helping-people ​with Employment Challenges and Barriers

A physical condition or personal situation can make it hard to find and or keep a job.
​
Many job seekers experience one or more barriers to employment during their careers. Although this makes finding or keeping a job more difficult, it's not impossible. Some barriers, education, transportation, child care, computer literacy, lack of access to health care, internet access, food and home insecurity are temporary and easier to address than others.

​Common Barriers to Employment

• Age
• Criminal record
• Disabilities
• Disadvantaged background
• Domestic violence
• Drug and/or alcohol abuse
• Education
• Employer biases
• Has a child with special needs
• Housing issues or homelessness

• Job search skills
• Lacks basic employability skills
• Limited English proficiency
• Long-term welfare recipient
• Mental illness
• Needs training
• Needs child care assistance
• No high school diploma
• No transportation
• Gaps in employment

Employability skills or "soft skills" are the key to workplace success.
Employability skills are a set of skills and behaviors that are necessary for every job. Employability skills are sometimes called soft skills, foundational skills, work-readiness skills, or job-readiness skills.
Employability skills allow you to:

• communicate with coworkers
• solve problems
• understand your role within the team
• make responsible choices, and
• take charge of your own career 

Personal qualities, habits, and attitudes influence how you interact with others. Employers value employability skills because they are linked to how you get along with coworkers and customers, your job performance, and your career success.
Essential Employability SkillsFoundational Skills

• Be organized.
• Arrive to work on time, or early.
• Be dependable.
• Have a positive attitude toward work.
• Exert high levels of effort and perseverance.
• Complete tasks on time and accurately.
• Seek out information to improve skills.
• Be flexible and adaptable.
• Complete all tasks, even if unpleasant.
• Understand dress code or uniform guidelines.
• Maintain personal hygiene.

 Interpersonal Skills

• Be friendly and polite.
• Respect supervisors and coworkers.
• Respond appropriately to customer requests.
• Ask for feedback.
• Take constructive criticism.
• Resolve conflicts calmly and appropriately.

Communication Skills

• Read and understand written materials.
• Listen, understand, and ask questions.
• Follow directions.
• Express ideas clearly when speaking or writing.
• Learn required technology and use appropriately.

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

• Accept change.
• Be willing to start, stop, and switch duties.
• Work calmly in busy environments.
• Start tasks without prompting.
• Ask questions to solve problems do job better.

Teamwork

• Be comfortable working with people of diverse backgrounds.
• Be sensitive to other peoples' needs.
• Take responsibility for own share of work.
• Contribute to team goals.

Ethics and Legal Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for own decisions and actions.
• Understand and follow company rules and procedures.
• Be honest and trustworthy.
• Act professionally and with maturity.

Professional SkillsThe general employability skills above help you to get hired and to keep any job. In addition, anyone who wants to advance in their careers and people working in higher-level jobs should have the following professional skills.
Career Development

• Learn new skills and take on different projects.
• Serve on work committees.
• Take initiative and work with little supervision.
• Understand your industry and common business practices.
• Align your work goals with the mission and vision of your employer.
• Understand the different roles of coworkers.

Leadership

• Coach and mentor others.
• Be willing to take risks.
• Be able to negotiate.
• Motivate and direct people as they work.
• Demonstrate efficiency.
• Seek to simplify processes.
• Save time or money for the company by analyzing business needs.
• Build partnerships and teams with coworkers.

​John R. Fugazzie 
​
​LinkedIn Profile

The Institute of Career Education, Employment and Career Development has expert level
​help for populations with employment/advancement challenges and barriers.

Long Term Unemployed

The LTU job seekers numbers are much larger than they have been in our history and at a time where the jobs are too few for the numbers who need them.The find themselves out of work through no fault of their own. Job Search advice and strategies while similar across all groups there is very specific advice to help to this group find themselves back to work.

Long Term Unemployed

helping-Women.org
​Women with employment barriers 

Single mom's, low income moms, women with no access to child care, women with no access to transporation, immigrants, minorities, shelter needs, food needs and ethnic and cultural barriers

www.helping-women.org 

Veterans-helping-Veterans USA

Resources in networking to help this group re-establish themselves in the job market helping to connect with organizations who help with all the various barriers that are preventing our vets from getting jobs. 

See web site

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50+ Baby Boomers-helping-Boomers USA

Baby Boomers are all 50+ now and as the previous largest generation in our countries history have always had supply and demand working against them. Today their experience and salary history prevents them from finding work in many places and their age, while not spoken can be a barrier to getting back to work. Those who can show their relevance and that have kept up with their skills and knowledge have a good chance at getting back to work but need to approach their job campaigns very differently than they were able to in the past to be successful.

