Add Value to Your Rapid Response Strategy
with the Rapid Reemployment Initiative
Monday, October 5, 2009
Welcome!
Today’s Webinar is Facilitated by:
 Jolene Jefferies, VP Strategic Initiatives, DirectEmployers Association
 Pam Gerassimides, Assistant Executive Director, National Association of State
Workforce Agencies (NASWA)
 Deborah Beaudoin, Manager, Employment Services Operations, Connecticut
Department of Labor
Tips for a Successful Webinar:
 Due to large attendance, all participants are in muted mode. Please use the
“QUESTION” area (not “chat”) to ask a question of the presenters. Your
questions will be answered verbally at the end of the call.
 If you are having technical issues, please use the “QUESTION” area to contact
Christy, or email her at [email protected]
Today’s Agenda
 About the joint alliance between DirectEmployers Association and the
National Association of State Workforce Agencies
 What is the JobCentral National Labor Exchange?
 About the national Rapid Reemployment Initiative (RRI)
 Preview the web tools that make up the Rapid Reemployment system
 Initial roll-out in pilot states of CT and NJ (NY to follow)
 What does it all cost?
 Next steps for nationwide roll-out for all states
 How states and employers can utilize this initiative
 How we can work together to align and leverage the assets of all workforce
partners
 Learn about Connecticut’s implementation of the RRI
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Pam Gerassimides, NASWA
National Labor Exchange:
Getting More Real Jobs in the Hands of American Jobseekers
Monday, October 5, 2009
Your National Association
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES
 Non-profit association, representing state workforce agencies
 Mission:
 Strengthen the public workforce system
 Pursue funding to support programs and services
 Develop new service delivery and integrity mechanisms – focus on
innovation and technology
 Outreach and advocacy
 Create an environment of superior customer service to employers and
workers
Online Commercial Job Board Industry at Crossroads
THE ONLINE RECRUITING MARKET CHALLENGES
•
Employers face challenges
– Prices are high
– Customer service is deteriorating
– Level / Quantity of referred candidates declining
•
Jobseekers face challenges
– Privacy concerns: Lack of trust in Commercial Industry and Resume Theft
– Diminishing numbers of job postings – Fortune 500s can only list 25-30% of their jobs
– Focus on “marketing” is turning off jobseekers
 Interstitial ads
 Marketing emails
 Offers to buy placement in search results
 Non-job related product & services offered
– Increase in “work from home” / “start business” postings
•
Major Flaw in Commercial Model
– Goal is maximizing profit – not facilitating overall labor exchange
– Mining jobseeker data becomes too tempting for short term gain
– Little regulation of industry
JobCentral National Labor Exchange
HOW DID THE NLX COME TO BE?
 Began as a response to the U.S. Department of Labor’s
discontinuation of America’s Job Bank
 Provided as a public service and offered at no cost to State
Workforce Agencies through a joint partnership between DEA and
NASWA
 Fulfills the Wagner-Peyser Act requirement of “a nationwide system
of public labor exchange services”
 Utilizes search engine technology and provides a single place where
job seekers can find employment opportunities nationwide
DirectEmployers Association
OUR PARTNERS – DIRECTEMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION
 Owned and managed by member companies as a non-profit association to
facilitate recruitment through the JobCentral National Labor Exchange
 480+ Member Companies – 90% are Fortune 500
 21 Board of Directors – Member Companies
 Why Them?
 Aligned Mission -To provide a cost-effective national employment system that improves labor market efficiency and
reflects our nation’s diverse workforce.
 Market Leaders
 Solid Business Case
 Advanced technology / highly automated
 Non-profit Status
Status Update
STATUS
47 states and DC have signed participation agreements
Email delivery of FCJL jobs to all 50 states plus D.C. and Puerto Rico
Uploads (41 states) and downloads (30 states) have gone remarkably
smoothly for participating states
Jointly governed by employers and states through two standing
committees: Executive Committee and Operations Committee
JobCentral National Labor Exchange (NLX)
SERVICES PROVIDED AT NO COST TO STATES
 Non-duplicate job openings into state job banks – Why?
