A Different Path

There are many differences between searching for a job with background baggage and searching for one without. And yet, it’s been my experience that many people, folks who should know better, fail to address (in practical terms) this reality right up front, decisively, and strategically. It is as if background-challenged job seekers were just like everyone else, and all they had to do was get out there, submit resumes, and fill out applications until something stuck. No! This is, in a nutshell, why the failure rate is so high—the approach is wrong, or there might not even be an “approach,” just an afterthought, “Oh, yeah, and you’ll also have to get a job.”

Everyone is NOT the same, and there is rarely a level playing field. Efforts to modify the system to alleviate some of the built-in barriers help but will never be finished. Those with the means and motivation will develop clever new ways to identify and eliminate candidates they deem undesirable long before there’s a real chance of success. So, while I support and applaud changing the Marketplace, I believe the best results come from giving those reentering the tools to understand, prepare for, and proactively navigate their path forward within the marketplace. However, they find it.

This set of tools starts with developing a mindset grounded in reality yet inspiring and motivating. This mindset has three parts: seeing yourself as a Free Agent, a Seller of Service, and someone who understands the basics of the Marketplace. I’ve written a fair amount about these topics and included links for those interested.

Today, I will explore three crucial elements for a promising reentry launch:

• Personal Job One

• Getting the First Job

• Delivering the Mail

I will review each of these in the context of DIFFERENCE, how and why the reentry search is unlike everyone else's.

Personal Job One

Reentering folks have issues; otherwise, there’d be no need to reenter. This is the first difference. So, to start with, let’s keep this font and center. Frankly, we all have issues, but for those reentering, there’s an order of magnitude that’s resulted in derailment and separation from society, resulting in criminal record or troublesome work history gaps. So before any meaningful job search activity occurs, a Personal Job One needs frank and unvarnished airtime: What caused/contributed to the derailment? Criminality, hanging with the wrong crowd? Addiction? Mental health challenges? There’s usually one that stands out, the elephant in the room, which requires admission and management for any hope of successful employment-based reentry. Addressing this comes first, before and during job search planning and execution. More here.

The First Job

Second chances are a blessing, but you can’t bank on them. The second difference is that everyone else may get many chances. I don't recommend it, but people always pop in and out of positions, and if there’s no background baggage, it can work. It’s not so easy for those reentering. Losing a reentry job often means returning to zero and starting once again from scratch completely. A lot is riding on First Job success, pressure from inside the person and outside from family and friends. When it doesn’t work out, climbing back up can be too great. This is why the First Job is a real THING! Doing it right takes effort and support. This is where it all begins anew. This is ground zero! More here.

Delivering The Mail

Everyone else has no mail of this sort to deliver, so they don’t have to strategize about how and when to do it. But the background-challenged person does. This is difference number three. At some point during the hiring process, they must share their story and their situation with another person. I call this Delivering the Mail. This delivery is best done through preparation, strategy, and practice. It is wildly important to get right, and it can be amazingly empowering when it is—no hyperbole here. Reentry success comes from connecting with people, which, in turn, requires candidness and honesty. This is not done willy-nilly, and there’s a degree of strategy involved; however, the idea is to move into the connection proactively. As for Delivering the Mail, this is a pivotal tactic for proactive connection. The objective is to get ahead of one’s story strategically and tactically and share critical details whenever possible at a time and manner of choosing. This is what sets the stage for a meaningful connection with another person. More here.

I suspect the reentry job search gets intermingled with “how everyone (else) does it” because it’s hard work getting it right. This is not to place any shade on program operators who struggle with funding constraints and mandates that may limit the effectiveness of their efforts. Not at all, because I’ve been there.

Reentry and reentry search are different. Start there. Try to see and approach it as if it were a marketing challenge, an athletic event, or military planning. What is the objective, the goal, that defines success? It’s not securing the first batch of customers, the first touchdown, or the first line of defense breached. It’s the end goal, the big one.

For reentry, it should be this:

To become an independent, self-sufficient citizen in good standing. - Full Stop.

Measure your efforts against this one Big Goal.

Onward!