‘What’s up?’ An In-Depth Look at the Meet and Greet

Hi. How are you? Nice to meet you. Tell me about yourself. 

Come on, dive in; the water’s great! The Meet and Greet, also known as a home visit, is

your “jumping off point.” During that first visit with a new job seeker, you may find or identify skills and interests to use as an initial starting point for planning future Discovery activities. If you’re able to establish a rapport and go deeper, the things you learn in a Meet and Greet may also prevent you from jumping to conclusions and help you avoid premature job identification and selection.  

In this post we’re going to find out how to get the most bang for your buck with a Meet and Greet.

Home Sweet Home

When beginning Discovery, we strongly recommend starting the process at your job seeker’s home, especially if that’s where he or she is most comfortable. Anytime a person feels more at ease, they will be more willing to share about themselves! You’ll also have the advantage of observing the job seeker’s surroundings, which can reveal how they spend their time and can help you learn about interests and strengths. Making these observations can be a great way to start a conversation. You may learn about things that the job seeker might not think to mention and that you’d never discover while sitting in your office!  

If your Meet and Greet can’t be at the job seeker’s home, choose a location in the job seeker’s community where they’d prefer to talk, such as a library, coffee shop, or church. While you won’t get the benefits of observing where the job seeker spends a lot of time, you will still be in a space that’s more comfortable to the job seeker. For many people, a visit to your office feels like visiting the doctor or dentist!  And that makes us all a little uneasy, right?

Whether you meet the job seeker at their home or somewhere else that they choose, it can be helpful if the job seeker invites important people in their lives. This will vary from person to person, of course. Sometimes we can learn a lot about a person’s strengths and interests from their partner, parent, or sibling!  This could happen at that first meeting, or down the road when you all get to know each other a little better.

Let’s see what a Meet and Greet looks like in action:  

Video 1: Intro 

Frank, the job seeker, and Dawn, his employment consultant, are just sitting down to begin the conversation. Pay careful attention to how Dawn asks questions, to her body language, and to how she responds to Frank. You will be able to see the following:

• The employment consultant asks permission to take notes.
• They’ve completed intake prior to this meeting.
• The employment consultant uses the visit(s) to establish and build rapport and trust.

Video 2: What are you most proud of?  

Dawn lets Frank lead the conversation by confirming what Frank has to say, and by encouraging Frank to expand on what he’s sharing. Dawn does not lead the discussion or structure the meeting as an interview. Rather, she’s promoting an open-ended conversation.

Video 3: Expanding on an interest 

Here, Dawn is observing and learning from Frank. She’s capturing likes, preferences, dislikes, and what makes Frank tick. Notice that Dawn continues to engage with Frank in a way that puts him in charge, and that encourages him to share what he’s passionate about.  

These videos illustrate what it looks like to really build a relationship, and they demonstrate the specific skills Dawn engages in to be successful. 

Okay, we hear you saying, “Easier said than done!” You’re right. But if you’re still nervous, here's a handy dandy Tips and Tricks resource to help guide your conversation. 

The Meet & Greet Home Visit: Tips and Tricks for Making You and Your Job Seeker More Comfortable


Many thanks to Frank and to Dawn from Sycamore Services for sharing their conversation with us!