Unemployment to Employment, Start with these Five Steps
Dateline: 01/12/99

As we ease into 1999 the unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted of course) is showing us that work is just as hard to find in the winter as it is in the summer. Employers have just laid-off staff after the Christmas rush, and nobody is in the mood to spend money - on anything.

For people searching out employment solutions, today is a good day to take stock of your resources and do a realistic assessment of your return to work action plan. It won't take long, and it will only work well if you can be honest with yourself. Ideally you could copy this feature to your word processor so you have the instructions in front of you for easy reference. For some people this is not possible for a variety of reasons. You will need lots of paper (at least six sheets) and something to write with.

Step 1
Concentrate on ABILITIES
This means realistically, what you are ready, willing and ABLE to do if you could start work tomorrow morning. People who have suffered a disability after being in the work force have been known to try to list their abilities as they existed before the accident, then find themselves frustrated when they cannot perform the duties required of them due to physical limitations or lack of adaptive aids. My experience includes clients who dwell on the "wish list" - looking for work they wish they could still do, or at one time aspired to.

If you have not done so already, all list the things you CAN do. List EVERYTHING. Every item on this list starts with the phrase; I CAN

•	Read at the grade 10 level;
•	Use a personal computer with Windows 95;
•	Make a sandwich (with or without adaptive aids);
•	Paint landscapes
•	Drive a car

You get the idea. By the time you are finished, you will probably have a long list of things you CAN do. Keep this list handy for future reference.

Step 2
List the SKILLS
Take a look at your list of capabilities. What skills are required to do these things? Do you have an artistic flair for colour and form? Are fine details important to you? Have you been able to adapt to a physical or mental loss to allow you to perform specific tasks? You may well find that many of these skills are transferable to the work force in creative ways. Don't think about what employers may or may not value, this is YOUR skill list which starts with the phrase; I HAVE THE FOLLOWING SKILLS

•	In depth understanding of Eastern Philosophy
•	Operate an iMac computer
•	Basic Internet skills including e-mail, using search engines, posting and retrieving articles on newsgroups.
•	Type at 15 words per minute
•	Have a good eye for colour and design of rooms
•	Read at a high school level

You will notice that the skills have less to do with education, and more to do with experiential learning and personal values. It is taking the things you are capable of and assigning a skill base to the capability.

Step 3
List PREFERENCES
From your skill base, what are the things you LIKE to do, and could see yourself doing as an occupation. For example: You may have skill with colour and enjoy painting landscapes, but do you want to do so as an occupation? This list will invariably be shorter than the preceding lists, so you can see we are getting closer to your destination of acquiring legal, gainful employment.

Keep the preference list to the foreseeable future (whatever that looks like to you). Many people will list the skills they would like to practice for the following three months, for others the foreseeable future extends into years. This list starts with; I WANT TO

•	Write a column for a newspaper or newsletter
•	Work with cats
•	Read to children
•	Teach esthetic make-up application

Step 4
List EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE
In this list, be sure to only list the education and experience that matches your current capabilities (refer to the first list). If at one time you were fluent in four languages, but lost this capability due to a stroke, there is no point in listing the education referencing a now non-existent skill.

Step 5
Conduct a LABOR MARKET INVESTIGATION
Labor Market Investigation (LMI) is a fancy term to describe checking out the work force. You have narrowed down your list to employment preferences, now you have to contact employers to see if your capabilities (list one), skills (list two), preferences (list three) and experience (list four) meet with the employer's requirements. In short form, this step requires you to contact employers who hire people to perform the tasks from your preferred occupations (list three) to see what THEY require as far as skill level, experience and education.

I will cover more about LMI in my next article, so until then, start making lists.

Interested in a few more assessment tools?
Try these on for size:

Career Web - Career Inventory
Charity Village Career Assessment
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II
Marksman Vocational Testing