In the U.S., the unemployment rate stands at 6.2 percent. On the surface, that statistic seems to indicate an improving American economy. However, beneath the surface, the unemployment numbers hide a sobering fact: Many Americans have jobs for which they’re underqualified, or they’ve given up looking for work altogether.
Some workers are going back to school to earn their degrees. They’re getting online business degrees in management (BAM or MBA), or they’re training for careers in education, technology, health care, and other fields. For those who haven’t returned to school, the job search continues. Fortunately, a dedicated, behind-the-scenes workforce is dedicated to helping discouraged and under-earning workers find new opportunities. People who want jobs can reach out to people who work as vocational counselors, volunteers, and professional coaches. They can also use the latest technology to get themselves back to work.
Vocational Counseling
Al Lewis, in an article for Fox Business, recently profiled a Rhode Island man named Stephen Colella. Colella has a divinity degree, but he’s found his true calling as a vocational counselor. By day, he’s a counselor at the University of Massachusetts. In the evenings, Colella volunteers at his local public library in West Warwick, where he helps job seekers who’ve had difficulty finding work. Colella says that in his library group, most members have been looking for work for six months or longer. Of the 93 members that have passed through his job club, 33 have found work averaging about $15 per hour.
Someone dealing with job loss can look for job counselors like Colella in their communities. Libraries and state labor departments can often help to connect people with these counselors. In addition to helping people find work, Colella and others like him support job seekers, helping them to shake off constant rejection. “At computer speed, you can get rejected 800 times a minute,” says one of Colella’s group members.
Volunteers
JobAngels began with a tweet sent by Mark Stelzner. Stelzner, who owned a small human resources consulting company, tweeted, “What if each of us helped one person find a job. Are you game?” The tweet was retweeted 150 times within just a few minutes, and it led to the creation of JobAngels, a group built around the idea of each member helping one other person to get hired.
JobAngels transitioned into being part of Hiring for Hope. The group offers forums for job seekers, career training materials, and one-on-one job coaching. It also connects job seekers with available jobs, and employers pay Hiring for Hope for helping them find new workers. Hiring for Hope funds its work using employer fees and donations from supporters.
Professional Coaches
Professional coaches that are knowledgeable not only about career counseling but also about the job search can provide guidance and support for job seekers. According to Jim Wang, founder of Noomii, most professional coaches charge between $75 and $250 per hour, and they ask for a three to six-month commitment to ensure that people are serious about making changes.
Once hired, career coaches help not only with crafting cover letters, resumes, and portfolios but also with networking, interviewing, and helping job seekers understand how others perceive them. Coaching isn’t cheap, but the intense one-on-one assistance can offer major to discouraged workers.
Technology Solutions
Most job seekers have used the Web to hunt for available positions, and they’ve sent countless resumes into the black hole. However, by leveraging mobile and video, workers can avoid the black hole for good.
Apploi, for example, is a company dedicated to helping people find jobs. Workers create a profile on the Apploi mobile app, which includes making a brief video recording of themselves. Then, their profiles are matched to jobs that are posted by employers. Apploi also operates kiosks at community colleges, shopping malls, and employment fairs. The company’s recent Million4Christmas campaign is dedicated to putting a million Americans to work by Christmas in 2014.
Discouraged workers are often worn out by rejection and endless searching. They often take part-time jobs or jobs that don’t pay enough just so that they can work. Workers in these situations shouldn’t continue to face the job search alone. They should find support through volunteer organizations or by hiring someone who can help.
