People with serious mental illness (SMI) also want a job. Most employers shy away from recruiting staff with an increased risk of absence due to ill health. The Dutch situation may be of interest to other countries because employers are reluctant to hire staff due to the strong legal position of workers. This strong legal position protects workers in case of dismissal. In addition, employers are obliged to maintain salary commitments to workers in case of illness for an extended period of time.
OBJECTIVE:
What are the most effective strategies for employment specialists to use in order to make contact with potential employers? If it works in the Netherlands, we suggest, it will work in other countries as well.
METHODS:
We interviewed successful Dutch employment specialists: individually as well in a focus group. A three-step analysis process inspired by grounded theory was used.
RESULTS:
We describe nine effective strategies for establishing contact with potential employers.
CONCLUSION:
Networking strategies are considered to be the most effective.
BrownD. W., & KonradA. M. (2001). Granovetter was right: The importance of weak ties to a contemporary job search. Group & Organization Management, 26, 434–462.
2.
BissonnetteD. (1994), Beyond traditional job development: The art of creating opportunity. Chatsworth, CA: Milt Wright & Associates.
3.
CarlsonL., SmithG., & RappC. A. (2008). Evaluation of conceptual selling as a job development planning process. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 31, 219–225.
4.
CharmazK. (2006), Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
5.
DelespaulPh., & consensusgroepEPA. (2013). Consensus over de definitie van mensen met een ernstige psychische aandoening (EPA) en hun aantal in Nederland [Consensus regarding the definition of persons with severe mental illness and the number of such persons in the Netherlands]. Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie, 55, 427–438.
6.
DrakeR. E., BondG. R., & BeckerD. R. (2012), Individual Placement and Support: An evidence-based approach to supported employment. New York, NY: Oxford University.
7.
FabianE. S. (1999). Rethinking work: The example of consumers with mental health disorders. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 42, 302–316.
8.
FeskoS., & TemiliniD. (1997). What consumers and staff tellus about effective job search strategies. In
KiermanW. & ShalockR.(Eds.), Integrated Employment. Washington, DC: American Assocation on Mental Retardation, pp. 67–81.
9.
GloverC. M., & FrounfelkerR. L. (2011). Competencies of employment specialists for effective job development. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 14, 198–211.
10.
GowdyE. A., CarlsonL. S., & RappC. A. (2003). Practices differentiating high-performing from low-performing supported employment programs. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 26, 232–239.
11.
HagnerD. (2003). Job development and job search assistance. In
SzymanskiE. & ParkerR. (Eds.), Work and Disability. Austin, TX: PRO-ED, pp. 343–372.
12.
HoffD., GandolfoC., GoldM., & JordanM. (2000). Demystifying Job Development: Field-based Approaches to Job Development for People with Disabilities. St. Augustine, FL: Training Resource Network, Inc.
13.
LeffH. S., CookJ. A., GoldP. B., TopracM. G., BlylerC., GoldbergR. W., McFarlaneW., ShaferM., AllenI. E., Camacho-GonsalvesT., & RaabB. (2005). Effects of job development and job support on competitive employment of persons with severe mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 56, 1237–1244.
14.
LeukingR. G., & FabianE. S. (2000). Paid internships and employment success for youth in transition. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 23, 205–221.
15.
LueckingR., FabianE. S., & TilsonG. P. (2004). Working Relationships: Creating career opportunities for Job seekers with disabilities through employer partnerships. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
16.
MichonH., BusschbachJ. T. van, StantA. D., VugtM. D. van, WeeghelJ. van, & KroonH. (2014). Effectiveness of Individual Placement and Support for People With Severe Mental Illness in the Netherlands: A 30-Month Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 37, 129–136.
17.
SwansonS. J., & BeckerD. R. (2011), Supported Employment: Applying the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model to help clients compete in the workforce. Center City, MN: Hazelden.
18.
SwansonS. J., & BeckerD. R. (2013). IPS Supported Employment: A practical guide. Lebanon, NH: Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center.
19.
SwansonS. J., BeckerD. R., & BondG. R. (2013). Job Development Guidelines in Supported Employment. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 36, 122–124.
20.
SwildensW., BusschbachJ. T. van, MichonH., KroonH., Os.J. van, & WiersmaD. (2011). Effectively working on rehabilitation goals: 24-month outcome of a randomized controlled trial of the Boston Psychiatric Rehabilitation Approach. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 56, 751–760.
21.
TaylorA. C., & BondG. R. (2014). Employment specialist competencies as predictors of employment outcomes. Community Mental Health Journal, 50, 31–40.
22.
UngerD. D. (2002). Employer attitudes towards people with disabilities in the workplace: Myth or realities? In
UngerD. D.,
KregelJ.,
WehmanP., & BrookeV. (Eds.), Employers views of workplace supports: Virginia Commonwealth University Charter Business Roundtable’s National Study of Employers’ Experiences with Workers with Disabilities. Richmond: Virginia Commonwealth University, pp. 1–12.
23.
WhitleyR. E., KostickK., & BushP. (2010). Desirable characteristics and competencies of supported employment: An empirically-grounded framework. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 37, 509–519.
24.
World Health Organization. (2001). International classification of functioning, disability and health. Geneva: World Health Organization.