 State customers have access to more employment opportunities
 70% of jobs on NLX are not on commercial job boards
 Free hosting of state job banks:
 Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, & Mississippi
 Flexible JobCentral feeds:
 States can upload jobs into NLX for national distribution
 States can access job postings from leading U.S. companies by accepting
downloads with flexibility and a variety of options
 Free indexing is available through the States for ALL employers (including those who
are not DEA Members)
 Integrated search functionality provides results from major job search engines,
(reduces need to purchase separate job spidering services)
 Free xml file currently available for your LMI research purposes, upon request
JobCentral National Labor Exchange (NLX)
MORE SERVICES PROVIDED AT NO COST TO STATES
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Auto-coded by O*NET
USAjobs – Jobs distribution to States accepting downloads
Daily emails to Vet Reps of new FCJL jobs
Free state-specific web sites to replace legacy AJB state sites
Collaboration with USAR, VA, AACC, NACE
Participation in Rapid Reemployment Initiative
 Coming Soon:
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OFCCP Compliance Reports for States
Jobs networking
Analytics
Search Engine Optimization
Extended job search functionality by SimplyHired, Indeed, and Google
10/6/2009
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CONCLUSION
•
NLX fulfills the federal legislative mandate for providing a national labor
exchange.
•
A unique public private partnership -- combines the best features of the private
sector (nimbleness and innovation) and public sector (trusted source and
honest broker)
•
Partners, not vendor/client
•
Sharing issues and creating solutions together
•
Looking forward to working with the workforce development system in
continuing to provide 21st century employment services to our nation.
Jolene Jefferies, DirectEmployersAssociation
About the Rapid Reemployment Initiative
How it all started:
 In the August 2008 NLX Operations Committee Meeting in Atlanta, we
discussed how we can positively impact reemployment initiatives and
reduce unemployment compensation costs.
 Soon after, NASWA was approached by the state of NJ in response to the
crises in the financial services sector. NJ helped to bring CT and NY into
the discussion.
 At the same time, DEA was approached by several employer members
regarding their job losses and the need for support in the current
economic environment.
About the National
Rapid Reemployment Initiative
 As a response, DEA and NASWA jointly developed the Rapid
Reemployment Initiative to achieve two major goals:
1. To create an ongoing national rapid reemployment project to connect downsizing
employers with hiring employers for the benefit of those employees affected by
any type of job loss.
2. To create a process and system to offer job-matching to UI claimants.
 The Rapid Reemployment Initiative includes three online modules:
1. An employer outplacement exchange
2. A career event database
3. A resume builder with integrated job search tools
 Here is a visual graphic of what the Rapid Reemployment Initiative looks
like . . . . .
Appropriate modules are available to states to
place relevant pages on their systems to provide
information and entry points to the system.
About the National
Rapid Reemployment Initiative
 The mission of the Rapid Reemployment Initiative is to:
 Connect downsizing employers with hiring employers,
 Inform employers and job seekers about career events around the
nation, and
 Connect displaced employees to employers who are currently hiring.
 JobCentral, in conjunction with the Rapid Reemployment Initiative, is
the place where labor supply meets demand.
 Imagine the connections that can be made through the use of these
tools!
Overview of the
Employer Outplacement Exchange
 So let’s look at the tools of the Rapid Reemployment Initiative.
 This brief demo will review the process by user group as follows:
 Downsizing Employer
 Hiring Employer
 Job Seeker
 Here we go…..
RRI entry from the home page of Connecticut’s Job Bank:
RRI entry page from JobCentral home page:
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Click on “Start Now”:
The downsizing
employer can
begin by
creating an
account and
entering in their
company name,
contact and
login
information:
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Once the
employer
has
created
their new
account,
they can
begin
entering
their
downsizing
event on
this page:
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Here is an example of a downsizing event for ABC Company:
Scroll down on this same page to indicate when and how the
employer’s downsizing action will be visible in the RRI system. Visibility
is defaulted to 6 months, but the employer can change this if necessary.
