October 22, 2025 • 29 mins
Debra Warren, Birmingham area team Coordinator with Operation Christmas Child tells us how listeners can get involved this year. Then Daniel Jean-Baptiste with Construction Ready Tells us how his organization is partnering with Goodwill of the Southern Rivers to help train adults in Alabama for a new career in construction.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but it's
not even Halloween yet. Hello. I'm John Mount and this
is Viewpoint, Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network, and today
we're talking about Christmas, specifically a great program called Operation
Christmas Child. It's something I've been a part of before
and they have to start early, so now is a
great time to get to work on this worthy cause.
(00:23):
Joining me now to talk about this is Deborah Warren.
She serves as the Birmingham Area Coordinator. She works to
develop her team to help equip churches who in the
area to help out with this great program. Deborah, welcome
to Viewpoint.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Thank you John. It's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So for those who are unfamiliar, tell us an elevator pitch.
What is Operation Christmas Child?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Absolutely well so. Operation Christmas Child is a project of
Smarton's Purse, which is an international relief organization, and our
mission is to provide local partners around the world shoebox
gifts that are filled with small toys, personal care, eye
and school supplies. And it's as a means of reaching
out to children in their own communities with the good
(01:06):
news of Jesus Christ and the gift is really a
tangible way to demonstrate God's love. So we shift these
simple gifts outside the United States to children that are
affected by war, poverty, disease, or disaster.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
And these don't have to be expensive gifts because you're
actually looking for something multiple items that can fit in
a small box so that's easily shipped, and a lot
of these kids would appreciate just pretty much anything.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Absolutely, some of the things that we really try to
concentrate on is in each box is like a wow item,
which is like a stuffed animal, or maybe a soccer
ball with a pump, or perhaps even a baby doll,
something along those items. And then also in certain areas,
children don't have their own school supplies, so that would
be another thing we would say like a notebook, pencils, pens,
(01:55):
something along those lines. And then also maybe some hygiene
items like a washcloth or toothbrush or maybe a comb.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
And so you want to balance practicality with fun because
one thing, you know, as a kid, you never wanted
to open the box socks, but you know for these kids,
socks might be exciting, but a soccer ball, now that
is really exciting.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yes, absolutely, that is like a really wow item. We've
seen a lot of videos of children receiving these gifts
and it really doesn't matter what is in the box.
They're so excited about it. Their joy is just evident.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I one time saw a video of a child opening
one of these boxes and had toothpaste in it, and
it said crest on the on the toothpaste, And I
guess English was not his first language. He thought, because
it's a religious organ he thought, said Jesus as he
thought it was Christos that look, I got clys to
the toobe. He was so excited.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
How about that? Well, that's interesting. Over the years, the
items that you can put in a shoebox or out
of a shoebox have changed a little bit. Toothpaste is
one of those items that is no longer allowed. Also,
soap is not allowed, and because the reason for that
is because of the customs issues that Operation Christmas Talk
has had in actually distributing the shoe boxes year round.
(03:03):
So there are a few items that are on the
list that you cannot pack. But absolutely that's exciting. You
know that he would see that and think of Christ
instead of Christ.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Now with Operation Christmas Child, it's great if you want
to adopt a child. But there's a lot of organizations
that they seek to help a lot of kids at once.
So what about a church Maybe they will have a
women's group or something like that, and they want to
get as many of these together as possible. How do
you work with organizations to help them do multiple you know,
like ten twenty fifty at once.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Absolutely, a lot of the churches in our local area
do pack boxes. They have like what they call a
packing party, and they'll have a group of people that
will go around and collect items from different stores, organizations
or they're just their church members will donate those items,
and then they'll have a packing party. Everybody comes together
and puts the boxes together at the same time. It's
(03:54):
really an awesome thing. But to get started, if anyone's
interested in that, im to go to Samaritan's Purse dot
org slash occ. There's a lot of tools and tips
there to how to get started. There's even like how
do I do a packing party? Those kind of things
are available.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
And the gifts they're customized to a boy or a girl.
Are they further by age or is it just I mean,
how do you decide who gets what?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yes? Absolutely, so you also designate the age and there's
three categories that they concentrate on. That's two to four,
five to nine, and then ten to fourteen and whatever's
age appropriate for those children in that age group, boy
or girl. Just designate that on the outside of the box.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
And when you do that, you want to make sure
you put those things in there in a way that
they don't shift around too much. The idea would be
to fill the box as best you can so that
it's nice and kind of packed in so that they
don't shift around, rattle around, and that sort of thing.
But also it's fun to have multiple things inside the box.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Absolutely it is. And one of the things that we've
been encouraging people to do, and people have done it
through the years, is to include a note or a
personal photo of like save your family, like if your
family works together and pack shoeboxes. To go ahead and
put that inside the box, because that really means so
much to the children who don't really know who's giving
them this gift on the other side of the world.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Where do you get the box from? If you want
to get started with this, is it just you go
find a shoebox or their actual Operation Christmas Chile boxes
that people have.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
There are Operation Christmas childboxes that are available, and you
can order those online at the same website that I
had mentioned before, samaritansperse dot org slash occ. But really,
all you got to do is really go get a shoebox,
like a shoebox or average sized shoebox out of your closet,
wrap the top and the bottom separately so that you'd
be able to open it and with a fun Christmas
(05:45):
you know, wrapping paper something like that. So you really
don't have to go and purchase those boxes unless you
know that you were trying to do like an organized
event or something, we probably would go smoother there.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Could this seems like a crazy question. Could the box
itself be a gift? And in other words, could you
use say like a Tupperware style box maybe is water
tight such that they could use it to scoop water
or things like that?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Totally directly, absolutely, like the shoe boxes that are the
plastic ones with the lids on it that you can
find like at your local store, those for sure can
be used. My husband went on a mission trip and
he saw that they were reusing even the cardboard boxes
or the actual boxes themselves for carrying that purpose.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
And with something like this, you're helping, like I said,
not only a single child, but a lot of times
the child has siblings and that sort of thing, and
so you could, you know, you could pack things in
there that maybe he plays with the ball and she
plays with the doll and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Absolutely, you really don't have to be gender specific as
far as the toys because children in other countries they
don't really think about it. But they could also give
those presents away. So if it's quite not like what
they would want, they want to share, they will do that,
and I know that they have done that in the past.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Okay, so let's talk deadlines, because we know when Christmas is,
but it takes Sanna gets done the night of Christmas,
but you guys take a little longer. We got actually
use regular transportation. So when do we need to have
these boxes put together?
