References Placement and Tracking Effective Marketing / Promotion to Potential Employers
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To be selected for an interview, job candidates must demonstrate that they have sufficient knowledge, skills, and experience required for successful performance. Promoting graduates to employers is analogous to promoting the Brownfields Job Development and Training program to new students during the recruitment phase. The first step of raising awareness is a resume and cover letter, followed by providing progressively more detailed information as requested. Resumes are easy to handle and transmit in either printed or digital format.
The following list will give you some strategies for promoting graduates to employers:
Brownfield Job Development and Training program placement activities can be the most effective vehicle for several reasons. Your staff members know the students and they know graduates of the program who can provide references for additional positions. Brownfields Job Development and Training placement personnel know the subject matter and can answer questions first-hand regarding student abilities and credentials.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has established an extensive network of job development and placement services in virtually every community across the United States. Workforce investment boards exist in every state and can be located through the National Association of Workforce Investment Boards (NAWB) at (http://www.nawb.org).
This Web site provides in detail the location and contact information for state and local programs. Partnering with the Workforce Investment Board provides access to One-Stop Job Centers, targeted employment programs, supplemental training services, and student support. As discussed in other chapters, the importance of partnering with the Workforce Investment Board cannot be overstated. In areas such as recruitment, supplemental job training services, and job placement, the Workforce Investment Board may be the single most important and helpful resource in your community.
Often job openings do not reach traditional marketing channels, but instead are filled internally or by recommendation or familiarization. In some cases, positions are created when employers discover candidates having potential value for the organization. Therefore, the more contact students have with employers, the higher the likelihood they will be offered a job. This approach works because employers have a chance to familiarize themselves with the candidate. Work-study programs, internships, part-time employment, and co-op education programs are excellent vehicles for placing students. When students work for potential employers, mutual information exchange occurs regarding company culture, work environment, and expectations. Establishing work-study or co-operative programs in your Brownfields Job Development and Training program can be the single most effective vehicle for placing your graduates.
In addition to providing local job development and placement services, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has made extensive use of the Internet. America's Career Kit is a collection of Web-based resources provided by the DOL.
Commercial job development and placement services are abundant on the Web. Below is a partial list of popular Web-based job marketing services.
(http://www.careerbuilder.com/) (http://www.autohiresoftware.com/) (http://www.monster.com)
While the effectiveness of these sites varies widely, do not overlook them as excellent sources of job-marketing information. Some Web sites, such as (http://www.americasemployers.com) provide employer information by geographical area and industry. Others provide job-search tips and resume development ideas.
Newspaper help-wanted ads rank with Internet job-search services as a difficult way to secure a job. Openings that appear on the Web or in print will likely be viewed by many individuals interested in the same position. Newspaper ads, however, should not be ignored, but included as yet another pathway for potential job placement. Human resources consultants suggest storing and tracking newspaper ads as a source for future job openings. Employers who advertise for positions obviously need environmental workers from time to time, and should become candidates for direct marketing efforts.
Employment services require a fee, which is usually paid by the employer for locating candidates with specialized high-demand skills. Instances could exist where firms must quickly ramp up environmental remediation capabilities in order to fulfill a contract. For that reason, your Brownfields Job Development and Training program staff should maintain contact with professional employment services that specialize in environmental workers; however, these companies should be considered as one of the many potential pathways in the job-placement process.
Staffing services are often used by Brownfield Job Development and Training program personnel as a pathway for job placement, both for temporary and full-time employment. Because of the nature of many environmental jobs, full-time positions may not be available when your graduates are seeking employment. Labor contract or temporary job services can sometimes turn into permanent employment, but primarily they act as a "peaking" service. When work demands additional staffing, but not necessarily full-time employment, employers rely on temporary staffing services to provide supplemental assistance. This is a common practice in the environmental remediation field.
Contract labor or temporary staffing firms smooth out employment peaks and valleys by furnishing employers with a pool of trained, certified workers. This benefits the workers by providing jobs from a variety of employers. By consolidating jobs, contract labor services can also serve as a centralized employer, affording benefits and support services to workers who might not qualify for those services based on short-term employment.
A major advantage of temporary job services is that even short-term placement allows employers and graduates the opportunity to become acquainted. If graduates and employers mesh, temporary workers may be offered full-time positions when they become available.
Personal networking is a highly effective approach in securing a job interview. Often job seekers know recent graduates who can provide a recommendation. Friends or relatives working in large organizations can provide inside information regarding possible job openings and company culture even if they do not work in the environmental arena. Popular opportunities for networking include the following:
Cold Calls You may uncover pools of potential employers by using cold calls to human resources personnel who might fall through the cracks during the normal placement process. Large organizations not normally involved in the environmental field may need individuals with knowledge of environmental and/or brownfields issues. Insurance companies, banks, realtors, architects, shippers, landscaping, and governmental organizations are just a few examples of those who may have a limited demand for people with environmental and brownfields knowledge. Organizations like these would not necessarily be targeted by traditional placement activities of your Brownfields Job Development and Training program. "Job prospecting" non-traditional employers, often difficult and nonproductive, can occasionally be worth the effort and may turn up excellent opportunities for graduates. Back to Index of Placement and Tracking |
