Skills CBOs are Trying to Teach Job Seekers

Posted below are activities and resources that can help prepare or strengthen you as a Disability Resource Coordinator, case manager, or community specialist helping youth with disabilities find employment.

Facilitation

  • Create an agenda, lead group conversation, stay on topic, and keep time

 

Staying Organized

  • Maintain a binder of the job seeker's forms
  • Keep a record of questions
  • How to take notes

 

Navigate the System and Understand Public Benefits

  • Understanding how income and the effective use of work incentives can stabilize their financial situation and maintain it over time
  • Benefits Planning Overview - The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth created this overview of government assistance programs for youth with disabilities
  • VR Toolkit for SSI Youth - Tips, checklists, and tools to support successful work outcomes for youth who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

 

Self-Advocacy

  • Understanding disability rights
  • Representing and speaking up for their views or interests

 

Networking

  • Maintaining monthly contact with group emails
  • Staying connected via social media to keep updated on the job seeker's progress

 

Filling Out Required Forms and Paperwork

  • Individual Service Strategy (ISS) – A service plan based on the youth’s needs and goals, flexible enough to address both educational and employment-based topics
  • Especially for job seekers who participate in the Ticket to Work program, it’s important to help them complete all required documentation and paperwork. Provide help by completing forms with their permission or reviewing for accuracy

 

 

Professional Skills

  • Dress and workplace etiquette - Depending on the skill level of the job seeker, help ensure job seekers know the importance of dress code, punctuality, respectfulness, and any workplace norms
  • Interviewing skills - Practice how to field difficult questions and whether they want to disclose their disability
  • Negotiation - Teach job seekers how to negotiate a competitive salary
  • Understanding workplace culture and social dynamics - Help the job seeker understand what's appropriate with different groups of people at work
  • Understanding health insurance - Help the youth understand how their job may or may not support health insurance and address their medical needs

 

Soft Skills

 

Additional Information

 

Promising Practices Supporting Job Seekers
Ways to Strengthen Your Role
IRT Tools for CBOs
Job Seeker's Journey