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Absolutely? National Collection Week is coming up and that's really
kind of four weeks away, November the seventeenth through the
twenty fourth, and we have several drop off locations that
will be available in the area. You can also go
to that website samaritansperse dot org, slash occ and you
can put your zip code in and you can find
out where the local area, the one that's the closest
(07:27):
to you drop off location.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
So, and there are locations throughout the state of Alabama.
This is a viewpoint Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network,
reaching a wide variety of people. So I'm in the
Birmingham area, but there are locations throughout the state right.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Absolutely, there are five thousand locations throughout the United States.
And like I said, you can go and put your
zip code in there and you can find your nearest
location so that you can drop off your shoebox.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
So all that information is available on the website. Absolutely,
And like I said, great operation for a church, for
a school, classroom, all that kind of stuff, Yes, yes,
And the idea that you'd be able to spare spread
the Christmas love beyond just your home, beyond just your borders,
but worldwide with something like.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
This, absolutely you would do. And it really does make
a tremendous impact in the life of children. There are
multiple stories that you can find on the website regarding that.
You know, I have a couple of favorite stories. Sure
tell us some of those, sure, I would love to so.
One a young girl, Livia, who lived in an orphigin
in Romania. She received a shoebox as a twelve year
(08:28):
old child, and until that time, she had never felt love.
She couldn't understand why somebody would give her a gift.
And you know, she'd never received a present before, and
so when she received that shoebox, it really changed her life.
The missionary who gave her that shoebox was so touched
by her that she went home and talked to her
husband and they felt like that they needed to adopt Livia.
(08:50):
Livia actually was adopted by this lady and she now
lives in the United States. She's grown now and she
works for Samaritan's Purse telling others about Jesus and how
that shoebox changed her life.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So from a shoebox to an adoption to a whole
career a life. You're right, that changed somebody's life. Do
you have another one?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
I do.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Another young boy seven years old's name was Tyrell from Idaho.
He packed the shoebox with his family in year two thousand.
They put a sweet note in the box and a
photograph of him and he was dressed in a little
cowboys outfit. Jonah, a girl in the Philippines, received that
shoebox and many years later she was able to connect
with Tyrell through Facebook and they wrote to each other,
(09:30):
and later he visited her in her country. They actually
fell in love and fourteen years later they after that
he packed that shoebox, they were married.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
That's a wonderful story. Well, Deborah, You've given a lot
of great reasons for people to participate in this and
for them to Like I said, it doesn't have to
cost much. I imagine the contents of some of these boxes.
The whole thing might only be ten bucks or something.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah, I mean it's you know, it varies depending on
what you want to put it in there. But we
asked people to pray, you know, pray what God would
have you to give this. You know, we know that
the Lord has a reason, and we believe that they
can actually share the shoebox and share the joy of
Jesus Christ and it could reach not only them but
also their family and their community for him.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Debor worn from Operation Christmas Child one more time.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
The website. The website is Samaritansperse dot org slash OCC.
And you can find all that information there.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
And you got like four weeks, so have plenty of
time to get the shopping done. But don't just put
it off because it does need to get out soon. Absolutely, Deborah,
thank you so much for joining us this week on
Viewpoint Alabama.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Thank you, John, glad to be here.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
You're listening to Viewpoint Alabama, a public affairs program from
the Alabama Radio Network.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
My name is Isabella and I received my Operation Christmas
Child shoebox shortly after the fall of the communist regime
in Romania. During this difficult time in my life. This
shoebox was a splash of color in my black and
white world. You can make a difference in the life
of a child by packing a shoe box through Operation
Priscon Thanks Child. To learn more or to pack a
(11:02):
shoebox gift online, visit Samaritanspurs dot org slash OCC. That's
Samaritanspurs dot org slash OCC.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Investing in the next generation of workers. Hello, I'm John
Mounts and this is Viewpoint Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network.
As we watch the growth of AI, many young workers
are asking, is that going to take my job. What
skill set can I acquire that will make me AI
proof and not have AI take over my desk job? Well,
our next guest might suggest the trades. Joining me now
(11:32):
is Daniel John Baptiste with Construction Ready. Daniel, welcome to
the show.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
Thank you, John, happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Let's talk about Construction Ready. It sounds like it's a
construction job. Tell me more about this well.
Speaker 5 (11:44):
Construction Ready is a twenty day pre apprenticeship program that
teaches individuals interested in entering into the construction of workforce
the nest of the servery skills that they'll need to
get in the door. We help people earn up to
eight credentials in the construction industry, including their Ocean ten
(12:05):
and the NCCER certification, which is a certification from the
National Center for Construction Education and Research. And they also
earn additional construction skills such as professional skill development, resume building,
and other critical skills that they'll need to enter the workforce.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
So, if you have these skills and you're employed, what
would you be doing that framing houses, pouring foundations, roofing,
something more technical.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
It could be all of the above. What we do is,
once we've trained our students and given them the general
construction information with mainly a focus on safety. Our goal
is to get them to our nineteenth day of the program,
where we invite out employers in their area to offer
them a job opportunity. And it can be everything from
(12:53):
general construction as general laborers, to electrical work towards an
apprenticeship with the Carpentry Union, or apprentice ship with an
independent carpentry It could be anything in the industry. Most
of the times the opportunities are opportunities for projects that
are happening in the area. Our current class right now
(13:15):
is in Opa Laika, Alabama, where we're training fourteen students
who are going to receive all of these credentials and
hopes that on the nineteenth day we'll have some employers
offer them some entry level positions. Some of the students
have some construction skills and just lack the credentials and
that kind of makes them a more of a better
(13:36):
pick for employers. But most employers are looking for entry
level skills and that OSHA ten and NCCR helps get
them in the door.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
So with Construction Ready, you offer not only the education
but the job placement as well.
