News and Knowledge

The fierce competitiveness of the current job market is a reality that all job seekers face. For Hire Autism job seekers, extra support to navigate these times is available thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers.

This past spring, a group of six Hire Autism Navigators answered the call to help job seekers across the nation refine their resumes and cover letters and prepare for job interviews. They are Qamar Enayah, Lori Gabrek, Dana Kanhai, Kathy Kniola, Eric McLean, and Jennifer Surrena.

Hailing from cities all over the country, they are a diverse group of professionals and autism parents with the common goal of helping job seekers prepare for employment.

They all completed virtual training to mentor Hire Autism job seekers, model professionalism, and prepare job seekers for the job search process. OAR created the Navigator program to help support job seekers registered on the Hire Autism site, which is also a jobs portal through which job seekers can apply for jobs.

“Jennifer has helped me feel better and more confident about my career path and about my strengths in the workforce,” says Matilda Guerrero, a job seeker who is currently working with Surrena. “I look forward to continue working with Jennifer and with the Hire Autism team for my job-related pursuits.”

Gabrek, notes that the training and online Hire Autism resources for job seekers have helped her in mentoring her job seeker. “The training that Hire Autism provided was very comprehensive and the team has been incredibly supportive during the process,” says Gabrek. “The job hunting resources and tools that have been created for the navigators and the job hunters are exceptional. The program is almost turnkey for the volunteers which makes it incredibly effective.”

Hire Autism navigators work with job seekers over approximately four weeks in which they make suggestions and practice strategies with their job seekers. Their document reviews and interview practice sessions, combined with the use of the Hire Autism online resources, help these young adults navigate their job searches more effectively. The concept for the Hire Autism Navigator program originated in the ENCORE Prize competition in 2017. ENCORE is an innovation hub tapping the talent of people 50+ for a force of good to help youth.

OAR needs more volunteers to help job seekers in this current job market. Please consider joining our next navigator training, which is scheduled to kick off on July 8, 2020. Applications are due on June 26.