possible. My goal is to introduce myself to every person I sit next to in a session. Going to a conference is not just about the sessions, but also about sharing ideas and gaining perspectives from new people.   Another part of my strategy is to make sure I don't miss anything while I am there. I have reviewed the programs and decided on the top choices for the sessions. There are so many interesting topics that it is hard to choose just one for each time slot. If you have never attended a large conference, this is a must.   Now that my strategy is ready, I can get to packing. See you in Las Vegas! - Ka...