to custom-design their jobs 

June 2005 

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), an agency of the U.S. Department 

of Labor, is committed to improving employment outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities. To achieve this goal, ODEP established a Customized Employment initiative 

to build the capacity of workforce systems to serve all customers, including individuals 

with disabilities. The strategies developed through this initiative can assist all workforce 

customers who have complex needs and may require more individual assistance to 

achieve their employment goals. The Customized Employment initiative also focuses on 

incorporating universal strategies into all aspects of workforce services. 

“As we invest in critical job 

training, we are giving workers 

the bargaining power they need 

around their lives—instead of 

the other way around.” 

—Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao 
Customized Employment: 

A New Competitive Edge 

Customized Employment offers the chance for a job to fit who we are, what we need, and what we have to offer. It provides an 

avenue to employment for any job seeker who feels that traditional 

job search methods do not meet their needs. 

Customized Employment means individualizing the relationship 

between job seekers and employers in ways that meet the needs 

of both. It is based on an individualized determination of the 

strengths, requirements, and interests of a person with a complex 

life. The process is designed to meet the workplace needs of the 

employer and the discrete tasks of the position. When a customized 

relationship is developed, a shared employment alliance results. 

Why Consider the Customized Employment Approach? 

Customized Employment can provide an advantage for job seekers 

who struggle in the competitive job market. It is particularly useful 

for those who have barriers to employment such as limited skills 

or education, inadequate childcare or transportation resources, 

disabilities, or cultural or language differences. Customized 

employment can work for anyone with a complex life. 

Everyone Customizes... 

Job seekers routinely consider the work environment, employer 

characteristics, and other conditions they prefer. Most employees, 

soon after landing a job, begin to customize their jobs based on 

personal preferences, contributions, or strengths. Customized 

Employment starts this process with up-front negotiations between 

job seekers and employers and may include more significant 

modifications to the employer’s work expectations. 

A "Win-Win" Situation 

Because the relationship between job seekers and employers is 

individualized and voluntarily negotiated, opportunities can be 

created that benefit both parties. This approach gives an advantage 

to the customized job seeker over other applicants, since that person 

uniquely fits the position. At the same time, the employer gains the 

best possible person to meet the company's needs. 
Customized Employment: 

A New Competitive Edge 

Take a Closer Look 

Successful Customized Employment opportunities are built on four key 

elements: 

1. Meeting the job seeker's individual needs and interests.

2. Using a personal representative to assist and potentially represent 

the individual. This can be a counselor, job developer, advocate, 

employment specialist, or other qualified professional. 

3. Negotiating successfully with employers.

4. Building a system of ongoing supports for the job seeker.

1. Individualization

The job seeker drives the Customized Employment process. Together 

with the personal representative, the job seeker creates a customized 

plan based on their life experiences, goals, interests, and abilities. This 

plan is used as the blueprint to identify employer opportunities and 

create a proposal for a potential employer. 

2. Representation

Personal representatives, such as those mentioned earlier, can represent 

the job seeker when customizing employment opportunities. However, 

this does not mean that they are the decision-makers. Personal 

representatives need to consider the following components from the job 

seeker's perspective: preferences and interests, the contributions the job 

seeker can make, tasks to be performed, and potential employers. If the 

job seeker needs ongoing or intensive supports to succeed on the job, 

personal representatives can play a key role in accessing those supports. 

They can also assist with negotiation. Not all individuals will choose to 

have such representation, but some may require assistance behind the 

scenes in planning for the negotiation process. 

More Than Just a Good Fit 

Creating a good fit between job seeker and employer is an essential 

component of customized employment, but true customization 

requires negotiating job responsibilities as well as employer 

expectations. 
Customized Employment Success Story 

A large commercial real estate business decreased the time it took 

to complete transactions by restructuring administrative support to 

manage a central filing room. Specific administrative support tasks 

were identified and assigned to José, a job seeker with a disability. 

The job was customized to align with his skills and his interest in an 

office job. His job duties included delivering packages and faxes, 

creating files for property submissions, routing submissions to 

the appropriate account manager, collating packets, and selected 

fi ling. This allowed other, more detailed administrative tasks to 

be performed by co-workers. As a result, real estate transactions 

were accomplished much more quickly, the volume of transactions 

increased, and the business began making more money on each 

of its real estate transactions. 