Speaker 5 (13:49):
Yeah, well, the job placement is really an opportunity to
get them their first interview with an employer practicing those
interview skills, and we don't guarante tea employment, but we
have a ninety six percent job placement rating throughout our
history of programs throughout Georgia, Florida and now here in Alabama,
(14:11):
so we're pretty confident that we can get students placed
with an employer, though we don't guarantee employment.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Sure, now you're in Opa Laika and current class is ongoing,
but I imagine after this group graduates, there will be
more opportunities, right, Yep.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
There'll be more opportunities through the Goodwill Southern Rivers partnership
that we have going on, where we pretty much through
Goodwill and our partnership with them, we go around through
their network of Goodwill career centers and provide our Construction
Ready training. But if people are not within the Goodwill
(14:48):
Southern Rivers areas, we also provide trainings and other parts
of it. Of Georgia and North Florida I believe is
one of the other locations. But they just go to
the Construction Ready Dorg website and they can see where
other trainings are being offered. So here in Opalaika. This
is probably our second class at this location, but we've
(15:11):
also been to Columbus, Georgia, Lagrange, Georgia, and a few
other locations in the area, but Opealaka is our focus
right now, so.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
East Alabama, Western Georgia. It sounds like and these classes
is their cost to participate?
Speaker 5 (15:28):
The classes are free. They're actually paid through funders and
sponsors in this current location here with Goodwill Southern Rivers.
Our partnership is with Goodwill, so Goodwill actually funds the classes.
But yeah, it's of no cost to the participants. It's
completely free to them, but they do have to commit
to being there for the complete twenty days and earning
(15:50):
all of the credentials which we work with them towards earning,
and agree to attend the hiring fair as well. But
if they find their own employment or find employment after
graduation on their own, that is not a problem with
us too. But it is completely free.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
You do make a good distinction there because it's not free.
In other words, that the classes, because when you say
something is free, people think it's worthless. But somebody is paying.
But the student isn't the one who has to put
the bill.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
Good way to put it, John, Absolutely, it does cost
to put on the class, and that cost is paid
by our sponsors, including the construction industry as well, who
helps put a lot of the bill for the students
to come through the training, but mainly through our nonprofit
sponsors and funders who provide private funding and some also
(16:39):
some additional government funding that helps keep us running.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
What about tools of the trade. Are the students expected
to bring their own tools or do you have tools
that they can work with on the site.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
We actually provide tools that they can work with on
the site because they're also required to learn how to
use hand tools and power tools. So part of our training,
most of it is done in class, sitting in and
talking and discussing specific construction topics, and then they watch
a PowerPoint and take a digital test. But also we
(17:14):
have some more hands on training such as having to
build a picnic table, which requires hand tools and power
tools which we provide, as well as they'll have to
shoot a Potter actuated nail gun, which is a tool
that we provide, and pretty much that's the most tools
that they'll have to use on the job site. Also,
we do a laser certification, So we do provide the
(17:37):
tools that they can test out and use for some
people for the very first time, which is a great
skill to have once you get into the industries. Now,
once you get to a specific industry or a specific employer,
additional tools will probably have to be purchased or obtained
through the employer for that specific job.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
But this will get their foot in the door or
boot in the door to be able to be trained
by these employers additionally to do further work.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Absolutely right. And then really most employers want you to
come in with some knowledge, but if you've got no knowledge,
they're there to train you. And I think the most
important tool that students need to have when entering into
the construction industry is a brain that's open to learning,
and I think that most employers are looking for that too.
(18:25):
It's not necessarily having the skill of how to use
the tools, but the willingness and the openness to learn
how to use new tools is the best tool that
you can have.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
And there's no educational prerequisite in terms of do you
need a GED a high school edgy education or it's
just a matter of if you're able to willing and
able to work.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
Well. It depends on the location, and most of all
locations are requiring either a GED or a high school diploma,
and some locations require for students to take tape tests,
which is a test that actually just make sure that
the person is able to read and write and do
maths at least at a sixth grade level, and that
ensures that they're able to pass our tests. Because each
(19:09):
credential requires some form of testing, So to earn your
OSHA ten and your NCCR certification, and we do a
CPR First Aid certification, we do want to ensure the
students are able to at least read and write at
a sixth grade level.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Well, Daniel, this sounds like a great program for anyone
looking to move into a career in a trade like
this building homes, because like I said at the beginning
of this interview, AI might be able to write a paper,
might be able to write a book, and even make
some really cool videos, but AI is not going to
be able to build a house. So if you want
a job that is AI proof, something like this is ideal.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
I totally agree with you, John, I don't see a
near future where AI is going to take a lot
of construction jobs. I would like to tell people all
the time that I think construction is one of those
industries that is an essential industry. We saw during COVID,
and I believe we're going to see it during this
AI revolution, where uh, this is probably going to be
(20:06):
the last job that the robots are going to come
and take.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
I would agree with you, Daniel, one more time. The
information the website, people can go for information about this
program going on Nobolaika.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
All right, you can check out construction Ready dot O
r G. We are at construction c r O n
s t r U c t I O N ready
r e A d Y dot O r G and
at that on the website you can find all kinds
of information on all of all locations. And if you're
(20:38):
interested in either being a student or a sponsor or
to be an employer who hires our students, you just
go to construction Ready dot org and we can match
you with our hundreds of students who graduated in the
past and our hundreds of students graduating in the future.
Construction Ready dot org.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Daniel John by peace with Construction Ready. Thank you so
much for joining us this week on Viewpoint Alabama.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
Thank you for having me, John, I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Take care you're listening to Viewpoint Alabama, a public affairs
program from the Alabama Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
How AI is shaping the future of hiring. Hello, and
welcome to Viewpoint Alabama. My name is John Mount and
I'm joined right now by Kyle mk. He is the
talent strategy advisor at Indeed. Kyle, welcome to our show.
Speaker 6 (21:23):
Thank you so much for having me, John.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Finding candidates for jobs has always been difficult, and AI,
we presume can just do everything, but AI is really
actually stepping forward and being very helpful in this regard.
What is AI doing that's bringing job I guess, the
job hunt and also people hunting for people to fill
jobs into the twenty first century.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
Well, yeah, right now, Like the hiring process is super
complicated and it's taking a very long time. So job
seekers are often very stuck and overwhelmed with all the
things that they have to do to apply for jobs,
and employers are losing lots of time and my just
trying to find the right candidates. And so Indeed is
using AI to make that process easier, faster, and more
(22:08):
human just by getting out of the way and freeing
us up to do the things that only humans can do,
which is connect and build relationships with one another.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
That's ironic that you say that AI is making the
process more human.
