Career coaches prove to be a vital resource for job seekers and employers among a challenging labor market

As COVID cases continue to rise, a shortage of healthcare workers plagues communities across the country, making a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license a highly marketable vocational credential. Unfortunately, for Grace, an Indiana job seeker who took time off to have a baby, the state’s "use it or lose it" rule that applies to CNA licenses was about to leave her incapable of advancing her career. She had just five weeks to get hired and get documented work hours on the books, or else her CNA license would expire.

That’s when Grace was referred to the CareSource JobConnect program and met Life Coach Ann De Sisti. Ann is a current member of the Indiana Skillful Governor’s Coaching Corps (SGCC), an intensive eight-month program providing coaches with the tools and training they need to better serve Hoosiers in today’s rapidly changing labor market. She believes  the leadership development and  coaching training she has received through SGCC has helped her better serve clients like Grace.

“One of the exercises I’ve found very helpful is the core values exercise, said Ann. "It was great; I use it with my clients a lot. The exercise gets them to look at who they are and what they’re about, which helps their self-esteem." After more than a year out of the workforce, Grace’s self-esteem needed a boost. Like many job seekers, she also needed to create a new resume and work on her interview skills. Ann helped Grace revitalize her resume, and together, they practiced making a strong first impression.

JobConnect has relationships with several employer partners who hire Certified Nursing Assistants, enabling Ann to tailor a match based on Grace's individual situation. Grace preferred in-home care over a nursing facility, so she picked the job that best fit her and applied. The JobConnect team reached out to the employer with a letter of recommendation and the employer called Grace that same afternoon. Within a few days, she was hired and got to keep her CNA license. "You are amazing!" Grace gushed to Ann. "Thank you so much for all the help. None of this would have been possible without you!"

To learn more about the SGCC, please visit Skillful.com/indianaSGCC