See web site

​How Older Job Seekers Beat These Common Stereotypes

Millennials-helping-Millennials USA Generation Y | College Students & Grads

Recent College grads are finding the job market extremely difficult and need more career support and job search training before they hit the job search path upon graduation.

The market has changes so significantly and dramatically that many career services are not in touch with today's current marketplace and are not equipping the students with the job search education that is necessary. past two years 1.6 million have graduated and only 50% have landed jobs and of those 31% are forced to take jobs that didn't require their just earned/and not paid for College Degrees.

See web page

Latinos-helping-Latinos USA 

As a targeted networking meeting group of the internationally successful Neighbors-helping-Neighbors USA ( www.nhnusa.org) meeting and networking group, Latinos-helping-Latinos USA ( www.lhlusa.org ) is an all volunteer led a group of facilitator/leaders from the hispanic community who have established themselves and are working to 
​add additional skills and college degrees and credentials to allow them to advance in their careers and in the community. 

They are extremely passionate of their culture and heritage and are contributing back to their hispanic communities through their leadership and volunteerism. 

Conducting in english Neighbors-helping-Neighbors USA meetings and building a leadership group to expand the spanish language Vecinos ayudando a Vecinos USA ( www.vavusa.org ) to help others from their community who need help with job search and other related issues.

See web page

Vecinos ayudando a Vecinos USA

Meeting groups for non english speaking unemployed and underemployed. This spanish language version of the Neighbors-helping-Neighbors USA very successful job search module. Led by leaders from the hispanic community to are devoted to help their fellow citizens be successful here in the USA.

See web page

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CEO's who are IN

Your Business Partner for Disability Inclusion
​
Disability:IN is the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. Our network of over 400 corporations expands opportunities for people with disabilities across enterprises. Our central office and 25 Affiliates serve as the collective voice to effect change for people with disabilities in business.

