Hiring Hoosiers is a new initiative from RTV6 that works to connect Hoosiers to employment opportunities, career development resources, training programs and educational paths. In our Hiring Hoosiers reports we are taking a closer look at barriers to employment and things that get in the way of people getting the jobs they need to support themselves and their families. For more information, visit HiringHoosiers.com.
INDIANAPOLIS — When searching for a job, many people don’t know where to start.
“You feel alone. You feel desperate," David Dessauer said. "It’s overwhelming. I hated it until I started coming here.”
Dessauer lost his job in August, but soon found Passport to Employment.
“I changed completely," he said. I got help with my resume, I got help with just contacting people who are able to help you get a job in the field that you want.”
LEARN MORE | Passport to Employment
Every Monday for the past 11 years from 7 to 9 p.m., the unemployed and underemployed meet at The Church at the Crossing on the north side.
“We’re here to help them overcome their obstacles and meet their needs," Earle Hart, the founder and director of Passport to Employment, said. "We are a support and networking group, and we teach them the job search techniques and strategies they need to open up the doors.”
Hart and dozens of volunteers teach strategies like improving your résumé, or how to utilize social media to find a job.
“What we find is those that are really high qualified [job seekers] don’t get through the system because they don’t use the right words, the right phrases, and don’t approach it in the right manner,” Hart said.
So far, Passport to Employment has helped more than 1,850 people find full-time employment, including Dessauer, who started a new job this month. Another 2,300 have found part-time or temporary work.
“This is a free service, it costs no one anything except our expectation is that if you follow our procedures and strategies you’ll find a job sooner rather than later,” Hart said.
So why does Hart help so many strangers when he gets nothing in return?
“I’ve been unemployed, so I understand what it is to be in that situation," Hart said. "If people can’t feed their families, if they can’t live at what we could call a ‘normal,’ you don’t have to be rich, you don’t have to have a lot of money to be happy, but if you don’t have it to pay your bills, it causes great stress.”
The volunteers at Passport to Employment have consulted more than 250 talent acquisition, human resources, and hiring managers to learn what they look for when recruiting new employees.
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