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Putting the Pieces Together
JIS-40
www.mainecareercenter.com
Contents
1 Introduction
2 TheCareerCenter
3 CareerCenterPartners
4 TheCareerCenterInformationCenter
5 What’sIntheInformationCenter?
6 HowtheInformationCenterisOrganized
8 Maine’sJobBank
9 Career/LifePlanningProcess
11 Self-Assessment
13 WhatDoYouEnjoy?
16 TheBigQuestion
17 HowHastheWorldofWorkChanged?
18 StateofMaineEssentialWorkCompetencies
21 DocumentingYourEssentialWorkCompetencies
22 ExternalExploration
24 InformationalInterviewing
27 SampleThankYouNote
28 MakingConnections
31 DecisionMaking/GoalSetting/Action!Steps/CorrectingCourse
32 GettingItAllTogether
32 TheHiddenJobMarket
33 Networking
33 WritingaRésumé
34 NamingYourSkills
36 Skills-BasedRésumé
37 WorkHistory
38 ChronologicalRésumé
41 CoverLetters
42 Applicationforms
45 References
47 JobSearchTools
49 WheretoLookforWork
51 LookingforGovernmentJobs
54 InterviewingTips
55 SampleSkillsStatements
56 MoreInterviewingTips
57 SalaryInformation
58 INeedaJobNOW!
60 EmploymentTests
62 AFinalWord
TheMaineDepartmentofLaborprovidesequalopportunityinemploymentandprograms.Auxiliaryaidsandservicesareavailabletoindividualswithdisabilitiesuponrequest.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 1
IntroductionWelcometoJob Hunting in Maine: Putting the Pieces Together.Jobhuntingisnevereasywhetheryouarelookingforyourfirstjob,tryingtofindanotherjoborstrivingforapromotion.Thisbookisfilledwithtipsandtechniquestomakeyoursearchgofasterandbemoresuc-cessful.WehavetwogoalsforJob Hunting in Maine. 1. We want to introduce you to the CareerCenters throughout
the State and all the information and services available to you through “The Maine Employment Resource.”
2. We want to give you the latest tips and techniques to enhance your job search.
Youwillfindtipsoncareer/lifedecisionmaking,informationalinterviewingandfindingwherethejobopeningsare.YouwillalsofindalistoftheStateofMaineEssentialWorkCompetenciessoyoucandescribeyourskillseffectivelytoemployers.
Page 2 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
CareerCentersareacollaborationbetweentheMaineDepartmentofLaborandemployment,educationandtrainingproviders.CareerCentersareapartofanation-widenetworkofone-stopservicecentershelpingtobringjob-seekersandemployerstogether.It’stheplacetofindoutabouteducationandtrainingopportunitiessoyoucancontinuetobecompetitiveintheworkplace.Wehavepeopleineachlocationwhocanhelpjobseekerslookforworkandconnectthemwithemployers.(SeebackcoverforCareerCenterlocations.)
The CareerCenter
The CareerCenter is the place to start your job search or career exploration.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 3
CareerCenter PartnersMaine’s Job BankMaine’s JobBank connects job seekerswithcurrent jobopenings.YoucanregisterforMaine’s JobBankat theCareerCenterlocationthatismostconvenientforyouoratwww.mainecareercenter.com.Youwillneedyoursocialsecuritynumbertodothis.Ifyoucome to theCareerCenter,a friendlystaffpersonwillbeavailabletoassistyou.Afteryouare registered,youmayview jobopeningsforMaineemployers.Afteryouareregistered,youmayalsoreceivereferralstojobsforwhichyouqualify.
Workforce DevelopmentWorkforcedevelopmenthelpspeople return towork. There is retrainingassistance forpeoplewhohavelosttheirjobbecauseoflayoffs,closingsorotherdislocations.PeoplewhoarereceivingassistancesuchasfoodstampsorTemporaryAssistanceforNeedyFamilies(TANF)alsomaybeeligibleforretraining.Someprogramshelppeoplewhoareorhavebeenseasonalfarmworkers.Thereisaprogramtohelpfishermenwhowanttochangecareers.CheckwithyourlocalCareerCentertofindoutifyoumaybeeligibleforretrainingservices.
Rehabilitation ServicesRehabilitationServiceshastwodivisionsthathelppeoplegetorkeepajob.Onedivision helps peoplewhoare blind orvisuallyimpaired.ThisistheDivisionfortheBlindandVisuallyImpaired.Childrenwithdisabilitiesarealsoeligible forRe-habilitationServices.TheDivisionofVo-cationalRehabilitationisalsoknownasVR.VRhelpspeoplewhohaveallotherdisabilitiesgetandkeepajob.Apersonmayhaveanemotional,physicalormen-taldisability.Here’s how to findout ifRehabilitationServices canhelp you. Youmust applyfor services. Youmustmeet these tworequirements:1.Youmusthaveadisabilitythatkeepsyoufromgettingorkeepingajob.
2.YoumustneedVRservicestofindorkeepajob.
YouwillfindoutifyouareeligibleforVRserviceswithin60days.Mostpeoplefindoutiftheyareeligiblemuchsooner.CheckwithyourlocalCareerCentertoseehowwecanhelpyou.
Priority of Service for VeteransTheCareerCenteroffersspecializedemploy-mentand training services for Veterans.If youserved in theU.S.ArmedForces,aCareerCenterVeterans’Representativecanhelpyoufindajob,getnewskills,oraccessotherstateorfederalresourcesavailabletoyou.Veteransandeligiblespousesaregivenpriorityofserviceforthereceiptofemploy-ment,trainingandplacementservicespro-videdunderallMaineDepartmentofLabor-fundedprograms.FormoreinformationaboutPriorityofService forVeteransandEligibleSpouses,ortodetermineifyouareeligible,visit www.mainecareercenter.com/veterans.
Page 4 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
The CareerCenter Information Center
TheInformationCenterineachCareerCenterlocationisopen
toeveryoneatnocost.The Information Center has alibraryofthe latestandbest jobseeking guides in a variety offormats.Therearebooks,videosand computer applications. TheInformationCenterhasadaptiveequipmentforyouruse.You canuse InformationCentercomputers, software and officesupportinyourjobsearch.Youcanwriteanewrésumé,brushupanoldoneorwritecoverletters.By browsing the Internet, youwill find job listing boards and tipsthat can help you in your job search. A great place to start iswww.mainecareercenter.com. There youcanconnect to jobpost-ingsinMaine’sJobBankandalsofindinformationspecifictoMainejobseekers.YoucangetyourcomplimentarycopyofHot Jobs in Maine orCareers
in Maine for College Graduates. ThesebrochuresgivethelatestinformationonwhichjobsaregrowinginMaine.All Information Center services are available at no costandthereisnopaperworkor“redtape”involvedinusingtheInformationCenter.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 5
EducationandTrainingOpportunitiesTheInformationCenterhasthelatestcatalogsandcomputersearchestofindjusttherighteducationortrainingopportunitytomeetyourneeds.
CommunityResourcesandAssistanceTheInformationCenterkeepscurrentlistingsofcommunity,stateandnationalresourcesifyouareseekinghelporneedfurtherinformationonissuessuchaschildcare,housingopportunitiesorothernon-work-relatedissues.
JobSearchandPlacementOpportunitiesTheInformationCenterhasservicesforalljobseekers.YoumayusetheCenterforrésumépreparationandforwritingcoverletters.Youmayevenmail,faxorcopyyourresumesandcoverlettersatnochargetoyou.YoucanalsouseInformationCentercomputersforInternetaccess.By browsing the Internet, youwill find job listing boards and tipsthat can help you in your job search. A great place to start iswww.mainecareercenter.com.Thereyoucanconnecttojobpostings
inMaine’sJobBankandalsofindinformationspecifictoMainejobseekers.
BusinessandEmployerAssistanceIn this section you can find LaborMarketInformation,workforceskillsdevelopmentandotherassistancetohelppeoplewhohaveabusinessorwhoareinterestedinstartingone.
What’sintheInformationCenter?In addition to assisting you through Career/Life decision making, the Information Center offers information on the following services to the public at no charge.
Page 6 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
TheInformationCenterhasorganizedmaterialsintotheseninecategories:
JobSearchThe JobSearch section includes informationandproductstohelpyouwithactivitiessuchasjobap-plications,résumés,coverletters,interviewingskillsandnetworkingtechniques.YouwillalsobeabletouseMaine’sJobBank through theCareerCenter’sWeb site atwww.mainecareercenter.com. Thissitealsoofferslinkstootherlocalandnationaljobboards.
Career/LifePlanningThistopicmayhelpyoulearnmoreaboutyourselfthroughindividualandgroupactivities.Youcanfind informationabout specific careers, occupationsand industries.Wehave informationon topics suchasplanning for retire-ment,creditmanagementandbudgeting.Choices® isacomputeractivity.Youcanexplorejobsandidentifytraininginstitutionsthatoffertrainingforthatjob.Youcancustom-izeChoices®touseyourinterests,pastworkhistoryandskills.ApersonwithlittleornocomputerexperiencewillfindChoices®easytousewithdirectionfromanInforma-tionCenterstaffperson.
CommunityResourcesThematerialsand information in this topicareacanhelpyou lookforresourcesthroughoutthecommunity.Youcanfindresourcestohelpyouwithhousing,creditcounselingandotheremergencyneeds.Inaddition,thistopicprovidesself-helpresourcesforpersonaldevelopment.
JobSurvivalResourcesinthisareaincludejobkeepingskills.Youcanlearnmoreaboutessentialworkcom-petenciessuchascommunicat-ingwithpeopleonthejob,timemanagementandgettingalongwithothersatwork.Youwillalsofind information onworker’srightsandworkplacesafety.
Self-employmentThissectionhelpspeoplewhoarethinkingaboutstartingtheirownbusiness. You can learnhow towrite a businessplanandseekstart-upfunding.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 7
Education/TrainingThistopicincludesnamesandlocationsoftraininginstitutions.Youwillalsofindschoolcatalogsandlistsofskillstrainingprograms.Peoplewhoneedtoupgradetheirskillscanfind outwhich place ismost convenientforthem.Youcanfindoutwheretogetahighschooldiplomaorgeneraleducationdiploma (GED). There is also informationonfinancialresourcestohelpyoupayforeducationortraining.
ReferencesThis section includesreference and informa-tionalmaterials.Resourc-es include dictionaries,thesauruses, atlases,roadmaps,studyguides,manuals, typing tutors,computerandtechnologyguides.
EmployerServicesThiscategoryprovidesinformationandmaterialstoassistemployersorbusinessowners.ThetopicsintheemployerservicessectionoftheInformationCenterinclude: Apprenticeship BusinessVisitation RapidEmploymentTrainingInitiative(RETI) MaineDOLSafetyWorks!Program Licensingandworkpermits Laborlaws OSHAregulations AmericanswithDisabilitiesAct(ADA)requirements On-the-JobTraining(OJT)guides Job-Taskanalysis Hiringandinterviewingprocedures TradeAdjustmentAct(TAA) LaborMarketInformation
LaborMarketInformationKnowledge is power! Labormarket infor-mation gives you thepower tomake ca-reerdecisionsbasedonknowledgeofthelabormarket.Youcanfindoutaboutjobsthataregrowingaswellasonesthatarenot growing. You can learn aboutwagesandbenefits.Youcangetalistofpotentialemployers,andfind informationonoccu-pational licensesand certification. If youareconsideringacareerchange,youcanget detailed informationabouthundredsofjobsperformedbyworkersinMaineandelsewhere.
Page 8 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Maine’s Job Bankwww.mainecareercenter.com
l BrowsethousandsofjobslistedbyMaineemployers—24hoursaday,7daysaweek
l Createapersonalprofilethatincludeseducation,experience,andemploymentpreferences
l Getmatchedinstantlytojobscurrentlylistedinthesystem l Receivee-mailnotificationsaboutnewjoblistingsthatmatch
yourqualificationsandpreferences l Postyourrésuméandallowthesystemtosendittointerested
employers l Completegenericapplicationsandstorethemonlineforposi-
tionsthatrequirethem l Feel confident that your personal information is secureand
confidential
Maine’s
For more information, call the CareerCenterat 1-888-457-8883 or TTY: 1-800 794-1110
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 9
Let’s Get Started
WeinviteyoutouseJob Hunting in Maineasafirststepinyourjobsearch.Don’t
feelasifyouhavetoreadJob Huntingfromcovertocover.Usethosepartsthataremostimportanttoyourightnow.Thencomebacktothebookwhenyouwanttogetmoreinforma-tionormoveontoanextstep.Andrememberyouarenotalone.ThepeopleatCareerCenterarewaitingtoassistyou.LetusknowhowwecanhelpyourjobhuntinginMaine.
The Career/Life Planning ProcessMakingdecisionsaboutwhatwedoforworkisaveryimportantstep.Whatwedoforworkhasanimpactoneverypartofourlives.Ourworkmaydeterminewherewelive,howmuchtimewehavetospendwithourfamiliesandwhetherornotwecanenjoyourfavoriteleisureactivitiesasmuchaswewouldlike.Wewanttogiveyouaprocessformakingca-reer/lifedecisionsalittleeasier.WealsowanttoinformyouhowCareerCentercanprovidetoolsandsupportforyourdecisionmaking.Makingagoodcareer/lifedecisionhassev-eralsteps.Wewill takea lookateachstepofthecareer/lifedecisionprocessandmakerecommendationsastowhichCareerCenterresourcesmightbemosthelpfultoyou.
Onthenextpage isamodelof theCareer/LifeDecisionMakingProcess.Thecompassused to illustrate themodel helped sailorsandwoodsmenfindtheirwayhomebypoint-ingtotruenorth.Youcanusethecareer/lifedecisioncompasstofindyourwaytothejobyoureallywant.
Page 10 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
True North
Your Career Goal
1. Self-Assessment
2. InternalExploration
3. Making Connections
4. Decision Making
5. Goal Setting
6. Action!Steps
7. Correcting Course
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 11
Nowlet’stakeacloserlookateachpartofthecareer/lifedecisionmakingprocess.
PartI:Self-Assessment
Everyoneiscapableofdoingmanyjobswell.Welikedoingsomeofthesejobsbetterthanwelikeothers.
Tofindthosejobsthatwewoulddobestandenjoymost,itishelpfultodosomeself-assessmentwhenwearemakingacareerchoice.Self-Assessmentmeansthatwetakealookatour-selves.Wemaydiscoverorconfirmwhichjobsgiveusthemostsatisfaction.Wemayalsoexplorethosethingsthatweseemtohaveanaturaltalentfororabilitytodo.ThismightgiveussomecluesaboutwhatareasofthejobmarketmightbebestforustoexploreaswearejobhuntinginMaine.ApartofSelf-Assessmentisdiscoveringourknowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs).Weshouldbeable to identify thosekey skillsthatwewanttouseinournextjob.Skillsmaybeclassifiedintothreecategories:Job Skills: The technical knowledge andskills requiredof a successful candidateforajob.
Adaptive or Self-Management Skills:Thoseworkertraitsthatmakeusvaluableworkers.
Transferable Skills:Thoseskillsthatwecanuseindifferentjobs.
Weshouldthinkabouthowmuchweenjoyusingourskillswithdata,peopleorthings.Theseareworkerpreferences.Workerpreferencesdescribethosethingswemostenjoydoingatwork.Ofcourse,nojobisexclusivelyworkingwithdata,peopleorthings,butsomejobshavemoreofonethananotherdoes.Itisalsoimportanttorememberthateachworksitemayhaveadif-ferentjobdescriptionforthesamejobtitle.Forexample,aninsurance
Page 12 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Information, Data, IdeasYouareusingdataskillswhenyouworkwithanykindofinformation.Datamaybefacts,numbers,ideas,impressionsorfeelings.Whenyouworkwithdata,youmaybesendingorreceivinginformation.Youmaybeanalyzingorin-terpreting.Youmaybecreating.Youmaybeman-aginginformationorputtingittowork.Do You Like to Work with Data?Areyougoodat: Gatheringorcreatinginformation,dataorideas? Storingorretrievinginformation,dataorideas? Puttinginformation,dataorideastouse? Managinginformation,dataorideas ✔ Step-by-step? ✔ Holistically(byseeingthebigpicture)?
clerkmayhaveadatajobinoneworksite.Thispersonwouldspendalotoftimeprocessinginsuranceclaimsandforms.Anotherinsuranceclerkmayspendmostoftheworkdaydealingwithcustomers,answeringquestionsaboutpaymentsdueorclaimsthathavebeenfiled.Thisclerkwouldhaveajobthatrequiresdealingwithpeople.Readthedescriptionsofthethreeworkerpreferences.Thinkabouthowyouprefertouseyourskills.Doyouprefertouseyourskillsworkingwithdata,peopleorthings?
PeoplePeopleskillsincludeallinteractionswithpeopleonthejob.Peopleskillsincludehowwecommunicateverballyornon-verballywithotherpeople.Someexamplesofpeopleskillsincludeteaching,leading,coaching,managingothers,customerservice,sellingandpersuading.
Do You Like to Work with People?Doyouhave: Skillswithindividualsone-on-one? Skillswithgroups,organizationsorthepublic? Skillscaringforpeopleoranimals?
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 13
ThingsWhenweworkwiththings,weworkwithourhandsoruseourphysicalskillsatwork.Workingwiththingsincludesmaking,repairing,loadingorunloadingproducts.Workingwiththingscanalsomeanusingequipmentsuchascomputersordrivingtrucks.Workingwiththingscanalsoincludebeingadancerorparticipatingonasportsteam.Workingwith thingscanalsomeanbeingable tovisualizeandaccuratelydrawor recordspace,dimensions,roomsorbuildings.Workingwiththingscanalsomeangrowingplantsoranimalsasaproduct.Do You Like to Work with Things?Areyougoodat: Physicalperformances? Handlingmaterialsorobjects? Makingthings? Operatingorrepairingequipment,machineryorvehicles? Visualizingordrawingspaces,buildingsorrooms? Growingplantsoranimals?
Here is an activity that will help you discover some of your knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) and how you prefer to use these at work. Make a list and write them down.
WhatDoYouEnjoy?Answerthesequestionstothebestofyourability.Therearenorightorwronganswers.WhateveryouanswerwillgiveyouaclueaboutyourKSAsandworkerpreferences.1. What did you enjoy about the last work you did?Evenifyoudislikedmostofit,think
aboutonethingthatyoudidlike.Ifyouhavenopaidworkexperience,thinkaboutavolunteerexperienceorotheractivity.
2. What do you enjoy learning about?Thisdoesnothavetobeformaltraining.Welearnfromothers,fromtelevision,orfromreadingaswellasfromgoingtoschool.
3. What do you do that receives compliments from other people (friends, family, co-workers)?4. What work (paid or volunteer) experience are you most proud of?5. When you need to recharge your energy level, do (a) you want to be with others for
companionship and support or (b) need to be alone to relax and think things over?6. If you could do anything in the world for work, what would it be?(Don’tworryabout
time,moneyorotherdetailshere!)
Page 14 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Here’swhatyouranswerstoeachquestionmaytellyou.1. Do you find a pattern if you explore your work history?Perhaps
youhaveenjoyedjobswhereyougavegoodcustomerservice.Maybeyouenjoyedsolvingproblemsorworkingasapartofafast-pacedteam.Maybeyouenjoyedworkingatplacesthathadaclearchain-of-command.Maybeyouenjoyedplacesthatwere informalandrelaxed in theirworkculture.Thiskindofself-explorationcanleadyoutoworkthatyouwillenjoyinthefuture.
2. If we are interested enough to continue lifelong learning about something, then perhaps we have enough knowledge or skill to be a successful job candidate in that area.Evenifwecannotfindworkusingtheskillsthatwehavedevelopedinanareaofinterest,wemaybeabletofindapatternofskillsandabilitiesthatwillleadustoacareerareathatisrightforus.Forexample,an interest instampcollectingmighthelpusrealizethatweenjoyresearchandattentiontodetail.Ontheotherhand,aninterestinlocaltheatermighthelpusrealizethatweenjoyac-tivitiesthatarecreative,thatinvolveworkingwithothersandthathavetightdeadlines.Althoughmostofusenjoyintereststhat“helpusgetawayfromitall,”ourunderlyingpersonalitiesdon’tchangethatmuchfromworktoleisuretime.
3. If you do something that consistently receives compliments, then you have a skill in that area.Sometimeswearegoodatsomethinganddon’tevenrealizethatwemakeaspecialcon-tribution.Thosewhoworkwithusandthosewhoknowuswellcanoftenseeskillswecan’t.Sometimeswethinkthatevery-onecandesignanartisticadvertisinglayout,tuneanengineorcookagreatmealfor50peoplejustbecauseitissoeasyforustodo.Weareoftenmostawareofthoseskillsweknowwelackorofthoseskillswehavejustlearned.Weoftenoverlookthosethingsthatcomeveryeasilytous.Sometimesthosearethethingswedobest.
4. Things that we have done well and are proud of give us a hint about our worker preferences.Thingsthatweareproudtohavebeenassociatedwithgiveuscluesaboutourworkvalues.
Now that you have had some time to think about your answers, let’s explore how your answers can help your job hunting.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 15
5. If we need to be with others to recharge, then we may be an extrovert.Extrovertsneedtobewithpeopletobeattheirbest.Ifthisdescribesyou,thenyouwoulddobestatajobwherethereisalotofcontactwithotherpeople.
Thosepeoplewhoneedtobealonewiththeirownthoughtstorechargeareprobablyintroverts.Introvertsdotheirbestworkwhentheycanhavetimetothemselvestocreate,todealwithfacts,figuresorideas.
Thinkabouthowmuchyouliketoworkaloneorwithotherpeople.Thenyoucanusethisinformationtoidentifypositionsthataremostsatisfyingforyou.
6. What would you most like to do if you have the time, the training, and the money to do anything you want?Evenifthatjobisn’treadilyavailabletoyou,itisimportanttothinkaboutyour“dreamjob.”Whatcouldyoucontributetothatjob?
Maybeyour“dreamjob”isreadilyavailabletoyou.Evenifitisnot,trytofindjobsthatareavailabletoyouwhichcouldgiveyousomeofthesameenjoymentandwhereyoucouldmakeacontribution.
Whenweareselectingwhichjobopportunitiesmightbemoreattractive tous,wealsoshouldexploreourcorevaluesorbeliefs.Ifweknowwhatthingsareimportanttous,thenwemakebetterchoicesaboutwhatkindsofworkwewouldbegoodatandenjoydoing.
Peoplewhochooseworkthatdoesnotagreewiththeirvaluesandbeliefsoftenareindifferentworkers.Theycanbecomeangryandcynicalonthejob.Sometimesworkersevenbecomeilliftheyaredoingworkthatisnotrightforthem.
Infact,onecareertheorycalledWorkerTraitTheorystatesthatallpeoplewhoarehighperforming,satisfiedworkersinajobsharecertaincharacteristicsandvalues.Ifyouarein-terestedinfindingoutwhichjobsmatchyourinterests,valuesandcharacteristics,cometotheInformationCenterandaskforthe“Self-DirectedSearch”orothertoolstohelpyouwithself-exploration.
Think about what you would enjoy about that job.
Page 16 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
?TheBigQuestion
Atthispointyoumaybeaskingyourself“WhydoIhavetogothroughallthiscareer/life
decisionmakingtofindajobnow?”Infact,someofusmayneedtofinda“survival”jobasquicklyaspossible.Ifyouneedtofindworkimmediately,pleaseturntothesection“INeedaJobNOW!”onpage56.But formost readers, let’s continue to talkabout how to findemployment thatwill besatisfyingtoyouforthelong-termandwhereyoucanfindsuccessandgrowinthejob.Themainreasonwhypeopleprefertoputmorethoughtintowhattheywillbedoingforworkis thatworkhas changed formost people.Whenmanyofusbeganworkingorwhenweobservedwhatourparentsandgrandparentsdidforwork,mostjobswerebasedonanin-dustrialmodelofworking.Inotherwords,mostofusmadesomethingforaliving.Wemadeshoesortextilesorpaperforexample.Ifwedidnotmakeaproduct,weproducedtherawmaterialsforthatproductordeliveredthefinishedproducttomarket.Inthepast,mostworkersdidnothavetomakedecisionsatwork.Theydidnothavetoworkaspartofateamorbecreativeatwork.Inthepast,mostworkerswereskilledatdoingjustonething.Mostworkersdidnotperformavarietyoftasksonthejob.Nowtheworldofworkhaschanged.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 17
HowHastheWorldofWorkChanged?
Even if our job re-quiresustomake
a product, we nowperforma variety oftasksatwork.Weworkas teammembers.We are responsiblefor thequalityof theproductwemake.Weare responsible forgivinggoodcustomerservice.We need avarietyofskillstobesuccessfulonthejob.Manyjobstodaycon-sist of work in theservice industry orin retail trade ratherthaninmanufacturingindustries.TheStateofMainerecognizeshowwork ischanging.ATaskForceonEssentialWorkCompetencieswasformedtohelpguideworkersthroughthesechanges.PeopleinworkforcedevelopmentandleadersofMainebusinessesworkedtogethertoestablishalistofessentialworkcompetencies(seepage15).Thesearetheskillsandabilitiesthatemployersseekwhentheyhirenewemployeesorpromotesuccessfulworkers.AsyouarejobhuntinginMaine,itwillbehelpfultothinkabouthowyouhavedemonstratedthesecompeten-cies inpriorworkexperienceand involunteerorcivicwork.
Page 18 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Today’sWorkCompetenciesintheStateofMaine1. Self-Esteem Beliefinone’sownself-worthandabilities.2. Motivation to Achieve The desire to improve performance by competing against increasingly higher
standardsofexcellence.3. Basic Skills Reading,writing,computation,listening,speakingandcomputerliteracyessential
forsuccessfulperformanceaslifelonglearnersintheworkplace.4. Technical Knowledge and Skills for Specific Occupation Knowledge,skills&abilitiesnecessarytoperformajob.5. Thinking Skills: Problem-Posing — Choosinghowtoviewaproblem Problem-Solving — Abilitytoresolveknownproblems Decision-Making — Abilitytochooseabestresponse Analytical Thinking — Analysisandlogicalreasoning Creative Thinking — Abilitytocreatenovelideasorproducts6. Learning Skills Assessingone’sownlearningneeds,understandingone’sownlearningstyles, usingappropriatetechniquesforlearning.7. Interpersonal Skills: Interpersonal Understanding — Hearingandunderstandingothers’spoken,
unspokenorpartlyexpressedthoughts,feelingsorconcerns. Teamwork — Workingcooperativelywithotherstoachieveacommongoal. Negotiating — Overcomingdisagreementsbycompromisingwith,accommodatingor
collaboratingwithothers.8. Organizational Awareness Skills: Assessment of Organizational Cultures — Recognizingandassessingthecharacter-
isticsofanorganization’sculture,includingformalandinformalpowerstructures. Presentation of Appropriate Self — Developingandpresentinganimageofone’s
selfwhichisconsistentwiththeorganization’srequirementsforsuccess,includingpersonalappearanceanduseofappropriatelanguageforthecorporateculture.
Networking — Developingandmaintaininganetworkofcontactswithpeoplewhomaybeabletoprovideinformation,assistance,orsupportforwork-relatedgoals.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 19
Let’slookateachofToday’sWorkCompetenciestoseewhytheyaresoimportant.
1. Self-Esteemisimportantbecauseworkerswithlowself-esteemarenotwillingtochangeonthejob.Ifwedonothaveappropriateself-esteem,wearenotwillingtotrynewthings.Weareafraidwewillfail.Weareafraidwecan’tlearnnewthingsasquicklyoraswellasotherscan.Thisisespeciallytrueoflearningnewcomputerskills.Therefore,westicktothe“triedandtrue”oldwaysofdoingthings.Theworldofworkischangingtoofastforreluctantemployeestoblockprogress.Employerswhodonotkeepupwiththechangingtimesoftengooutofbusiness.Theyseekemployeeswhowillhelpthemkeepaheadofthefield.
2. Motivation to Achievemeansworkinghardeveryday.Employersareseekingemployeeswhowill“giveagoodday’sworkforagoodday’spay.” Itmeansbeingpunctualtoworkandtomeetings. Itmeansaskingforadditionaldutiesifyourtimeatworkisnotfilled.Workerswhoaremotivatedtoachievestaylatewhennecessary.Theyaregoodteamplayers.Even ifyourcurrentposition isnotyourdreamjob,doingyourbesteverydayletsothersseewhatamotivatedworkeryouare.
3. Basic Skills (including reading, computation, writing, speaking, listening and computer skills)areessentialtogetajobandkeepajob.Asyoulookatyourbasicskills,doyoufindskillsgapsthat
needtobeclosed? Therearemanyopportunities tocontinue lifelong learning.Visit the InformationCenterandcheckouttheEducationandTrain-ingsection.
4. Technical Knowledge & Skillsneces-sarytoperformthedutiesofthejobarecertainlyimportant.Wehavetodocumentthatwehavetheknowledge,skillsandabilitiestocompetesuccessfullyforajob.
Mostofusfeelconfidentusingthetechni-calknowledgeandskillswehavemasteredinpreviousjobs.Weknowhowtodothosethingsverywell.Sometimeswhenwechangejobs,theseskillsarestillindemand.However,sometimeswefindourselvesinapositionwhereourskillsarenolongercompetitiveorweneedadditionaltechnicalknowledgeandskills.Thereare
Page 20 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
manyemployerswhowilltrainsomeoneinthetechnicalknowledgeandskillsfortheiroccupationiftheyfindajobcandidatewhohasappropriate self-esteem,motivation to achieveandgoodbasicskills.Somepeoplecangainnewtechnicalknowledgeandskillsthroughon-the-jobtrainingorapprenticeshipopportunities.VisittheInformationCentertolearnmoreabouttrainingprogramsandotheropportunitiestoincreaseyourtechnicalknowledgeandskills.
5. Thinking Skillsareveryimportantintoday’sworkplace.Weneedtobeabletofigureoutwhataproblemis(problemposing)andtoknowhowtosolveproblemsrightthefirsttime.Wealsoneed
tolearnfromourmistakesandfromwhatdoesn’twork.Skilledworkersmakegooddecisionsusingavarietyofdecision-makingstyles.Theyalsoarecre-ativeonthejob.Creativethinkingincludeshowtodosomethingfaster,makesomethingbetterorsavethecompanymoneywithoutcompromisingquality.6. Learning Skillsareimportantbecausetheworldofworkischangingveryrapidly.Manyofusareinjobsthatdidnotexistwhenwebeganworking.Weareusingequipmentandtechniquesthatdidnotexistafewyearsago.Ifwedonotknowhowwelearnbest,thenwearenotasefficientatworkaswecouldbe.WehavetobeLifelong Learnerstobesuccessfulatworktoday.7. Interpersonal Skills includeunderstandingandgettingalongwithothersatwork.Weneedtoworkwellwithco-workers,supervisorsandcustomers.Wehavetoknowhowtonegotiateandcompromiseonthejobsothatthecustomerandtheworkcomefirst.
8. Organizational Awarenessmeansfittingintothecorporatecultureatwork.Thatmeansunderstandingandfollowingthewrittenandunwrittenpoliciesofaworkplace.Itmeansthatourworkclothes,appearanceandlanguageareappropriatetothepositionweareseeking. It isalsostaying in touchwithothers tokeep learningaboutyourfieldofemployment.Stayingintouchwithcolleaguesiscallednetworking.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 21
HowdoImeasureup?Rateyourselffrom1(low)to10(high)oneachofthesecompetencystatements.WhileyouarejobhuntinginMaine,youmaywanttoputthesecompetenciesonyourrésuméorusethematinterviews.❑ Iamhonestindiscussionsaboutmyselfandmycareerplans.❑ Iamabletocopewithpeopleandproblemsonthejob.❑ Iamdependableandpunctual.❑ Ihavedemonstratedself-confidencebyshowinginitiativeandusingproblem-solvingskills.❑ Iamahighlymotivatedself-starter.❑ Icooperatewellinaworksituation.❑ Itakedirectionfromsupervisorswell.❑ IaskquestionswhenIdon’tunderstandsomethingatwork.❑ ItrytobeavaluableemployeebylearningallIcanaboutmyjob.❑ ItrytolearnmoreaboutthecompanyIworkforsoIcancontributemoreatwork.❑ Ihaveaplantoaccomplishmycareergoalsandambitions.❑ WhenIstartataskatworkIusuallycompleteit.❑ Iknowhowtohandleseveralthingsatworkatthesametimeandcansetpriorities.❑ Ihavegoodtimemanagementskills.❑ Iamorganizedatwork.❑ Myorganizationalskillsathomeallowmetobeatworkontimeeveryday.❑ Iworkwellingroups.❑ Iworkwellalone.❑ Iamcreativeatworkbythinkingofwaystosavetimeormoneyormakeotherimprovements
onmyworkperformance.❑ Idomyjobwellwithoutdirectsupervision.❑ IcanexplainwhatIthinkatwork.❑ IcanteachotherswhatIknowatwork.❑ Iknowseveralwaystomakegooddecisionsandusethemostappropriatewayforeachsitu-
ationatwork.❑ Icannegotiateandworkoutcompromisesonthejob.❑ Iamagoodlisteneratwork.❑ Icommunicatewellwithpeopleverbally.❑ Icommunicatewellinwriting.❑ IhavetheacademicandtechnicalskillsIneedtobesuccessfulonthejob.❑ Ihavethecomputerskillsnecessarytogetandkeepajob.❑ Iknowhowto“fitin”withothersatwork.❑ Iknowhowtorepresentmyplaceofworkwellwhendealingwithcustomersorthepublic.❑ Ialwaysgiveexcellentcustomerservice.
Page 22 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Inadditiontodiscoveringwhatyouneedanddesireinyournextjob,mostpeopleneedtodiscoverwhattheworldofworkhastooffertoday.Someofusmaynothavelookedforworkinmanyyears.Othersofusmaybeseekingourfirstfull-timejob.Ineithercaseweneedtoknowwhattoexpect.We need to knowLabor Market Informationaboutwhich jobsarestableandgrowingandwhich ones are declining. It’s nice to knowwhattoexpectforsalaryrangesindifferentoccupations.Inaddition,wouldyoualsoliketoknowwhichemployershirepeopleforthejobyouareseeking?TheInformationCenterhasallthatinformationandmoreavailabletoyouinmanydifferentformats.
Informational Interviewingisanimportantpartofexternalexploration.Aninformationalinterviewisanappointmenttolearnmoreaboutajob,acompanyoranindustry.
Ithelpsyoubecomemorefocusedinyourjobsearching. Youwillbecomebetteratdescribingwhatyouwantandneedinajob. Youwillgetvaluablefeedbackaboutyourjobgoalsandhowyoucomeacrosstoothers. Youwilllearnwhereyourknowledge,skillsandabilitiesareneededandvalued. You’lllearnthenamesofpeoplewhocanformanetworkforyou. Youcanfindoutwhetherapositioninthatcompanymatchesyourworkerpreferences
ornot. Youmaydiscoverunadvertisedopportunities.
Therearemanygoodreasonsfordoinginformationalinterviewing:
PartII:ExternalExploration
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 23
Example ofJob-Seeking Network
Whetheryouarepreparingforyourfirst jobormakingacareerchange,informationalinterviewsshouldbeapartofyourinfor-
mationgatheringprocess.Youcanconductaninformationalinterviewwithaworkerwhoisdoingajobyouareconsidering.Youcanalsointerviewsomeoneinmanage-menttofindoutmoreaboutabusinessorindustry.Youcaninterviewsomeoneinhumanresourcestofindout ifanindustry isstableorgrowinginyourarea.Youcanalsofindoutwhatisonthehorizonforaparticularbusiness.Theseinterviewsallowyouto“hearitstraightfromthehorse’smouth”frompeoplewhoactuallyworkinajoborindustryofinterest.Informationalinterviewscanhelpyoutobecomemoreconfidentinthechoiceyoumake.Itwillalsoreducetheriskofmakingadecisionthatyouareunhappywithlater.Informationalinterviewinghelpsyoutoprepareforajobinterview.Youwillbeexperiencedintalkingtopeopleaboutyourknowledge,skillsandabilities.Youwillhaveabetterideaofwhatisexpectedofacan-didateforajob.Finally,theseinterviewscanincreaseyourcontactsandgetyouintoanetworkthatcanassistyourjobsearching.
Joe’sNetwork
Mydaughterage10
TeacherFriend’sparents
Cashier,Salespersonatlocalstore
LandlordMother
Father
ChurchFriend’sMinister
Congregants Neighbors
Principal
BingoBuddy
LaundryAttendant
Boss
Page 24 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
To identify employers and workers to interview, contact your personal net-work. Relatives, friends, neighbors,co-workers, classmates and otheracquaintances canprovidenamesofpeoplewhoworkinyourfieldofinterest.Otherpeopleusesourcessuchastheyellowpagesandmake“coldcalls”toplacesofinterest.“ColdCalling”isatermthatdescribestalkingtopeopleyoudon’thaveapersonalcontactwith.
It is a good idea to interview several people so you get different viewpoints.Rememberthatanindividualwilltalkabouthisorherownexperience.Oneworker’sexperiencemaynotbetypicalofotherworkers.
A good way to get started is to interview friends or family mem-bers.Youcanpracticeaskingquestionsinarelaxedsetting.Youcanalsogetvaluablefeedbackabouthowyoucomeacrosstoothers.
Interviews with employers and workers can be arranged by mail, by phone or in person.Yourrequestshouldbepresented
clearly.Thismeansmakingsureyourcontactknowsyouareseekinginformation,notajobinterview.People
areusuallybusyatwork,soask foronly20 to30minutesoftheirtime.Timesthatareusuallyconvenientincludeatthestartofthebusinessday,rightbeforeorafterlunchorattheendoftheday.Suggestoneofthesetimes.Unlessthepersonisaclosefriendorfamilymember,always
meetataplaceofbusinessorotherpublicplacesuchasyourlocalCareerCenterorpubliclibrary.
Prepare a list of questions in advance to take to the interview with you.Thequestionsonthenextpagecanbeusedasaguide.
Herearesometipsondoingeffectiveinformationalinterviews: Listofcontacts
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 25
1. AtwhatjobwouldIstarttoobtainapositionlikeyours?2. Whatisatypicaldaylikeonthisjob?Whattasksdoyoudorou-
tinely?Whattasksdoyoudoonlyonceinawhile?3. Whatdoesthejobmainlyinvolve?Doyouworkwiththings?People?
Data?Ideas?4. Whataretherequirementsforentry intothis job?Experience?
Education?Skills?Licensesorcredentials?Physicaldemands?Personalcharacteristics?
5. Whataretheworkingconditionslikeatyourjob(inyourcompany)?Workaloneorasateammember?Indoorsoroutside?Typeofsupervision?
6. Whatare theadvantagesof this job?Whatare thedisadvan-tages?
7. Howdopeopleearnpromotionsinthisjob(withyourcompany)?8. Whatarethefutureprospectswiththiscompany?Inthisindus-
try?
WhatDoIDoatanInformationalInterview? Beontimeforyourappointment. Bebusinesslike. Dressasyouwouldforanybusinessappoint-
ment. Rememberthatthepersonyouareseeingis
doingyouafavor.Bepreparedfortheinfor-mationalinterview.
Becourteous,stayonthesubject,andlistencarefully.
Ifyoutakenotes,keepthembrief. Ifyouwishtotapetheinterview,askpermissionfirst.Ifthepersondoesnotseemcom-
fortablewiththeidea,don’ttape.Listeningcarefullyismuchmoreimportant. Donothesitatetoaskthepersonifheorsheknowsotherpeoplewhocouldprovide
moreinformation.Thesemayalsobegoodjobleadswhenyoubeginlookingforwork. Whentheinterviewiscompleted,thankthepersonforhisorhertime.
Page 26 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
WhatDoIDoAftertheInformationalInterview? Besuretomaila“thankyou”note.(Seenext
page.) While everything is still fresh in yourmind,
reviewtheinterview.Youmightwanttowriteor tapeyour impressionsof the interviewatthistime.Youcanalsoaddthisinformationtootherfactsyoualreadyknowaboutthejoborindustry.
Considerthefollowingquestions: 1. Isthisjob(orindustry)rightforme? 2. WhatdoIseeasadvantages?WhatdoI
seeasdisadvantages? 3. DoIqualifyforthistypeofpositionrightnow?Ifnot,what
amIlacking?HowcanIclosethisskillsgap? 4. IfIneedmoreeducationortraining,wherecanIgetit?Can
Iaffordit?AmIwillingtodoit?Eventhoughyouhavemadeitclearthatyouareseekingonlyinfor-mationattheinterview,youmayreceiveajobofferorareferraltoajobopening.Alwayshavecopiesofyourrésuméandcallingorbusinesscardstoleaveifthepersonasksforthem.Youmayaskattheendoftheinterviewifyoumayleaveacallingcardandarésumé.However,neveraskforajobintervieworajobduringaninformationalinterview.Ifyoudothis,peoplemightthinkyouareasneakyordishonestperson.Youwillprobablynotbeofferedajobifonebecomesavailable.Insomecases,companiesdonotprovidetimeforinformationalin-terviews.SomeMainefirmsofferopportunities forpeople to learnmoreaboutworking for theircompanies through localcareerdaysorjobfairs.TheInformationCenterwillusuallyhavelistingsoftheseactivities.Alsocheckyourlocalnewspaperfortheseevents.Readingthebusinesssectionofyournewspaperisawonderfulwaytokeepupwithlocalbusiness.
Thank You
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 27
SampleThank YouNote
August 30, 2008
I.M. Looking123 Your StreetYourtown, ME 04444
Betty BossePresidentYourtown Kitchen and DesignYourtown ME 04444
Dear Ms. Bosse:
Thank you for spending time with me on Monday to help me with my career decision-making. From our conversation, it seems to me that CAD operator is certainly a rewarding career choice. Your estimates on how much the field will grow in the next ten years give me confidence that there will be stable employment for the right job candidates.
I have not yet made a final decision on my career choice, but if I do choose CAD operator, then Yourtown Kitchen & Design is certainly the kind of work environment that I would like to be in.
Again, thank you for your time and information. I will let you know what my final decision is.
Sincerely,
I.M. Looking
Page 28 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Self-Assessment
ExternalExploration
MakingConnections
PartIII:MakingConnections
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 29
Afterwefindapatterninourself-explorationandfindapatterninourexternalexploration,thenwebegintomakeconnectionsbe-
tweenthetwo.Manypeoplefindthatthisisthebestareatoexploretofindsatisfactionintheirworklifeandintheirpersonallifeaswell.Whenyourcareer/lifeplanninghasreachedthisstage,youmaybesurprisedtofindoutthatyourdearestwishesarenotsounrealistic
afterall.Othersmaydiscoverthatsomedifficultdecisionsmustbemadeiftheywanttobalancetheirworklifeandtheirpersonallife. The InformationCenterhasmanyresourcestohelpyoumakethesecon-nections.Hereisanexampleofhowmakingcon-nectionsworks.Duringself-assessmentyoumayhavedecided that youwould
lovetobeatrapezeartist.Asyoucontinuewithexternalexploration,youdiscoverthatjobsastrapezeartistsareveryrareinourpartofMaine.YouuseLaborMarketInformationanddiscoverthat,muchtoyourdismay,therearenojobopeningsfortrapezeartistsanywhereinMaine.
Nowyouarefacedwiththreeoptions You can give up your hopes and dreamsandtakethefirstavail-
ablejobyoucancompeteforsuccessfully.Oftenpeoplewhomakethischoiceareunhappyintheirwork.Theydonotalwaysgivetheirbestatworkbecausetheydon’tlikethejob.
You decide to move to another part of the country(ortheworld)wherejobsforbeginningtrapezeartistsareavailable.Youandyourfamilymaybeveryunhappywhenyouaresofarawayfromyourfamilyhome,friendsandrelatives.
You decide to stay in Mainebutanalyzewhatjobsatisfactionyouwouldgetfrombeingatrapezeartistandmatchthatlistagainstotherjobs.
Page 30 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Let’slookatthethirdoptionThe listofwhatyou likeabout the jobof trapezeartistmight looksomethinglikethis: There’salotofvarietyinthejob. Iwouldgettotravelaround. Thejobisnotboring. Iwouldgettotakerisksbyclimbinguphigh. Ilikecircusmusic. Ilikethecostumes. ItpaysthesalaryIwantorneed.
First, you have to decide what would be an acceptable number of matches for you to be satisfied with this work.Maybeyoudecidethatyoucouldbeveryhappywithajobthathasfourofthesevenitemsonthelistifyoudonothavetomovefromyourhometown.You research jobsandfindone thathas the following characteris-tics: Iwouldgettotravelaround. Thejobisnotboring. Iwouldgettotakerisksbyclimbinguphigh. IcouldwearacostumeifIchoose. Icoulddothisworkandstayinmyhometown. ItpaysthesalaryIwantorneed.Thissoundsprettygood.Nowthereisanareawhereyoucanfocusyourjobsearching.Youdecidetolookforworkasachimneysweep.TheInformationCenterprovidesmanywaystoresearchjobs.Besuretocheckoutthetoolsavailabletoyouthere.
The next step would be to find other jobs that have some of the samecharacteristics.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 31
ThenextstepintheCareer/LifePlanningprocessisdecision-making.Nowthatyouhavetheinformationyouneedtomoveforward,youmustdecidewhattodonext.Manyofusfaceharddecisionswhenweseeknewemployment.Dowemovetowheretherearejobsweareinterestedinordowestayinourhometown?Maybewecanfindotherjobsthatmatchmostofourinterests,skillsandvaluesthroughmakingconnections.WemayhavetodecidetoretrainfornewemploymentorupgradeourEssentialWorkCompetencies.Itisnoteasytomakethesedecisions.Inadditiontoyourpersonalnetwork,youcanfindexcellentresourcesintheInformationCentertosupportyourdecisionmaking.
PartII:ExternalExplorationGoalsettingisthenextstageofcareer/lifeplanning.Peoplearenotlikelytoreachtheirgoalsiftheydonothaveagoodplan.Eachgoalshouldbea concrete,measurableand time-limitedplan to get towhereyouwanttogo.TherearematerialsofalltypesintheInforma-tionCenterthatwillhelpyouwithgoalsetting.
Nowyouhavetotakethefirststepstowardreachingyournewgoal.Doyouneedtoexploreopportunitiesforretraining?Doyouneedtowriteanewrésuméandcoverletterorbrushuponanoldone?Doyouneedtostrengthenyourinterviewingskills?UsetheInformationCenterasyourAction!Center whetheryouarelookingforafirstjob,anotherjoborabetterjob.
Isyourrésumégettingtheinterviewsyouthoughtitwould?Haveyouhadseveralinterviewsbutnojoboffers?Doyouknowwhichemploy-ersarehiringpeoplewithskills likeyours?Doyouwanttoexploreupgradingyourskills?WhateveryouneedtodotocorrectyourcoursesoyouareheadingTrueNorthtowardyourcareergoal,theInformationCenterhasmanyresourcesthatwillhelpyoukeepyourjobsearchontrack.
PartIV:Decision-Making
PartV:GoalSetting
PartVI:Action!Steps
PartVII:CorrectingCourse
Here’s how to use the Infor-mation Center to correct your plan of action and brush up on your job seeking and job getting skills.
Page 32 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Getting It All Together
How Do I Find the Right Job for Me?Ifyouwantyourjobsearchtobringtherightopportunitiesto
youquickly,youneedtherightjobhuntingtools.Firstofall,youneedtoknowwhatkindofjobyouarelookingfor.Youwillhavecompletedthecareer/lifedecisioncycleandtheAction!Step stage.Youhaveaclearjobgoalinmind.Youknowthatyouhavetheknowledge,skillsandabilitiestodothejob.YoucandocumentyourEssentialWorkCompetencies.
Thinkofyour jobsearchasmakingacommercialforyourself.Youneedtofindthosethingsthatwould
encouragea customer (an employer) to buy a product(yourworkskills).Thenyouneedtoframethisproductinanattractivepackage(yourrésuméandcoverletter).Nextyouneedtomarketyourproduct(doinggoodinterviews).
CareerCenterhasmanytoolsthatwillmakeyourjobsearch-ingeasier.
The Hidden Job MarketOneofthebestwaystofindthejobyoureallywantistodiscoverthe“hidden”jobmarket.Youcandiscoverinterestingpositionsbeforetheyareadvertised.Youcanalsocreateapositionbyshowinganemployerhowyourknowledge,skillsandabilitiescanfillagapinthecurrentworkforce.Youcanuseyournetworkoffamilymembers,friends,formerco-workersorclassmatesandcommunitymemberstofindoutaboutplacesthatmightbeinterestedinaworkerlikeyou.Ifyouwanttofindthejobthatbestusesyourknowledge,skillsandabilitiesinajobyouwillenjoy,thenyouneedtousethe“hidden”jobmarket.
Fewer than 20% of possible job openings are ever advertised in newspapers.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 33
NetworkingOneofthebestwaystousethis“hidden”marketisthroughaneffec-tivenetwork.Familymembers,friends,formerco-workers,classmatesandcommunitymembersareusuallypartofyournetwork.Herearesometipstouseyournetworkeffectively.Telleveryoneinyournetworkthetypeofjobyouarelookingfor.Itisoftenbettertodescribewhichskillsyouwanttouseratherthangivingajobtitle.Thiswillgiveyournetworkmoreoptions tosearch.Give themcopiesofyour résuméandaskthemwhereyoumightgolookingforjobs.Youwillalsowanttofollow-upwithyournetworkonaregularbasis.Letthemknowhowyourjobsearchisgoing.Tellthemhowmuchyouappreciatetheirhelp.Alwayswritethank-younotes.Remember,whenyounetwork,youhavemanypeoplehelpingyouwithyourjobsearch.
Writing a RésuméAlthoughsomejobopeningsdonotrequirearésumé,itisgoodtohaveone.Herearetwowaystoorganizetheinformationinarésumé.Youneedtobeabletomarketyourskillseffectivelytosomeonewhowantstohireyou.Thismeanschoosingtherightkindofrésuméstyletohighlightyourskillseffectively.Wewilltalkabouttwotypesofrésu-més.MostpeoplefindthatoneoftheserésuméstyleswillhelpthembeeffectivewhenjobhuntinginMaine.Whicheverrésuméstylewechoose,weshouldnotmakeapotentialemployerguesstheanswertothemostimportantquestionofall.Thisquestionis“WhyshouldIhireyou?”
Page 34 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
NamingYourSkillsManaging Communicating ResearchingPlan Persuade ClarifyOrganize Direct SurveyExecute Lead InterviewSupervise Reason InvestigateSchedule Sell InspectAssign Develop GatherDirect Recruit SynthesizeCoordinate Create ExamineAnalyze Negotiate DiagnosePrioritize Arbitrate ReviewDelegate Arrange OrganizeHire Mediate EvaluateFire Merge CritiqueRecommend Obtain CollectEvaluate Write WriteAdminister Interpret InterpretContract Enlist ExtrapolateProduce Motivate IsolateControl Manipulate DecideReview Read AnalyzeTroubleshoot Speak DefineRecognizeproblems Influence Develop
Financial Physical HelpingKeepbooks Setup ReferAccount Feed RenderAudit Cut AttendAppraise Bind CareResearch Drive EmpathizeAnalyze Move ListenRecord Lift SpeakAllocate Bend DirectAdminister Pull PerceiveDevelop Ship UnderstandCalculate Operate RelateCompute Tend Guide
Here are some action wordsthat you can use to describe your skills. Use these action words in your skills state-ments in your résumé or onapplications.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 35
Creating Teaching Using DetailsCreate Brief ReconcileImagine Inform ExecuteDesign Encourage DispatchPlan Communicate RespondConceptualize Advise EnforceSynthesize Guide MeetdeadlinesIntegrate Coach ArrangeAbstract Instruct ScheduleGenerate Explain MemorizePerceive Enlighten CollectMemorize Stimulate CompileDiscriminate Invent SystemizeVisualize Adapt TabulateEmpathize Facilitate CompareFashion Coordinate InspectShape Develop OrganizeWrite Enable ClassifyDirect Clarify CollateImagine Value CopyPaint SetGoals RetrievePerform Decide ProcessAct Initiate FilePlay
HereistheformulaforaSkillsStatement:1. Name your skillandrelatethatskilltoyourworkerpreference
withdata,peopleorthings.2. Give an exampleofhowyouhavedemonstratedthatskill.3. Give the outcomeorresultyouachieved.
Remember to make skillsstatements. These action words can help you organize and describe what you can do for an employer.
Page 36 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Herearesomesampleskillsstatementsfromrésumés:
TheFunctional(Skills-Based)RésuméThe InformationCenter hasmany tools to assist you inwriting afunctionalrésumé.Functionalrésumésarealsocalledskills-basedrésumés. Functional résumésarehelpful for peoplewhowant tochangefields.Theyalsoworkwellforthosewhomayhaveacademicortechnicaltrainingbutlittleornoworkhistory.Functionalrésumésworkwellforpeoplewhohavehadmanydifferentjobsintheirworkhistory.Somepeoplethinkafunctionalrésuméwill“hide”aspottyorincon-sistentworkhistory.Thisprobablyisnottrue.Thebestwaytorepairalessthanexcellentworkhistoryistoreestablishyourcredibilityasaworker.Youcandothisbytakingajobthatisreadilyavailabletoyouanddoingyourbestatthatjobeverydayforsometime.Workhardtogetseveraloutstandingperformancereviewsorraisesinthatjob.Thenyouwillhavedemonstratedthatyouarereadyforadvancement.Hereisaformatwhichwillhelpyouorganizeyourworkhistorysothatyoucanwriteaskills-basedrésumé.
Organizedwork team to getWidget Project doneon timeandunderbudget
Diagnosed and correctedproblemswithsmallengines
Operatedwidgetattachmentmachine
Caredfor10acutecarepatients
Maintained and balanceddailyaccountsreceivable
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 37
WorkHistory
EssentialWork Skills (with data, people, things):(See Essential Work Competen-cies on page 15 for a review.)
Filloutthisinformationabouteachjobthatyouhaveheld.Startwithyourmostrecentjobandworkbackwards.
JobTitle:_________________________________________________
DatesofEmployment:______________________________________
Employer: ________________________________________________
Address:_________________________________________________
MajorDuties: _____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Teamwork: _______________________________________________
CustomerService:_________________________________________
UsingTechnology:__________________________________________
CommunicationSkills:______________________________________
Supervisory/ManagingResponsibilities:_______________________
TrainingOthers: ___________________________________________
LearningontheJob: _______________________________________
OtherSkills: ______________________________________________
Page 38 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
TheChronological(WorkHistory)RésuméSomepeoplemaywant towritea chronological résumé. This is arésuméthatlistsyourworkhistoryfromyourcurrentormostrecentjobbacktoyourfirstjob.Thisstyleofrésuméworkswellforfolkswhoareseekingwork in theircurrentfield.Chronological resumesalsoareeffectiveforpeopleseekingapromotionorapositionwithmoreresponsibility.Itgivesanat-a-glancesnapshotofcontinuedgrowthinaparticularfield.Evenifyouaredoingachronologicalrésumé,itishelpfultodocumentyourskillsandcompetenciesinyourworkhis-tory.
GuidelinesforWritingaRésumé Yourrésuméshouldbe1or2pageslong. Workonacomputer.Thecomputerwillsetmarginsandspacingforyou.Use10-12
pointfontsize. Yourrésuméshouldbefreeoferrors. Usewhite,beigeorgraybondedpaper. Yourenvelopeandcoverletterpapershouldmatchyourrésumépaper. Useskillsstatementswithexamplestoshowyouarequalifiedforthejob. Describeyourskillsaccurately. Useworkexperience,volunteerexperience,commendationsandawards, formal
training,education,internships,licensesorcertificationstodocumentyourskills. Haveaseparatereferencesheet.TheInformationCenterhasthelatest“howto”onrésuméwriting.Wehavethisinformationinavarietyofformats.Wehavecomputersandsoft-waretomakerésuméwritingeasier.YoucanpostyourrésuméontheInternet.Youcanfaxore-mailyourrésumé.YoucanalsomailyourrésuméfreeofchargefromtheInformationCenter.Wehavepaper,envelopesandstampsforyouruse.Remember,theInformationCenterisopentothepublic.ThereisneverachargeforusingInformationCenterservices.
Résumé
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 39
SampleFunctional(Skills-Based)RésuméThis person is seeking to change fields.
Bea A. Success123HighStreet
Yourtown,ME04444(207)555-1212
Objective:CustomerServiceRepresentative
Office Skills: Twoyearsexperiencewithallaspectsofofficework Keyboarding50wpm ExperiencedwithMicrosoftOfficeincludingWordandExcel SchedulingusingLotusNotes Filingbynumericalandalphabeticalsystems
Customer Service Skills: Fiveyearsexperienceworkingwithcustomersinfast-pacedenvironment Abilitytoaddresscustomerneedsrapidly Skilledatresolvingcustomercomplaints Remaincheerfulandhelpfulinstressfulenvironment
Work History: WilliamN.Fuller,Accountant Yourtown,ME
FileClerk 2004-present YourtownFamilyRestaurant Yourtown,ME
FoodServer/Host 1997-2004
Education:YourtownHighSchool Yourtown,MEHighschooldiploma 1997
References Available Upon Request
Page 40 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Luke N. Ahead123WaterStreet
Yourtown,ME04444(207)555-9876
Objective:WarehouseStockSupervisor
Highlights of Qualifications: Overtenyearsexperienceinallaspectsofwarehouseoperations Reduceddamagedstockreceivedinbranchstoresfrom5%to3% Activememberofwarehouseredesignteam Computerskillsincludingwordprocessinganddatabasemanagement Thorough,accuraterecordkeepingandreportingskills AssociateoftheMonth,September2003&June2007
Work History:
Al’sAutoPartsPlaza Yourtown,MEWarehouse Stock Clerk 2005-present Receivedandstoredautomotiveparts Issuedpartstomainstoreandthreebranchstores Matchedincominginventorywithinvoices Markedcodes,figuresandlettersforreferenceandstocking Compiledrequiredweekly,monthlyandquarterlyreports
Al’sAutoPartsPlaza Yourtown,MEAssistant Stock Clerk 2002-2005 Transportedstocktobranchstores Dataentry
Education:YourtownCommunityCollege Yourtown,MEAssociatesinBusinessManagement 2002
References Available Upon Request
SampleChronologicalRésuméThis job seeker is trying for a promotion to supervisor.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 41
Cover LettersYourcoverletteristhefirstthingaprospectiveemployerwillnoticeaboutyouiftheyhavenotalreadymetyou.Ifthecoverletterdoesnotattractattention,yourrésumémightnotgettheattentionyouhopeitwill.Yourcoverlettershouldmatchyourresume.Youshouldusethesameheading,font,andpaperforboth.
Here are some hints for writing a good cover letter.
In the first paragraph, explain the purpose of your letter.Thefirstparagraphshouldincludethepositionforwhichyouareapplying,whereyoureadorheardaboutthepositionandwhenyoureadorheardabouttheposition.Ifthereisnotanadvertisedopen-ing,explainwhyyouareaskingforaninterviewatthatcompany.Thesecond paragraph should be skills statementswhichwillcre-ateaninterestintalkingtoyouandofferingyouaposition.Includedocumentationof yourskillsbydescribing yearsofexperience,training,commendationsandsuccesses.Thethird paragraph should say that you want an interviewandstateatimewhenyouwillcalltoarrangeameeting.Thankthepersonfortheirtimeandattention.
Ifyouwanttoseesamplesofcoverlettersthatwouldbeusefulinavarietyofsituations,cometotheInformationCenter.Wehavebooksandcomputerapplicationscontainingthelatestinformationonstate-of-the-artcoverletters.
Page 42 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
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Application FormsEventhoughyouhavearésumé,youmayhavetofilloutanapplicationaswell.Alwaysbeveryaccuratewhenyoufilloutap-plications.Eventhesmallesterrormightmakeyouineligibleforajob.Incorrectinformationonanapplicationmightmeanyoucouldbefiredifyougetajobandabackgroundcheckis performed to verify your information.Besureyouhavetherightdates,namesandjobtitlesforallyourworkhistory.Someemployerswillnotconsideranapplicantiftheapplica-tion they submit is not neat, completeandaccurate.Neverlieabouthavingbeenfiredoranythingelseonyourapplication.Ifyoudon’twanttospell out certaindetails on theapplication,write“willdiscussininterview”ontheappli-cation.Never leaveblanksonanapplication.WriteN/Afornotapplicableifyouhavenoresponseforaquestion.Readthedirectionscarefullybeforeyoubegintofilloutanapplication.Putinformationinthecorrectspaces.Useablackerasablepensoyoucanmakechangesifnecessary.Printneatly.Signanddatetheapplication.Readtheapplicationcompletelybeforebegin-ningtofillitout.Onthenextpageyouwillfindasampleap-plicationformthatyoumaywanttocompleteanduseasa guide. This is theapplicationformthatemployerswhohaveregisteredwithMaine’sJobBankusemostoften.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 43
APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT COMPANY NAME:
Last Name First Name Middle Date:
P
E
R
S
O
N
A
L
Street Address Home Telephone:
( )
City State Zip CodeCell Phone:
Social Security No:
POSITION DESIRED:
Are you 18 years of age or older? Yes No
PRESENT OR LAST EMPLOYER:
Telephone:
( )Employed - (State month and year)
From: To:
Weekly Pay:Start: Last:
Reason for Leaving:
Company Name:
Address:
Name of Supervisor:
Job Title:
1.
Describe work:E
M
P
L
O
Y
M
E
N
T
Telephone:
( )Employed - (State month and year)
From: To:
Weekly Pay:Start: Last:
Reason for Leaving:
Company Name:
Address:
Name of Supervisor:
Job Title:
2.
Describe work:
Telephone:
( )Employed - (State month and year)
From: To:
Weekly Pay:Start: Last:
Reason for Leaving:
Company Name:
Address:
Name of Supervisor:
Job Title:
3.
Describe work:
Describe any specialized skills relating to position applied for, i.e., typing, wordprocessing, type of driver's license, etc.
S
K
I
L
L
S
ME. ES-515 (rev. 10/05)
Page 44 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Name and location of school No. of grades
completed
Did you
Graduate
Describe course
of study
E
D
U
C
A
T
I
O
N
HIGH SCHOOL
COLLEGE
TRADE,BUSINESS OR
CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL
Give the names, addresses, and phone numbers of three persons not related to you, whom you have known at least one year.
NAME ADDRESS BUSINESS YEARS
ACQUAINTEDTELEPHONE
NUMBERR
E
F
E
R
E
N
C
E
S
1.
2.
3.
Describe any extracurricular activities or volunteer work you feel may be helpful to use in considering your application.G
E
N
E
R
A
L
Have you ever had job-related training in the U.S. Military? YES NO
If yes, please describe:
C
O
M
M
E
N
T
S
I certify that the facts contained in this application are true and complete to the best of my knowledge, and I understand that, if employed,
falsified statements on this application may result in discharge.
I authorize the investigation of all information contained in this application for employment as may be necessary in determining an employment
decision.
I understand that I am to abide by all rules and regulations of the company.
DATE: SIGNATURE:
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 45
References
Referencesareusuallycontactedonlywhenyouareafinalistforaposition.However,thereareexceptionstothis,somakecertain
thatyouareincontactwithyourreferenceseachtimeyouareselectedforaninterview.Alwaysaskifyoucanuseapersonasareference.Donotassumethatbecausethepersonworkedwithyouthattheywillbewillingorabletogiveyouareferenceifyouhavenotaskedthemfirst.Thelistofsupervisorsinyourworkhistoryonajobapplicationisnotthesamethingasareferencelist.Yourreferencelistshouldnotbeincludedinthebodyofyourresume.TheInformationCenterhasinforma-tiononhowtoformatyourreferencelist.Apersonwhoisafront-runnerforajobmaynotbeselectedforthatpositionifoneofthepeoplelistedasareferencecannotbecontactedquicklydur-ingbusinesshours.Somepeopleyouchooseforreferencesmaynothelpyourcandidacyiftheydonothavetimetodojusticetoyourqualificationsfortheposition.Thepeopleyouasktobeyourrefer-encesshouldbeabletospeakfromfirsthandknowledgeabouttheskills,abilitiesandpersonalqualitiesthatwouldmakeyousuccessfulinthejobforwhichyouareapplying.Theyshouldbeabletobereachedeasilyduringregularbusinesshours.Ifyouarejobseeking,youshouldgetatleastthreeopenlettersofreference frompeople inpositionsof responsibilitywhoknowandlikeyou.Theseshouldbepeoplewhohaveworkedwithyouinpaidorvolunteerworkexperiences.Ifyouarejuststartingout,youmayhavenoworkreferences.Inthatcase,alandlord,afriendwhohasparticipatedinsomeactivitywithyou,afellowclubmember,aformerorcurrentteacher,principal,guid-ancecounselorormemberoftheclergycanbeusedasareference.ThesepeopleshouldbeabletotalkabouthowyouhavedemonstratedyourEssentialWorkCompetenciesinschool,clubs,civicorvolunteeractivities.
Never ever under anycircumstances write letters for yourself and sign another person’s name to it or a have a friend pretend to be a former coworker or supervisor.
Page 46 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Youshouldnotuseaparentorothercloserelative,aclosepersonalfriend,girlfriend,boyfriendorspouseasareference.Mostemployerswillnotconsiderthemobjectiveenoughtogivereliableinformationaboutyouevenifyouhaveworkedtogether.Ifyourequestanopenletterofreferencebytelephone,thenyoushouldfollowupwithawrittenrequestthatcontainsthepointslistedinthesection“WhatanOpenLetterofReferenceShouldContain.”Alwaysbecompletelyhonestandethicalinyourjobsearch.
WhatanOpenLetterofReferenceShouldContainInordertomakeiteasierforareferencetowriteanopenletterofrecommendation,thejobseekershouldrequestthefollowinginfor-mation:The lettershouldbeaddressed“ToWhomItMayConcern”or toaparticularperson“DearMs.Bosse:”Thereferenceshouldbewrittenoncompanyletterheadifcompanypolicyallowsthis.Thereferenceshouldusetheirjobtitleifcompanypolicyallowsthis.Thelettershouldindicatehowlongandunderwhatcircumstancesthereferencehasknownthejobseeker.Thereferenceshoulddescribewhathasbeenpersonallyobservedaboutthejobseeker’sworkskills.(UseToday’sWorkCompetenciesonpage15.Youmaywanttosendthecompetencylistwithyourwrit-tenrequest.)Always tell your referencewhichskillsandabilitiesyouwant tobestressed.Usethejobdescriptionofthepositionyouareseekingasaguide.Thesesuggestionsalsoworkforpersonalreferences.Theywilluseexamplesfromacademic,civicorvolunteerexperiencestheyhavesharedwithyou.Alwaysfollowupwithawrittenthankyounotetoallthepeoplewhoservedasyourreferences.Keepincontactwitheveryoneonyourreferencelisteverycoupleofweeksandletthemknowhowyourjobsearchisgoing.Callthemimmediatelywhenyouhaveaninterview.Letthemknowwhensomeonemightbecalling.
Don’t just drop contact with your refer-ences after you get a job. You may want to use them again when you are seek-ing a promo-tion or a better job.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 47
JobSearchToolsIn order to have a successful job search, you must have the right stuff...Tools that assist you find work fast and project a professional image to prospective employers.
TheAnsweringMachine/VoiceMailTheansweringmachine/voicemailiscriticaltoyourjobsearch.Nomatterhowdedicatedotherfamilymembersmaybe,importantmessagesmaybemissed,forgottenorrecordedincorrectly.Theperfectjobforyoumaybelost.Usingansweringmachines/voicemailisapartofdoingbusinessandpeoplewillleaveamessageforyou.Abusinesslikebutfriendlymessagetellstheemployersomethingaboutyou.If yourmachine/voicemail doesnotautomaticallygivetimeanddateofcall,askforthatinformationaswell.Duringyourjobsearch,donotlistthenamesofallfamilymembers.Youcanalwayschange themessageafteryouhavefoundthatjobyouarelookingfor.Donot have “cute,” “insulting”or commercial messages(withElvisorTimSampledoingthemessage,forexample) on yourma-chine/voicemailduringyourjobsearch.
Donot havemusic on your an-sweringmachine/voicemail.Becertainthattheroomisquietwhenyouarerecordingyourmessage.ThatmeansnoTV,nokidscrying,nodogsbarkinginthebackground.Practicebeforeyourecordthemessage.Listentoyourtoneofvoice.Besureyouarepleasantandprofessional.
A Sample Message might be like this one.
“Hello. You have reached 667-7543 (or your name). After the tone, please leave your name, a brief message and a number where your call may be returned. Your call is very important. Thank you for calling.”
Page 48 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
AppointmentBook/CalendarYoushouldhaveanappointmentbook/calendarforyourjobseekingactivities.Mostprofessionalappointmentbook/calendarsarebrownorblack.Otherbusinesscolorswouldincludenavyblue,huntergreenormaroon.Savethecalendarswithcutepicturesorpastelcolorsforyourpersonaluse.Avoidhavingloosepapersorstickynotesfallingoutofyourappointmentbook.Havingasectionthatallowsfornotetakingisconvenient.Havingatelephone/addresssectionisalsohelpful.Usetheappointmentbook/calendertokeeptrackofappointments,telephonecallsandplansforfollow-up.Usetheappointmentbooktokeeptrackofwhenyoumailedletters,résumés,andthank-younotes.Itishelpfultokeepyourappointmentbookinerasableblackpenorinpencil.Yourtelephone/addresssectioncanbeinnonerasableink.Youcanalsousethisbookforwritingoutquestionsyou’dliketoaskinaninterviewandalsorecordanswersofinformationyoureceiveininterviews.
CallingandBusinessCardsCallingcardsorbusinesscardsareessentialinaneffectivejobsearch.Youwanttomakeiteasyforanemployertohireyou.Havingacallingcard(orbusinesscardifyouareemployed)willmakeiteasierforaprospectiveemployertorememberyouandreachyouwhenavacancyhasoccurred.Callingcardsalsomakeaprofessionalimpres-sion.A calling card should contain yournameandaddressandtelephonenumber.If you have a fax number or e-mail address,includethemaswell.Callingcardsshouldlookprofessional.Useblack,darkblue,orthesubduedbusinesscolorfortheprintonyourcard.Thecardsshouldbewhite,off-white,beige,ecru,orpaleblue.QualitybusinesscardpapercanbepurchasedatanybusinesssupplystoreorlargestoreslikeWal-MartorK-Mart.Mostcomputerprogramshaveatemplateforbusinesscards.SeethepersonintheInforma-tionCenterifyouwanttoprintyourowncards.Cardscanalsobeorderedbymail.Manycompaniessellqualitycardsatreasonableprices.
ImaG.Jobseeker123PleasantStreetAnytown,USA12345
Tel.555-1234FAX:555-2345e-mail:[email protected]
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 49
Where to Look for WorkIfyouareastudent,firsttalk to your placement
or guidance office. Employersoftenlistentry-levelopeningswithschools.Evenifyouareagraduate,youmaybeabletousetheschool’sresourcesinyourjobsearch.
Local newspapers areanothersourceof jobleads.Althoughfewerthan20percentofjobs
areeverlistedintheclassi-fiedsectionofthenewspaper,
donotoverlookthem.Job fairsareawaytomeetemploy-
erswhohavejobopenings.Jobfairsdonotchargeanentrancefee.Youcan
checkoutmanyjobopeningsatjobfairs.Somejobfairsfocusononeindustry.There
maybea job fair for thecomputer industryorfortelemarketing,forexample.Otherjobfairsmayfocusonmanydifferentjobsatonce.Acollegejobfairwouldbeanexamplewheremanydifferentkindsofemployersmightattend.The Internetisanotherwaytofindajob.Therearemanysitesthatlistjobopenings.Sitdownatacomputerandyouwillsoondiscoveravirtualgoldmineofinformation.LogontotheInternetandvisitthetoolsofferedthroughAmerica’sCareerOne-Stop.Thisisthelargestonlineemploymentresourceinthecountry.TheCareerOne-Stopismadeupofseveralmodules,includingup-datedinformationontraining,education,counselingandemploymentofworkers.America’s Career One-Stop, www.careeronestop.org,isagoodplacetostartifyouareresearchingajob.Labormarketinformationsuchastrends,wagesandtrainingrequirementsareavailablehere.In-formationforMaine,thenationoreachofthe50statesisavailable.Hereyoucanalsobuildandpostarésuméandcoverletter.Employerswithjobopeningsvisitthissitetosearchforqualifiedapplicants.TheCareer
Page 50 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
One-StopalsoservesasthegatewaytoAmerica’sCareerInfoNetandAmerica’sServiceLocator.ThesecombinedresourcesmakeupwhatiscollectivelyknownasAmerica’sCareerKit.Maine’s CareerCenter Web site,www.mainecareercenter.comcanbeusedasaspringboardtoMaine’sJobBankandotherlocalandnationaljobboards.Mostmajor newspapers also post their classified section on theInternet.ChecktheWebsitefortheareathatinterestsyou.YourInfor-mationCenterSpecialistwillbeabletoassistyouinfindingWebsites.YoucangetyourcomplimentarycopyofHot Jobs in MaineandCa-reers in Maine for College Graduates.ThesebrochuresgivethelatestinformationonwhichjobsaregrowinginMaine.O*NET, theOccupational InformationNetwork, isacomputerdata-basewhichexplorestheworldofwork.Itprovidesdetailedinformationregardingall aspectsofhundredsof jobsperformedbyAmerica’sworkers.O*NETisparticularlyusefulforthoseconsideringacareerchange.Anothersearchmethodistogo directly to employers. Talktopeoplewhocanhireyoueveniftheydonothaveacurrentjobopening.Mostpeoplefindthatthisisthebestwaytogetthejobtheyreallywant.YoucanbeaneffectivejobseekerifyouuseyourlocalCareerCenter.CareerCenterletsyouuseallthesemethodsatoneplace.Remember,CareerCentergivesyouaccesstotheInternet.Wealsohavecurrent
LaborMarketInformation.Youcanusenewspapersandemploymentdirectories.TherearetwodirectoriesintheCareerCenterthatareveryusefultojobseekers.Bothareonthecomputer.TheMaine Employment Info Guidewillgiveyouinforma-tionontheMaine labormarket.Youcanfindoutaboutwageratesandexpectedjobgrowth.Afteryouchooseajob,theEmployment Info GuidewillgiveyoualistofMaineemployerswhomighthireyouiftheyhaveanopening.Thisguidewillgiveyouaname,address,andevenamaptothecompany’slocation.TheMaine Employment Info GuideisavailablethroughtheCenterforWorkforceResearchandInformationInternetsitewww.maine.gov/labor/lmis.AnotherdirectoryistheALMIS Employer Database.ALMISstandsforAmerica’sLaborMarketInformationSystem.This directory of employerswill give you theaddress,
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 51
telephonenumberandabriefdescriptionofbusinessesnationwide.Youcanalsogetthenameofapersontocontactandamaptothebusiness.
LookingforGovernmentJobs
Government agencies employ many people in Maine. This section will help you look for jobs in federal, state and local government.
FederalGovernmentJobs
USAJOBSlistsfederaljobopeningsworldwide.ThisinformationcomesfromtheOfficeofPersonnelManagement.
Someagenciesfilltheirownjobopenings.Theseagencieshavetheirownpersonneloffices.ThesejobswillnotbelistedatUSAJOBS.YoumustapplydirectlytotheU.S.PostalService,FederalBureauofInves-tigation,CentralIntelligenceAgencyandSecretServiceifyouwishtoworkforoneoftheseagencies.Agenciesalsofillsenior-levelpositionsandotherspecializedjobsbythedirect-hiresystem.Ifyouareseekingoneofthesejobs,thenyoushouldcontact theagencydirectlyeven if they listsome jobswithUSAJOBS.Ofcourse,withanyjobsearchyouwillwantaninformationalinterviewandnetwork.
Here’s how you can use USAJOBS to help you find federal job openings: YoucancheckouttheInternetsite.Youcanfindjobdescrip-
tionsandjobapplicationformsthere.Thisinformationcanbeprinted.Veteranscanfindoutaboutveterans’preferencesthere.Thissiteisupdatedeveryday.TheInternetaddressis:www.usajobs.gov.
Youcanalsouseanautomatedtelephonesystem.Herearethenumbers to call: 1-703-724-1850or TTY1-978-461-8404.Youwillbegreetedbyarecordedmessage.Themes-sagewilltellyouwhatnumberstopresstogettheinformationyouwant.Thisisnotatoll-freecall.Youwillpayachargeforusingthesenumbers.TherearephonesintheCareerCenterifyouprefernottopayforalongdistancecall.
Page 52 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Maine StateGovernmentJobs
MaineStateGovernmentisamajoremploymentsource.Stateemployeesworkinmanydifferentjobs.Somestateworkersaremechanics, laborersorcorrectionsofficers,mentalhealthworkers,scientists,andengineers.Computerprofessionals,clericalworkers,accountantsandmanyothersalsoworkforthestate.Yourfirststepingettingajobinstategovernmentistofindoutwhatjobsareopen.YoucanfindoutaboutjobopeningsatyourlocalCa-reerCenter,Maine’sJobBank,inthenewspaper,andontheStateofMaineWebsite:www.maine.gov.Youcanapplyforsomestatejobseveniftherearenoopenings.Youmustwaituntilthereisanopeningforotherjobs.Thejoblistingwilltellyouwhetherornotthereisanactualjobopening.Jobsthatmaynothavecurrentopeningsarelistedas“OpenContinuouslyforRe-cruitment.”Yourapplicationformisveryimportant.Youmustsendacompletedapplicationforeachstatejobyouareinterestedin.Youshouldbeveryaccuratewhenyoucompletetheapplicationform.Youshouldhavenomistakes.Askforanextracopyormakeacopysothatyoucanreviewyourworkandmakeanynecessarychangesbefore youmail yourapplication.Pay careful attention tohow youdescribeyourjobduties.Usethejobdescriptiontomatchyourskillswiththosethatareneededforthejob.Alwayssendintheapplicationbytheclosedatelistedinthejobdescription.TheBureauofHumanResources,withinMaineStateGovernment,willreviewyourjobapplicationcarefully.Theywillseeifyourqualificationsmatchthoseneededforthejob.Theywillgiveyourapplicationascorebasedontheinformationyouhaveprovided.
StateApplicationForms
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 53
The easiest way to get more information on state govern-ment jobs is to visit the State of Maine home page.Theaddressiswww.maine.govIntheupperportionofthescreen,youwillseeaselectiontitledWORKING.SelecttheWORKINGtab,followedbyJobOpportuni-ties.Fromhereyoucanselectfromseveraloptions,oneofwhichwillbeStateGovernmentJobs.AskyourCareerCenterInformationSpecialistifyouwouldlikehelpusingthissite.Ifyouwouldratherspeakwithsomeonedirectly,calltheBureauofHumanResourcesat(207)624-7761orTTY888-577-6690.
GettingInformation
Direct HireSomestateagenciesusethedirecthiresystem.Statehospitals,uni-versities,technicalcollegesandthecourtsystemallusedirecthire.DirecthirejobswillbelistedseparatelyintheCareerCenter,ontheInternetandinthenewspapers.DirectHirepositionshaveaspecialapplicationformyoumustfillout.BesureyougettherightapplicationforDirectHirepositions.
Also,youmaybeaskedtotakeawrittentest.Youwillreceiveascoreontheresultsofthattestbymail.Yournamewillbeplacedonareg-ister.TheBureauofHumanResourceswillsendthenamesofthepeoplewiththehighestscorestotheagency.Theagencyinterviewsthesepeople.Somepeoplegetdiscouragedwhentheyareseekingemploymentwithagovernmentagency.Sometimesittakesalongtimetogetaninterviewforajob.Youmayhavetoapplyforseveraljobsbeforeyougetanintervieworajoboffer.
Page 54 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
LocalGovernment Jobs
Eachlocalgovernmentdoesitsownhiring.Thisisalsotrueforlocalschooldistricts.CareerCentershaveinformationonmostlocalgovernmentjobopen-ings.Anotherwaytokeepupwithjobpostingsforlocalgovernmentistoreadthenewspapers.Readthenewssectionsaswellas theclas-sifieds.Articlesabouteventssuchasnewroadconstruction,publicparkexpansionorotherconstructionprojectsmaymeantherewouldbenewjobs.Youcanalsofindoutaboutchangesinaschoolsystemthisway.
Interviewing TipsNomatterwhereyourarelookingforwork,youmustbepreparedtointerviewwelltogetajob.Herearesometipsondoingyourbestataninterview.Answering Interview QuestionsRemember, nomatterwhatquestion youareasked, thepotentialemployerwantstoknowtheanswerstotwoquestions: WhyshouldIhireyou? Howwillyoufitintomyorganization?