Customized Employment: A New Competitive Edge 

3. Negotiation

Customized Employment requires meeting specific employers, 

getting to know them, and learning about their staffing needs. 

Through this process, the personal representative and job seeker 

determine whether there is the potential for a Customized 

Employment relationship and determine negotiation points. The 

job seeker and the personal representative then develop a proposal 

that demonstrates how the job seeker can meet the employer's 

needs, resulting in value for the employer. The negotiation and 

agreement to hire a person for a Customized Employment situation 

are voluntary for both the job seeker and the employer, and should 

result in a mutually beneficial outcome. 

4. Ongoing Supports 

Customized Employment opportunities include the expectation that 

accommodations and supports will be available to the job seeker 

and the employer as necessary. Supports can include (but are not 

limited to) benefits counseling, personal assistance, transportation 

coordination and assistance, and adaptive equipment. These 

supports should be individualized and flexible to reflect the unique 

needs of both the job seeker and employer. 
Customized Employment: 

Principles and Indicators 

Customized Employment is the voluntary negotiation of a personalized 

employment relationship between a specific individual and an employer that 

fulfills the business needs of the employer. The negotiation process addresses areas 

such as job duties, terms of employment, services and supports necessary to carry 

out the job duties, and expectations adapted to the needs or special circumstances 

of one particular job seeker. 

Customized Employment strategies result in individually designed services, supports, 

and jobs negotiated to fit the needs of a specific job seeker or employee. These 

strategies may include aspects of other employment approaches, such as: 

Supported employment services 

Supported entrepreneurship services, microenterprises, or small businesses 

Individualized job development 

Job carving and restructuring 

The development of microboards 

Customized Employment Strategies 

The Customized Employment process is not a single strategy, service, or support 

but rather a flexible blend of strategies, services, and supports designed to increase 

employment options for job seekers with complex needs through voluntary 

negotiation of the employment relationship. Customized Employment can be 

useful for all job seekers, including those without disabilities, who have unique 

circumstances affecting employment. It builds on proven principles, services and 

supports, and strategies—such as supported employment—that have resulted in 

success for job seekers with complex needs. It is appropriate for job seekers and 

existing employees whose changing circumstances require negotiation to customize 

employment tasks, expectations, or working conditions. 

Customized Employment Principles 

The following principles are fundamental to Customized Employment. 

The employer voluntarily negotiates specific job duties or employee 

expectations. 

The negotiated employment relationship meets both the unique needs, 

strengths, and interests of the job seeker or employee and the discrete needs 

of the employer. 

The job seeker is the primary source of information and decides the direction 

in which to explore the job market. 

The job seeker controls the planning process that captures their preferences, 

interests, and connections in the community. 

Even prior to planning, exploratory time is essential to uncover the job 

seeker's unique needs, abilities, and interests. More formal or traditional 

assessment may supplement this exploratory phase if necessary, but it 

should not be used as the primary source of information for planning. 
Customized Employment results in jobs that fit the individual and therefore 

have the potential for advancement for job seekers who have been 

chronically unemployed or underemployed. 

The following fundamental principles are shared by Customized Employment 


and other employment processes.


Work occurs in an integrated, individualized work situation in the 

community or in a personal business alongside people who do not have 

disabilities. 

Employment results in pay at the prevailing wage or “going rate.” 

Employment outcomes may include creating a job through self-employment. 

The job or business outcomes must be individualized – one person at a time – 

with no grouping of persons unless they are co-owners of a business venture. 

The process is facilitated through a blend of services, supports, and resources 

that include the workforce system and other public and private partners 

such as disability service providers. These resources are coordinated to meet 

the job seeker's needs. 

Customized Employment can be used either prior to or after employment as a 

strategy to modify job duties and/or other employer expectations for an individual 

who has complex needs. 

Customized Employment Indicators 

The following indicators must be present in order for a process to be considered 

Customized Employment. 

As a result of Customized Employment, the employee has a personalized job 

description and/or other employer expectations that did not exist prior to 

the negotiation process. 

The individual makes a tangible contribution to the employer’s enterprise. 

The individual is hired and paid directly by the employer. 

Customized Employment offers the opportunity for personal representation 

by a job developer, as appropriate, to assist the job seeker in negotiating with 

employers. 

