Veterans only! Job fairs for vets

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Veterans
Handshake at a job fair

Handshake at a job fairVeterans in the job market have an exclusive opportunity to meet employers, receive job leads, and practice their networking skills: veterans job fairs, held across the country, are open only to veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses.

Job fairs are an opportunity for job seekers to speak directly to employers that either have current job openings, or are recruiting for future openings. Employers sign up to participate in veterans job fairs because they particularly want to hire veterans—who bring a range of training, work experience, and work ethic to the workplace.

Besides possibly landing a job lead or an interview, attending a job fair can give you a better understanding of how to describe your military experience to civilian employers. It can also help you develop a list of types of positions likely to match your experience. And if the whole idea of asking for a job or meeting with employers sounds stressful to you, job fairs offer you a chance to practice with recruiters and human resources professionals who’ve signed up to be there, just to meet you and other vets.

Most veterans job fairs are open to all service branches, although some target a particular branch, such as Sailors to the Workforce, or Soldiers to the Workforce. They are often sponsored by state veterans services, and attendance is typically free.

  • To find state-sponsored job fairs, do an Internet search for “Veterans Job Fairs in (your state)”.
  • For veterans who have a security clearance for their military job, find job fairs sponsored by clearancejobs.com.
  • Recruit Military also sponsors a year-round schedule of veterans job fairs across the country, located either on bases or in the community.
  • If there are no events scheduled for your area, or dates are not convenient, there are also a number of virtual career fairs listed on the Recruit Military site that you can “attend” online to interact with employers at a prescheduled time.

Try these steps to gain the most from a veterans job fair experience:

Before the job fair

  • Register. Although not always required, having your name on the list of pre-registered attendees shows professional courtesy to both fair organizers and exhibiting employers.
  • Research participating employers. Find out ahead of time which employers hire people with your skills. Even if the company is not on your list of target employers, treat them as if they were. You’ll find a list of participating employers on the veterans job fair website.
  • Know your career objective.
  • Make a list of questions for employers. Ask about how they recruit and hire people with your skill set.
  • Polish your resume.
  • Practice your elevator speech. Begin with a firm handshake and good eye contact. Use a clear voice and provide the employer with concise and relevant information. It’s a good idea to practice with someone else.
  • Practice interview responses.

During the job fair

  • Dress professionally.
  • Bring several copies of your resume, pen and paper for notes, and breath mints.
  • Talk with recruiters, but not for too long.
  • Get business cards, names, and contact information.
  • After meeting someone, make a few notes. What did you discuss with them? Did you commit to any follow-up?
  • Talk with other job seekers at the job fair.
  • Be professional, polite, and positive.

After the job fair

  • If employers invited you to send a resume, be sure to send one out with a brief cover letter within a day or two of the job fair.
  • If you picked up business cards or had a conversation with someone, stay in touch. Call if they offered to connect you with opportunities or leads, or to schedule an informational interview with them to learn more about a company or field.
  • Send LinkedIn invitations to other job seekers you met as well as employer contacts.
  • Whether in person or online, offer your assistance to other job seekers and members of your network when you request contacts in your targeted field or industry.

 

Find more job search ideas on CareerOneStop’s Veteran and Military Transition Center.

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How to write a cover letter

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Entry-level workers, Job seekers
woman writing cover letter

woman writing cover letterBy Evan Supple

So you’re about to apply for a job when you notice that, along with your resume, the company wants you to send a cover letter. What to do?  Of course you have lots of options: you can panic, you can decide to ignore the request, you can quickly sprawl “Here’s my resume!” across a blank sheet of paper, and call it a day.

But if you’re serious about landing an interview, you should spend a little time crafting a letter that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.  The goal of your cover letter is to make your resume stand out in a pile of applications. And although that’s a lofty goal, writing an effective cover letter doesn’t need to be a daunting task.

