A COUNSELOR’S BLOG FOR OPTIMAL FUNCTIONING

New York, NY

Knowing community resources available to help you find work is essential.  Are you familiar with the Department of Labor Workforce Center?  It’s an agency located in every county in the U.S. whose purpose is to assist individuals find work.  Here is the address: http://www.dol.gov/dol/location.htm.  First, you need to click on your State to be taken to that site.  At your State, identify your city/county and to see what services they have to offer.  They may be listed under ‘Job Seeker’ or ‘Job Search’. 

Depending on your county’s population, you might have a full service center and satellite offices in your area.  At the full service center, you may search for employment on the internet and/or in their job bank, print copies of your resume, fax your resume to employers, and make job search telephone calls, all at no cost to you.  You may also work with a job counselor to assist in your return to gainful employment.    

Give them a call and see how they can help you.  You might have to attend and orientation first.  It’s a brief meeting where they inform all first-timers to the Workforce Center what services they have to offer.   Good luck.

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Before you walk into an interview, you should know as much about the company and the position you are applying for as you possibly can.  If you found the job through an employment agency, they should be able to provide you with the information.  If not, search the web.

In today’s world of mass communication, there’s no excuse for lack of research.  After you have studied the company, write out a list of questions to ask the interviewer.  Here are some sample questions that apply to all occupations:

Why is this position available? 

Will there be opportunities for training?

What obstacles will I have to overcome to succeed?

How will my performance be evaluated?

Are there opportunites for promotion?

Do you anticipate growth in the near future?  

Remember, you are also interviewing the company to determine if it’s somepalce you want to work; it’s a two-way street.  So buckle up and happy hunting.

Ric Estrada, EdS

www.TumiPublishing.com