Month: December 2018

#Powered by jobs: WorkSource makes a difference for Washington employers

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We close out 2018 with a wish for all of Washington’s employers: May you always be Powered by Jobs!

While most of Employment Security’s 2018 blog posts focused on job seekers finding work through WorkSource, we also posted 11 stories about how WorkSource helps businesses find the talent they need to be Powered by Jobs. We collected those stories and posted links to them below to underscore how important it is for Washington’s employers to be healthy and successful.

In addition to employment services offered in WorkSource employment centers throughout the state, Employment Security offers business friendly programs. We help businesses find talent, retain their skilled employees, connect them to federal tax credits and bonding programs, offer free data and analysis of Washington’s labor market, avoid layoffs and administer a fair and equitable unemployment tax system.

See this flyer for more information on business friendly programs and watch this video to learn about WorkSourceWA.com, the largest talent database in the state.

The Powered by Jobs posts of 2018:

  • Feb. 7 – Mark Brown, Comcast
    The Comcast Service Center in Lynnwood used WorkSourceWA.com to promote job openings and attended numerous veteran-focused hiring events in Snohomish County in 2017. As a result, Comcast named the company’s Washington Recruiting Region No. 1 in the nation.
  • Aug. 29 – Sophia Arellano, MOD Pizza
    WorkSource helps Arellano, a recruiter for MOD Pizza, to fill jobs across Washington state. In fact, she used WorkSource herself when she was looking for a job.
  • Sept. 26 – Christina Chesnut, Thurston County Chamber
    Chesnut collaborated with WorkSource to organize a job fair for retailers in Thurston County. Job fairs are just one of the many services WorkSource provides to businesses looking to fill open positions.

Happy New Year! Make a New Year’s resolution to use WorkSource the next time you need talent!

As a partner in Washington’s WorkSource system and the American Job Center Network, the Employment Security Department helps businesses find talent and become Powered by Jobs.

WorkSource also helps people – unemployed or not – find new jobs and learn new skills. We help them experience the life-changing Power of a Job.

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#Power of a Job: Job seeker gets multiple job offers after visiting WorkSource

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It’s Workforce Wednesday, when we spotlight Power of a Job success stories.

This week, we bring you the newly employed Amanda, who used resume and print services at WorkSource Thurston County and then WorkSourceWA.com to hunt and apply for her new job.

My name is Amanda and I work in the food service industry. Recently, I decided to change employers and wanted to make a resume so I could look for new job opportunities.

My Word [Microsoft software] had expired and I did not have any resources to make a resume. Someone told me about WorkSourceWA.com and I found it so easy to use. I had an account within five minutes and was able to use the resources available on it. I easily made a resume without having Word on my computer and could save it as a Word document. Since I did not have a printer either, I went to [WorkSource Thurston County] and they were extremely helpful, too. Within five to 10 minutes using their computer, I had several resumes printed and ready to take to job interviews.

After I posted my resume online [in WorkSourceWA.com], I went through their job database and searched for relevant jobs in the food service industry. I found and applied to two right away. Both offered me interviews and jobs on the spot, all in less than a week. It was great! I picked the one that fit me best and that is where I am currently working.

I just had a great experience with WorkSource. The website is so easy to navigate. I even showed my husband how to use it, how to make his resume and look through their apprenticeship programs online [ApprenticeshipWA.com].

Use WorkSource, like I did.

As a partner in Washington’s WorkSource system and the American Job Center Network, the Employment Security Department helps people – unemployed or not – find new jobs and learn new skills. We help them experience the life-changing Power of a Job. We also work with businesses, which are Powered by Jobs, to help them find employees.

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#Power of a job: WorkSource lifts customer out of unemployment blues

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It’s Workforce Wednesday, when we spotlight Power of a Job success stories.

This week, we bring you Greg Krager, who came to WorkSource Vancouver to polish his skills after nearly two decades away from job-hunting. He gained so much more, including insight into his own strengths and abilities, when he felt down and out.

I’m Greg and I’m here at WorkSource Vancouver taking the Strategies for Success class, because after 17 years working at a law firm, I was unexpectedly laid off. I knew I needed to update my job-search skills, so I came here to take classes in resume writing and filling out job applications.

Then I figured I needed some more help, so I took the Strategies for Success class, to help me get through the mental block of being unemployed. It’s actually opened me up to going out to try new things and to be more adventurous.

This has all happened for me because of the instructor at WorkSource, Joseph. Without him, I would probably still be in a funk, with no energy to even get out of bed to do anything. I realized it’s time to be among the living and not hanging around doing nothing. I’m still eligible to work and I’m a hard worker. Joseph helped me remember that and know that I’m not alone in my journey.

As a partner in Washington’s WorkSource system and the American Job Center Network, the Employment Security Department helps people – unemployed or not – find new jobs and learn new skills. We help them experience the life-changing Power of a Job. We also work with businesses, which are Powered by Jobs, to help them find employees.

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Strategies for Success students learn how to cope with losing a job

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It’s Workforce Wednesday, when we spotlight Power of a Job success stories. Today we bring you Amy Mercy, who came to WorkSource Vancouver after she lost a job she held for 27 years. WorkSource helped her learn how to look for work again.

But the popular Strategies for Success course benefitted Amy the most, helping her regain her footing and move on with her life. This six-week course series teaches life skills and how to discover your potential.

Here is Amy’s story:

I came to WorkSource because of unemployment. I worked for a company for 27 years, so it was a severe shock, to tell you the truth, for me to become unemployed.

When I came here, I took the obligatory classes, which were great. It had been a long time since I’d written a resume. One of the classes I enjoyed the most was Strategies for Success [life skills course]. Joseph [Hennessey] was our leader. We had a wonderful group of people, so we could bounce ideas off different people. We learned a lot, like how to be interviewed.

But the best thing I found was how tied I was to my former employer. I didn’t realize how, after 27 years, I really I felt it had become my family. All of a sudden, I realized that I was basically going through the whole grieving process of losing my family, which was my job.

Then the class helped me realize that most people go through that when you lose your job. It was wonderful to be able to help everybody work through that. Following the class, we even started having monthly breakfasts to see how everybody was doing. It was a group of people coming together with a wonderful instructor and a really great course. It taught us how to see our potential again.

I wish everybody who becomes unemployed could take Strategies for Success because it gives you the confidence to go ahead. Being unemployed sort of makes you feel like a failure. Once you get a job, it makes you feel better. WorkSource explained the unemployment process and what was going on. But I think my favorite class — Strategies — really helped me prepare.

As a partner in Washington’s WorkSource system and the American Job Center Network, the Employment Security Department helps people – unemployed or not – find new jobs and learn new skills. We help them experience the life-changing Power of a Job.  We also work with businesses, which are Powered by Jobs, to help them find employees.

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