Customized Employment is based on an array of strategies that allow job 

duties to be tailored to satisfy both job seeker and employer needs. 

Personal budgets, individual training accounts, and other forms of 

individualized funding that provide choice and control to the person and 

promote self-determination are used in Customized Employment. 

All individually designed services and supports needed by the job seeker for 

success are offered by the employer, the workforce system, and/or funders of 

services. 

Principles and Indicators 
Job Seeker Exploration 

Customized planning is critical to negotiating a Customized Employment relationship. But before the planning begins, exploratory time is needed to understand the job 

seeker's dreams, goals, personal preferences, life experiences, and the needs they express. 

This exploration is also critical to identifing the complexities that the job seeker brings 

to potential employment relationships. Formal testing and evaluation may be used as a 

supplement to this exploration when specific information is needed to complete the picture. 

Self-Exploration, Shared Exploration, Facilitated Exploration: Options for All 

Job Seekers 

Exploration can be accomplished in a number of ways, depending on the needs and 

preferences of the job seeker. Many job seekers will wish to engage in a process of selfexploration, often facilitated by others, that involves answering questions, reflecting on 

ideas and past experiences, and identifying personal issues and challenges. Other job 

seekers may wish to participate in a peer group such as a job club or other group in 

which members assist each other in shared exploration. Still other job seekers, especially 

those with significant complexities, will benefit from facilitated discovery, a process in 

which an employment professional, family member, or friend spends the time necessary 

to understand the applicant’s strengths, needs, and preferences. This range of possible 

approaches to exploration is critical to ensure true customization for each job seeker.

The Place to Start: Who Is This Applicant? 

Discovering a job seeker's strengths and uncovering their employment-related goals and 

experiences is the place to start. Assisting the job seeker to explore answers to the following 

key questions will help guide the process. 

What life experiences have I had? 

What are my strengths, interests, and preferences? 

What do I have to offer to an employer? 

What is important to me in a job? 

What motivates me to work? 

What supports will I need to be successful? 

But exploration involves much more than simply asking job seekers about their issues. 

Exploration also involves spending time with applicants and interviewing friends, family, 

and colleagues, recommended by the job seeker, who have positive information to 

share. It is critical that the life circumstances of the job seeker be understood through 

observation and participation as well as conversation. Adequate time to explore and 

understand the answers to these questions lays the groundwork for the customized 

planning process to follow.
During exploration, tasks, skills, and other potential contributions can be 

observed and discussed with the job seeker. This Task List is a critically 

important component of the customized plan and employer negotiations that 

targets specific duties of the applicant’s customized job description. 

Exploration and Employment Supports 

Employment supports are the formal and informal activities at a job that 

enable people to successfully complete their work. Employment supports can 

be both internal and external to the job. The customized planning process 

needs to consider what, if any, employment supports that individual may need. 

Exploration provides the information necessary to plan for the employment 

supports that might be needed for success. 

file 

The information obtained during exploration needs to be documented to 

account for the various activities used to get to know the job seeker. There are 

numerous strategies—including profiles, portfolios, and other creative means—to 

capture the body of information that will be used as the basis for the customized 

planning process. 

Targeting Tasks and Other Potential Contributions 

The Individual Pro

How Family, Friends, and Personal Representatives Can Help 

Job seekers will often use a personal representative to help them plan. The personal 

representative's role is to learn about the job seeker—not to presume information, diagnose, 

or test and compare the applicant with others. 

People who really know the job seeker can help to fully explore interests, skills, and dreams. 

Information from a wide variety of sources, such as those found at One-Stop Career 

Centers, is also often part of exploration. These resources can provide useful information 

about potential directions to employment and a perspective on the job seeker that might be 

otherwise overlooked. 

Job Seeker Exploration 
Job Seeker Exploration

Creating a Bluepr int for Job Development 

Customized Employment is based on an individualized determination of a person's strengths, requirements, and interests. As such, the process requires time for 

exploration and planning prior to negotiating an employment relationship. Through a 

process of exploration, job seekers express their dreams, goals, personal preferences, life 

experiences, and needs. The next step is a customized planning process, resulting in an 

individualized career profile that:

Details the applicant's strengths, needs, and interests. 

Develops a “Task List” proposal for potential employers. 

