Member PortalRecruiting Job Seekers
Key methods in recruitment of participating job seekers
Initial Recruiting Efforts
During initial recruiting efforts, the pilot sites identified the following barriers to program participation:
- Some parents didn’t initially want added interaction beyond those already under WIOA/TANF
- Groups leery of government intervention did not want more intrusion in their lives (some actually turned in blank assessment forms)
- Job seekers that view the WDB only as an unemployment or jobs organization do not expect to work with the WDB on family-related matters. Particularly job seekers that had previously used WDB services sometimes needed to be convinced that you are really wanting to help them in new areas. Stressing the message that you want to help them make additional connections was beneficial
Key Method
A key method for overcoming recruitment barriers is to identify and partner with organizations the job seekers already trust for support of their families today. They will help you met your goals, and you will help them meet theirs.
Their existing relationships open doors and strengthens ties to the job seeker, enabling important information to be gathered in initial meetings as well as the ability to gather outcome data over time because they often maintain their relationships
It may take some time to develop relationships with these organizations, particularly for those you haven’t worked with before. That is okay. Start with those that are excited initially and success will bring others onboard
El Paso added a Career Navigator position to their local child care contractor, which empowered the connection to job seekers that were using their services
Mass Media Outreach Ineffective
El Paso found success with sending teams out into the streets and to organizations where the job seekers gather to talk about their services. The use of mass media outreach was not very effective. Maricopa effectively incorporated their recruiting into their standard One Stop approaches
Helping Parents Understand Benefits
Helping parents understand how FCE practices can be of benefit for their entire family can increase involvement. For instance, studies have shown that there are improved child learning outcomes when parents are pursuing education goals, which has a feedback loop of increasing parental education and goal achievement
Do Not Set Additional Limits
If the job seeker and their family can benefit from one or more of the WDB services, that is enough to value their participation in an FCE program. If you set additional limits (such as needing to benefit from multiple services before they receive support), many job seekers will opt out of participation
Advisory Members
Having board or advisory members from the groups you are working to serve can be of benefit to understanding where and how to reach and serve those groups