Speaker 6 (22:20):
Yeah, well, if you think about what the situation is.
Before AI, you had real recruiters who were under a
mountain of resumes and applications doing their best to just
read through all of those applications in a timely manner,
which is physically impossible in a lot of cases. And
so what AI is doing is it is helping with
(22:41):
the search priority our process, but it is not doing
the connection piece. That is what we're leaving up to
the recruiter, which is what they do best. They'd prefer
to build those relationships.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
So AI is able to search through hundreds, maybe thousands
of resumes and hone in on certain things in a
way that may the old algorithms couldn't.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
Do exactly right. And we're also highlighting why that candidate
would be a good fit for that specific employer or
for that specific role, which sometimes recruiters, in order to
make it easier for them to find talent, they have
a singular view of what would make a good fit.
But with AI, we can expand what we would consider
(23:23):
to be qualified talent using skills, and yeah, we think
that it's going to match people up with some opportunities
that they might not have thought of in the first place,
but that we do think that they'll be happy with.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Kyle, what are some recommendations you can make Because when
I back when I the last time I applied for
a job, I was thinking that a human being was
going to screen my resume, and now the first screen
is going to be AI. So there are certain things
that you need to bear in mind, things that you
need to put in your cover letter or your resume
or other materials that would push you through to the
next level.
Speaker 6 (23:57):
No, there's no magic bullet. It's all about how relevant
you are to the role. And that's the beautiful thing
about Career Scout for job seekers or Talent Scout for
employers is that for Career Scout, we are looking at
your work history, your preferences, your skill sets, and we're
putting you in front of the jobs that we think
(24:17):
that not only you're qualified for, but that you would
be interested in the first place. And just having that
good matches really what recruiters are looking for. It has
nothing to do really with keywords, It's all about what
makes someone a good fit for that role. And so
we think that we crack the code here with our
talent Scout and career Scout and having this unified career
(24:41):
system that helps both job seekers and employers find each other.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Now, AI still as far from perfect. Are there any
know knows things that you should not do that would
actually cause you the AI to maybe reject you when
it shouldn't know.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
The thing about this system is that it is based
off of everything that you give it. So I guess
the one thing that I would suggest that you don't
do is lie and say that you are a neuroscientist
when you're not a neuroscientist. But aside from that, now,
as long as you are sharing all the relevant information
of all the skills that you have and preferences that
(25:17):
you have, then the system gets to work right away
on pairing you up with the hopefully the right future.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Kyle, Is it just Indeed that's using this software or
are other companies using it as well?
Speaker 6 (25:29):
There's a lot of companies that have explored using AI.
The thing that really sets Indeed apart is that we're
the world's largest job platform, and that puts us in
a unique position to understand what job seekers, employees, and
employers all value. And you know, AI truly is nothing
without the data that supports it, and we have quite
(25:51):
a bit of data to support so we think that
it's going to be a pretty good tool for those.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
That use it. And there are a lot of companies
that utilize AI all across the state of Alabama. I
think this company, the company I work for, iHeart we
use AI as or I should indeed, as one of
the tools to hiring people. And there's a lot of
other companies that do the same. So I guess you
don't necessarily realize that indeed might be the one doing
this screening for a company when you apply.
Speaker 6 (26:19):
Yeah, it's all about finding that good match. It's honestly
no different than a dating website. We're just looking to
hook people up with long term relationships, only it's between
an employer and employee, and that is a lot of
our you know, our work life takes up a lot
of our days, so we want to make sure that
(26:41):
we get it right.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
And I'm glad you mentioned that the whole the good
match thing, because I always thought that when you're in
the interview process that the it's actually a two way interview,
because as much as the employer is looking at the
candidate to say, is this person going to be the
right fit for my organization, the employee should be looking
at the employer going is this company going to be
the right fit for my life?
Speaker 6 (27:02):
That's exactly right. I can't tell you how many job
seekers I've spoken to that ended up taking a job
because they thought that it was going to be a
good fit, but then when they finally got there, they
realized that some of the things that the interviewer told
them or that the recruiter told them wasn't entirely true,
and the environment wasn't as great as they sold them as,
and those job seekers end up leaving much sooner than
(27:24):
they wanted to. So I think you hit the nail
on the head that they are very much interviewing the
employer just as much as the employers interviewing the job seeker.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
And I think a lot of that comes from the
fact that the people doing the interviews a lot of
times that's not what they professionally do. In a lot
of situations, they're just a manager at the company, and
what they do normally they're nine to five is to
run the operations of a company. They're not a professional interviewer,
so they might not ask good questions, they might not
ask god follow up questions. They might just be sitting
(27:56):
there going, oh, I got to fill this role. Let's
just get some people in here, and you know, are
you got a Paul's good get you in and then
they realize, oh, that wasn't a good hire. So it's
helpful if you have something like this tool to I
guess better at least give you better options, so you're
at least you start from some people, all of which
might be at least qualified.
Speaker 6 (28:14):
Yeah, and it's not even just not being a good interviewer,
because there's plenty of hiring managers that have been asking
the same questions and they're pretty good at asking those questions,
but that there's a certain comfort zone to that, and
they don't get to see all the other types of
talent that would do well in the role because they
have the singular vision on what would make a good fit.
(28:36):
So with the Talent Scout, we highlight why we think
an individual would be a good fit in hopes that
it might expand the mind of the hiring manager who
doesn't have time to see all the different, various options
that are in front of them.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
So these are all things we have to think about
in the twenty first century job market when it comes
to getting before you even get the job, before you
even get the interview, you need to be prepared to
be screened by AI. And I understand this software is
going to be is already widely available, it's already in use.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
Yeah, So if you're a job seeker and you're looking
for your next role, I just want to see what's
out there. You can just download the free Indeed app
and set up a free profile. And then for employers,
we're rolling out careers or Talent Scout to many folks
over the next few months and you just have to
go to indeed dot com slash employers to learn more.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Kyle mk, the senior Strategy Talent Strategy advisor at Indeed,
thank you so much for joining us today on Viewpoint Alabama.