For more visibility settings, click on “view visibility settings”:
After the employer indicates their desired visibility settings, click on “save downsizing
action”:
Now you will see the employer’s Administration Console from which
you can perform additional functions. Let’s review each of these
functions, starting with “Edit Company Information”:
Admin Console – Edit Company Information:
Admin Console – Manage Contacts:
Admin Console – Add Downsizing Action:
Admin Console – Manage Downsizing Actions:
Admin Console – Activity:
Admin Console – Career Events:
Frequently Asked Questions:
At anytime while you are using the RRI, please feel free to provide us with
your feedback so we can continually improve the system:
Let’s go back to Career Events. With the
help of Rapid Response, many downsizing
employers will host dedicated career
events for their displaced employees.
Or, as an employer, you can also get to Career Events from this link at
www.JobCentral.com:
From this link, there are several options to utilize the features of the
Career Events functionality:
Overview of the
Career Event Network
 What is the Career Event Network?
The JobCentral Career Event Network is a search engine of local, national and international career
events designed to facilitate the connection between job seekers and employers. Career events
provide a great networking opportunity to enable job seekers and employers to meet personally and
interact directly with each other.
 Examples of Career Events:
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Career Fair / Job Fair / Career Expo
Hiring Fair
Open House
Employer Day / Applicant Information Session
Military Transition Assistance Planning (TAP) Class
Military-Related Career Fair
College or University Recruiting Event
Community College or Technical School Recruiting Event
High School Recruiting Event
Targeted Career Exploration Session
Online or Virtual Career Fair
Overview of the
Career Event Network
 Who can post a Career Event?

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







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Employers
One-Stop Career Centers
Government Agencies (State or Federal)
Military Transition Centers or Related Government Programs
Universities and 4-Year Colleges
Community Colleges and Technical Schools
High Schools
Chambers of Commerce
Career Fair or Job Fair Companies
Staffing, Employment or Recruiting Search Firms and Agencies
Outplacement Firms and Agencies
Industry Associations
Professional Military Associations
Veterans Service Organizations
Community-Based Organizations
Labor Unions
Other
Overview of the
Career Event Network
 Basic functionality of the Career Event Network:
 Career event sponsors can post and manage their career events
 With permission, career events can be indexed or spidered to avoid manual data input
by career event sponsors
 Job seekers can search for job fairs and career events to attend
 Employers can search for recruiting / exhibitor opportunities
 Search results display; takes user back to site where career event originated
 Career events can be “open to the public” or “by invitation only”
 Both job seekers and employers can sign up for automated alerts
 Links into the Rapid Reemployment Initiative, including the Employer Outplacement
Exchange, the resume database, the job search engine, and automated job search
agents
Overview of the
Career Event Network
 Cost to post events in the Career Event Network:
 A Career Event Sponsor can post a career event at no cost.
 Indexing or feeds from Career Event Sponsors will be accepted to ease the
posting and exchange of career event information.
 All career event submissions will be reviewed prior to acceptance and
posting to the JobCentral site. A verification and validation process will be
followed to ensure all career events are legitimate career events by
legitimate career event sponsors. This process will take up to two days or
no more than 48 hours.
 Career event postings expire automatically at midnight of the final
day/conclusion of the career event as indicated by the career event end
date.
Enter a career event from the Admin
Console by clicking on “Add New
Event”:
ABC Company can enter a dedicated career event for the displaced
employees of their downsizing event:
Continue entering ABC Company’s dedicated career event here:
If desired, “Add Advanced Information (Optional)” about ABC
Company’s dedicated career event here, and then “SUBMIT”:
In a moment, we’ll come back again to Career Events to demonstrate
how to search for career events as a job seeker or a hiring employer.
