John is a man in his mid-forties who has two degrees in Business and Economics but has been unemployed in customer service and sales for over two years. He returned to school to get IT certifications in hopes that his experience will help him find a position in IT maintenance and management. The document discusses the problem that older students who return to school or change careers have a difficult time finding jobs due to skills assessments not accounting for their diverse experience. It generates many ideas to address this such as standardizing skills taxonomies, implementing universal resume templates, and establishing employer sponsorship programs for career changers.

1. Ideate
Susan
Cox-­‐Smith
Design
Thinking:
Assignment
2

2. Interview
Subject
“John”
John
is
a
man
in
his
mid-­‐
for=es;
he
has
two
degrees,
Business
and
Economics,
but
has
been
out
of
work
in
the
field
of
Customer
Service
and
Sales
for
over
two
years.
He
returned
to
school
to
get
IT
cer=fica=ons,
with
the
hope
that
his
prior
experience
will
help
him
find
a
posi=on
in
his
new
career
path
in
IT
maintenance
and
management.

3. Problem
Statement
Older
students
who
return
to
school,
either
to
enhance
skills
or
to
shiN
career
path
or
profession,
are
oNen
excluded
as
viable
job
candidates
by
poten=al
employers
because
their
skills
and
experience
do
not
fit
neatly
into
current
assessment
standards
u=lized
by
employers
to
iden=fy
those
they
would
deem
to
have
the
appropriate
skills
necessary
to
fill
their
open
posi=ons.

4. Idea
Generation
• New
Format
Resume
• Universal
Job
Applica=on
SoNware
• Universal
Resume
Template(s)
• Revoke
Key
Word
Search
SoNware
as
currently
modeled
• Enact
Employment
Legisla=on
similar
to
the
European
model—6
months
trial
before
full
offer
of
employment,
harder
to
terminate
contracts
• Blind
Submission
Resumes,
no
names,
gender
or
age
iden=fica=on
• Expanded
LinkedIn
Model—Interac=ve
Resume
• Widgets
• Modules
• Blocks
• Tumblr
Resume
Model
• Links
• Samples:
Wri=ng,
Skills,
Design
• Industry
Templates
• Standardiza=on
of
Terms
and
Descrip=ons—Standard
Skills
Taxonomies

5. Idea
Generation
(continued)
• Registry
and
Na=onal
Database
of
Employment
• Employers/Job
Pos=ngs
• Applicants/Skills
&
Experience
Roster
• Single
Source
Job
Database
(Government
run?)
• Industry/Educa=onal
Coopera=ves
(Employers
work
with
Schools/Training
Facili=es)
• Local
• State
• Na=onal
• Develop
Employee
“Poten=al”
Scales
which
evaluate
based
on
poten=al
success
rather
than
job-­‐specific
previous
experience
• Disrupt
the
“Perfect
Candidate”
Scenario
• Expand
Appren=ceship
Opportuni=es
for
Technical,
Trade
and
Design
Schools
as
well
as
for
Con=nuing
Educa=on
students
• Reestablish
Appren=ceship
Requirements
for
Students
in
Technical
Fields
as
part
of
Gradua=on
Requirements
• Establish
Sliding
Scale
Fees
for
Technical
Exams
and
Cer=fica=on
Exams,
based
on
financial
need
and
whether
a
business
or
individual
is
responsible
for
the
cost.

6. Idea
Generation
(continued)
• Video
Resumes,
short
Vine-­‐inspired
videos
to
enhance
connec=on
between
applicants
and
employers
• Interac=ve,
Poreolio-­‐like
Resume
supplements/afachments
to
highlight
projects,
skills
and
experience
• Standardize
Key-­‐word
Terminology
for
Every
Industry
• Standardize
Job
Descrip=on
Terminology
for
Every
Industry
• Allow
Job
Applicants
to
Submit
only
relevant
work
experience
ini=ally,
then
suppor=ng
documenta=on
as
they
move
through
the
hiring
process
• Second-­‐Party
Ini=al
Screening
of
Applica=ons
(Anonymous
Peer
Review)
• Allow
Job
Applicants
to
Screen
Each
Other
Ini=ally
(Anonymous
Peer
Review)
• Single
Payer
Healthcare—Removing
Employer
Provision
of
Health
Care
• Address
Social
S=gma
for
Change
of
Career
Later
in
Life
• Salary
Range
Becomes
a
Required
Part
of
All
Job
Lis=ngs
• Employers
work
with
HR
to
manage
Age
Discrimina=on
Issues
• Job
Applicants
Rated
on
a
Points
Scale
in
Age/Gender
Blind
Process

