Employment Services Specialist I

Description of Occupational Work

This class series uses four levels of work in the Health and Human Services occupational group, Human Services occupational series. This class series describes employment placement services for both job seekers and employers. Employment placement services include core services, intensive services, training services and supportive services. Core services include activities such as orientation of job seekers to levels of services available, conducting a job search, placement assistance, career counseling and assessment of job seeker skill levels. Intensive services include comprehensive assessments, individual or group career counseling, job development and referral, formulating employment plans and assisting eligible job seekers in receiving education and training. Training services include working with job seekers in obtaining occupational skills training, OJT, entrepreneurial training, job readiness training and adult education and literacy. Supportive services include, but are not limited to, transportation, child care, Dependent care, Housing, and needs-related payments necessary to enable an individual to participate in employment and training.

Essential Functions

Essential functions are fundamental, core functions common to all positions in the class series and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties for any one position in the class. Since class specifications are descriptive and not restrictive, incumbents can complete job duties of similar kind not specifically listed here.

• Conducts individual and group intake sessions to orient job seekers and employers to the services available and instructs and coaches job seekers/employers on using resources/equipment available.
• Conducts individual or group assessments to determine level of service needs.
• Identifies job seekers employment potential using assessment tools and labor market information.
• Assists job seekers to develop realistic and achievable employment goals; identifies obstacles/barriers to employment; jointly formulate employability development plans directed at employment outcomes.
• Refers clients to employers for possible job placement based on upon comparison of applicant qualifications to employer job requirements.
• Refers clients to educational and other support service agencies to resolve obstacles to employment.
• Develops job placement opportunities.
• Works with eligible job seekers to obtain training from state approved training institutions or explores other avenues for pursuing training and employment goals.
• Monitors job seekers progress towards completion of employability development plan and modified as necessary.

Essential Functions

The Employment Services Specialist I is the first level in this series.

• Conducts orientation for job seekers to levels of services available and conducts workshops on topics such as successful interviewing.
• Provides assessment of job seeker skill levels, placement assistance, and career counseling. Makes critical assessments for intensive service eligibility or referral to other community based organizations.
• Manages a limited number of less complex cases.
• Attends training programs and receives on the job training.
• Knowledge of individual and group counseling methods and techniques.
• Ability to make appropriate referrals for job opportunities.
• Ability to communicate effectively in written and oral form.
• Ability to effectively interact with others from a variety of diverse ethnic, social and/or educational backgrounds.
• Ability to develop and organize workshop materials and present/facilitate workshops.
• Ability to promote the benefits of self-help services (eg: electronic labor exchange, related internet applications) and other job search tools.

Job Requirements

Applicants must have education, training and/or experience demonstrating competence in each of the following areas:

• Knowledge of career counseling which includes assisting hard to serve job seekers to develop realistic and achievable employment goals; interviewing to obtain facts and explore issues; identifying obstacles or barriers to employment and jointly formulating employability development plans directed at employment outcomes.
• Knowledge of presenting training courses which includes using a variety of training methods such as lecture, structure exercises, role play or group discussion as well as the use of training materials such as overheads, PowerPoint, handouts and videos.
• Knowledge of using standard computer software programs for word processing, spreadsheets or databases.
• Knowledge of narrative report writing.