Overview of the
Employer Outplacement Exchange
 So let’s continue to look at the tools of the Rapid Reemployment
Initiative. So far, I’ve shown you how a downsizing employer can enter a
downsizing action and a related career event for their displaced
employees.
 Next, I am going to show you how the hiring employer can use the RRI
tools and search for downsizing events. Hiring employers have the same
functionality and options for posting career events as downsizing
employers do, and we’ve already reviewed how career events get posted
by employers.
 A hiring employer can access the RRI through the same entry points as a
downsizing employer.
 Here we go…..
Hiring Employer – Now let’s say that ABC Company has job opportunities and
wants to search downsizing events to find potential job seekers matching the
skills needed for the job openings at ABC Company:
The hiring employer then enters in their email address and password to
“register” and/or “log in”:
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After receiving your email with your password, go back and login:
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Now, the hiring
employer can
search
downsizing
actions (blue
arrow), and
request resume
search and RRI
access (red
arrow):
NOTE: The $25
annual fee is only
charged to
employers who
are not registered
with the state and
is charged to verify
the employer as a
valid, legitimate
employer.
10/6/2009
55
After clicking on
“Search
Downsizing
Actions”, you will
be taken to this
page where you
can start your
search. In this
example, I
clicked on the
“Search” button
to search all
downsizing
events in the
system, and the
results show at
the bottom of the
page:
The Hiring Employer (ABC
Company) may wish to invite
(British Telecom’s) displaced
employees to apply for job
opportunities at ABC Company.
The Hiring Employer (ABC
Company) may wish to invite
displaced employees (from British
Telecom) to attend a public career
event via the Rapid
Reemployment Initiative.
The Hiring Employer (ABC Company)
may wish to invite displaced
employees (from British Telecom) to
attend an ABC Company specific
career event via the Rapid
Reemployment Initiative. BT can also
host a specific career event and it
would show up on this page.
The Hiring Employer (ABC
Company) may wish to request
private resume database access
(from British Telecom) to search
BT’s displaced employees’
resumes for ABC Company’s job
opportunities.
The Hiring
Employer (ABC
Company) may
wish to request
downsizing
company contact
information (from
British Telecom) to
connect with BT
and their displaced
employees for ABC
Company’s job
opportunities.
Overview of the RRI’s Job Seeker Tools
 So let’s continue to look at the tools of the Rapid Reemployment
Initiative. So far, I’ve shown you how a downsizing employer can enter a
downsizing action and a related career event for their displaced
employees. I’ve also demonstrated how a hiring employer can search for
downsizing events to connect with downsizing employers.
 Next, I am going to show you how the displaced employee or job seeker
can use the RRI tools.
 Here we go…..
Displaced Employee / Job Seeker enters RRI here:
Displaced Employee (Job Seeker) searches for their employer and related layoff:
Displaced Employee (Job Seeker) searches for their employer and related layoff:
Displaced Employee (Job Seeker) creates a free account and posts a resume:
Once the Job Seeker has registered to create a new account, check your email:
Job Seeker checks his/her email and cllicks on the link in the email:
Clicking on
the link in
the email
takes the
Job Seeker
to this page
to login
upon
verification.
Now the job seeker enters in his/her email address and password to
continue the login process to post a resume:
Job Seeker dashboard:
Job Seeker dashboard (continued):
Job Seeker clicks on “Post/Edit
Resume” from dashboard:
Job Seeker continues through
the process to complete his/her
resume…..
