The Ready to Work Exchange
The beating heart of SIREN Women’s Cooperative is our Ready to Work Exchange (RTWE) where we mentor, provide tools, and support services for women who are in need of developing job search and interview skills. Our ultimate goal is for our participants to obtain meaningful work and economic security which not only improves the quality of their lives, but improves the lives of their children, family, and community.
We call our program the Ready to Work Exchange as SIREN consultants and members deeply value their time spent with participants. There are so many win-wins for both the participants and providers of our program: learning from the lived experiences of a wide range of experiences, long-term relationship building, and unparalleled networking opportunities.
For the past two years, we have partnered with Lucy’s Hearth, a 24-hour emergency and transitional shelter for families in Middletown, RI, to pilot the RTWE with their clients. Co-directors/consultants of the RTWE, Dr. Sarah Nadimpalli and Ms. Suzanne Ramponi, Certified Life Coach, have tested and refined our model to identify the key components and skills women need to complete a successful job search and interview. Therefore, the RTWE is comprised of the following 5 components:
1. Developing or editing participant resumes. Some of our clients have resume drafts already or need assistance creating a resume. We are ready to help in any situation!
2. Our consultants guide participants through a Strengths Assessment and Job Search (linked in, indeed.com, monster.com, a SIREN favorite: word-of-mouth networking) to identify job leads.
3. Based on the type of job participants are seeking, our consultants prepare a 30-60 minute mock interview for participants to practice and receive feedback on their job interview skills.
4. Our SIREN team guides participants through the basics of dressing for success and the process of selecting and perhaps obtaining professional attire for their job interview.
5. Our life coach consultant guides participants through a 30-minute life coaching session to boost participant confidence and self-efficacy before the big job interview day.
Our RTWE participants may need as little as 2-3 hours of RTWE consulting services or up to 15 as based on their needs. We customize the program as based on participant needs.
In 2020-2021, we seek to (1) expand our link with community-based organization and church leaders who can identify women who may most need the RTWE and (2) to assist up to 25 women in finding meaningful work and economic security through finding a job.
*our hourly consultants provide RTWE services at a significantly reduced and under fair market rate of $40/hour
All profits from the sale of our Women, Words, and the Water book benefit our Ready to Work Exchange:
Listen below to our Book Launch program held at The Blithewold Mansion, July 2019:
Ready to Work Exchange - Information for Particiapnts
We are thrilled to be assisting you with preparing for your job interview! The events below will occur ideally over a 6-month period at both the SIREN Women’s Cooperative professional community meeting spaces. We will agree upon dates and times that are best for you. We will be happy to answer your questions and provide feedback throughout all steps of the program!
Here’s what we will be doing together:
1. Developing or editing your resume at SIREN. We will provide you with examples so you can begin working on a draft before we meet (if possible)! (1 hour time commitment).
2. Based on the type of job you expect to be applying for, one of our co-op professionals will be designing a 25-45 minute mock interview for you to participate in so you may practice some job interview skills. You may choose the format: either a 1:1 or group mock interview (1 hour time commitment).
3. Need assistance with dressing for success? Our co-op members will guide you through the process of selecting and perhaps obtaining professional attire for your job interview. (1-2 hour time commitment).
4. One of our skilled Life Coaches, Suzanne Ramponi, will guide you through a 30 minute life coaching session to help boost your confidence and belief in your own success shortly before the big job interview day (45 minute time commitment).
5. We will ask you to complete a short survey about job interview preparedness before and after we begin this process (20 minute time commitment).
We are so excited to be working with you and welcome you to our SIREN member meetings to tell your story and ask any questions you may have of us. We are looking forward to growing and learning together!