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Delivering a 21st Century Virtual Career Center

Published Date
Author Dan DeMaio Newton

Have you ever been part of a truly high performing team? Not just a successful team, but a truly extraordinary team. A team that delivers results that can consistently exceed expectations.  Conflict exists, but not stress. There is an energy and vibrancy that inspires others inside and outside the team. Individual results exceed what each members believed they were capable. Teamwork becomes transcendental. Adjectives like magical, disciplined, ethical, and extraordinary describe them.

If I had never been on such teams, I would be skeptical of their existence. But, having been on and connected to many in workforce development over the past 15 years, I am certain of four things:

  1. High performing teams can be intentionally built.
  2. The structure outside of the team is critical in establishing a successful ecosystem for the team.
  3. These teams allow themselves to be vulnerable, visible, and vigilant.
  4. The teams embrace a pervasive “never satisfied” mindset that coaches and inspires better

Structure influences results. Technology will continue to serve as our workforce development core. As a result, technology choices are major enablers and disablers determining your performance and potential.

Scan the two lists below and add up the number of items from each list that reflect your existing state virtual career center. Do you see your state’s job board as high performing or low performing?

Characteristics of a Low Performing Virtual Career Center

  1. Fragmented vision
  2. Inflexible and difficult to adapt to changing business needs
  3. Ignorant of key stakeholders
  4. Absence of human-centered design
  5. Technology constrains agility
  6. Mobile as an afterthought
  7. Government-centric
  8. Case Management Centric

Qualities of a High Performing Virtual Career Center

  1. Clear shared vision among stakeholders
  2. Agility to respond quickly to changes resulting from policy, events, and opportunity
  3. Correct assignment of authority, responsibility, accountability, and work to appropriate stakeholders
  4. Human-centered design as a core principle
  5. Technology enables agility
  6. Enough space to experiment & explore leading edge technologies (e.g., cognitive systems, big data, near field communication)
  7. Holistic – business, job seeker, education, service partners, and government-centric
  8. Success-Management Centric

Scan the list a second time. Which ones do you want? Intent is the necessary first step in making change happen.

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