After the Displaced Employee (Job
Seeker) from British Telecom has
created and posted his/her resume,
they can return to this page to “Search
Career Events”*:
* While Job seekers can also
“Search Career Events” from this
page, they can also do so from the
home page of www.JobCentral.com,
OR from the Job Seeker’s dashboard
(after logging in to the resume
functionality). The “Search Career
Event” links from any of these pages
all take the Job Seeker to the next
screen:
This Job Seeker is searching for Career Events in the United States:
After the Displaced Employee (Job
Seeker) from British Telecom has
searched for career events, they can
return to this page to check if there are
any hiring employers interested in
contacting the displaced employee from
British Telecom:
Back at the beginning page for a Displaced Employee (Job Seeker)—if the Job
Seeker does a search for their employer and related layoff, but the layoff doesn’t
appear in the search results, he/she can click on this link:
The Displaced
Employee (Job
Seeker) still has
several tools
available to aid in
his/her job search
for reemployment
opportunities and
should check
back frequently to
see if his/her
employer has
entered their
downsizing event
at a later time.
What does the RRI cost?
 Job Seekers
 No cost
 Gain access through your participating State Workforce Agency’s job bank
 Gain access directly at www.JobCentral.org
 Downsizing Employers
 No cost – any employer, regardless of whether or not your company is a
member of DirectEmployers Association, can use the RRI for FREE
 Gain access through your participating State Workforce Agency’s job bank
 Gain access directly at www.JobCentral.org
What does the RRI cost?
 Hiring Employers
 FREE to employers who are members of DirectEmployers Association
(http://www.jobcentral.com/aboutde.asp)
 FREE to employers who are registered with their State Workforce Agency and
utilize the state’s employment and Rapid Response services
 FREE to all employers based in Connecticut, Mississippi or New Jersey
 $25 annual fee for employers who do not meet one of the three criteria listed
above (for registration and verification)
 Gain access through your participating State Workforce Agency’s job bank
 Gain access directly at www.JobCentral.org
What does the RRI cost?
 State Workforce Agencies
 No cost to states who choose to participate in the RRI
 Many more states are very interested and extremely anxious to get RRI
started in their state as soon as possible
 Process for states to participate is very simple—contact NASWA at 202434-8020 or email [email protected] or contact DEA at 317-8749026 or email [email protected]
 States can create relevant pages on their systems to provide information
and entry points to the RRI system
 States can integrate the RRI tools into their Rapid Response strategy
 States are asked to support marketing and PR efforts by communicating
the RRI to your employer partners and communities
What does the RRI cost?
 College Career Placement Centers
 No cost* for colleges and universities who are members of the National
Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
 No cost* for colleges who are members of the American Association of
Community Colleges (AACC)
 Gain access through your participating State Workforce Agency’s job bank
 Gain access directly at www.JobCentral.org
* Downsizing Employers and Job Seekers can access and use the tools of Rapid Reemployment Initiative at no cost. For Hiring
Employers, there is a $25.00 annual registration and verification fee for those who do not meet one of these criteria: (1) member of
DirectEmployersAssociation, (2) based in Connecticut or Mississippi, or (3) verified by a participating state workforce agency in the
Rapid Reemployment Initiative system.
What does the RRI cost?
 Outplacement & RPO Firms, Recruiting & Staffing Agencies, and Other
Job Placement Agencies or Programs (e.g., including military transition centers, similar
community and job placement agencies, and special reemployment or career placement initiatives)
 If using the RRI for entering downsizing or outplacement on behalf of your
employer clients, there is no cost*
 If using the RRI for recruiting and hiring purposes on behalf of your employer
clients, there is no cost*
 If using the RRI to help displaced employees find new work, there is no cost*
 Gain access through your participating State Workforce Agency’s job bank
 Gain access directly at www.JobCentral.org
* Downsizing Employers and Job Seekers can access and use the tools of Rapid Reemployment Initiative at no cost. For Hiring
Employers, there is a $25.00 annual registration and verification fee for those who do not meet one of these criteria: (1) member of
DirectEmployersAssociation, (2) based in Connecticut or Mississippi, or (3) verified by a participating state workforce agency in the
Rapid Reemployment Initiative system.
What does the RRI cost?
