In this report TransCen researchers compare job development practices with employers needs and expectations.

Historically, the role of job developers employed in the state/federal vocational rehabilitation program and the larger network of community based rehabilitation programs has been to identify and secure paid employment for individuals with disabilities, particularly those with significant disabilities. More recently, several authors have recommended that job developers adopt a broader marketing approach to their activities in terms of creating demand for the jobseekers they represent by demonstrating their value to the business by using relationship marketing approaches, and emphasizing the mutual benefits of their partnerships. In the challenging job market of the last couple of years, it is now more important than ever for job developers to be aware of and apply the most effective strategies in their efforts to assist job seekers to secure and maintain jobs.

While there is a growing body of literature generally describing various approaches to job development, there is very little empirical literature reporting on the actual strategies used by job development professionals in their practice. Only one study conducted over 15 years ago compared the responses of job development professionals regarding their views of their most effective strategies to those of employers. This report describes the results of our study of job development/placement professionals’ strategies in the employment process; compares these results to employer perceptions of the employment process from recent literature; and identifies implications for job development/placement practice based on this comparison.

The report is available for download for free.

This technical report is published as part of the New Jersey DiscoverAbility project, a Comprehensive Employment Services Medicaid Infrastructure Grant funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to the New Jersey Department of Human Services and its management partner the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Information about the NJ DiscoverAbility Project can be found at: www.discoverabilitynj.org.