1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a ComCare Representative do? |
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 What field is your job in?
Social Services
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What is your job title?
ComCare Representative
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Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
Clark Public Utilities is a customer-owned utility providing electric and water service in Clark County, Washington. A municipal corporation organized under the laws of the state of Washington, the utility was formed by a vote of the people in 1938. We currently provide
electric service to more than 177,000 customers and
water service to around 29,500 homes and businesses.
Operations of the two systems are financially independent.
Over the past several years, we have worked hard to cut our operating costs as much as possible. As a result, we operate much more efficiently than other public utility districts in Washington. According to Washington Public Utility District Association statistics:
Each of our employees serves an average of 586 customers, compared to a statewide PUD average of only 294 customers per employee.
Our annual operating costs per customer are just $322, compared to a statewide PUD average of $498.
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How long have you been employed in this position?
5 years
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How many hours do you work a week on average?
40
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Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
Meet with low income customers to administer a Federally Funded Energy assistance grant, process Senior Rate Credits, assess low income customers for various payment programs, connect low income customers to various public resources to help meet basic needs and do outreach to low income families.
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What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
$55000.00
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What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
57000
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Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
3 weeks vacation/sick leave, two floating holidays, company paid insurance (not an HMO) for medical, dental and vision, 401k, 403b, PERS, incentive programs, healthy living/excercise program, 401k match, ability to earn more vacation by reaching utiltity established goals, and education rembursment.
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Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
well compensated
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2. Work environment! |
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Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
I love working with my team (11 people) and with customers because it provides diversity and change. Our team is tightly knit which provides support during difficult customers but also provides a challenge to improve communication as some of our personalities are stronger than others.
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Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
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Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
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Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
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Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
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1 Income
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5 Work Environment - co-workers
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2 Work Environment - supervisors
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3 Benefits
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4 Hours
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6 Level of responsibility
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7 The actual "work" you do at your job
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8 Job Title
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3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours? |
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If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get a degree focused on social work, sociology or psycology. Learn about the challenges low income families (personal and system).
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What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Social skills: good communication with the ability to adapt to the customers level of understanding. Be able to read people to know if they need more information or just the facts. Organization skills: The federal program (Energy Assistance), requires detailed and accurate record keeping - all of which is auditied on a regular basis. Appointments with customers are scheduled once an hour for the whole day; regardless if they run long or short, and there are secondary duties that need to be accomplished during the day.
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Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
a high school graduate could do this but I feel college provides a more open view of people's situations - judgments need not be passed onto the customer.
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What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
It is easy to stereotype low income people as lazy or just choosing to not address their bills but there is always more to the story. Also, language barriers do not mean the other person is illegal or unable to detect contempt in your voice. The greatest thing you can do is provide help or at least the time for them to tell their story.
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