Employment Journey Begins with Assessing Job Fit, Like Trying New Pants

You need a new pair of pants. What do you do?

You go shopping. Whether it’s online or in the store, you look around at all the pants, you pick some that you think you might like, and then you try them on. New pants, no matter how they appear, are no good if they don’t fit.

Finding the right job is a lot like buying pants, or any type of clothing, really. You can look around for a job that you think you might like, but how do you know if it’s a good fit?

Get An Employment Situational Assessment

In Employment Services, Situational Assessment is the first step in finding out if a job is the right fit.

Situational Assessments provide an opportunity to work one-on-one with your Didlake Employment Specialist to experience and learn more about different types of jobs in your community. You plan your assessments with the Employment Specialist, and over the course of typically three or four months, you will visit potential employers to see if the work they do is a good fit for you.

Learn What Makes A Quality Employment Service

What happens during a situational assessment?

Depending on the type of work that you’re interested in, each assessment will look different. If you are interested in working in an office, you’ll visit one with your Employment Specialist and see all the different types of work there is to do and maybe even tryout some of the work. If you are interested in construction, you may visit a construction site or talk to an employer with your Employment Specialist, but probably won’t build anything for safety reasons. If you are interested in stocking, you’ll visit a store with your Employment Specialist to learn about and actually stock items.

As you learn about and complete work tasks in a competitive employment environment in your community, you and your Didlake Employment Specialist focus on learning about:

• What you like to do.
• What skills you would bring to the job.
• What additional skills or supports may benefit you.

You don’t have to wait until you do an assessment to be thinking about it! You can be thinking about the ideas listed above, factors that make a job good, as well as these questions:

• Do you want to work close to home?
• Are you looking for full-time or part-time work?
• Do you prefer working during the day or night?
• What types of environments or situations are less desirable and/or would be hard to work in?
• Are there any health or safety concerns you have about working?
• Would assistive technology help you work?

When your assessments are complete, you can choose to meet with your Employment Specialist, vocational counselor or support coordinator, and your family members, caregivers or other support providers to talk about your employment options and next steps.

Just like you want pants that fit just right, you want a job that fits you, too. Being successful on your employment journey begins with knowledge. Learning more about jobs and employers, as well as what works for you is what Situational Assessments are all about.