John Yang:
Now she's had three job interviews. On this day, she prepared for another one with a coach. She's regained her confidence and refreshed skills like resume building and time management.
Most in the program are looking for their first permanent job. For them, Cara specializes in finding transitional jobs, entry-level positions to give them not only specific skills and work experience and a paycheck, but also the personal attributes they will need to hold a long-term job, what are called soft skills, like time management and handling conflicts with co-workers.
There are similar programs in 25 other states. It's an idea that goes back to the Great Depression, when the New Deal Works Progress Administration, known as the WPA, hired the unemployed to build the country's infrastructure.
Shovel-ready was the term President Obama used during the recession that began in 2008, infrastructure projects ready to go. Now it's seen as part of the solution to helping people facing the biggest hurdles to landing a job, a criminal background or a spotty employment record.
Cara helps with both. The idea is, if a person can hold down a job for one year, they can find a job elsewhere. Their success rate? About 70 percent. The organization says that's higher than retention rates nationally.
Maria Kim is the president and CEO of Cara.
What's the bigger challenge, getting the job or holding the job for a year?
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