Job Hunting in the United States

I appreciate the Yahoo Network giving out assignments on job fairs and job hunting, as this is a very germane issue for millions of Americans. With the deep recession it is very difficult to find and obtain decent employment. With millions of Americans either unemployed, underemployed, or only working part time it has become one of the major economic and social problems of our day. I believe it is part of our social responsibility as a major web site and as writers to research, analyze, and communicate solutions to our fellow Americans who are job seekers. As a fellow job seeker I would like to share what I have learned about the process.

Pennsylvania Career Link

A job seeker in Pennsylvania should register with their local Career Link Office. Job seekers in other states should register with a sister agency in their home state. The Career Link Office has taken the place of the old unemployment office. We all remember the old unemployment offices. We had to fill out a mountain of paperwork, wait for hours in line, and then get yelled at for actually being unemployed. Then the claim examiner would look for any reason to deny your claim. The really lucky ones actually got a few bucks out of the system. Jobs were relatively plentiful back then and people were expected to find a job and work full time. Today, jobs are scarce and unemployment is all too common. One can file an unemployment claim at the Career Link, but the main focus of the agency is to help the client find full time employment.

The Career Link acts as a gigantic coordinating agency that brings employers and job seekers together. From my experience, I would estimate that there are four or five times as many jobs advertised at the center then in the local newspapers. There are more job fairs at the center then in the general public, and many employers come right into the center to collect resumes and interview job seekers.

Variety of Services

The center offers a variety of services. When the job seeker registers, a resume is posted at the web site so employers throughout the states can view it and potentially offer an interview. The center has a hot jobs project where employers list jobs that they want to fill quickly fill. The jobs run the cycle from customer service to warehousing to truck driving. Each job has a number and the job seekers simply go onto the web site, call up their profile and e-mail a resume to the employer. A cover letter is optional.

The center also offer classroom instruction to help the job seeker. The following is a list of activities for December 2010 at the Wilkes-Barre Career Link.

December 1 Creating a Great Resume. This class was offered once a week throughout the month.
December 2 Interviewing for Success. This class was offered once a week throughout the month.
December 6 Career Link Orientation. Once a week throughout the month.
December 7 Wilkes-Barre Job Club. Once a week throughout the month
December 16 Starting your Own Business Seminar
December 23 Gas Industry Presentation

Source: www. pacareerlink.state.pa.us