Q: How long have you been with MassHire Metro North Career Center
A: I have been in career services since May of 2016. ABCD became the operator of MassHire Metro North in July of 2020.
Q: Can you identify three barriers to employment that you see when clients come to the career center?
A: The first is outdated job search techniques like resumes that aren’t tailored to a specific position or organization, or that don’t have keywords that match the job description. The second is a lack of familiarity with the networking process and hesitancy to do so as a result.
The third can be the toughest to surmount. Many people tie their identity to their jobs. Job loss can make clients feel diminished, without a sense of direction and even like they’ve failed. Beginning the job search process feels like a risk of further failure which creates a negative loop that often rears its head again and again during the interview process. I’m proud to say that that’s where we come in!
Q: Name a few techniques or suggestions that you offer to clients to help them become employed and maintain employment?
A: First, I speak of my philosophy of match. “Match” is the most important word in job search. People believe they have to sell themselves to get a job. I see it as selling the match – the match between the job seeker and the position/organization/industry, and proving that the job seeker is the missing puzzle piece of that organization’s big picture.
The second is research – finding those positions and organizations that will honor who you are, where you’ve been, and your forward trajectory – a fertile ground in which mutual value will blossom and grow. Networking is a part of this process. Job seekers should compile their accomplishments, knowledge, certifications and talking points that reflect the needs of the target position/organization/industry.
Third, I always recommend the webinars and workshops of MassHire Metro North. I am so proud to be on this team. I am consistently humbled by the skill and humanity of my fellow facilitators: Nancy, Paula, Kayli and now Mary. The material that we’ve come up with, the enthusiasm that we jumpstart in jobseekers, the empathy shared among us to reach groups either online or in-person – it’s all undeniable. We’ve had job seekers attend one webinar, express surprise with the quality of this department’s delivery and come back again.
Finally, I encourage job seekers to stay open when they do land that matching position. Stay curious, pick up new skills, help coworkers when they’re new and never forget their time of unemployment, not so much as something that they overcame but that they made the most of it. In this way, our barriers become our teachers.
