The Employment Coach AmeriCorps Member will serve in Our House’s education and workforce center, called the Learning Center which works with over 600 adults each year through employment services, adult education, and life skills instruction. The Employment Coach AmeriCorps Member will serve to expand our employment services by interacting directly with unemployed and underemployed individuals with barriers to employment, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to find jobs, succeed in jobs, move up the job ladder, and achieve long-term personal and family goals.
To Apply
Please send a resume and cover letter to vistaleader@ourhouseshelter.org. Include the words “Employment Coach” in the email subject line.
Service Activities
Essential Functions of Position:
Promote job search readiness by introducing new residents to Our House’s programs
and guiding them through intake and enrollment
With the help of the Learning Center staff, actively assist with participant recruitment
efforts and other client engagement strategies
With the help of the Learning Center staff, provide hands-on support to 600 Learning
Center clients to help them meet their professional and personal goals
With the help of the Learning Center staff, successfully connect 360 unemployed and
underemployed individuals with jobs
With the help of the Learning Center staff, create and implement programming that
builds job search skills and promotes rapid employment and career success through
ongoing guidance, coaching, and self-esteem building
Work with job seekers to identify and resolve individual job barriers by following an
individualized work plan
Connect job seekers with services that increase job opportunities and workforce
readiness
Communicate and coordinate within team and across programs to efficiently provide
participants with quality programming and services
Assist employer partners’ hiring needs by connecting them with skilled applicants,
scheduling/coordinating interviews, and assisting with pre-screening process
Create and implement a job search club that provides hard-to-employ individuals with
self-esteem building activities, soft skills training, skills assessment, job search
Community Need Addressed
Arkansas is an impoverished state that ranks near the bottom on a host of factors of economic well-being. Arkansas has the second worst rate of overall poverty in the country, with 19.8% of residents living in poverty (2012 Census Data). Arkansas also has the second worst rate of child poverty in the country, with 29% of children living in poverty (National KIDS COUNT study, Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2012). Because homelessness is in part a symptom of extreme poverty, it is unsurprising that Arkansas also ranks near the bottom on homelessness statistics. In particular, Arkansas ranks third worst in the nation on child & family homelessness (2014 State Report Card, National Center on Family Homelessness).
If Our House can succeed in our mission of making a lasting positive transformation in the lives of the homeless and near-homeless families and individuals we serve, we have the potential to make a statewide impact on these and other indicators of economic distress. But this is a challenging goal, requiring comprehensive, high-quality programs (1) that equip adults not only with jobs, but also with education and skills that help them turn their jobs into careers and with financial skills to help them manage their resources wisely; and (2) that prepare children for success in school, in college, and in their own careers, while also building their physical, emotional, and social health.
Position Outcomes
Employment Coach AmeriCorps Members will serve to expand our employment services by interacting directly with unemployed and underemployed individuals with barriers to employment, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to find jobs, succeed in jobs, move up the job ladder, and achieve long-term personal and family goals.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Stipend, Student loan forbearance, Training
Skills you will gain
Adult Education, Employment Services, Life Coaching, Resume Building, Professional Skills
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Turn taking, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment