Opportunities for Caregivers

An article in the October 18, 2014, issue of The Dallas Morning News, on page 1D, “Take Care on Caregivers”, by Pamela Yip discusses how caregivers can be a great help for family members.

I am thinking that there are many opportunities for job seekers who could consider becoming a caregiver.  When family members are busy with jobs and other personal responsibilities, it is frequently difficult for them to take care of a family member who is disabled or recovering from surgery.  Typical care duties include: bathing, dressing, grooming, and other hands-on care activities such as shopping, cleaning, and transportation to doctors appointments.   

Recently I had a total knee replacement and after returning home from several days at a rehabilitation center, I required assistance particularly at night.  My wife needed relief from 24 hour caregiving.  In order for her to get a night’s sleep, we employed a caregiver at night for several days. The caregiver was employed by an agency which provided qualified personnel.   The result is that we are still married.

Types of caregivers include:

1. Medical home health – Typically Medicare nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and home health aides for short periods of time.

2. Private caregiving services – These caregivers provide patient care as well as cooking, cleaning, running errands, and transportation.  Such services typically range to cost of $17 to $24 per hour paid by the patient or patient’s long-term insurance.

3. Personal assistant services – These assistant provided non-skilled activities such as cooking and cleaning.    

There are numerous agencies that provide caregiving services.  I suggest that job seekers interested in this type of work contact them.  In addition, an individual could provide caregiving services directly to clients.

Please comment in this bIog or email at mailto:glynjordan@gmail.com your experience with caregiving services.   

 

Thanks!  Glyn

Job Search for Felons Not Impossible

An article in the October 19, 2014, issue of The Dallas Morning News, on page 1J “Job Search with Felony Record  Not Impossible” describes the National Employment Law Project (NELP).  Frequently, ex-offenders are denied a job when the employers ask individuals if they have a criminal record on an application form.  Many states have accepted state-wide band-the-box fair hiring laws. 

Ban the box is the name of an international campaign by civil rights groups and advocates for ex-offenders, aimed at persuading employers to remove from their hiring applications the check box that asks if applicants have a criminal record. Its purpose is to enable ex-offenders to display their qualifications in the hiring process before being asked about their criminal records. The premise of the campaign is that anything that makes it harder for ex-offenders to find a job makes it likelier that they will re-offend, which is bad for society.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban_the_box

Here is additional information about this subject:

Employment Rights of Workers with Criminal Records

Workers with a criminal record - even a minor record dating back many years- often have a difficult time finding employment, especially given the proliferation of criminal background checks. For example, a major survey of Los Angeles employers found that over 60% of employers would "probably not" or "definitely not" be willing to hire an applicant with a criminal record.  

Although employers may (to varying legal degrees) consider a worker's criminal history as part of the application process, employers often fail to comply with a range of federal and state laws that provide fundamental protections against abuse of criminal background checks.  As a result, far too many hard-working people are wrongly denied employment, often in growing industries with serious labor shortages.

Of special importance, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has concluded that because African American and Latino workers are arrested and convicted more often than whites, hiring policies that exclude workers with a criminal record may discriminate in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In addition, the nation's federal consumer protection law (the Fair Credit Reporting Act) requires accuracy in background checks conducted by private screening firms, and mandates that employers provide a copy of background check reports to workers before any adverse employment decision is taken.

In partnership with community groups and legal advocates, NELP has initiated a new program to enforce these critical employment protections by: 

·         Making presentations to regional EEOC offices, workforce development specialists, public defenders, unions and other key organizations to help spread the word about civil rights and consumer rights protections.

·         Educating employers about the EEOC's Title VII standards that apply to people of color who are denied employment based on an arrest or conviction record. 

·         Offering legal assistance in special cases to workers who want to enforce their anti-discrimination rights by filing Title VII discrimination complaints with the EEOC. 

For more information about work in this area, please contact Madeline Neighly, mneighly@nelp.org, or Michelle Natividad Rodriguez, mrodriguez@nelp.org  

Other key resources:

Community Legal Services of Philadelphia

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

 

I have counseled many ex-offenders that find their employment opportunities limited even if their offense occurred years ago.  I support these initiatives to assist such individuals in returning to the workforce.    

Please comment in this bIog or email at mailto:glynjordan@gmail.com your opinion about the ban-the-box fair hiring laws.   

 

Thanks!  Glyn

Advice for Resume Writers

An article in the October 12, 2014, issue of The Dallas Morning News, on page 4D, 1J “Age May Not be the Issue,” by Lindsay Novak of Creators Syndicate  contains some advice from a certified career coach.   Novak responds to baby boomers seeking advice on resumes.  

Jobs searches have changed because jobs have changed.  Large organizations are now using software programs to select resumes for further consideration.  The article states that resumes have to be written using the exact words contained in the job advertisement in order for the system to select a potential job candidate. 

Baby boomers typically have had several jobs and want to describe their complete work experience.  Unfortunately, companies are seeking specific work experience, and the software will search for only job related experience listed on a resume.  Other experience which may be wonderful will not be considered relevant for the open position.  The message is that each resume submitted should be edited to contain the exact skills required by the hiring company.

The objective, of course, is to schedule an interview at which time other relevant experience can be discussed with the interviewer.  A word of caution is that the resume should be true and not contain skills and/or experience the applicant does not have!  An alert interviewer will immediately determine that the applicant is not truthful and thus will be immediately eliminated from any job consideration.            

Please comment in this bIog or email at mailto:glynjordan@gmail.com your experience with developing resumes.   

 Thanks!  Glyn

Turn a Passion into a Career

An article in the October 5, 2014, issue of The Dallas Morning News, on page 4D, “Turn a Passion into a Career,” by Hanah Cho discusses how a the successful business was founded by Tamara Hext Hilliard.

Tamara founded her business, Tay’s Gourmet Granola, after her homemade granola became a hit with her family and friends.  In my book, Getting Jobs by Glyn Jordan, I included several bogs about Entrepreneurship.  Tamara is another example of how hobbies can lead to the formation of successful companies.   

The article gives the following suggestions to individuals considering starting their business:

1. Never assume it is too late – Perhaps after retirement or an early job departure, it is time to try your hand at starting a company.

2. Believe in your ideas and product – Trust in your product/service and build your brand.

3. Listen to people who love you – Seek advice from friends and family and find your own team of encouragers.

4. Embrace what makes your approach unique – Look for a niche to start your business.

5. (Jordan’s suggestion) Make sure you have adequate financial resources to open and operate your business during the start-up period.

      

After starting three business of my own, I recognize the satisfaction and fun resulting from one’s own business; however, I should point out the risk involved and the importance of friends and family for support and encouragement.

Please comment in this bIog or email at mailto:glynjordan@gmail.com if you have started your own business.

Thanks!  Glyn