Business Outreach Opportunities
Business Outreach Overview
Your client can request informational interviews, business tours, job shadows, and job try-outs to help develop a clear and realistic job goal and to gain insight into different opportunities.
These opportunities are important because they help our participants learn more about jobs, and get participants engaged in the community. They’re a time to congratulate our clients for stepping out of their comfort zone and are a chance to discover and build on strengths.
Important Information: We only do business outreach opportunities in the Engage Phase and the EDS-Plan Phase
Make sure to be recording the results of the opportunities on the Phase Plan document as you arrange and do them.
Types of Business Outreach on Great Work Service Document:
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Business Tours
A business tour is a tour of a facility to help your clients gauge if the type of job or company will be a good fit for them.
It is not a job interview, and the objective is not to find job openings. Be sure to send a thank you message after.
They typically last 30 – 45 minutes.
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Informational Interviews
An informational interview is an informal conversation you and your client can have with someone working in an area of interest to your client. It is an effective research tool and is best done after preliminary online research.
It is not a job interview, and the objective is not to find job openings.
They typically last 20 minutes.
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Job Shadows
A job shadow is an opportunity for you and your client to observe someone who is working at a place or type of work your client is interested in while they work.
Your client is a fly on the wall and is only observing!
It is not a job interview, and the objective is not to find job openings. Be sure to send a thank you message after.
These typically last 30 minutes to 1 hour.
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Job Try-Outs
Job Try-Out is typically a short-term UNPAID chance for them to do that job (usually 1 – 2 days).
The client will get some instructions from the employers and give the job a go. We're just looking for to assess how the job goes, work habits, and to build experience.
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Self-Guided Tour
A self-guided tour is an opportunity for you and your client to explore a business without coordinating with an employer. These shouldn’t be the main source of business outreach opportunities but can be a great way to build up to one or if an employer is hard to contact.
Business Outreach Resources:
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Business Tour Handout
The Business Tour handout can serve as a tool to help your participant record questions, observations, and reflections during and after the opportunity.
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Informational Interview Handout
The Informational Interview handout can serve as a tool to help your participant record questions and reflections before, during, and after the opportunity.
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Job Shadow Handout
The Job Shadow handout can serve as a tool to help your participant record questions, observations, and reflections during and after the opportunity.
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Job Try-Out Handout
The Job Try-Out handout can serve as a tool to help your participant record questions, observations, and reflections during and after the opportunity.
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Self Guided Tour: Customer Service
This resource asks your participant to spot great examples of customer service and some not-so-great examples.
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Self Guided Tour: Hygienic Practices
This resource asks your client to decide if a work environment is clean and hygienic at first glance and brings them through a checklist to see if the environment is actually clean.
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Self Guided Tour: Workplace Behavior
This resource asks your client to spot examples of appropriate workplace behavior and inappropriate workplace behavior.
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Employer FAQ
This FAQ has a list of frequently asked questions that you can hand directly to employers! It is also located on the “Businesses” section of the website.
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Ice-Breaker: Workplace Bingo
If your client engages through ice-breakers or games, workplace-centered Bingo could be a great way to help your client observe what employment could look like in action.
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Great Work's "Businesses" Page
Direct employers here for information about services, how they can help, and how they can benefit!
Business Outreach Tips
The E1MN Framework
The Employment First Minnesota Framework (E1MN) is designed to help make sure that Great Work helps our participants explore employment, plan for employment, find a job, and keep a job that is a perfect fit for them! Click below to learn more about each phase:
