1795 Henderson Hwy, P.O. Box 28060, RPO North Kildonan, Winnipeg, MB
Phone: (204) 471-5668 | Fax: (204) 478-6677 | info@indep.ca

Posts Tagged ‘services we offer’

Examining Our Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation

Posted by Victor Andres

Depositphotos_9311299_xsWhen an individual has experienced a long layoff from work, finding a job can often be the furthest thing from this person’s mind. Naturally, a return to better health after an arduous bout with an illness or injury is priority. However, for many, when it comes time to return to the workforce, it feels like an insurmountable task. Often, a new résumé needs to be prepared, interview skills need to be brushed up on and the very idea of working needs to be accepted.

Needless to say, it’s not easy. Consider the fact that due to the illness or injury, a person’s skill set and even interests may have significantly changed. At Independence Incorporated, we offer a Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation to test individuals looking to get back into the workforce. We use a combination of paper and pencil tests, computer assessments and hands-on work samples in order to assess an individual’s interests, aptitudes and achievement levels.

The overall objective, of course, is to adequately prepare such individuals for employment opportunities that they are best suited for. There are three specialized types of tests that we use to determine a person’s abilities to work in specific areas. They are Interest Tests, Aptitude Tests and Achievement Tests. By completing these tests, individuals are better suited to locate the right careers paths for themselves.

Interest Tests. As the name suggests, these tests are used to determine a person’s interests. As you can imagine, it greatly helps for a person to enjoy his or her work if he or she is actually interested in the field. The tests allow us to identify preferred work environments, work styles, and occupational groups. For example, we work to determine if someone is best suited for either sales or customer service or whether a mechanical or technical field is more fitting.

Aptitude Tests. These tests help to determine an individual’s skill level. Essentially, they answer such questions as “what are you best at?” or “what talents do you have?”. The tests are used to identify a person’s capacities or abilities that can help when being taught the specifics of a new job. Aptitude tests may be conducted through either paper and pencil tests or through computer assessments and work samples.

Achievement Tests. These tests work to identify the educational levels of individuals looking to re-enter the world of work. Through a computer assessment program that measures “General Educational Development”, we assess a job-seeker’s reasoning development and ability to follow instructions. In addition, both language and mathematics skills are measured. Following the completion of all testing, we develop a “Personal Qualifications Profile”.

This profile allows us to establish a list of potential employment opportunities. Using this list, an individual is given greater insight into what type of occupational options he or she has. The results of all testing is utilized to come up with a list that takes into account one’s interests, aptitudes and academic achievements as well as transferable skills. However, there are a number of other factors that help us to compile one’s profile.

They include one’s vocational history, an establishment of medical restrictions (if applicable), a compilation of suitable occupations and a labour market survey of identified and determined job opportunities. This includes information about job availabilities and wages. At Independence Incorporated, we have found that our Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation is extremely helpful in getting people to find their right vocational matches.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 204-478-6644.

Finding Perfect Fits Through Our Job Search Assistance Program

Posted by Victor Andres

Teamwork at officeFinding a job can be tough. And it’s even tougher when you haven’t been a member of the work force for some time. Naturally, when a person becomes ill or injured, it’s important for him or her to think with a “health first” attitude. So, when a person recovers, he or she may not have been thinking about working for quite a while. In many cases, people recovering from health issues have the opportunity to return to their original jobs.

And, in many other cases, recovered individuals need to seek new employment. As you can imagine, many of them have a “where do I go from here?” state of mind. And that can be expected. It makes sense that they would need some assistance with finding a new job. This is where Independence Incorporated’s “Job Search Assistance Program” comes in. It is designed to comfortably reacquaint job-seekers with the world of work.

Essentially, the program begins for our clients once realistic and reasonable occupational choices have been decided upon. It is tailored to the specific and unique needs of each individual client. This way, we know that we will be helping to put the right people in the right job positions. It’s hard enough to return to work after a long layoff as it is. The last thing anyone would want would be to begin a job that he or she is uncomfortable with.

There are a number of components to the “Job Search Assistance Program”. As you may have guessed, it begins with finding the answers to some of the more obvious questions that one would ask when it comes to beginning a job search. What lines of work are you interested in? What type of work experience do you have? What are your strongest attributes and talents? We then move on to performing some or all of the following components of the program.

Regular client meetings. By meeting with our clients on a regular basis, we are able to establish the various responsibilities and obligations we have during the job search process. The meetings include discussions about setting goals and establishing an activity log. Naturally, some of the above listed questions get answered more clearly during this step of the process. It’s all about finding our clients the right fit.

Resume preparation. As you can imagine, a major component to landing a new job position is preparing an adequate résumé. Last month, in our “6 Steps To Creating The Perfect Résumé” blog, we offered a number of great tips to help job-seekers to get it right. This component of the “Job Search Assistance Program” also includes interview coaching and network development. Our most recently posted blog, “6 Steps To Having Strong Job Interviews” is also an important read.

Daily review of classified employment ads. There’s nothing like looking for a job when you’re…looking for a job! It’s important to put in a concerted effort to locate as many employment opportunities as possible before deciding upon the ones you wish to interview for. We review newspapers and the internet for job postings but also work with a network of employment centres to help our clients find well-suited job opportunities.

At Independence Incorporated, we’re very mindful of the stress and pressure that people endure when they are out looking for work. Our efforts make it easier for clients to locate jobs that they are best suited for. A less stressful approach to job finding makes the entire process a lot more worthwhile. For more information about our Job Search Assistance Program please feel free to call us at 204-478-6644.