Career Readiness Counselor

State Career Readiness Counselor  
 

The State Career Readiness Counselor prepare and connect service members and their families within the 50 States and Territories with employment, education and financial education opportunities to maintain a resilient force capable of accomplishing the State and Federal mission. 

The program focuses on service members who are in the initial phase of the Soldier Life Cycle (SLC) from as early as a new recruit in the Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP) through their first year of service. 

Service will be offered to any service member and their family who need employment, education or financial education services. 

All service members who are unemployed or underemployed will be offered direct employment assistance and case management throughout the process. 

All service members who seek higher education opportunities will be connected with organizations and institutions through their State education office and their Families who seek financial education/services will be provided information or be connected to certified counselors and case managed throughout the process.

DUTIES INCLUDE:

• Provide one-on-one assistance to Service Members and their families including resume review, interview skills, job search assistance and personal contact with local employers
• Provide encouragement, career mentoring and job counseling
• Provide briefings and support at RSP drills to include Financial Literacy training, 12 month budget/spend plan, CSFL Overview
• Provide and capture data on CRS requirements to include Individual Assessment, Self Assessment, Annual Review, Form 2958 review, IDP overview, MOS Crosswalk and Gap analysis, resume guidance and job interview guidance
• Conduct program briefings at local armories and Yellow Ribbon events (as needed)
• Schedule workshops based on needs and interests of participants and schedule classes based on availability of classrooms, equipment, and instructor
• Design, plan, organize and offer specific training programs or workshops to help participants maintain or improve job skills at local armories
• Update database with case notes, updated resumes and participant information.
• Provide frequent and current job announcement emails
• Monitor and review Soldier last contact dates to make sure all Soldiers are contacted in a timely manner (once in a 30 day time span)
• Refer Soldiers to appropriate military family readiness support representatives if warranted and coordinate support services from other agencies
• Maintain a comprehensive resource database and contact list
• Maintain appropriate and positive relationship with National Guard Military leadership at parent and RSP sites
• Attend job fairs, special networking events and local chamber of commerce meetings to help build community awareness and support of CSFL
• Develop relationships with local employers to provide job opportunities for CSFL participants and promote incentives and services available to employers and disseminate information detailing benefits
• Facilitate a hiring/training/workshop event once a month in an armory in your vicinity
• Coordinate job applications and interviews for CSFL participants with local employers
• Provide documentation of program success through articles, emails, pictures and participant and employer interviews
• Follow up with participants once they are employed to ensure that employment data is captured and ask that surveys be completed. (send them a link and request they complete it)
• Weekly reports due by noon Monday the following week
• EDUCATION/SKILLS:
• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree and 3 years of relevant experience in career counseling, finance or life coaching.
• Background working with or in the military is strongly preferred.
• PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
• The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Physical requirements can typically be characterized as sedentary: work involves exerting up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects

GENERAL OFFICE DEMANDS:

Must be able to operate general office equipment including but not limited to: computer, phones and related media and information devices on most or all workdays

Ability to communicate and interact with others, both in person and/or by telephone to conduct business

Working under time pressure

Working rapidly for long periods to meet deadlines