Barriers to Employment

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Barriers to Employment

• Danielle Ralston
• Ex-Offender Employment Specialist
• Eaglevision Ministries
• Capital Area Michigan Works!

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At Eaglevision Ministries, one of our primary
goals is to assist participants in recognizing
and addressing their personal barriers to
employment.
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Barriers that are ex-offender specific

• Lack of transportation
• Lack of education
• Lack of family support
• Lack of self esteem
• Lack of time management skills
• Lack of childcare
• Lack of solid work history

• Substance abuse
• Unhealthy relationships
• Soft skill deficiencies
• Anger
• Single parent
• Unstable housing
• Mental Health
• Victim of domestic violence

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Strengths that ex-offenders possess

• Resilient
• Resourceful
• Adaptive
• Creative

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As an Employment Specialist or Case Manager
working with ex-offender job seekers the key is
to

• 1. Exercise good listening skills
• 2. Be familiar with community resources
• 3. Challenge your participants, but keep
  expectations realistic
• 4. Avoid doing too much for the participants
• 5. FOLLOW THROUGH!

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Case Study 1

• Name Tameka
• Age 31
• Barriers
• 1. Lack of education
• 2. Lack of solid work history
• 3. Lack of resume, and lacks the ability to write
  a resume
• 4. Soft skill deficiencies

• Tamekas long term goal includes working in a
  business office.

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Barrier 1 Education

• Barrier Tameka lacks basic computer skills and
  office skills.

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Barrier 1 Education

• Plan to address the barrier
• Tameka attended and completed classes at Career
  Quest in Keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Outlook,
  PowerPoint, Excel, and Professional Development.
• Tameka is currently enrolled at the University of
  Phoenix working towards an Associates Degree in
  Business Administration.

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Success!Tameka is now qualified for
Administrative Assistant positions
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Barrier 2 Lack of solid work history

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Barrier 3 Resume

• Do this
• Functional resume
• Format
• Highlights of Qualifications
• Skills and Experience
• Education
• Volunteer Experience

• Not this
• Chronological resume
• Format
• Most recent job
• Second most recent job, etc.

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Example of Functional Resume

• Experience
• Auto Detailing
• Inspect parts, equipment, and vehicles for
  cleanliness, damage, and compliance with
  standards or regulations.
• Scrub, scrape, or spray machine parts, equipment,
  or vehicles, using scrapers, brushes, clothes,
  cleaners, disinfectants, insecticides, acid,
  abrasives, vacuums, and hoses. .
• Landscaping
• Operate powered equipment such as mowers,
  tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers,
  chain-saws, electric clippers, sod cutters, and
  pruning saws.
• Mow and edge lawns, using power mowers and
  edgers.
• Provide proper upkeep of sidewalks, driveways,
  parking lots, fountains, planters, burial sites,
  and other grounds features.
• Commercial Driving
• Maneuver trucks into loading or unloading
  positions, following signals from loading crew
  and checking that vehicle and loading equipment
  are properly positioned.
• Maintain logs of working hours and of vehicle
  service and repair status, following applicable
  state and federal regulations.
• Move levers and controls that operate lifting
  devices, lift beams and swivel-hooks, hoists, and
  elevating platforms, to load, unload, transport,
  and stack material.
• Food Service
• Prepare a variety of foods according to
  customers' orders or supervisors' instructions,
  following approved procedures.
• Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots, and/or
  pans using dishwashers or by hand.

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Barrier 4 Soft Skills

• What are soft skills?
• the cluster of personality traits, social graces,
  communication, language, personal habits,
  friendliness, and optimism that characterize
  relationships with others.

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QuestionHow are soft skills addressed?

• Answer
• Role playing activities

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Role playing activities

• Activity 1 Mock Interviews
• Appearance
• Posture
• Hand shake
• Practice behavioral interview questions
• Clean fingernails
• No cell phone!
• Dont smoke before an interview
• Be there 15 minutes early
• Know how to get to the interview site

• Activity 2 Job Retention
• (Have participants act this out)
• A co -worker approaches you and asks you a favor.
  He needs someone to vouch for him and say that
  he was in the mail room working yesterday from
  1200-200 (when you know that he wasnt because
  he took an unauthorized extended lunch).
  However, this co- worker is a friend of yours.
  He says that if you dont vouch for him to the
  supervisor he might lose his job.

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Tamekas results

• Stronger skill set
• Increased confidence
• Community support
• Improved resume and cover letter
• Improved social skills and life skills
• 3 interviews in the past month

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Case Study 2

• Name Dellina
• Age 45
• Barriers
• 1. Unhealthy relationships
• 2. Substance Abuse/
• Mental Health
• 3. Unstable housing

• Dellinas long term employment goal includes
  working full time (with benefits) in production.

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Barrier 1 Unhealthy Relationships

• Being in an unhealthy relationship means you
  are with someone who makes you feel like you
  cant succeed. They dont encourage you to
  improve yourself. Now I am more hesitant to form
  relationships so quickly, and I look for red
  flags. -Dellina

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Relationship Red Flags

• You experience pressure to do something that you
  are uncomfortable with (i.e. sex, drugs, lie,
  steal, unethical or unprofessional)
• You feel forced to let go of your support system
  and your interests
• You feel unsafe
• You start to lose sight of your goals
• You feel like you are always at fault for
  something
• Your partner makes you feel embarrassed in public
• You feel like you are always walking on eggshells
• You feel threatened

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Relationships continued

• Parenting
• Marriage and Family Counseling
• Parenting Classes
• Healthcare/ prenatal care
• Resources
• Rave http//www.ravecs.org/
• The Womens Center http//womenscenterofgreaterla
  nsing.org/
• The Haven House http//www.havenhouseel.org/
• Hannahs House http//www.hannahshouselansing.org
  /
• MIChild http//www.michigan.gov/mdch

• Domestic Violence
• Couples Workshops
• DV Support Groups
• Emergency Shelter

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Barrier 2 Substance Abuse

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• CHANGE THINKING CHANGE BEHAVIOR
• Active drug use negatively affects
• Relationships
• Housing
• Employment
• Education
• Self Esteem
• Health
• Have a point of contact at an inpatient and
  outpatient facility.

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Barrier 3 Unstable Housing(vicious cycle!)
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Unstable Housing contd
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Dellinas results

• Currently lives in her own apartment and pays an
  appropriate amount of rent based on her income
• Consistently taking medication
• Attends weekly/ daily meetings pertaining to
  substance abuse, life skills, and healthy
  relationships/ domestic violence support
• Currently attending substance abuse treatment
  aftercare
• Currently WORKING full time in her preferred
  industry with BENEFITS

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Eaglevision Monday Ex-Offender Female Employment
Support Groups
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What are Eaglevision participants saying?

• I became more motivated after I consistently
  attended the support group meetings. I learned
  how to write a resume and network. I have
  realistic goals that I am working towards
• The staff at Eaglevision welcomed me back after
  my relapse with open arms. They hold me
  accountable for my decisions. I feel like I
  belong in the support group meetings, and that I
  have something to contribute.
• To other woman with criminal backgrounds- go
  for it! Dont let your background define you, you
  can accomplish more than you think you can
  accomplish.