Speaker 6 (29:34):
Thank you, John, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
You've been listening to Viewpoint Alabama, a public affairs program
from the Alabama Radio Network. The opinions expressed on Viewpoint
Alabama are not necessarily those of the staff, management, or
advertisers of this station.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but it's
not even Halloween yet. Hello. I'm John Mount and this
is Viewpoint, Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network, and today
we're talking about Christmas, specifically a great program called Operation
Christmas Child. It's something I've been a part of before
and they have to start early, so now is a
great time to get to work on this worthy cause.
(00:23):
Joining me now to talk about this is Deborah Warren.
She serves as the Birmingham Area Coordinator. She works to
develop her team to help equip churches who in the
area to help out with this great program. Deborah, welcome
to Viewpoint.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Thank you John. It's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So for those who are unfamiliar, tell us an elevator pitch.
What is Operation Christmas Child?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Absolutely well so. Operation Christmas Child is a project of
Smarton's Purse, which is an international relief organization, and our
mission is to provide local partners around the world shoebox
gifts that are filled with small toys, personal care, eye
and school supplies. And it's as a means of reaching
out to children in their own communities with the good
(01:06):
news of Jesus Christ and the gift is really a
tangible way to demonstrate God's love. So we shift these
simple gifts outside the United States to children that are
affected by war, poverty, disease, or disaster.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
And these don't have to be expensive gifts because you're
actually looking for something multiple items that can fit in
a small box so that's easily shipped, and a lot
of these kids would appreciate just pretty much anything.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Absolutely, some of the things that we really try to
concentrate on is in each box is like a wow item,
which is like a stuffed animal, or maybe a soccer
ball with a pump, or perhaps even a baby doll,
something along those items. And then also in certain areas,
children don't have their own school supplies, so that would
be another thing we would say like a notebook, pencils, pens,
(01:55):
something along those lines. And then also maybe some hygiene
items like a washcloth or toothbrush or maybe a comb.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
And so you want to balance practicality with fun because
one thing, you know, as a kid, you never wanted
to open the box socks, but you know for these kids,
socks might be exciting, but a soccer ball, now that
is really exciting.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yes, absolutely, that is like a really wow item. We've
seen a lot of videos of children receiving these gifts
and it really doesn't matter what is in the box.
They're so excited about it. Their joy is just evident.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I one time saw a video of a child opening
one of these boxes and had toothpaste in it, and
it said crest on the on the toothpaste, And I
guess English was not his first language. He thought, because
it's a religious organ he thought, said Jesus as he
thought it was Christos that look, I got clys to
the toobe. He was so excited.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
How about that? Well, that's interesting. Over the years, the
items that you can put in a shoebox or out
of a shoebox have changed a little bit. Toothpaste is
one of those items that is no longer allowed. Also,
soap is not allowed, and because the reason for that
is because of the customs issues that Operation Christmas Talk
has had in actually distributing the shoe boxes year round.
(03:03):
So there are a few items that are on the
list that you cannot pack. But absolutely that's exciting. You
know that he would see that and think of Christ
instead of Christ.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Now with Operation Christmas Child, it's great if you want
to adopt a child. But there's a lot of organizations
that they seek to help a lot of kids at once.
So what about a church Maybe they will have a
women's group or something like that, and they want to
get as many of these together as possible. How do
you work with organizations to help them do multiple you know,
like ten twenty fifty at once.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Absolutely, a lot of the churches in our local area
do pack boxes. They have like what they call a
packing party, and they'll have a group of people that
will go around and collect items from different stores, organizations
or they're just their church members will donate those items,
and then they'll have a packing party. Everybody comes together
and puts the boxes together at the same time. It's
(03:54):
really an awesome thing. But to get started, if anyone's
interested in that, im to go to Samaritan's Purse dot
org slash occ. There's a lot of tools and tips
there to how to get started. There's even like how
do I do a packing party? Those kind of things
are available.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
And the gifts they're customized to a boy or a girl.
Are they further by age or is it just I mean,
how do you decide who gets what?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yes? Absolutely, so you also designate the age and there's
three categories that they concentrate on. That's two to four,
five to nine, and then ten to fourteen and whatever's
age appropriate for those children in that age group, boy
or girl. Just designate that on the outside of the box.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
And when you do that, you want to make sure
you put those things in there in a way that
they don't shift around too much. The idea would be
to fill the box as best you can so that
it's nice and kind of packed in so that they
don't shift around, rattle around, and that sort of thing.
But also it's fun to have multiple things inside the box.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Absolutely it is. And one of the things that we've
been encouraging people to do, and people have done it
through the years, is to include a note or a
personal photo of like save your family, like if your
family works together and pack shoeboxes. To go ahead and
put that inside the box, because that really means so
much to the children who don't really know who's giving
them this gift on the other side of the world.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Where do you get the box from? If you want
to get started with this, is it just you go
find a shoebox or their actual Operation Christmas Chile boxes
that people have.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
There are Operation Christmas childboxes that are available, and you
can order those online at the same website that I
had mentioned before, samaritansperse dot org slash occ. But really,
all you got to do is really go get a shoebox,
like a shoebox or average sized shoebox out of your closet,
wrap the top and the bottom separately so that you'd
be able to open it and with a fun Christmas
(05:45):
you know, wrapping paper something like that. So you really
don't have to go and purchase those boxes unless you
know that you were trying to do like an organized
event or something, we probably would go smoother there.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Could this seems like a crazy question. Could the box
itself be a gift? And in other words, could you
use say like a Tupperware style box maybe is water
tight such that they could use it to scoop water
or things like that?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Totally directly, absolutely, like the shoe boxes that are the
plastic ones with the lids on it that you can
find like at your local store, those for sure can
be used. My husband went on a mission trip and
he saw that they were reusing even the cardboard boxes
or the actual boxes themselves for carrying that purpose.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
And with something like this, you're helping, like I said,
not only a single child, but a lot of times
the child has siblings and that sort of thing, and
so you could, you know, you could pack things in
there that maybe he plays with the ball and she
plays with the doll and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Absolutely, you really don't have to be gender specific as
far as the toys because children in other countries they
don't really think about it. But they could also give
those presents away. So if it's quite not like what
they would want, they want to share, they will do that,
and I know that they have done that in the past.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Okay, so let's talk deadlines, because we know when Christmas is,
but it takes Sanna gets done the night of Christmas,
but you guys take a little longer. We got actually
use regular transportation. So when do we need to have
these boxes put together?
