NextJob

 Purpose

NextJob helps job seekers leverage tools to find a better job. It covers some workplace skills, but the primary focus is on landing a job that is a good fit for the job seeker. It helps participants build a plan, explore their talents, and present themselves well to prospective employers.

 Pricing Summary (subject to change)

Cost for unlimited participants: $0 (with True Charity Network membership)

 Perspective

NextJob’s mission is to help all job seekers land jobs and avoid the many impacts of unemployment. Their vision is that everyone who wants a job should have a job. NextJob keeps their tool practical and positive. There is both a Christian and general audience version of the software.

 Structure

This is an online, on-demand resource for your students. It consists of 10 interactive modules covering topics including self-discovery of personal strengths, exploration of career fields, strategies to find visible and "hidden" jobs,  how to communicate with prospective employers, write cover letters and resumes, as well as how to ace an interview. The modules allow participants to complete essential products such as career plans, elevator pitches, and resumes as they learn, inside the software. The course has about 10 hours of content, though additional time could be spent refining work search products.

 Best For

This program is designed for entry to mid-level career fields and while it is not optimized for people in poverty, it is still relevant for most of them. It is designed for people who are not tech-savy and is machine translatable into most languages. There is a mildly faith-based version of the program, as well as one available for general audiences.

This can be used by any church or nonprofit.

 Evidence That It Works

NextJob has been refining their software since 2007 and has applied it in a wide variety of contexts in support of state government projects as well as in cooperation with mortgage lenders and employers. In a survey of over 10,000 job seekers, this curriculum boosted job search preparedness by an average of 32%. Other studies by the creator show a 60% reduction in job search time.

 Cost and Resources

Your participants will have to have internet access and a computer or mobile device. If they do not, you will need to provide them.

NextJob recommends job coaching in conjunction with the online training to maximize the impact. While there isn’t a formal curriculum for this, it can consist of reviewing finished products with participants, such as their resume or personal “elevator pitch.”

 How to order:

Click here to complete a brief form to gain FREE access this resource. To visit their public website, go to NextJob.

 What We Love

This tool is easy to implement for multiple clients simultaneously. It can be used as a standalone offering, or as an augmentation to other tools. We also love that NextJob allows us to offer their software for free!

 Considerations

As this is an online program, it is not going to be as transformational as an in-person class and probably would not be a good tool for someone who doesn’t see why they need a job. However, in the words of the creators, this is designed to get people’s job readiness from a “D” level of knowledge to a “B+,” and it does so in a highly flexible and low resource way.

Links Reviewed 6/24/24