Skip to main content

1-800-Need-a-Job!

As November progresses, I start to think about hotlines. Each year before Thanksgiving, Butterball launches their Turkey Hotline for people to call in with their turkey questions and issues.  I have never called this hotline and hope to never need to, but realize that if this service is provided year after year, that there is a demand for turkey advice. There are other hotlines out there.  There are social service based hotlines for suicide prevention, to get help with various additions, and hotlines to get referrals to services.
 
All of these things are needed and demanded. Even in the age of the internet, there is still a need for the telephone. The reason is that in a time of need, whether that be turkey or lifesaving, there is a need to reach out to a person. A real person and say to that person “Can you help me?”
 
Now back to the land of workforce development. There are some customers of the workforce system that need this same kind of service.  Everyone in workforce development has had a customer like this. This is the customer that calls and engages in long, detailed, conversations. Rather than wanting to come in for an appointment, this person would rather tell their tales and engage you via the telephone.  Some workforce development professionals would rather meet in person and is frustrated by the customer that uses you like a hotline.
 
The key to not being a workforce development hotline is to find a balance between the two. It is important to encourage your job seekers to contact you for information and to work though job seeking problems. Rather than be the hotline only, tie those conversations to the face to face appointments. At the next in person appointment, follow up on the conversation that was had on the telephone.  Encourage the job seeker to come more frequently for appointments whenever possible, so that the job seeker knows that the support for him is available and consistent.
 
While providing all this support to job seekers, it is important that as a workforce development professional, you are also being supported. If you find that you have a job seeker that is unusually dependent on long telephone problem-solving conversations, make sure your manager is aware of the service you are providing via telephone. Note these conversations on your calendar and brainstorm with your manager and peers ways to deal with the hotline customer.
 
I can be reached by email at kcirincione@gmail.com; on Linked In at www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione; or Twitter @kcirincione.  ~ Karen Cirincione

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How do you Birthday?

Another year in my life has passed. It’s time for another birthday. Each year as the day approaches, I take the time to reflect on my past year, my accomplishments, and my goals for the year. My birthday is like my personal New Years’ celebration with another opportunity to have the best year ever.   I am not afraid of a birthday. Age is just a number, but each year is what you make of it. Each year I have seen the sun rise, the rain fall, and the snow melt, I have been given a gift from the universe. Many people do not get to see another birthday. I owe myself the opportunity to set goals and feel proud as I work towards achieving them. Sometimes these goals have been born from unhappy feelings and bad situations, but growth brings wisdom.   In my working life, and especially as a workforce professional, I know some of my growth must be professionally. Having experience working with job seekers looking for jobs, I understand how crucial professional growth is...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Authentic You

Authenticity is not something we think or talk about every day. It is something we all need for ourselves and to truly connect and have meaningful interactions with others. Anyone on the #improve2019 journey is looking to either improve themselves or to be the guiding light for another person on the journey. Without authenticity, the fruits of labor are bitter. They are not satisfying, but meaningless. The fruits grow are wants in the world, but are not what we truly need.   Authenticity starts with the self. It means we are first to be honest with ourselves, good or bad. It means taking a hard look in the mirror and owning our faults. Are we trying too hard or not enough? Are we speaking and not acting? Do our actions match our intentions?   These are the questions we need to ask ourselves and to really ponder. After we have truly done the recognition and have taken the steps we need to improve, we can really look to helping others doing the same.   Auth...
Post a Comment
Read more

Great Questions=Great Answers! The Pieces to the Puzzle are revealed!

Newbies in workforce development sometimes ask me how to work with a customer or how do you know why someone cannot get a job.   The answer is really simple. Ask the right questions, and then listen for the answer.    It’s not a secret. You can’t just look at person or their job seeking documents and just know. You need the person to open his mouth and speak.   You need the narrative.   Why narrative? First, you will get the information to help you help the customer.   That is if you ask the right question.   Secondly, it helps you establish rapport and trust with your customer. Someone is not going to open up if he does not trust you. This is very important.   Remember digging a hole to China as a child.   Quickly you found out that you could not find China with one shovel full of dirt.   The digger must unearth many layers to get to China! A child will quickly find out that he can’t shovel his way to China, but may find neat ...
1 comment
Read more