By Tamar Asedo Sherman
Once you’re determined to go back to work, you can save yourself a lot of unnecessary energy expenditure by visiting your local One-Stop Career Center. Established under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, these centers are designed to provide a full range of assistance to job seekers in one location so you don’t have to go from place to place to get the services you need. They offer assessment, training referrals, career counseling, job listings, placement, and other employment-related services, all under one roof and free of charge. That’s right-they don’t cost you a thing!
What’s more, these services are available to everyone, not just people with disabilities. Even if you have a job but feel you are under-employed-a common problem for people with disabilities-you can get help to find a better position through a One-Stop. These centers are operated by each state in several locations, under the jurisdiction of the Federal Department of Labor (DOL).
With very low unemployment rates nationwide, the DOL has found that many employers are more open to hiring qualified people with disabilities. And just because you can no longer do what you used to do, that doesn’t mean you are unable to do anything. One-Stops can help you get past your disability to focus on your abilities.
Customers can visit a center in person, if there’s one in your neighborhood, or connect to the center’s information through a personal computer or a remote access “kiosk” that does not have all services. At the One-Stop, you can build your résumé, search for jobs, and set up automated job searches. At your disposal is a bank of computers, printers, fax machines, copy machines, telephones to make calls anywhere, postage, and high-quality bond stationary- all free of charge-to send out your résumés wherever you want.
A regular at the Hauppauge, New York, One-Stop, Kelly Campbell of nearby West Babylon has been taking numerous workshops and classes, availing herself of career counseling, advice, and resources. “The greatest benefit to me is that they are supportive,” she says. “It’s a place where you can network. There are other people looking for jobs. You can do everything right there in one place, except have the interview-although some people have phone interviews there, too.”
To start, Campbell attended a 3-hour résumé workshop, where an employment specialist helped her write her résumé in different formats and showed her how to tailor it for each job. The same goes for cover letters. One letter does not fit all job descriptions. You should modify it to accentuate different skills and experiences for different positions. Once you register for services, you get a disk to put your résumé on and keep track of all the cover letters you write and an identification card to give you easy access to the facilities.
One-Stops also hold job fairs, where many employers come together to meet with job seekers. The centers also keep track of job fairs elsewhere in your area and maintain job leads with a variety of newspapers, area job listings, civil service tests, and openings, and reference books. Free computer training classes are offered in Microsoft Word®, Excel®, Access®, and PowerPoint®.
Campbell has put into practice the interview techniques she learned, going on several job interviews of late, obtained with the help of One-Stop staff and services. Another workshop deals with overcoming challenges and obstacles everyone faces, with or without disabilities, such as age discrimination, being overqualified, transferable skills and abilities, fears, disclosure, and accommodations. A separate workshop on salary negotiations is practical and useful for everyone. For example, don’t grab that first offer and avoid specifying a figure for your last job or you might be shortchanging yourself. Joining the Job Path Club was one of the best features Campbell found to network with other people to share tips, job leads, support, and encouragement. It helps to know you’re not the only one facing ups and downs in the job market.
To find the One-Stop Career Center nearest to you, log on to the DOL’s Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Web site www.doleta.gov, which provides a clickable map of One-Stops across the country (some states’ Web sites are more helpful than others). If you don’t have internet access, you can also find a center the old-fashioned way by calling ETA’s toll-free help line at 877-US-2JOBS.
Register online, if you can’t get to a One-Stop, and post your résumé on America’s Job Bank (AJB) with access to over 1 million jobs nationwide. Check it out!
Tamar Asedo Sherman works as an employment specialist at UCP-Suffolk in Hauppauge, NY. She can be reached at action@unitedspinal.org
