Identifying Employer’s
Discrete Needs to
Customize the Job
NCWD/A
Customized Employment; Mini Series
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Three Parts to Today’s Discussion:
1.
2.
3.
Outline steps to presenting an
employment proposal that is attractive
to the employer
Keys to finalizing the negotiation so
that it meets employer needs
Illustrative examples
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REVEW
1. Complete a discovery process that
documents a job seeker’s interests, skills,
preferred working environments, supports
and accommodations needed, etc.;
2. Create an initial task list that represents an
individual’s potential contributions to an
employer’s operation;
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REVEW
3. Complete an individualized job search plan
based on discovery – and driven by the
types of tasks an individual might perform,
4. Conduct informational interviews to get a
foot in the door of prospective employers
and find out about specific operational
needs; and
5. Refine the task list based on subsequent
employer visits.
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Negotiations begin when the
job developer recognizes the
value a prospective applicant
can offer a business.
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An employer may consider
customizing job tasks if:
 It
saves the company money;
 Helps the company to make money;
 Helps the operation to run more
efficiently; and/or
 Improves customer relations
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Employment Proposal Steps
 Step
1 - Present tasks (from a refined
task list) that might be assigned, or reassigned.
 Step 2 – Outline how these tasks might
be assigned to the jobseeker you
represent.
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Employment Proposal Steps
 Step
3 – Highlight the skills of the
candidate and how they can match the
tasks needing to be done.
 Step 4 – Delineate the potential benefits
to the employer as a result of assigning
identified tasks to the job candidate.
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Employment Proposal Steps
 Step
5 – Discuss your role (and your
organization’s role) in supporting the job
candidate.
 Step 6 – Make the “ASK”
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Employment Proposal Steps
 Step
7 – Reiterate the potential benefits
of the arrangements to the employer –
e.g., how others can produce more,
money can be saved, more sales will be
generated, etc.
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“Nothing beats showing me
how you can make
my life easier!”
- A hiring manager who hired an
individual through a customized
arrangement
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Negotiation is successful when all
agree to:
 What
tasks need to be done
 What tasks the individual can do
 What hours the individual will work
 Production requirements
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Negotiation is successful when all
agree to:
 How
much the individual will be paid
 What accommodations and supports will
be necessary
 The benefit to the business
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Colin

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Enjoys people
Basic reading skills
Number recognition
Likes to use his hands
Interested in retail
Likes to be organized
Physically strong
Likes to move around
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Colin – Preliminary Task List

Core work skills
 Stocking and organizing
 Lifting heavy boxes
 Locating requested items
 Putting items in proper location
 Basic maintenance skills
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Steps in finding a customized match
 Scanned
Colin’s geographical area for
stores that might have tasks matching his
initial task list
 Conducted informational interviews,
including at Ross Dress for Less
 Identified specific areas of operational
difficulty at Ross
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Ross Dress for Less
Shoe department a mess – receiving
customer complaints
 Regular shoe shipments stocking up in the
back room
 Merchandise put on sales floor haphazardly
 Customer service representatives pulled off
the floor to take care of shoe shipments

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Next Steps for Customizing Job
 Matched
the store's needs with Colin’s
skills to create a refined task list
 Set up a “working interview” so Colin
could show his capacity to perform the
tasks
 Negotiated hours, duties, pay, training,
and production
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Ross Proposal
COLIN’S SKILLS
REFINED TASK LIST

Physically strong


Number recognition

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Likes organization and
to use his hands
Enjoys moving around



Receives and unpacks shoe
shipments
Sorts shoes into size
categories
Censors and tags shoes
Delivers shoes to proper rack
on sales floor – and retrieves
returned shoes
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Benefit to Ross
 Fewer
“shoe” complaints from customers
 Ross work flow was reorganized in a way
that was sequential to assist Colin do his
job – and created a smoother operation
for other staff
 Improved customer satisfaction,
increased sales
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Jason


High School Diploma
Work Experience
3 months as nursery
assistant
 2 months as
receptionist assistant

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Motivated to work
Wanted office work
Enjoys a variety of
concrete tasks
Likes to stay busy
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Jason’s Discovery – Initial task list

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Answer telephone and direct calls appropriately
Operate copy/fax machines
Shredding documents
Prepare folders for storage using alphabetical
indexing
Label, sort and collate documents
Receive and sort and deliver incoming mail
Deliver interdepartmental mail
Alphabetic and numerical filing
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The Pewett Company
Marketing support service company
 Expanding business
 Staff taking on additional duties
 Called CE specialist for advice on creating
two positions
 Fulfillment department
 Database management department

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TPC Proposal
Jason’s Skills
Refined Task List
 Labeling and
 Labeling new client
alpha/numeric filing
files
 Attention to detail
 Matching personalized
 Enjoys very concrete
inserts to file labels
tasks
 Packing, sealing, and
 Good fine and gross
weighing mailing
motor skills
pieces
 Basic math and reading
skills
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Benefit to TPC
 Senior
staff members no longer have to
perform duties that keep them from
critical customer service activities.
 Business orders are filled faster –
increased client satisfaction.
 Increased profit margins
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Once the hire is
complete, the work
is not done!
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After the Hire
 Seek
continuous feedback from employer
about how arrangement is working
 Help make adjustments as necessary
 Re-negotiate tasks, supports, production
requirements, etc. if necessary
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REMEMBER
The employer is a customer – try to see the
situation through employer’s lens.
Ask yourself: How would this arrangement
look to me if I was the employer?
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More CE case examples:
www.marylandcep.org
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Job Development Summary
Research the business
 Set the appointment up for an initial
presentation
 Provide the initial presentation requesting a
tour and presentation of the job seeker
 Tour to identify unmet needs
 Present employment proposal
 Create a job description

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Customized Employment Summary
 Discovery
and exploration of the job
seeker
 Employment planning
 Creation of representational materials
 Job Development
 Job Analysis and Job Support
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After Job Development
 Job Analysis
 Clarifying
tasks
 Learning the tasks for best teaching
strategies
 Learning from the “natural trainer”
 Job
Support
 Facilitating
the employer’s support plan
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Customizing
Employment
For all persons with complexities
in their lives
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