Directs the development of a Customized Employment relationship with employers. 

Identifies potential employers to be contacted. 

Outlines the supports necessary for employment to be successful. 

Customized Employment planning is distinct from many other planning approaches in that 

the issue of job development is discussed and detailed within the plan, rather than being 

handled simply through the relationships and contacts of a job developer. Information used 

during plan development is based on the information discovered by and with the applicant. 

Features of Customized Planning: 

1. The job seeker is fully involved in the planning process, decides who will participate, 

and directs their own blueprint for job development. 

2. The plan should be developed with the job seeker's vision of their interests and career 

goals as the primary focus, as determined through exploration. 

3. The focus is on the job seeker’s preferences, talents, life experiences, and dreams, 

rather than their challenges or limitations. 

4. Family, friends, and natural social networks serve as a secondary source of input, 

opinions, and support. The job seeker is always the primary source of information. 

5. Concerns and complexities are considered solvable through negotiation and support, 

and must not become reasons to rule out career options. 

6. The planning process always focuses on obtaining community-based, integrated 

employment that pays a competitive wage. 
A Customized Blueprint for Employment 

The Customized Employment plan results in a document that serves as a blueprint for 

the job search. It must: 

Clearly represent the job seeker’s talents and potential contributions, including 

a Task List. 

Outline the applicant’s strengths, needs, and interests as the basis of the 

“blueprint.” 

Identify specific employers to be contacted, including relationships and 

connections to those employers as well as their potential task needs. 

Address the supports necessary to obtain and maintain employment. 

This information can be presented to prospective employers as a proposal or portfolio 

of the job seeker’s accomplishments and interests. It can also be included in the 

applicant’s resume. 

Customized Planning and Job Site Supports 

One principle of Customized Employment is making employment supports available 

that are developed from the customized planning process and noted in the blueprint. 

Employment supports help the job seeker prepare for, get to, and be successful at 

work. The type of supports and the methods used to provide supports will be unique 

to each Customized Employment position and business. 

When designing support strategies for Customized Employment, it is important to 

consider the following strategies: 

Customized Employment Success Story 

1. Use what is already in the workplace. 

2. Adapt what is in the workplace. 

3. Supplement what is in the workplace. 

Creating a Bluepr int for Job Development 

During the planning process, Maria stated her dream of working in the theater. Her 

personal representative found a theater company that hired expensive temporary 

personnel to meet seasonal work fluctuations. The personal representative negotiated 

the creation of an administrative clerk job that would float between departments, 

ending the need to hire temporary staff. This saved money for the company and gave 

the job seeker the opportunity to work in her area of interest. 
Negotiating with Employers 

An essential element in Customized Employment is negotiating job duties or employee expectations to 

align the skills and interests of a job seeker with a disability to an employer's needs. This negotiation 

results in a job description that describes a customized relationship between employer and employee. Rather 

than trying to sell employers on the concept of hiring people with disabilities, it is better to appeal directly 

to the employers’ needs. The goal is to negotiate Customized Employment options that benefit both the 

employer and the job seeker. 

Where to Start? 

Get to know the person. Customized Employment starts with an applicant exploration process that leads to an 

employment plan based on the job seeker's customized planning process. (See the “Job Seeker Exploration” 

and “Creating a Blueprint" fact sheets.) The customized planning process also identifies potential employers 

for job development negotiation. 

Get to know employers. The employers to become familiar with include those identified by the job seeker 

during the customized planning process. Once identified, arrange informational interviews—not to sell the 

business on your services or a particular job seeker, but to learn about the business and how it works. 

Find negotiation points. After learning about specific businesses, figure out how they can benefit from your 

services and the job seeker you represent.

Identify Employers 

As a resource for planning, an initial survey of potential employers should be broad and include any 

employer who might potentially fit the job seeker. The job seeker's plan should then drive the process of 

identifying specific employers. Additional suggestions can come from:

The job seeker—ask about employers they know 

The job seeker's family, friends, and neighbors 

Local business publications and the business section of the paper 

Local business associations such as the Chamber of Commerce 

The personal representative’s own contacts 

Get Your Foot in the Door 

Once you have researched area businesses, a good way to learn about them is to visit for informational 

interviews. Ask how the business operates and what its staffing needs are. Informational interviews are 

chances to attract employer interest in Customized Employment. 

