Overview
The first step in finding employment is getting to know the person who wants a job. This includes understanding:
- what they are good at
- what interests them
- what environments work best
- what supports or adjustments they may need.
This stage is a form of personal ‘assessment’ or mapping, often called things like ‘personalised client assessment’, ‘vocational profiling’, or ‘discovery’.
Getting to know the jobseeker also means understanding potential employers and their needs, so the best match can be made between the individual and a role. All of this information comes together in a ‘vocational profile’ that captures key details about the person. An ‘employment plan’ then captures the action steps, including which employers and jobs to target.
While there are different evidence-based approaches to this process, they share many common elements.