Job Coaching

Location: Open Door Shelter

Date: Monday, March 4, 2013; 6:45-8:30 pm

I had not been to ODS in almost two months, my last visit having been quite productive in terms of the discussions that I had with the youngsters.  I arrived to find that our Volunteer leader Claire was already there and we discussed the format of this evening’s session.  Claire had made changes to the way that we had done this in the past, and I was pleased with this new approach.  We were going to mentor a participant, but it was to prepare them for a mock interview.  The second half of our session would be all the candidates interviewing with the various volunteer’s, where they would be asked interview questions.  The volunteers would each select a question to ask and then post that to each of the candidates, scoring them on the response.  The three candidates with the highest scores at the end of the evening would then get a prize. 

Two of the other volunteers, TJ and Erika, were actual recruiters and there were three others besides them.  Claire asked us each to choose a question from the list, something that we would ask each of the candidates.  There were various choices such as “Tell me about yourself”, “Why are you a good fit for this position” and “What type of people do you find it most difficult to work with”.  Everyone picked a question and I choose “Do you have any questions for me about the position”.  I have always liked this question in real interview situations, because it shows how closely the candidate has been paying attention and how prepared they are.  However, in an environment such as this, where the position was not a real one, it was probably unfair to expect a good response.  But it was also an opportunity to coach and I was curious to see how the candidates would handle this.

We went upstairs and Claire asked all the youngsters and volunteers to sit at the table for introductions.  I looked around and did not recognize a single person.  It seemed like the previous batch had left and we had several new faces.  The kids may have been different, but they exhibited the similar attitude as others, of being totally disinterested in the proceedings.  As I had mentioned in an earlier article, they view this as a chore that had to be done, rather than a learning experience.  But I had also seen that as the evening progresses, they get more involved and that was my hope for this session as well. 

Tyler's first step towards being a pilot

As an icebreaker, Claire suggested a birthday game, where all of us would stand in a line as per our birth month, and then we would see if we got the dates in order as well.  This seemed to work since all the youngsters participated freely.  Claire then had us work individually with one candidate, till it was time for the rotating interview.  I got a kid called Tyler and we retired to a couch on one side of the room.  I asked him to introduce himself and he said that his ambition was to become a commercial pilot.  That seemed like a nice goal and I asked him if there was any way in which he was preparing for that career.  He said that he played a lot of the ‘Flight Simulator’ game and was now saving to get a lasik eye surgery, since he was wearing glasses.  I asked if he had plans on how he was going to pay the bills in the meanwhile and he said he wanted to work in retail clothing since he liked fashion as well.  I said that I would help him prepare for that position, based on the handouts Claire had given us.  Then we would also discuss his answers to the upcoming rotating interview session.

I asked him to research the difference between a standalone clothing store such as ‘Banana Republic’ versus a ‘Macys’, which carries several brands.  The sales process for each would be different and he should be prepared to demonstrate his understanding of the same.  I mentioned how important it was to always arrive for any interview on time.  In fact, I told him arrive in advance and if necessary, wait in a coffee shop.  I recounted some of my interviews where I have waited in the parking lot till it was time.  For the question on why he would be a good fit for the organization, I told him to speak about his own strengths rather than other’s flaws.  I said that he would not know the other candidates that were interviewing for a job in real life situation and in such a scenario, he had to ‘sell himself’ over others.  I asked about any prior work experience, part-time or summer jobs while in school, and he replied that he had none and that he was a spoilt kid.  I saw this as a coaching situation and mentioned that in an interview, he should rephrase this by saying that in his spare time he had other pursuits such as sports, arts or even academics, which did not allow him the time to have a job. Tyler was listening to me throughout our session and was nodding often.  Hopefully, the advice was getting through.

Claire said that it was time for our rotating interview and we would have five minutes with each candidate to ask them our question.  First up for me was Cindy.  Since my question was “Do you have any questions for me regarding this position”, I thought it would be prudent to ask what job position they wanted to interview for.  Cindy wants to be a backup dancer for a pop artist.  Her question was on what kind of food she would have to give up doing this job.  I said that she would be doing a high energy job which required supreme fitness and adequate and proper nutrition.  I told her to stay hydrated and eat smart, not skimping on the right kind of calories. 

Next was Maurice, who also wanted to work in retail clothing.  He asked about growth opportunities and ways to advance.  I told him a pathway towards a managerial role and it was a good discussion.  Next was Paige, who won me over with her big smile.  She looked like someone who has a great attitude and her question was how she should behave on a job, to be considered a good employee.  I told her to always stay positive and no matter how bad of a day she was having, never let the customers and the co-workers see her frustrations.  There would always be time to vent after the workday was over.  I told her to operate at least one level above her pay grade, an advice I give everyone.

Next was Walter, who wants to work in a graphic design company.  He had three questions: about growth, why the position was open and about culture.  While answering these questions, I asked him to stay focused, but also think outside the box.  As far culture was concerned, it is possible to fall into a trap of working by oneself, but I asked him to interact a lot with his peers and colleagues.  Then came Cameron, who asked how he could become ‘my guy’ for all the tasks.  I coached him to rephrase to ask, “How could I become someone whom you trust to delegate”.  He liked that.  Lastly, I had Terence, who wants to work in construction and asked about benefits and if the employers spy on the staff!  This was tricky and while I passed the benefits question to HR, I asked him to rephrase the latter to “What kind of security measures do you have”.  Terence also wants to work as a security officer in bank, play basketball and be a chef.  Combine all of that and you have a Hollywood story!

Claire asked us to grade everyone and this was a tough one.  I had enjoyed meeting with all of them and used a relative scale to give Cindy 3 out of 5, Maurice 4, Paige 4, Walter 5, Cameron 3 and Terence 4.  When the points were totaled, Paige came first, Maurice second and Walter third, but in reality all of them were winners.  Everyone thanked us as we left, Terence even referring to me as ‘Sir’.  It was remarkable how some of them had been disengaged at the beginning and now were completely involved in this process.  We had not just coached them on job skills this evening; we had done something much more valuable than that.  Something that is more important for youngsters who end up in a shelter such as this.  We had earned their trust.  

*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy