“Central Louisiana job seekers tap region's resources”

Central Louisiana job seekers tap region's resources

Posted: 23 Jan 2011 01:06 AM PST

Editor's note: This is one of a series of stories about the outlook for employment in Central Louisiana in 2011.

By David Dinsmore

For The Town Talk

Whether it's online job postings or connecting through social networking sites, the ways in which job seekers and employers find each other have changed along with innovations in technology.

Yet there are some fundamental skills every job seeker should master to have a competitive edge, such as building a strong resumé and preparing for an interview.

Organizations like the Rapides Parish Business and Careers Solution Center at 5610-B Coliseum Blvd. in Alexandria provide resources to develop such techniques.

"We hold workshops to help people job search, whether it be resumé writing, how to do a good cover letter, how to do a follow-up letter after you've applied for a job," said Elaine Morace, program director at the center. "We are not a training provider "» (but) we have partnerships with all of our training providers."

The center works with area universities, technical colleges, the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce and others to help job seekers prepare for their search, officials said.

Part of the training offered to job seekers at the Business and Career Solutions Center focuses on how to search for and find jobs online, Morace said. Locating the right job posting out of so many different websites can be a daunting task.

"We teach them how to go in and navigate the sites to look for jobs," Morace said.

The center is tied in with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, said Jason Parks, director of the Rapides Parish Workforce Investment Board. The board coordinates the services at the center, and each center around the state works with its own board.

Visitors to the center are entered into the commission's database of job candidates before receiving help with skill development like resumé building through personal instruction, Parks said.

There are also regular workshops offered through the center focusing on job-searching techniques in addition other basic business skills, such as use of Microsoft Office software commonly used in workplaces.

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A list of workshops is available from the center, Parks said, along with a regular printout of job listings in the Louisiana Workforce Commission's system.

In addition to workshops and in-person services available at centers, Louisiana Workforce Commission provides a great deal of resources for job seekers in Cenla and statewide via its web site, www.laworks.net, Parks said.

The site allows users to join the commission's database in addition to building and posting a resumé for local employers to view.

The website also contains a calendar featuring job fairs and other employment events from around the state and within the regions served by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. It serves as a valuable way for job seekers to network with employers looking to hire.

"We have job seekers that also choose to utilize the online resources," Parks said. "Those that come into the center and want more face to face, that, of course, is available as well."

The center also works with employers by hosting job fairs and providing a list of potential candidates for employers looking to fill positions, Morace said. The candidates come from the database containing information about those entered into the Louisiana Workforce Commission system either through the website or at the center.

The center also has worked with employees at companies facing layoffs to help them get ready to enter the job market once again, Morace said.

"It's tragic for anyone to lose their job," she said. "We want to try help people who have been laid off before they leave their job if we can."

In addition to the many left unemployed by the recent down economy, pending college graduates soon will join the pool of candidates vying for jobs available now. Yet, some still need some guidance to make themselves competitive as the new kids in the market.

Counselors like Kathryn Wimmert at Louisiana State University at Alexandria work with students on similar crucial elements as those targeted by Business and Career Solutions Centers.

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Yet, even if job placement isn't available through a university's programs, there are still ways to help point students in the right direction, said Wimmert, who works with LSUA's Student Services.

Starting early can have an effect on a student's chances of landing his or her ideal job after graduation, she said.

"You have to start by looking at what career you want to go into," Wimmert said.

Students in their first few years of college should consider taking an assessment that measures their abilities, interests and values, she said. Those three elements can have enormous influence on job satisfaction and productivity based on matches between students' attributes and the characteristics of each career path.

Wimmert addresses classes of LSUA students in addition to visiting high school seniors in order to discuss the importance of job readiness.

College job fairs, such as those hosted by LSUA annually in the spring, also can be an invaluable tool for students to seek out potential employers, Wimmert said.

"This is a chance for expectant grads to make personal contact with these employers," she said.

In fact, building and cultivating contacts are key for any job seeker, whether they participate in an organized program or not, said Jim Clinton, CEO of the economic development-focused Cenla Advantage Partnership.

"People need to make sure they don't leave any networking opportunities undone," he said.

---For information about the services available at a local Business and Career Solutions Center, visit www.laworks.net.

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