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Absolutely? National Collection Week is coming up and that's really
kind of four weeks away, November the seventeenth through the
twenty fourth, and we have several drop off locations that
will be available in the area. You can also go
to that website samaritansperse dot org, slash occ and you
can put your zip code in and you can find
out where the local area, the one that's the closest
(07:27):
to you drop off location.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
So, and there are locations throughout the state of Alabama.
This is a viewpoint Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network,
reaching a wide variety of people. So I'm in the
Birmingham area, but there are locations throughout the state right.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Absolutely, there are five thousand locations throughout the United States.
And like I said, you can go and put your
zip code in there and you can find your nearest
location so that you can drop off your shoebox.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
So all that information is available on the website. Absolutely,
And like I said, great operation for a church, for
a school, classroom, all that kind of stuff, Yes, yes,
And the idea that you'd be able to spare spread
the Christmas love beyond just your home, beyond just your borders,
but worldwide with something like.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
This, absolutely you would do. And it really does make
a tremendous impact in the life of children. There are
multiple stories that you can find on the website regarding that.
You know, I have a couple of favorite stories. Sure
tell us some of those, sure, I would love to so.
One a young girl, Livia, who lived in an orphigin
in Romania. She received a shoebox as a twelve year
(08:28):
old child, and until that time, she had never felt love.
She couldn't understand why somebody would give her a gift.
And you know, she'd never received a present before, and
so when she received that shoebox, it really changed her life.
The missionary who gave her that shoebox was so touched
by her that she went home and talked to her
husband and they felt like that they needed to adopt Livia.
(08:50):
Livia actually was adopted by this lady and she now
lives in the United States. She's grown now and she
works for Samaritan's Purse telling others about Jesus and how
that shoebox changed her life.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So from a shoebox to an adoption to a whole
career a life. You're right, that changed somebody's life. Do
you have another one?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
I do.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Another young boy seven years old's name was Tyrell from Idaho.
He packed the shoebox with his family in year two thousand.
They put a sweet note in the box and a
photograph of him and he was dressed in a little
cowboys outfit. Jonah, a girl in the Philippines, received that
shoebox and many years later she was able to connect
with Tyrell through Facebook and they wrote to each other,
(09:30):
and later he visited her in her country. They actually
fell in love and fourteen years later they after that
he packed that shoebox, they were married.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
That's a wonderful story. Well, Deborah, You've given a lot
of great reasons for people to participate in this and
for them to Like I said, it doesn't have to
cost much. I imagine the contents of some of these boxes.
The whole thing might only be ten bucks or something.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah, I mean it's you know, it varies depending on
what you want to put it in there. But we
asked people to pray, you know, pray what God would
have you to give this. You know, we know that
the Lord has a reason, and we believe that they
can actually share the shoebox and share the joy of
Jesus Christ and it could reach not only them but
also their family and their community for him.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Debor worn from Operation Christmas Child one more time.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
The website. The website is Samaritansperse dot org slash OCC.
And you can find all that information there.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
And you got like four weeks, so have plenty of
time to get the shopping done. But don't just put
it off because it does need to get out soon. Absolutely, Deborah,
thank you so much for joining us this week on
Viewpoint Alabama.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Thank you, John, glad to be here.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
You're listening to Viewpoint Alabama, a public affairs program from
the Alabama Radio Network.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
My name is Isabella and I received my Operation Christmas
Child shoebox shortly after the fall of the communist regime
in Romania. During this difficult time in my life. This
shoebox was a splash of color in my black and
white world. You can make a difference in the life
of a child by packing a shoe box through Operation
Priscon Thanks Child. To learn more or to pack a
(11:02):
shoebox gift online, visit Samaritanspurs dot org slash OCC. That's
Samaritanspurs dot org slash OCC.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Investing in the next generation of workers. Hello, I'm John
Mounts and this is Viewpoint Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network.
As we watch the growth of AI, many young workers
are asking, is that going to take my job. What
skill set can I acquire that will make me AI
proof and not have AI take over my desk job? Well,
our next guest might suggest the trades. Joining me now
(11:32):
is Daniel John Baptiste with Construction Ready. Daniel, welcome to
the show.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
Thank you, John, happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Let's talk about Construction Ready. It sounds like it's a
construction job. Tell me more about this well.
Speaker 5 (11:44):
Construction Ready is a twenty day pre apprenticeship program that
teaches individuals interested in entering into the construction of workforce
the nest of the servery skills that they'll need to
get in the door. We help people earn up to
eight credentials in the construction industry, including their Ocean ten
(12:05):
and the NCCER certification, which is a certification from the
National Center for Construction Education and Research. And they also
earn additional construction skills such as professional skill development, resume building,
and other critical skills that they'll need to enter the workforce.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
So, if you have these skills and you're employed, what
would you be doing that framing houses, pouring foundations, roofing,
something more technical.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
It could be all of the above. What we do is,
once we've trained our students and given them the general
construction information with mainly a focus on safety. Our goal
is to get them to our nineteenth day of the program,
where we invite out employers in their area to offer
them a job opportunity. And it can be everything from
(12:53):
general construction as general laborers, to electrical work towards an
apprenticeship with the Carpentry Union, or apprentice ship with an
independent carpentry It could be anything in the industry. Most
of the times the opportunities are opportunities for projects that
are happening in the area. Our current class right now
(13:15):
is in Opa Laika, Alabama, where we're training fourteen students
who are going to receive all of these credentials and
hopes that on the nineteenth day we'll have some employers
offer them some entry level positions. Some of the students
have some construction skills and just lack the credentials and
that kind of makes them a more of a better
(13:36):
pick for employers. But most employers are looking for entry
level skills and that OSHA ten and NCCR helps get
them in the door.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
So with Construction Ready, you offer not only the education
but the job placement as well.