Corporate Partners List

Organizations www.askjan.org and/or www.disabilityin.org 

​109 CEOs are IN

1. Darius Adamczyk, Chairman & CEO, Honeywell
2. Joe Adams, Managing Partner & CEO, RSM US LLP (“RSM”)
3. Aron Ain, Chairman & CEO, UKG
4. José (Joe) E. Almeida, Chairman, President & CEO, Baxter International Inc.
5. Carl S. Armato, President & CEO, Novant Health
6. Tom Arseneault, President & CEO, BAE Systems, Inc.
7. Stéphane Bancel, CEO, Moderna
8. Corie Barry, CEO, Best Buy
9. Marc Benioff, Chair & CEO, Salesforce
10. Andy Bird, CEO, Pearson
11. Frank Bisignano, President & CEO, Fiserv, Inc.
12. Robert M. Blue, Chair, President & CEO, Dominion Energy, Inc.
13. Jean-Michel Boers, President & CEO, and US Country Managing Director, Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corporation
14. Roz Brewer, CEO, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Walgreens Boots Alliance
15. Bruce Broussard, President & CEO, Humana Inc.
16. Greg Brown, Chairman & CEO, Motorola Solutions Inc
17. Jeffrey J. Brown, CEO, Ally Financial Inc.
18. James Butcher, President & CEO, Chemonics International
19. Giovanni Caforio, Chairman & CEO, Bristol Myers Squibb
20. David Calhoun, President & CEO, The Boeing Company
21. Anthony Capuano, CEO, Marriott International, Inc.
22. Marc Casper, Chairman, President & CEO, Thermo Fisher Scientific
23. Andy Cecere, Chairman & CEO, U.S. Bancorp
24. Annette Clayton, North American President & CEO, Schneider Electric
25. Frank Clyburn, CEO, IFF
26. David Cordani, President & CEO, Cigna Corporation
27. Brian Cornell, Board Chairman & CEO, Target Corp.
28. Roger Crandall, Chairman, President & CEO, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
29. Sven Dethlefs, MD, Executive Vice President of North America Commercial, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
30. Steve Demetriou, Chair & CEO, Jacobs
31. Brian Doubles, President & CEO, Synchrony
32. Sandy Douglas, CEO, UNFI
33. Thasunda Brown Duckett, President & CEO, TIAA
34. Marvin R. Ellison, President & CEO, Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
35. Pat Esser, President & CEO, Cox Communications, Inc.
36. Mick Farrell, CEO, ResMed
37. Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., President & CEO, Mayo Clinic
38. Bradley H. Feldmann, Chairman, President & CEO, Cubic Corporation
39. James M. Foote, President & CEO, CSX Corporation
40. Beth Ford, President & CEO, Land O’Lakes, Inc.
41. Fabrizio Freda, President & CEO, The Estée Lauder Companies
42. Pat Gelsinger, CEO, Intel
43. Thomas P. (Todd) Gibbons, CEO, BNY Mellon
44. Paul Gentzkow, President & CEO, Talent Solutions, Robert Half
45. Kelly Grier, US Chair & Americas Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
46. Bill Hagaman,CPA, CGMA, Managing Partner and CEO, Withum
47. M. Susan Hardwick, President & CEO, American Water Works, Inc.
48. Gregory J. Hayes, Chairman & CEO, Raytheon Technologies
49. Lauren Hobart, President & CEO, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc.
50. Roger Hochschild, President & CEO, Discover Financial Services
51. Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens USA
52. Anthony Jabbour, CEO, Black Knight, Inc. and Dun & Bradstreet
53. Stephen Kaufer, President & CEO, Tripadvisor, Inc.
54. Gary C. Kelly, Chairman & CEO, Southwest Airlines Co.
55. Scott Kirby, CEO, United Airlines
56. Paul Knopp, U.S. Chair & CEO, KPMG
57. Mike Lamach, Chairman & CEO, Trane Technologies
58. Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, President, Bayer US
59. Charles F. Lowrey, Chairman & CEO, Prudential Financial, Inc.
60. Dave MacLennan, Chairman & CEO, Cargill, Incorporated
61. Mike Mahoney, Chairman & CEO, Boston Scientific
62. Paul Markovich, President & CEO, Blue Shield of California
63. Geoff Martha, CEO, Medtronic
64. Rodney Martin, Chairman & CEO, Voya Financial
65. Pamela Maynard, CEO, Avanade
66. Doug McMillon, CEO, Walmart Inc.
67. Rodney McMullen, Chairman & CEO, The Kroger Companies
68. Sanjay Mehrotra, President & CEO, Micron Technology, Inc.
69. Larry Merlo, President & CEO, CVS Health
70. Ben Minicucci, CEO & President, Alaska Airlines
71. Mark Mondello, CEO, Jabil Inc.
72. Curt Morgan, CEO, Vistra Corp.
73. Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the Board & CEO, Bank of America
74. Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
75. Chris Nassetta, President & CEO, Hilton
76. Michael F. Neidorff, Chairman, President & CEO, Centene Corporation
77. Antonio Neri, President & CEO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
78. Kurt Newman, MD, President & CEO, Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
79. Ronald P. O’Hanley, Chairman & CEO, State Street Corporation
80. Doug Parker, CEO, American Airlines Group
81. Mark Pearson, CEO, Equitable Holdings
82. Douglas L. Peterson, President & CEO, S&P Global
83. Richard Poirier, President & CEO, Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I.
84. Tom Polen, Chairman, CEO & President, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD)
85. Brad Preber, CEO, Grant Thornton LLP
86. Dave Ricks, Chairman & CEO, Eli Lilly and Company
87. Jim Ryan, Chairman & CEO, Old National Bank
88. Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment
89. Tim Ryan, US Chair & Senior Partner, PwC
90. Leo Salom, President & CEO, TD Bank
91. Tom Salvaggio, President & CEO, CAI
92. Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks Corporation
93. Kåre Schultz, President and CEO, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
94. Mike Sievert, President & CEO, T-Mobile
95. Vince Sorgi, President & CEO, PPL Corporation
96. Evan Spiegel, CEO, Snap Inc.
97. Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture
98. Mike Swinford, CEO, NuMotion
99. Joe Tarantino, President & CEO, Protiviti
100. Laurent Therivel, CEO, UScellular
101. Carol B. Tomé, CEO, United Parcel Service
102. Robert N. Trunzo, President & CEO, CUNA Mutual Group
103. Sherri Turpin, CEO, ZVRS and Purple Communications
104. Joe Ucuzoglu, CEO, Deloitte US
105. Hans Vestberg, Chairman & CEO, Verizon
106. Michel Vounatsos, CEO, Biogen
107. Keith Waddell, CEO, Robert Half International
108. Kathy Warden, Chairman, CEO & President, Northrop Grumman Corporation
109. Anne Wojcicki, CEO & Co-Founder, 23andMe

​OneTen is a coalition of leading executives who are coming together to upskill, hire and advance one million Black individuals in America over the next 10 years into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement.

We connect employers with talent partners and leading non-profits who support development of diverse talent. By creating more equitable and inclusive workforces, we believe we can reach our full potential as a nation of united citizens.