You can get started with this Write Your First Cover Letter video, and then follow the five tips below:

  • Get a sense of what a good cover letter looks like by checking out some examples like these Samples of the Best Cover Letters, from thebalance.com, or Cover Letter Samples from Monster.com. Pay attention to the style, tone, format, content and length of the letters.
  • Use CareerOneStop’s cover letter template to get started. This will help you make sure you don’t miss any important pieces.
  • Read the job posting, position description, and any other information you have about the hiring person’s specific needs ideas for the position. Then make sure you address those details in your letter.
  • Find the “About Us” section of the hiring company’s (or organization’s) website. Get a feel for how the company views themselves, and see if you can work those values or ideals into your letter. At the very least, make it obvious that you’re familiar with the company.
  • Use the information you’ve discovered and try to find a way to connect you and the company you’re writing to, whether it’s a past experience, a future goal or something about your character.
  • Proofread, then ask someone else to proofread, and then ask a third person. Nothing sinks a cover letter as fast as a bunch of typos.

Evan Supple is a content analyst for CareerOneStop. A recent Macalester College graduate, he hopes to advocate for workers with his writing and video projects. He lives in St. Paul and is content.

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Using data to make career decisions

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Career changers, Entry-level workers
Logo says "Knowledge is Power"

Logo says "Knowledge is Power"Time to make a big career decision?  Whether you’re just beginning to investigate your career options, or you’re deep into planning a new twist to your established career path, making a career decision is complicated.

There’s lots to consider—and lots of sources of information (and, unfortunately, mis-information). You can talk with friends, family, and colleagues—their experiences and opinions are truly valuable and can give you great context. You can surf the web—online, you’ll undoubtedly find lots of pros and cons to any career. But it also helps to arm yourself with data about careers of interest.

In fact, there is a huge amount of career and labor market information that can help you make career decisions. It includes data about employment prospects, wages, and regional supply and demand for various careers. It also includes information about education requirements and opportunities. And finally, it includes understanding whether a career might be a good fit for your individual interests, skills, and abilities.

CareerOneStop’s Occupation Profile is a great place to research careers. You can search for any one of more than 900 careers, and find a great overview of each occupation—including a video showing real people on the job—as well as career and labor market information to help you answer four key career questions:

Is this career a good fit for my interests, skills, and abilities?

Each Occupation Profile includes lists of the most common skills, knowledge, interests, and abilities associated with that career. Check the lists to see if the career seems right for you—and follow the links to learn more about each of those qualities, or to take an Interest Assessment that can help you identify careers that might be a better fit for you.

How much education or training would I need for this career?

It’s one thing to be interested in a particular career, but it’s another thing to be willing and able to complete the training or education that would qualify you for a job. Luckily, you don’t need to guess—there’s  hard data on typical education requirements for occupation. When you look up a career on the Occupation Profile, you’ll see the typical level education or training for workers starting out in the career. You’ll find:

  • Typical degree or level of education
  • Typical level of work experience
  • Typical on-the-job training

You’ll also find links to local training programs where you can train for the career, as well as information on any relate licenses, apprenticeships, or certifications. From there, you can learn more about education and training options.

What’s the outlook for jobs in this career?

Knowing whether a career is in demand—that is, whether there are likely to be jobs available—is a key piece of career planning. There’s no point in training or preparing for a career just to find out it’s nearly impossible to find a job. In the Occupation Profile, you’ll see detailed data on projected employment growth or decline for each career. You can also link directly to job postings to get a feel for your local labor market. You can also learn more about career projections.

How much money could I earn in this career?

It’s no secret that the amount of money you might earn is one of the most important factors that goes into a career decision.  It’s also true that industry groups or even the media might exaggerate the earnings potentials of some careers. So it’s important that you base your decisions on wage and salary data you can trust.  CareerOneStop’s Occupation Profile shows you the typical wages earned by workers in a career—in the nation, state, or your local area. The data come from a semi-annual wage survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor. Find more information (and average salaries for hundreds of cares) at Salary Finder.

