The Coaching Model of Job Placement Assistance

Part 1: Why the Old Model No Longer Works

I continue to talk to vocational counselors across the country who are on this cycle of doing things the way we’ve always done them and seeing diminishing returns. It seems like the Vocational Rehabilitation profession has done job placement the same way for the last twenty+ years, even as technology and hiring practices have shifted around us. I am not sure about you, but for a long time I dug my heels in, trying to make the same-old system work.  

But our reality is this: We can’t offer 2019’s services to 2025’s job seekers. It simply doesn’t work anymore. 

It’s time we changed how we assist injured workers looking for a new job. I’ve changed my practice, and I invite you to consider how you might adapt yours.

How 2020 changed it all

Before I jump into the changes I made, I think it’s helpful to take a step back and review why everything in the hiring and job-seeker space changed so rapidly. And yes, just as you might expect, all roads lead to 2020 – when the pandemic fundamentally altered the workforce and the process of finding a job.

To understand the changes, let’s do a before-and-after snapshot.

Before 2020

Pre-2020, technology was already evolving to streamline the hiring process, but the process was still interactive, relational.

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors would begin helping a job seeker by laying the groundwork. We could call HR and talk to a representative. We might already have a contact there. If so, we’d tell our contact to expect a visit from a job seeker, and we could actually have a job seeker drop by and fill out a paper application.

I know. Let’s say it again for the good old days: A paper application.

There were other broad factors that influenced a job search: Employers held most of the control. Remote work was rare. And workers tended to stay in jobs longer.

Rapid Change

Technology advancements in the hiring process were already moving quickly, but these were rapidly fast-tracked and codified during the pandemic. The reason that it feels like it all changed too fast is that it did change too fast, at least in terms of what we had been seeing as the progression of technology in the hiring process.  

After  the Pandemic

The pre-pandemic job-seeker and hiring world no longer exists and I don’t foresee it coming back (if I had to make an educated guess). 

Today, most companies have shifted and outsourced recruiting functions to firms like Indeed. Some payroll companies ADP, Paycom, and others have hiring portals that do a lot of the prescreening on the employer's behalf.  There tends to not be an in-house contact for the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist to know or be able to get on the phone, let alone an HR office for a job seeker to visit. If we do happen to get an email address, it’s often something like hr@company, not a direct contact. When we call, it is more likely than not a message is taken, and we will not receive a return call. 

And speaking of things that aren’t human…AI-driven applicant tracking systems now filter résumés long before a person sees the applicant pool. 

At the same time, some changes have worked out in favor of employees. 

The pandemic triggered the largest workforce exit since the Great Depression. As a result, workers gained more influence and agency, which is one of the reasons employers have continued allowing virtual work after the pandemic. Despite what you may see in news headlines, remote work absolutely continues to exist. 

What does this mean for our job seekers? 

For Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, we work with job seekers who are often non-traditional employees, individuals with a limitation that requires reasonable accommodations or individuals launching a new career later in life. 

It is also common that the individuals I assist in locating employment have generally moved through the hiring process based on their network and personal referrals; they may have never had to follow an application process.  Often, there can be technology knowledge barriers. 

These additional hurdles mean our job seekers must scale even higher walls to obtain employment. They need our guidance even more.

Changing times mean a changing mindset

We’ve talked about the history – why the change is necessary. Next, I want to talk about the mindset shift that must accompany a shift in processes.

Mindset Shift: Technology

The first step of changing with the times is learning and understanding how technology plays into the job search process. It is the reality of a job seeker’s world, and that learning starts with a mindset shift away from fear and into understanding. 

If we approach new technology like it were the enemy, or some overwhelming task to take on, our outlook is unnecessarily pessimistic. We also miss out on the chance to leverage the new tools at our (and our job seekers’) disposal. 

Think about it like this: I’m usually far more technologically advanced than my job seekers. So if I act afraid of new technology, how will that make them feel? 

Powerless? 

Hopeless? 

Probably.

This is the opposite of everything we do and stand for in our profession.

Mindset Shift: Customization instead of personalization

In years past, we taught people how to be personable and approachable in this process, to make sure they, as the individual, had the opportunity to make a great first impression.

I lived for those moments when my non-traditional candidate managed an early face-to-face interaction with an employer and everything clicked. On paper, they might not have been the ideal candidate, but in person, that blend of transferable skills, attitude, and determination made them the obvious choice.

This can no longer be the first step; we found that we cannot get this chance until after our documentation has gone through the ATS software and the initial application submission process. Technology impedes early face-to-face introductions. My non-traditional candidates could easily be filtered out long before a face-to-face meeting. 

This has created a shift to teaching customization. Our first impression is now on paper. Part of the mindset shift that we as vocational counselors must have and must pass along to our job seekers is the importance of customizing every job application.

This is not gaming the system. It is not ingenious. This is the new first impression and how it is done.. Simple as that.

Mindset Shift: Our job is different. Not obsolete.

What I’ve seen in my practice is that the post-pandemic job placement environment does not make Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors obsolete. It makes us even more critical, especially for the vulnerable job seekers who need our services.

If we adapt from “handling the logistics” to coaching our job seekers to succeed in today’s digital, AI-driven hiring world, we can deliver better outcomes, faster placements, and stronger futures for the people we serve.

It has been incredibly rewarding, and quite frankly fun, to do job placement assistance better. In the next article, I’ll share the particulars of this shift and its success in my practice.

Up next: How we put the coaching model into action—and why it’s working.