It is also possible to directly solicit specific employers, identified during the planning meeting, who are called 

upon for the purpose of convincing them to consider hiring the job seeker. Such solicitations need to include 

a proposal that balances the two issues described above: a) the needs of the employer and b) the potential 

contributions of the applicant. Regardless of which approach job developers use, successful customized 

employment requires successful negotiation. The following strategies will assist in negotiating with employers. 
Find Negotiation Points 

Once you have become acquainted with an employer and their needs, look for ways in which your service 

and the job seeker you represent can benefit the business by improving operations or increasing profits. 

The responsibilities of the position as listed in the job description 

The time, hours, and location for the job in question 

The support strategies and supervision the job seeker will need 

Productivity and outcome expectations 

Such negotiation points are defined by job seeker and employer preferences. 

The goal of the customized planning process is to identify a set of tasks the job seeker can perform. Using 

those tasks and the employer research, the job seeker and the personal representative build a proposal to 

present to the potential employer. 

The preliminary proposal describes the job seeker's skills and how they will benefit the employer. The 

employer may accept the proposal, suggest modifications to it, or reject it. If the original proposal is not 

accepted, the discussion can lead to a revised proposal that satisfies both the employer and the job seeker. 

Employer participation in this process is always voluntary. The willingness to customize a job description is 

a decision on the employer’s part, not a legal requirement. 

Options to Customize a Job Description 

A job description is created by modifying an existing job description. The carved job 

description contains one or more, but not all, of the tasks from the original job description. 

Negotiating a job description. The job seeker and the personal representative pick from all the tasks 

performed at the workplace to create a new, individualized job description. 

Job creation. A newly created job description is negotiated based on unmet workplace needs. 

Job sharing. Two or more people share the tasks and responsibilities of a job based on each other’s 

strengths. 

Customized Employment Success Story 

Negotiating with Employers 

Negotiation points may include: 

Present the Proposal 

Job carving.

A large department store hired Scott, a job seeker with a disability, after several informational visits by 

his personal representative, Shaina, who negotiated a new way for the store to handle merchandise 

delivery. Originally, store clerks unloaded and repackaged new merchandise. Shaina suggested that 

the job seeker perform this task. This customized job freed the clerks to spend more time serving 

customers. As a result, sales increased. 
Negotiate for Employer Gain 

The job seeker and the personal representative need to be 

prepared to show how the proposal will help an employer 

improve operations. This is probably your most important 

bargaining point when a job seeker with a disability might need 

unusual or extensive accommodations or supports. Some of the 

best customized employment opportunities are created when 

options for employer gain are targeted. Focus the customized 

job description on the contribution to the employer, not 

competition with other job seekers. 

Work gets done faster or more precisely 

Employees become more productive 

Profit increases 

Work can be reorganized to flow better 

Overburdened employees can be relieved 

Operations become more efficient 

When the business sees potential gain, it is ready to consider 

hiring a job seeker who might require changes in the workplace. 

Informational Interview Pointers

understand the human resource 

Indicate an interest in understanding 

should be more than enough. 

Employers gain when: 

 Ask to meet with a knowledgeable 

person in the business. 

Make the meeting request easy to 

fulfill. Say, “I’d like to find out more 

about your business so I can better 

needs in your industry," or “I’m really 

interested in [industry type]. Is it 

possible for me to briefly visit and 

get more information?” 

Be prepared: Research the business 

thoroughly, and prepare questions 

for the meeting. How does the work 

get done? What are some of the 

biggest staffing challenges? 

the business's staffing needs and 

that you may be able to meet them. 

Keep it short. Respect the 

employer’s time—15 to 20 minutes 

Thank the employer for their time. 

When you get back to your office, 

send a written thank-you note. 
Information for these fact sheets came from: 

The National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD/A); Michael Callahan of Marc Gold & Associates/EfA (micallahan@aol.com); Richard Luecking of 

TransCen, Inc. (rluecking@transcen.org) and the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor. 

For additional information on Customized Employment, contact: 

Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor 

Voice: 1.866.633.7365 

TTY: 1.877.889.5627 

Fax: 1.202.693.7888 

www.dol.gov/odep 

or 

NCWD/A 

Voice: 617.287.4365 

TTY: 617.287.4350 

sheila.fesko@umb.edu