 

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Need training that leads to a job? Try workforce education.

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Career changers, Career counselors, Students
Man working on computer server

Man working on computer serverCurious about what it would take to learn marketable skills that could earn you an in-demand new job? Workforce education programs prepare students for specific jobs both in technical and professional fields. Graduates are ready for employment as soon as they finish, generally in careers that pay a family wage.

Workforce education programs span a broad range of interests, including:

  • Information Technology
  • Nursing Assistant
  • Medical Assistant
  • Chemical Dependency Professional
  • Criminal Justice
  • Robotics
  • Welding
  • Construction Framing
  • HVAC
  • Computer Numerical Control
  • Accounting

Typical program length ranges from about 6 weeks to 2 years, depending on the field and the credential earned.

Workforce education is a great option for students with a variety of needs. Students concerned about investing in an education that may not qualify them for a particular job can trust that they will gain marketable skills. Students trying to save college costs will find programs that can be completed quickly. And adults reentering the job market after a layoff, military service, incarceration, or taking time off to care for children will often find transition support services at their local community college.

Credit for prior learning

One feature of workforce education that can provide an additional benefit for adult students is the opportunity to gain credit for prior learning. Many colleges will consider awarding college credit for the knowledge and skills a student or applicant has acquired outside the classroom.

Prior learning may be demonstrated in a variety of ways. Typically, colleges consider training you’ve received on the job, military training, national exams you’ve passed, a portfolio of your work samples, and professional / industry certifications you’ve earned.

College personnel evaluate the knowledge you’ve developed from these experiences and relate it to specific college course expectations. Experience alone would not be considered for credit; students must demonstrate that their experience translates into specific college courses or competencies.

Credit for prior learning can be a significant time- and cost-saver for students, if it’s accepted as a replacement for specific classes. You can often move more quickly into the more challenging classes in your field, if your prior learning exempts you from introductory classes. And it can also show employers that you’ve invested in valuable training outside the college classroom.

One of the reasons credit for prior learning isn’t more widely known is that every institution of higher learning evaluates students’ experience differently, and awards credit in its own way. To find out how your college or a school you plan to attend conducts PLA, check their website for academic policies related to credit transfer; some may even specify policies for credit for prior learning.

Keep in mind that every school differs in their policies around how much credit may be transferred, how they evaluate prior learning, and even whether prior experience can be applied to credits earned, or only to waive course requirements for a particular degree or credential.

It’s usually best to speak directly with an academic advisor, admissions counselor or a prior learning coordinator to get the clearest information for your own situation. It’s also important to confirm that your institution is accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Your PLA won’t be worth much if it’s applied to a school that employers or other colleges don’t recognize.

If you plan to attend the upcoming National Council for Workforce Education in Salt Lake City on October 25-26, visit CareerOneStop at Booth #21 in the Exhibitor Area! Stop by and tell us about your experience in workforce education, and we will send you away with helpful resources.

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Build an inclusive work culture

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Businesses and employers, Uncategorized, Workers with disabilities
inclusion drives innovation logo

inclusion drives innovation logoIf you work for one of the many employers that want to create a more inclusive workplace, but lack the knowledge or creativity to come up with ideas, take advantage of some recommendations from the experts. The theme of this year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is Inclusion Drives Innovation, which indicates just one of the advantages of creating  a workplace culture that includes diversity of many types, including disability.

The United States Office of Disability Employment Policy offers this list of 10 ways to reinforce a culture of inclusion in your workplace, all year long:

Ten Ways to Foster the NDEAM Spirit Year Round

Idea 1

Gather Ideas from Your Corporate Disability Employee Resource Group

Does your organization have a disability-related Employee Resource Group (ERG)? Start your planning efforts there. The members of disability ERGs (sometimes called Business Resource Groups or Affinity Groups) are well positioned to help you brainstorm activities, speakers and topics to include in your awareness-building efforts. ERGs can also serve as a talent pipeline by referring qualified job seekers with disabilities to your organization.

