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In government-funded employment services, the focus on “traditional job readiness” is deeply ingrained – and we believe it’s causing harm.
This model focuses on two key principles:
- Developing basic skills (e.g. resume writing, interview prep and job search strategies) in the hope the client will win job competitions.
- Ensuring the jobseeker is “barrier-free.”
The first ignores the reality that many (or even most) equity-deserving, equity-denied jobseekers are locked out of the labour market, regardless of their resume. The second ignores the reality that most of the barriers our clients face (e.g. housing insecurity, literacy, addictions, poverty or criminal records) are beyond our control, especially within a reasonable timeframe (if ever).
What’s more, many people manage to work while carrying these very barriers. Employment doesn’t require a barrier-free life, and readiness to compete simply equates to job search readiness. Neither of these two principles reflects true “job readiness,” nor do they significantly improve employment chances for much of the populations we serve. The laser focus on “job readiness” has left far too many people stuck in perpetual preparation, “fixing” the individual rather than addressing the systemic issues.
Despite this, we have seen across Canada that over 80% of government-funded employment services are anchored in this fallacy.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What percentage of your work focuses on job readiness tasks like resumes, cover letters and interview prep?
- What percentage of your organizational structure is dedicated to this traditional job readiness model?
- After all your job readiness efforts, how many of your marginalized jobseekers truly become “competitive”? Able to pass Applicant Tracking Systems, secure interviews and, ultimately, be hired?
If your marginalized clients’ competitiveness aligns with your efforts, then don’t change a thing – you’re on track! But if most remain non-competitive and not “chosen” (and it doesn’t surprise you), it’s time to reassess where you invest your resources.
“Job readiness” really means “job search readiness.” And it doesn’t work for most
Continuing to pour energy into “job search readiness,” knowing most of our clients won’t succeed in job competitions, means we’re standing in our own way – and theirs. The irony? We’re using outdated models designed for traditional jobseekers, while most of our clients are far from traditional. The very people we exist to help are those most disadvantaged by the Traditional Job Search Readiness (TJSR) model.
The TJSR model doesn’t just fail clients – it fails us also, by creating:
High caseloads and administrative burdens: When jobseekers get stuck, they linger on caseloads for months, even years. This bloats caseloads and increases admin work – endlessly chasing disengaged clients while meaningful engagement time shrinks.
Motivation and engagement: After 90 days, motivation wanes for both jobseekers and staff. The longer clients sit in the system, the harder it becomes for them to re-engage meaningfully.
Over-reliance on metrics: The need to hit performance targets drives a process-focused approach that overlooks deeper, systemic barriers. Clients are pushed through cookie-cutter job search action plans, only to get warehoused in the system.
What if we could achieve better outcomes by rethinking the model we’ve clung to for years? By cutting time wasted on outdated TJSR tasks, we could focus our practice on evidence-based models that make a real difference.
Introducing the Job Placement Readiness (JPR) Model
We propose a Job Placement Readiness Model (JPR). This model aligns job development with job preparation, focusing on clients’ strengths and employer needs. The two key drivers of success in this model are:
- Enhancing client motivation: Rewriting resumes won’t change lives for clients who can’t compete, but building confidence, reliability, dependability and motivation can. And the good news is you don’t need to be a psychotherapist to use cognitive motivational models – you just require the right skills.
- Building employer relationships: Employers often screen out clients based on their biases or their perceptions that the jobseeker won’t “fit.” The real question isn’t how to convince employers to hire clients they usually wouldn’t … it’s how to position ourselves as credible partners in their hiring needs. Building solid employer relationships requires employers to trust and “hire” the job developer first – then our clients come along for the ride.
The Job Placement Readiness Model is an evidence-based, effective approach that prioritizes client motivation and employer relationships while getting us off the hamster wheel of the failed Traditional Job Search Readiness Model.
Aligning purpose, policy and practice for sustainable outcomes
Real change requires alignment between purpose, policy and practice. When these three elements work together, they create a foundation that drives meaningful client outcomes and empowers staff.
Purpose: Your organization’s commitment to equity and sustainable outcomes must be more than a tagline – it must guide everything you do. Look at your results. Who is stuck? Who is disengaged?
Policy: Outdated, competitive approaches? Bureaucratic policies? Policies must intentionally align to purpose, dismantling systemic barriers and fostering environments where clients, staff and organizations thrive.
Practice: Focus on client motivation, job placement readiness and employer relationships. Skill up in cognitive motivational approaches and relational job development.
When purpose, policy and practice are aligned, the result is continuous reflection, improvement and success – for marginalized jobseekers and staff alike.
A call to action
It’s time to reimagine the future of employment services by building deeper employer relationships, aligning purpose with practice and discarding broken models that no longer serve us. Ask yourself:
- Are your policies and practices aligned with your organization’s purpose?
- Are you preparing clients for workplace success, or just the job search grind?
- Are you addressing systemic barriers, or placing the full burden of landing a job on the shoulders of your clients?
- Are you willing to redefine “readiness” to prioritize job placements over job search?
These questions are just the start of a new journey. Our work at the upcoming Cannexus conference aims to ignite this conversation, with the goal of reshaping employment services for a new era.