Speaker 5 (13:49):
Yeah, well, the job placement is really an opportunity to
get them their first interview with an employer practicing those
interview skills, and we don't guarante tea employment, but we
have a ninety six percent job placement rating throughout our
history of programs throughout Georgia, Florida and now here in Alabama,
(14:11):
so we're pretty confident that we can get students placed
with an employer, though we don't guarantee employment.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Sure, now you're in Opa Laika and current class is ongoing,
but I imagine after this group graduates, there will be
more opportunities, right, Yep.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
There'll be more opportunities through the Goodwill Southern Rivers partnership
that we have going on, where we pretty much through
Goodwill and our partnership with them, we go around through
their network of Goodwill career centers and provide our Construction
Ready training. But if people are not within the Goodwill
(14:48):
Southern Rivers areas, we also provide trainings and other parts
of it. Of Georgia and North Florida I believe is
one of the other locations. But they just go to
the Construction Ready Dorg website and they can see where
other trainings are being offered. So here in Opalaika. This
is probably our second class at this location, but we've
(15:11):
also been to Columbus, Georgia, Lagrange, Georgia, and a few
other locations in the area, but Opealaka is our focus
right now, so.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
East Alabama, Western Georgia. It sounds like and these classes
is their cost to participate?
Speaker 5 (15:28):
The classes are free. They're actually paid through funders and
sponsors in this current location here with Goodwill Southern Rivers.
Our partnership is with Goodwill, so Goodwill actually funds the classes.
But yeah, it's of no cost to the participants. It's
completely free to them, but they do have to commit
to being there for the complete twenty days and earning
(15:50):
all of the credentials which we work with them towards earning,
and agree to attend the hiring fair as well. But
if they find their own employment or find employment after
graduation on their own, that is not a problem with
us too. But it is completely free.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
You do make a good distinction there because it's not free.
In other words, that the classes, because when you say
something is free, people think it's worthless. But somebody is paying.
But the student isn't the one who has to put
the bill.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
Good way to put it, John, Absolutely, it does cost
to put on the class, and that cost is paid
by our sponsors, including the construction industry as well, who
helps put a lot of the bill for the students
to come through the training, but mainly through our nonprofit
sponsors and funders who provide private funding and some also
(16:39):
some additional government funding that helps keep us running.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
What about tools of the trade. Are the students expected
to bring their own tools or do you have tools
that they can work with on the site.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
We actually provide tools that they can work with on
the site because they're also required to learn how to
use hand tools and power tools. So part of our training,
most of it is done in class, sitting in and
talking and discussing specific construction topics, and then they watch
a PowerPoint and take a digital test. But also we
(17:14):
have some more hands on training such as having to
build a picnic table, which requires hand tools and power
tools which we provide, as well as they'll have to
shoot a Potter actuated nail gun, which is a tool
that we provide, and pretty much that's the most tools
that they'll have to use on the job site. Also,
we do a laser certification, So we do provide the
(17:37):
tools that they can test out and use for some
people for the very first time, which is a great
skill to have once you get into the industries. Now,
once you get to a specific industry or a specific employer,
additional tools will probably have to be purchased or obtained
through the employer for that specific job.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
But this will get their foot in the door or
boot in the door to be able to be trained
by these employers additionally to do further work.
Speaker 5 (18:05):
Absolutely right. And then really most employers want you to
come in with some knowledge, but if you've got no knowledge,
they're there to train you. And I think the most
important tool that students need to have when entering into
the construction industry is a brain that's open to learning,
and I think that most employers are looking for that too.
(18:25):
It's not necessarily having the skill of how to use
the tools, but the willingness and the openness to learn
how to use new tools is the best tool that
you can have.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
And there's no educational prerequisite in terms of do you
need a GED a high school edgy education or it's
just a matter of if you're able to willing and
able to work.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
Well. It depends on the location, and most of all
locations are requiring either a GED or a high school diploma,
and some locations require for students to take tape tests,
which is a test that actually just make sure that
the person is able to read and write and do
maths at least at a sixth grade level, and that
ensures that they're able to pass our tests. Because each
(19:09):
credential requires some form of testing, So to earn your
OSHA ten and your NCCR certification, and we do a
CPR First Aid certification, we do want to ensure the
students are able to at least read and write at
a sixth grade level.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Well, Daniel, this sounds like a great program for anyone
looking to move into a career in a trade like
this building homes, because like I said at the beginning
of this interview, AI might be able to write a paper,
might be able to write a book, and even make
some really cool videos, but AI is not going to
be able to build a house. So if you want
a job that is AI proof, something like this is ideal.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
I totally agree with you, John, I don't see a
near future where AI is going to take a lot
of construction jobs. I would like to tell people all
the time that I think construction is one of those
industries that is an essential industry. We saw during COVID,
and I believe we're going to see it during this
AI revolution, where uh, this is probably going to be
(20:06):
the last job that the robots are going to come
and take.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
I would agree with you, Daniel, one more time. The
information the website, people can go for information about this
program going on Nobolaika.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
All right, you can check out construction Ready dot O
r G. We are at construction c r O n
s t r U c t I O N ready
r e A d Y dot O r G and
at that on the website you can find all kinds
of information on all of all locations. And if you're
(20:38):
interested in either being a student or a sponsor or
to be an employer who hires our students, you just
go to construction Ready dot org and we can match
you with our hundreds of students who graduated in the
past and our hundreds of students graduating in the future.
Construction Ready dot org.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Daniel John by peace with Construction Ready. Thank you so
much for joining us this week on Viewpoint Alabama.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
Thank you for having me, John, I appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Take care you're listening to Viewpoint Alabama, a public affairs
program from the Alabama Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
How AI is shaping the future of hiring. Hello, and
welcome to Viewpoint Alabama. My name is John Mount and
I'm joined right now by Kyle mk. He is the
talent strategy advisor at Indeed. Kyle, welcome to our show.
Speaker 6 (21:23):
Thank you so much for having me, John.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Finding candidates for jobs has always been difficult, and AI,
we presume can just do everything, but AI is really
actually stepping forward and being very helpful in this regard.
What is AI doing that's bringing job I guess, the
job hunt and also people hunting for people to fill
jobs into the twenty first century.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
Well, yeah, right now, Like the hiring process is super
complicated and it's taking a very long time. So job
seekers are often very stuck and overwhelmed with all the
things that they have to do to apply for jobs,
and employers are losing lots of time and my just
trying to find the right candidates. And so Indeed is
using AI to make that process easier, faster, and more
(22:08):
human just by getting out of the way and freeing
us up to do the things that only humans can do,
which is connect and build relationships with one another.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
That's ironic that you say that AI is making the
process more human.
Speaker 6 (22:20):
Yeah, well, if you think about what the situation is.