Idea 2

Hold an NDEAM Kickoff Event in October

NDEAM is a fitting time to formally launch disability employment awareness activities — and set the pace for 11 more months of activities designed to promote disability inclusion. Kickoff events can range from large-scale, multi-day celebrations to small brown bag lunches about disability issues. Whatever approach you choose, there are a number of tools and planning resources to assist you in your efforts. Each year, you can use the new NDEAM theme to frame your kick-off event and influence year-round activities.

Idea 3

Host a Disability Mentoring Day

Disability Mentoring Day promotes career development for youth with disabilities through hands-on programs, job shadowing and ongoing mentoring. The nationwide observance is the third Wednesday of each October, but employers may choose to host their own events any day of the year. The American Association of People with Disabilities offers information to assist you in implementing a Disability Mentoring Day. Take advantage of this easy way to connect with great talent while providing young people with disabilities valuable career experience.

Idea 4

Sponsor a “Lunch and Learn” Series About Disability Issues

One easy way to maintain momentum is to host a series of monthly “lunch and learn” events for employees. Just schedule the date and place, enlist internal or external presenters, and invite employees to come learn about a range of disability-related subjects. Topics can often be suggested by your disability-related ERG (if you have one) and can include everything from “Communicating with Job Seekers with Disabilities,” to “Creating Accessible PDF Documents,” to “Managing Diabetes at Work.” Such events are a great way to educate staff about disability issues in an informal setting. And don’t forget to survey attendees after each session to gather feedback and solicit new topic ideas.

Idea 5

Provide Volunteer Opportunities to Your Employees

Smart employers know the benefits of employee volunteerism, which include strong team engagement, leadership development and more. In the spirit of NDEAM, why not sponsor opportunities for your staff to volunteer at local organizations that prepare people with disabilities for work? In communities across the nation, there are often opportunities to volunteer your time reviewing resumes, staging mock-interviews and providing guidance on how to dress for success. Connecting your employees to these opportunities is a great way to both give back and raise awareness. And these activities just might help you source talented job candidates with disabilities for your own organization, as well.

Idea 6

Display Posters Promoting Disability Inclusion

NDEAM is a great time to freshen up walls and bulletin boards in your lobby, break rooms and common areas with disability employment posters — but there’s no reason to take them down when October ends! Start by putting up the current year’s NDEAM poster, which is available in both English and Spanish. Additional display materials include the Campaign for Disability Employment’s poster series. You might also consider highlighting specific disability recognition months such as Heart Health Month, Epilepsy Awareness Month and Brain Injury Awareness Month to keep the pace going throughout the year. And with numerous, free posters to choose from, you can keep your displays fresh and dynamic throughout the year. The benefit of this practice? Employees who are consistently reminded that their organization is disability-friendly may be more likely to refer job-seeking friends with disabilities to your HR department. In addition, those with disabilities themselves may be more likely to self-identify as such.

Idea 7

Offer American Sign Language Training Classes to Your Employees

If your company offers employee development and training opportunities, consider adding American Sign Language classes to your catalogue of offerings. Such classes aren’t just fun; they teach employees new skills while reinforcing relationships between hearing employees and those who are deaf. On-site classes can be taught by representatives from local or national sign language organizations, while external classes are often available at local colleges and universities. This professional development practice can serve to strengthen internal communications for your employees who are deaf, while bolstering your ability to recruit talented job candidates who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Idea 8

Interview Students with Disabilities during Campus Recruiting Trips

If your company pays for recruiting visits to college campuses, be sure to have your recruiters contact each institution’s Career Services Office and Disability Services Office to give them a heads up. Let them know that you’re interested in interviewing job candidates with disabilities and brief them on the types of positions available. Regularly meeting with juniors and seniors with disabilities on campus recruiting trips is a great way to build a pipeline of talented job candidates for your organization.

Idea 9

Host a Disability 101 Event for Employees

One of the best educational events you can provide your employees, during NDEAM or anytime of year, is a “Disability Employment 101” primer. And thanks to the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), such events are easy to coordinate. JAN offers a series of free, ready-to-deliver training modules on a variety of disability-related topics. Titled “Just In Time,” the series can be used to educate your staff members with hiring and managerial responsibilities about issues related to applicants and employees with disabilities.

Idea 10

Incorporate Disability Into Your Onboarding Processes

A formal onboarding process helps new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviors they need to become effective members of your organization. As such, it’s also a perfect opportunity to educate new employees on your company’s policies and practices related to disability inclusion — from reasonable accommodation procedures to your commitment to equal employment opportunity. Such practices will help new employees feel good about the organization they now serve, and may encourage self-identification among people with hidden disabilities. What’s more, it may also make them more likely to refer their job-seeking friends with disabilities to your organization.

Learn more about hiring a diverse workforce at CareerOneStop’s Business Center.

 

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4 tips for career planning with your teen

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Parents
Family spending time together

Family spending time togetherWhen’s the last time you talked about careers with your teen?

Deciding on a career is one of the biggest of life decisions—and yet many teens spend very little time exploring careers. Here are four simple steps to get your teen engaged in their own career planning.

1. Start with a conversation. Even if your teen is generally resistant to any conversation of more than two words, you might be surprised by how engaged they can become when talking about their future.  Keep the focus off of your expectations or their responsibilities, and ask general questions about how they hope to live as an adult: where do they picture themselves living, what do they think they’d like to do, what kinds of things will they spend money on—and how much money will they need? All of these questions are good prompts. You can also tell your own story or trace the career path of another admired adult.

2. Take an assessment.  CareerOneStop’s Interest Assessment is a great place to start. It’s a quick, online assessment that matches interests to careers. With just 30 questions, it usually takes only five minutes to complete. And teens can complete it on their phone, tablet, or any computer,

3. Research careers. Once they’ve completed the interest assessment, they’ll get a list of career ideas. From the list, they can link directly to Occupation Profiles to learn details about careers of interest. Tell them to look for the answers to these questions:

  • What would you do in this career? Does it match your interests and skills?
  • How much education would you need?
  • What’s the job outlook?
  • Whats; the typical salary?

4. Make the link to education. A lot of the time, adults lead with the importance of education.  Chances are, your teen has heard many, many times how important it is to do well in school. But if they haven’t made a concrete link to how education can help them achieve their specific dreams or goals, they’re less likely to prioritize it.  Once you’ve had conversations about careers, and you and your teen have identified general career fields or even specific jobs they might thrive in, it’s a lot easier for a young adult to value education.

 

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4 key steps for a veteran’s job search

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Job seekers
Veteran interviewing for a job

Veteran interviewing for a jobThere is not one type of military veteran. Every service member’s experience is different, and his or her skills, personality, interests, challenges, and advantages will also differ. That said, any veteran ready to launch a job search will find these 4 steps helpful for landing a job.

1. Use veterans employment services that are available.

A system of employment-related services for veterans is available through the national American Job Center (AJC) network. Veterans representatives and veterans job clubs are there to support the job search, at AJCs in every state.

Consider attending transition job fairs – they are a great opportunity to network with employers who specifically seek veterans for their open positions. Even if you are still exploring your options, you can use a job fair to learn what employers’ needs are and how your experience might help meet them.

In addition, veterans have hiring preference in a number of positions, which can help make the transition more accessible.

Find State Resources in your state to locate American Job Centers and veterans services near you.

2. Translate your military experience into civilian terms.

One of the biggest challenges for veterans is to communicate how their training, skills, and experience relate to civilian positions. Veterans doing a job search need to be prepared to talk about their military experience in interviews using language that someone outside military can recognize.

A useful step can be brainstorming the full list of jobs, assignments, tasks, and training you performed during your military service. Then take the time to translate it into terms a civilian could understand.

There may be several aspects to translate: consider the jargon and acronyms used in your service branch, the specialized equipment you’ve used, as well as how military-specific skills can bring focus and leadership into the civilian workplace.

As many service members have found, interviewers will not automatically understand how useful the servicemember’s experience will be for their company. They need your help to put it into familiar terms. One way to start is by finding civilian job titles related to your military experience by entering your MOC or military job title in CareerOneStop’s Veterans Job Finder tool. Use the filters at left to refine your search: related occupations, filter by company, location, or date posted.

Many service members or veterans have a strong association with the values embodied in their service branch, or military service in general. Many of these values complement the kind of work ethic and commitment that employers are looking for in employees, including discipline, ability to follow instructions, problem solving / troubleshooting, strong communication skills, teamwork. Keep in mind that those values are part of what you offer as a military veteran.

3. Invest time in crafting a strong resume.

Oftentimes, your resume is the only introduction an employer sees, so it needs to effectively describe what you have to offer them. It can take extra time and effort for veterans. Use the translation information developed in step 2, but also take the time to ask family, friends, or AJC staff to review your resume to ensure you have effectively brought your experience into civilian terms. Ask them to explain back to what you did in a given position, and to describe how they think it relates to your job goal.

Remember the acronyms and military jargon that you are so used to will mystify most civilians.

Many service members find that interviews and resumes require them to advertise their accomplishments and skills, which can feel like the opposite approach they were trained for in the military, where the focus may have been on company accomplishments rather than individual. But in the civilian workplace, employers typically look for candidates to demonstrate how they stand out from the crowd, and how they bring something unique to the workplace, in addition to being an excellent team member.

4. Target employers in your local area

There are three major reasons to research employers in your area: one is to learn about their industry, number of employees, and location to get a sense of size and the likelihood of having job opportunities. It’s also critical to get a sense of their mission and vision, current priorities, etc. from their website to assess whether they match your interests, and values. In other words, is it a place you want to be? The third reason is that a job candidate who is informed about the organization, and reflects their research in a cover letter and during the job interview, is a much more competitive candidate than one who hasn’t done the research.

Use the Business Finder to find data about employers and link off to their websites. This step will help you focus your job search efforts on employers likely to hire people with your particular skill set, who you might like to work for, in your area.

For more information on veterans’ job search, visit CareerOneStop’s Veteran and Military Transition Center.

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Consider a career as a physical therapist assistant

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Entry-level workers
Physical therapist assistant helping a patient

Physical therapist assistant helping a patient Thinking about a career in physical therapy but not sure you want to spend four to six years in college?

Consider becoming a physical therapist assistant. These in-demand professionals help physical therapists plan, deliver, and assess therapy.  But while you’d need a specific bachelor’s or master’s degree to become a physical therapist, you can get started as a physical therapist assistant with a two-year associate’s degree.

As a physical therapist assistant, you might:

  • Meet with patients alone or with a therapist
  • Engage patients in exercises or activities
  • Confer with other professionals to develop treatment plans
  • Monitor patient progress or responses to treatment
  • Document treatment progress

The median wage for physical therapist assistants across the United States is just over $56,000 a year. And new job opportunities are very likely in the future—the occupation is expected to have a faster than average growth rate.

Want to learn more about a career as a physical therapy assistant?  See the Physical Therapist Assistant profile on CareerOneStop.  You can view a career video, see more employment trend information, and even find a local training program in your local area where you can get trained as a physical therapist assistant.

 

 

 

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Communication skills check-up

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Entry-level workers, Job seekers, Students, Uncategorized, Workers with criminal records
Woman speaking to a group

Woman speaking to a groupWhether employers are hiring someone to make sandwiches, sell shoes, run science experiments, or repair plumbing—communication skills are always on the “must-have” list. But, what exactly do employers mean by “communication skills”, and how can you tell if you have them?

Here are some high-impact communication skills to check yourself on or work to develop, whether you’re looking for work or already have a job.

Face-to-face still matters

Although workplace communications are often online, well-rounded communicators need to be effective in face-to-face conversation, e-mail, on the phone, and—if used by the employer—text. Communication needs vary by position, but most jobs require some face time interaction with managers, coworkers, or customers, and employers appreciate an employee’s ability to bring their A game in person.

How well do you connect in face-to-face interactions? Some scenarios include:

  • Do you greet coworkers and welcome customers?
  • Extend a handshake at interviews and when meeting clients?
  • Participate and stay engaged when your team is gathered for meetings or events?

Are your non-verbals showing interest and engagement? Consider these points:

  • Make eye contact
  • Nod or smile when you agree
  • Use open body language; avoid crossing your arms and turning away from the other person

Be intentional in your communication

When you start your communication from an understanding of your ultimate purpose, and how the other person might receive it, your communication will be clearer and more effective.  When you analyze your job, or the job you’d like to get, consider these points:

Who needs to understand what you have to communicate? Possible targets for your communication might include:

  • Your manager
  • Coworkers
  • The public
  • Customers
  • Students
  • Patients
  • Or others involved in the work you do

What purpose does your communication serve? For example, do you want:

  • Customers to buy your product?
  • Patients to understand their medication?
  • The public to attend an event?
  • Your manager to know you’ve accomplished your goals?

Once you know your intention, think about what kind of message your audience would respond to. Examples could include:

  • Posting flyers in a neighborhood where your target customers live.
  • Writing a fact-filled report that shows how your work performance met job goals.
  • Creating a video that patients can re-watch, showing how to use medical equipment rather than to trying to explain complicated instructions repeatedly.
  • Texting reminders to students to register for classes.

Treating others professionally = Good teamwork

Employers want their work teams to succeed, which typically means that team members get along, participate fully, and resolve conflicts when they do come up. The employer benefits and generally everyone on the team has a better experience.

If you make assumptions about a team member, they’re probably not the most positive, while asking for clarification and clearing the air after a misunderstanding helps build trust and keep the team functioning.

  • Do you let your team know when you need something or don’t understand something? Ask managers for feedback so you know what they need? Share information that would help others on the team?
  • Respect shows up in what you do and what you say. Do you speak positively about others on the team? Are good manners a priority with customers and coworkers? Do you make room for other people’s ideas?
  • In your team interactions, do you contribute to finding solutions? A team works better when members look for areas of agreement, and let unimportant differences go so the team can move forward together.

Learn more about workplace skills and how your current skills relate to a possible new career, on CareerOneStop.

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How to create effective job descriptions

Posted on by CareerOneStop Posted in Businesses and employers
Man working at laptop computer

Man working at laptop computerAre you ready to expand your workforce? Or maybe hire your very first staff person? To make your recruiting efforts successful, you’ll want to start with a solid job description.

A well-written job description is one of the most important documents you’ll use in recruiting and managing your employees. It defines the skills needed for the position, and it also describes how the position fits in to your overall structure. Beyond that, it contributes to overall HR success.

How can an accurate job description improve your HR success?

Once you’ve created a job description, it becomes the foundation for a wide variety of employment activities, including:

  • Compensation
  • Job specifications, ads, and internal postings
  • Pre-screening and employment interviews
  • Orientation and onboarding activities
  • Training and career development activities
  • Performance evaluations
  • General HR planning

How can you get started on creating or updating your job descriptions?

For help in writing or revising your job descriptions, CareerOneStop’s Job Description Writer is a great place to start. With this tool you can:

  • Follow a step-by-step guide to building a comprehensive job description.
  • Retrieve and customize O*NET occupational data to include in your description.
  • Edit the job description to your desired length and specifications.

You can also contact your local American Job Center to connect with a Business Services Representative or other resource for help.  Also visit CareerOneStop’s Business Center for more help with recruiting, hiring, and training a strong workforce.

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