Like most young adults, Jacob Smart had mixed feelings about getting his first “real” job. Though he was excited to learn new skills, he worried about how he would fit in. The difference between Smart and most young job seekers is that he has autism.

In May, Easter Seals Iowa helped the 25-year-old Smart find work at Principal Financial Group Inc. through an internship program it launched this spring called Quality, Understanding, Excellence, Success and Training. Now, Smart continues to work at Principal, even though his internship has ended.

Through QUEST, a business creates a full-time internship for an Easter Seals client. According to Donna Elbrecht, Easter Seals Iowa’s president and CEO, the idea behind the program is that the temporary position will lead to full-time employment.

“A lot of people with disabilities struggle to find a good match,” Elbrecht said. “I think a lot of it is getting their foot in the door. Once they get there and prove themselves, they have no problem keeping the job.”

Smart was the first QUEST intern Principal has hired. Elbrecht said Bankers Trust Co. and Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino have also participated in the program. Jennifer Gribble, Principal’s assistant director of affirmative action, worked with Easter Seals to organize the job opportunity, and Brenda Schuldt, a relationship manager in supplier relations at Principal, served as Smart’s mentor and worked with him every day.

Smart’s assignment was to reorganize an area at Principal called “return central.” Schuldt said return central is a place where excess office supplies and equipment are stored, and the company wanted the area better organized so employees could find what they needed and the company could reuse more of these items.

According to Schuldt, the internship was set up similar to any other job at Principal, beginning with interviews of the candidates. She said it was clear to see during interviews that Smart was the right person for the job.

“Jacob identified right away how he would go about organizing return central,” Schuldt said. “He wanted to get to work right away.”

Smart said organization is one of his strengths, and a reason he was attracted to the job. But even for someone who loves to organize things, he admits that the mess he encountered in return central was at first “overwhelming.”

“It was a little tough going that first week,” Smart said. “You couldn’t find anywhere to put things you were trying to organize.”

Schuldt and Smart worked together to develop a plan to break the project down into more manageable pieces. In the beginning, a job coach from Easter Seals came to help Smart adjust to his new job.

Return central stayed open during Smart’s internship. While he worked on organizing what was already there and inspecting every item to make sure it was in good condition, more supplies were dropped off and employees came by looking for items.

“It was a lot of work for one person, but I like to keep busy,” Smart said. “The more things that I have to get done, the faster time flies.”

When the internship began, Schuldt said, Smart made it clear that his preference was to work independently. But she noticed that he became more of a people person as time went on.

“Initially, he got his wish of working by himself, because not many people were coming down to return central,” Schuldt said. “But as it got organized and people used it more, I’ve seen Jacob really blossom and embrace the customers that walk into his space. Now he makes great eye contact with people and is very eager to help them.”

Smart said the internship was a valuable learning experience that taught him what it’s like to work in an office setting. He learned new skills, such as how to use the company’s voice mail system, and improved his ability to communicate with others.

“I learned to listen better, which is really good for business and good for me,” Smart said.

He also liked the contrast to his part-time job at the North End Diner in Johnston, where he has worked for nine years.

“I like working at the diner, but I knew that I needed to look for a new job to build my skills,” Smart said. “I wanted a challenge.”

Throughout the internship, Schuldt said she never had to change her expectations for what needed to be done because of Smart’s autism. In fact, she said, Smart’s way of thinking was an asset, because he came up with “innovative” ways of doing things, as shown by the storage bins he designed using materials that were on hand.

“We just looked for ways to make this whole experience successful,” Schuldt said. “I appreciate that people are differently abled. He just has skills that are different from mine and I have skills different from his.

“He has a great work ethic, and I would hire 100 of him if I could.”

Though his internship has ended, Smart continues to work at Principal through Manpower Inc., an employment agency. Smart now divides his time between working in return central and Eurest, the company’s food service provider. He is hoping to secure full-time employment at the company.

“Working here feels good to me,” Smart said. “Now I can see myself doing something like this with managing supplies and equipment for a long time.”

Gribble, Principal’s assistant director of affirmative action, said this positive experience with Smart made last month’s Disability Mentoring Day with Easter Seals especially meaningful.

Principal has participated for the past five years in the annual mentoring day, in which disabled people do job shadowing at area businesses based on their areas of interest. Principal has since hired one of the seven Easter Seals clients it hosted on Disability Mentoring Day in its food service area. Gribble said her company considers hiring people with disabilities as another way to make its work force more diverse and address an impending labor shortage as Baby Boomers retire.

“It’s leveraging the unique talents that each individual has to offer and opening a door to a population that hasn’t been tapped,” Gribble said. “People with disabilities have a tremendous amount to offer, and capitalizing on their talent will improve business and impact the bottom line.”