Before AI, you had real recruiters who were under a
mountain of resumes and applications doing their best to just
read through all of those applications in a timely manner,
which is physically impossible in a lot of cases. And
so what AI is doing is it is helping with
(22:41):
the search priority our process, but it is not doing
the connection piece. That is what we're leaving up to
the recruiter, which is what they do best. They'd prefer
to build those relationships.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
So AI is able to search through hundreds, maybe thousands
of resumes and hone in on certain things in a
way that may the old algorithms couldn't.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
Do exactly right. And we're also highlighting why that candidate
would be a good fit for that specific employer or
for that specific role, which sometimes recruiters, in order to
make it easier for them to find talent, they have
a singular view of what would make a good fit.
But with AI, we can expand what we would consider
(23:23):
to be qualified talent using skills, and yeah, we think
that it's going to match people up with some opportunities
that they might not have thought of in the first place,
but that we do think that they'll be happy with.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Kyle, what are some recommendations you can make Because when
I back when I the last time I applied for
a job, I was thinking that a human being was
going to screen my resume, and now the first screen
is going to be AI. So there are certain things
that you need to bear in mind, things that you
need to put in your cover letter or your resume
or other materials that would push you through to the
next level.
Speaker 6 (23:57):
No, there's no magic bullet. It's all about how relevant
you are to the role. And that's the beautiful thing
about Career Scout for job seekers or Talent Scout for
employers is that for Career Scout, we are looking at
your work history, your preferences, your skill sets, and we're
putting you in front of the jobs that we think
(24:17):
that not only you're qualified for, but that you would
be interested in the first place. And just having that
good matches really what recruiters are looking for. It has
nothing to do really with keywords, It's all about what
makes someone a good fit for that role. And so
we think that we crack the code here with our
talent Scout and career Scout and having this unified career
(24:41):
system that helps both job seekers and employers find each other.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Now, AI still as far from perfect. Are there any
know knows things that you should not do that would
actually cause you the AI to maybe reject you when
it shouldn't know.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
The thing about this system is that it is based
off of everything that you give it. So I guess
the one thing that I would suggest that you don't
do is lie and say that you are a neuroscientist
when you're not a neuroscientist. But aside from that, now,
as long as you are sharing all the relevant information
of all the skills that you have and preferences that
(25:17):
you have, then the system gets to work right away
on pairing you up with the hopefully the right future.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Kyle, Is it just Indeed that's using this software or
are other companies using it as well?
Speaker 6 (25:29):
There's a lot of companies that have explored using AI.
The thing that really sets Indeed apart is that we're
the world's largest job platform, and that puts us in
a unique position to understand what job seekers, employees, and
employers all value. And you know, AI truly is nothing
without the data that supports it, and we have quite
(25:51):
a bit of data to support so we think that
it's going to be a pretty good tool for those.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
That use it. And there are a lot of companies
that utilize AI all across the state of Alabama. I
think this company, the company I work for, iHeart we
use AI as or I should indeed, as one of
the tools to hiring people. And there's a lot of
other companies that do the same. So I guess you
don't necessarily realize that indeed might be the one doing
this screening for a company when you apply.
Speaker 6 (26:19):
Yeah, it's all about finding that good match. It's honestly
no different than a dating website. We're just looking to
hook people up with long term relationships, only it's between
an employer and employee, and that is a lot of
our you know, our work life takes up a lot
of our days, so we want to make sure that
(26:41):
we get it right.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
And I'm glad you mentioned that the whole the good
match thing, because I always thought that when you're in
the interview process that the it's actually a two way interview,
because as much as the employer is looking at the
candidate to say, is this person going to be the
right fit for my organization, the employee should be looking
at the employer going is this company going to be
the right fit for my life?
Speaker 6 (27:02):
That's exactly right. I can't tell you how many job
seekers I've spoken to that ended up taking a job
because they thought that it was going to be a
good fit, but then when they finally got there, they
realized that some of the things that the interviewer told
them or that the recruiter told them wasn't entirely true,
and the environment wasn't as great as they sold them as,
and those job seekers end up leaving much sooner than
(27:24):
they wanted to. So I think you hit the nail
on the head that they are very much interviewing the
employer just as much as the employers interviewing the job seeker.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
And I think a lot of that comes from the
fact that the people doing the interviews a lot of
times that's not what they professionally do. In a lot
of situations, they're just a manager at the company, and
what they do normally they're nine to five is to
run the operations of a company. They're not a professional interviewer,
so they might not ask good questions, they might not
ask god follow up questions. They might just be sitting
(27:56):
there going, oh, I got to fill this role. Let's
just get some people in here, and you know, are
you got a Paul's good get you in and then
they realize, oh, that wasn't a good hire. So it's
helpful if you have something like this tool to I
guess better at least give you better options, so you're
at least you start from some people, all of which
might be at least qualified.
Speaker 6 (28:14):
Yeah, and it's not even just not being a good interviewer,
because there's plenty of hiring managers that have been asking
the same questions and they're pretty good at asking those questions,
but that there's a certain comfort zone to that, and
they don't get to see all the other types of
talent that would do well in the role because they
have the singular vision on what would make a good fit.
(28:36):
So with the Talent Scout, we highlight why we think
an individual would be a good fit in hopes that
it might expand the mind of the hiring manager who
doesn't have time to see all the different, various options
that are in front of them.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
So these are all things we have to think about
in the twenty first century job market when it comes
to getting before you even get the job, before you
even get the interview, you need to be prepared to
be screened by AI. And I understand this software is
going to be is already widely available, it's already in use.
Speaker 6 (29:08):
Yeah, So if you're a job seeker and you're looking
for your next role, I just want to see what's
out there. You can just download the free Indeed app
and set up a free profile. And then for employers,
we're rolling out careers or Talent Scout to many folks
over the next few months and you just have to
go to indeed dot com slash employers to learn more.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Kyle mk, the senior Strategy Talent Strategy advisor at Indeed,
thank you so much for joining us today on Viewpoint Alabama.
Speaker 6 (29:34):
Thank you, John, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
You've been listening to Viewpoint Alabama, a public affairs program
from the Alabama Radio Network. The opinions expressed on Viewpoint
Alabama are not necessarily those of the staff, management, or
advertisers of this station.
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