7. Idea
Generation
(continued)
• Improve
Online
Applica=on
SoNware/Process
to
Accept
More
Variables
in
Experience
and
Educa=on
• Streamline
Online
Applica=ons
U=lizing
a
Common
SoNware
for
Ini=al
Ques=ons,
with
Add-­‐Ons
and
Widgets
for
Specific
Industries
• Remove
HR
Departments
(non-­‐experts)
from
the
Interviewing
and
Hiring
Process
• Encourage
Global
Employment
Opportuni=es—Enable
movement
of
skilled
workers
to
go
to
countries
where
their
skills
are
needed
and
local
workers
do
not
have
necessary
skills
and
experience
• Encourage
Global
Training
Opportuni=es—Enable
skilled
workers
to
easily
obtain
visas
and
work
permits
to
teach
and
train
new
workers
in
underserved
communi=es
• More
Employer
Sponsorship
of
Career
Change
within
an
Organiza=on
• Employer
Sponsorship
of
Long-­‐Term
Unemployed
for
Career
Change
Educa=on
to
fill
needed
posi=ons
requiring
similar
skills
and
experience
• Standardiza=on
of
Documenta=on
for
Post
High
School
Educa=on
to
Include
(and
document
equivalences
of)
Colleges/Universi=es,
Technical
Schools,
Trade
Schools,
Design
Schools,
Con=nuing
Educa=on,
including
MOOCs,
Licensing
and
Cer=fica=ons
• Government
sponsored
programs
which
encourage
employers
to
hire
older
workers
with
con=nuing
educa=on,
or
training
in
a
new
career
path.
Tax
credits?
Salary
offsets?

8. Idea
Selection
1. Standardiza=on
of
Terms
and
Descrip=ons—Standard
Skills
Taxonomies
Rather
than
try
to
implement
a
Na=onal
(or
Global)
database
for
employment,
it
might
be
more
effec=ve
to
establish
and
delegate
(possibly
legislate?)
specific
terminology
for
use
in
both
Employment
Pos=ngs
and
Job
Descrip=ons.
This
will
help
both
employers
and
job
seekers
speak
a
common
language
and
eradicate
some
of
the
opaqueness
inherent
in
Key
Word
Search
algorithms
and
other
screening
methods
being
u=lized
today
to
screen
candidates.
2. Employer
Sponsorship
of
Long-­‐Term
Unemployed
for
Career
Change
Educa=on
to
fill
needed
posi=ons
requiring
similar
skills
and
experience
Employers
with
specific
needs
could
pre-­‐employ
and
sponsor
job
candidates
with
similar
skills
and
experience
and
allow
them
=me
and
scholarship
opportuni=es
to
train
for
the
posi=ons
most
needing
to
be
filled
by
the
employer.
Students
already
in
school
could
also
take
advantage
of
the
pre-­‐employment
scheme
by
applying
for
posi=ons
which
would
be
wai=ng
for
them
when
they
graduate.
3. Disrupt
the
“Perfect
Candidate”
Scenario
Employers
have
become
obsessed
with
finding
the
perfect
candidate
for
every
posi=on.
They
want
someone
who
has
done
the
exact
job
before,
and
generally
want
to
pay
less
and
extract
more
=me
and
effort
from
the
worker.
This
has
become
more
and
more
difficult
and
is
especially
challenging
for
older
students
making
a
career
change
and
devo=ng
=me
and
money
to
educa=on
and
skills
training
in
their
area
of
interest.
These
students
may
be
entry
level
in
their
new
chosen
field,
but
bring
great
experience
and
skill,
oNen
in
highly
compa=ble
ways.
Finding
ways
to
reposi=on
these
students
as
having
great
poten(al
for
being
a
perfect
match
would
be
a
game
changer.