 Industry, Trade, Business and Professional Associations
 If using the RRI for entering downsizing or outplacement on behalf of your
employer clients, there is no cost*
 If using the RRI for recruiting and hiring purposes on behalf of your employer
clients, there is no cost*
 If using the RRI to help displaced employees find new work, there is no cost*
 Gain access through your participating State Workforce Agency’s job bank
 Gain access directly at www.JobCentral.org
* Downsizing Employers and Job Seekers can access and use the tools of Rapid Reemployment Initiative at no cost. For Hiring
Employers, there is a $25.00 annual registration and verification fee for those who do not meet one of these criteria: (1) member of
DirectEmployersAssociation, (2) based in Connecticut or Mississippi, or (3) verified by a participating state workforce agency in the Rapid
Reemployment Initiative system.
Next Steps for Nationwide Implementation of the RRI
 All states are now invited to participate in the National Rapid
Reemployment Initiative at no cost
 Webinar October 5 for interested states to learn more and to request a
copy of the RRI Implementation Guide for State Workforce Agencies
 Respond to Pam or Jolene if interested no later than October 19
 First conference call with states who are interested in implementing RRI
will be on October 26th at 2:00 p.m. EDT
 Even though the next wave of states wanting to implement the RRI will
be handled via group conference sessions together with all the
interested states, implementation dates for additional states will depend
on each state’s readiness and their own timeline for how they wish to
integrate the RRI services into their state’s Rapid Response services.
 Any states here today interested? Who is the primary contact for each of
these states?
Deborah Beaudoin, Connecticut
Connecticut’s Implementation & Challenges
• RRI Launched in CT and NJ
• Action plan to get employers in RRI
– Need downsizing employer data in system prior to
launch
• Utilize WARN employers
– CT unable to facilitate as a result of high work
volume, staff shortages and early retirement
• Decision to move forward
CT Steps to Optimize RRI
• Educate Employers
– Utilize:
•
•
•
•
Rapid Response Team
Business Services Representatives
CT JobCentral
Partners
– State Administrative tool
• Ability to enter information into RRI for employer
Next Steps to Optimize RRI
• Continue to increase employment services onsite at downsizing employers
– Partnership with Rapid Response Team essential
– Educate displaced workers early
– Search RRI for hiring employers and CT JobCentral
for job seeker prior to layoff
– Complete resume before layoff
Reemployment Opportunities
Back to Basics
Thoughtful Assessment
Reactive to Proactive
Long-Term Sustainability
Opportunities: Back to Basics
• Reinforce the Bottom Line
– Jobseeker needs a job – Employer needs a skilled worker
– Workers not always interested in training
• CT JobCentral
– Utilize to full potential
– Analytics tools
• Rapid Reemployment Initiative
– Collaborate with Rapid Response Team, other programs and
workforce partners
Opportunities:Thoughtful Assessment
• Take a Step Back
– What works in our current system?
– What doesn’t work?
– Where are existing opportunities we can expand?
•
•
•
•
Rapid Response Activities
CT JobCentral
Rapid Reemployment Initiative
Libraries
Opportunities: Reactive to Proactive
1.
2.
3.
Once it’s a Crisis – It’s Too Late
Create a better, comprehensive approach we can sustain
long-term
 Focus on Early intervention and Rapid Response
Activities
 Provide on-site services prior to layoff as the norm
not the exception
 Provide services at Libraries
Utilize effective, affordable tools
1.
2.
CT JobCentral
Rapid Reemployment Initiative
Opportunities: Long-term Sustainability
• Collaboration
– Working together to maximize funding and
services with other programs and partners
– Explore tools that facilitate the needs of both
customers
• Employer and Job Seeker
– Early intervention - Reduce weeks collecting
unemployment
Questions?
Deborah Beaudoin
Connecticut Department of Labor
Employment Services Operations Manager
[email protected]
860-263-6570
http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/
http://www.jobcentral.org/ct/
Questions?
Jolene Jefferies
Pam Gerassimides
VP Strategic Initiatives
Assistant Executive Director
[email protected]
[email protected]
317-874-9026
202-434-8020