The CPIBN staff works to make the office environment as comfortable as possible for each and every candidate. The first step of that process is assuring that the staff members are perceived as approachable and trustworthy. There is always someone to greet people walking through the front door, which works to help ease the first visit of a new candidate, or just serves as a friendly familiar face for candidates who come in each day. The second step in providing a comfortable environment for candidates is providing the means and tools for success, both in the office and online.
Every morning, Candidate B signs in at the front desk, and then signs out when he leaves each day. Attendees for each class are also asked to sign an attendance list. These lists definitely bring back grade school memories of attendance records, but they serve an important, and beneficial, purpose. Each day, Shelley, the Office Manager, makes note of who was in the office and who attended each class. This information is then used to update each candidate’s personal online portal. The inputted information then updates the “job search tracker.”
Most job searches take three to six months, and in some cases longer, which seems daunting to many of the candidates, including Candidate B. The tracker is a way to not only help Candidate B understand which classes he still needs to attend, or what specific training information he should read, but knowing (approximately) where he’s at in the job search, from a training perspective, helps with optimism and emotional balance.
Studies on goals have led to the development of “S.M.A.R.T.” when setting new goals (i.e. a new job search):
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Timeframe
People who write down and track their goals are more likely to achieve those goals. Tracking, or measuring, his goals allows Candidate B to celebrate smaller successes (like the meeting with a target company he landed last week, and an interview with another company this week). Completing smaller steps makes the climb towards the bigger goal seem more manageable. Candidate B finds that the motivation achieved from finishing the smaller tasks and steps on his daily to-do list turns into determination to tackle the more difficult tasks.
#CPBINgoesto work each day to help make Candidate B’s, and all candidates’, transitions as smooth as possible. Providing the online and in class tools necessary for success as well as a smile and welcome office are all equally important during, what usually is, a stressful time.