HereistheformulaforaSkillsStatementanswer: 1. Name your skillandrelatethatskilltoyourworkerprefer-
encewithdata,peopleorthings. 2. Give an exampleofhowyouhavedemonstratedthatskill
bytellingastory,mentioninganawardorcommendation,providingastatementfromareferenceorproducingaport-folio.
3. Give the outcomeorresultyouachieved. 4. Relate this skilltothepositionyouareseeking.
The key to effective answers to interview questions isa Skills Statement.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 55
HerearesomesampleSkillsStatements:
Skills Statement Describing People SkillsIamverygoodatorganizingaworkteam.Iseemtohaveaknackforgettingpeopleworkingtogethertoreachacommongoal.Forexample,
whenIwasshiftleaderatAcmeWidgetCompany,ourproductionwasgoingdownhillfortwoquartersinarow.Ipulledthe
teamtogetherandletthemdiscusstheissueandcomeupwithpossiblesolutions.Wetookthetimetocometogetheronasolution,implementitandmonitortheresults. Thenext quarterwewere back on target.Everyone felt goodabout the results. I couldhaveimposedmysolutionontheteam,butbettercoop-erationcamefromlettingtheteambeapartofthesolution.Icouldbringthissamekindofteamworktoyourorganization.
Skills Statement Describing Using DataIamveryaccuratewithfinancialdata.InmylastpositionIwasthepersonwhocheckedtheaccountsreceivableattheendofeachday.Iwastheonewhocheckedthebookswhennooneelsecouldfindtheerror.Ispentmanyeveningssearchingforerrorsthatkeptthebooksfrombalanc-ing,and Ialways found it.Tome, it’s likeapuzzlethatIenjoysolving.Iamalwaysverythoroughandaccuratewithfinancialdata.Icouldbringthissamethoroughnessandaccuracytothepositionofbook-keeperhereatAcmeWidgetCompany.
Skills Statement Describing ThingsItakegoodcareofmytools.IalwayskeepthemcleanandintheirplacewhenI’mnotusingthem.Aworkerwhorespectshistoolsrespectshiswork.I’mveryproudofthefactthatmyworkstationisneat,cleanandsafe.Tome,thatshowstheprideItakeindoingagoodjobeverydayatwork.
Page 56 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
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MoreInterviewingTips Getenoughsleepthenightbefore.
Practicemakingskillsstatementssothatyouhaveyour presentationready.
Arriveabout15minutesearly.
Bringatleast5copiesofyourrésumé.Bringopenletters ofreferencesoryourlistofreferences.Bringcopiesof licensesandcredentialsifyouneedthem.Bringyourport- folioifyouhaveone.
Dressappropriatelyfortheinterview.TheInformationCen-terhasresourceswhichdescribethelatesttipsondressingforinterviews.
Showyourenthusiasmandself-confidenceinyourbody languageandtoneofvoice.
Donotexaggerateyourskills,butsellyourself.
Alwaysdescribepeopleandsituationsinapositivelight.
Lettheinterviewerdoatleasthalfthetalking.
Askgoodquestions.
Makeastrongclosingstatementandthanktheinterviewer fortheinterview.
Expressyourdesireforthejob.
Followupwithathank-younotetoeachpersononthe interviewcommittee.
Ifyouwanttoknowmoreabouttheseinterviewingtips,cometotheCareerCenterandcheckouttheresourcesintheInfor-mationCenter.
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 57
Salary Information
Salaryisanimportantpartofacareerdecision.It’snicetoknowwhatyoucanexpectasapayrange
forajobbeforeyoudecidetopursueit.Salaryinformationcanalsohelpyoudecidewhetherornottotakeajoboffer.Rememberthatanaveragewagemaynotbewhatyou
canexpecttoearnwhenyoustartanewjob.Averagewagesshowyouwhatyoucanexpecttoearnafteryou
havebeenworkinginajobforawhile.Ifyourskillsareindemand,youmaybeofferedahigherstartingwage.Ifyouareanexperiencedworker,thenyoumaybeofferedahigherwage.Ontheotherhand,youmaybeofferedalowersalaryiftherearemanyqualifiedpeoplecompetingforajob.Youmaybeofferedalowersalaryifyouhavefewerskillsorlessexperiencethanotherworkersdo.Donottalkaboutsalaryuntilyouhavebeenofferedajob.Anemployermightthinksalaryistheonlyreasonyouareinterestedinthejobifyoudiscusssalarytoosoon.Manyemployershaveasetsalaryscale.Theydonotnegotiatewageswithemployees.Otheremployerswillnegotiate.Theywillofferahigherwagetopeoplewithexcellentskillsandyearsofexperience.Ifthisdescribesyou,thenyoumaybeabletonegotiateyourstartingsalary.Ifthestartingwageisnotatthelevelyouwantorneed,thenyoumayaskforperformancereviewsatregularintervalsafteryoubeginworking.Ifyouaredoingagoodjob,thenyoucanaskforasalaryincreaseatthistimeifcompanypolicyallows.Benefits can be part of a salarypackage.Health insurance, sickleave and paid vacation are ex-amplesofbenefitsofferedbymanyMaineemployers.
John Doe
Stay Well Insurance
123-45-6789
Page 58 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Youshouldjudgeajobofferonthetotalpackageofferedtoyou,notjusttheentry-levelsalary.
YourCareerCenterhascurrentwagesurveysforthestate.Youcanalsofindwage information forBangor,Lewiston-Auburn,Kittery-YorkandPortland.Youcangetthisinformationincom-puterorprintformats. TheCenterforWorkforceResearchandInformationalsohasinformationonwages.Youcancallthemat(207)623-7900.Ifthisisnotalocalcallforyou,cometotheCareerCentersoyouwillnothavetopayalongdistancechargewhenyoucall. America’sCareerOne-Stop, www.careeronestop.org, isanex-cellentresourceforInternet-basedwageinformation,forMaineandthenation.TheU.S.BureauofLaborStatisticsalsoprovidesthisinformationontheirWebsite,www.stats.bls.gov. Selectwagesbyareaandoccupation.
If you need information to make an informeddecision, here are someresources that can help
INeedaJobNOW!Sometimesweneed to geta job (any job) rightaway.Wehavetofeedourfamily,paytherentormakethecarpayment.Wewilltakeanyhonorableworkwecanfindquickly.Thesejobsaresometimescalled“survivaljobs”becausewetakethemtomakeendsmeet.Somesurvivaljobsareentry-leveljobs.Otherjobsareavailablebecauseofhighemployeeturnover.Most
peoplecanqualifyforthesejobswithoutalotofspecial-ized training.Somepeopleenjoy these jobs, butmanypeopledonot.Ifyoufindyoumustacceptajobthatdoesnotmatchyourworkerpreferences,donotgiveupyourdreamofajobyoumightlikebetter.Inthemeantime,dothisjobtothebestofyourability.
SurvivalJobs
JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether Page 59
Herearesometipstomakea“survivaljob”situationbetter.
Youcanworkyourwayupinthecompanytosomethingyoulikebetter. Youcancontinueyourjobsearchwhileworking. Ifyougivethejobachance,youmayfindoutthatyoulikeit.Rememberthatthisemployergaveyouajobwhenyouneededonesobadly.Donot leavethatemployerwithoutfollowingacceptedbusinesspractices.Givetwoweeksnoticeifyoumustleave.Doyourjobtothebestofyourabilitywhileyouarethere.Remember,youwillhaveto placethisjobinyourworkhistory.DemonstrateyourEssentialWorkCompetenciesto thebestofyourability.MakethisemploymentsituationaWin/Winsituationforeveryone.Alwaysrememberthatitiseasiertogetanotherjobwhenyouareworkingthanwhen youareunemployed. Ifyouareseekingafirstjob,thenasurvivaljobcanhelpyoubuildyourworkhistory. Ifyouhavebeenfiredorhavealess-than-perfectworkrecord,thenagoodrecordin anyjobwillhelpyourebuildyourworkhistory.
Temporary AgenciesAcceptingajobthroughatemporaryagencyisanotherwaytofindajobfast.Workingasatemporaryworkerwillgiveyouanopportunitytoshowcaseyourknowledge,skillsandabilitiestoanemployer.TherearemanygoodtemporaryagenciesinMaine.Sometemporaryagen-
ciesevenofferbenefitsandpaid leaveafteryouhaveworkedacertainnumberofhours.
Sometimesusingatemporaryagencyistheonlywaytobecomeemployedbysome companies. These companiespaythetemporaryagencytofillentrylevel positions. They then offer per-manentemploymenttothosepeople
whomeettheirfull-timepermanentemploymentstandards.LookinyourlocaltelephonebookorvisityournearestCareerCentertofindalistingoftemporaryagencies.
Page 60 JobHuntinginMaine:PuttingthePiecesTogether
Beawiseconsumerwhenchoosinganagency.Besureyouunder-standwhatservicestheagencyoffersitscustomers.Besureyou
understandwhatisexpectedofyouasatemporaryemployee.Mostagencieshaverelationshipswithemployerstoscreenapplicantsandprovidequalifiedworkerstotheirworkforce.Theyarepaidbytheem-ployer toperform theseservices. Therefore,mostagencies collectfeesfromtheemployer,notfromthejobseeker.Manypeoplearehiredbycompaniestheytempedfor.Evenifthereisnopossibilityofbeinghiredasapermanentemployeeinthepositionyouarefilling,peoplewillseethatyouareagoodworker.Doagoodjob.Trytofitintotheworkplaceandtheywillthinkofyouwhenthereisanotheropening.Again,alwaysdemonstrateToday’sWorkCompe-tenciesineveryworksituation.
EmploymentTestsSomeemployersand temporaryagenciesuse tests to choose themostqualifiedcandidatesforajob.Thesetestsrelatedirectlytobeingcompetentinaparticularjob.Someemployersusetestsofreasoningskills.Youmaybeaskedwhatyouwoulddoinasituation.Companiesmaytestmanagers,research-ersorprisonguardswiththistypeofassessment.Thequestionsmaybedesignedtomeasureacandidate’sabilitytothinkinnewanddif-ferentways.Sometestsmeasureintangiblethings.Theymayassessyourvaluesandattitudes.Othersassesshowyouprefertothinkormakedecisionsandhowyoucanvisionfuturesituations.
Survivaljobsandworkingthroughtemporaryagenciesarewaystokeepyourworkhistorycurrentwhileyouaretryingtofindtherightpositionorwhileyouaregrowingyourskillstobecomemorecompetitiveforthekindofpositionyoudesire.
A secretary may have to take a keyboarding test to measure speed and accuracy.
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UsetheCareerCenterorlibrarytobrushupongoodtest-takingtechniques. Allowplentyoftimetogettothetestsite. Knowforsurewhereyouaregoing.Callaheadtogetdirectionsonhowtoget thereandwheretopark. Makesureyouhaveallnecessaryitemsfortesttaking. Listencarefullytoallthedirectionsandbesureyouunderstandthedifferentparts ofthetest. Ifyoutakea“speed”test,workasquicklyasyoucanwithoutmakingmistakes. Remember“speed”testsaredesignedsotheycan’tbecompletedintheallotted time. Donotworktoolongonanyonequestion.Gotothenextquestion.Thencome backifyouhavetime. Alwaysreviewyouranswersifyouhavetime. Becarefulifyouchangeananswer.Yourfirstchoicehasabetterchanceofbeing accurate. Sometimescluesfromlaterquestionswillhelpsolveearlierones.Remember testingisonlyonepartoftheintervieworapplicationprocess.
TestTakingTips
What If I Need Help Now?Youmayfindthatyouarefacinganemergency.Ifyouneedtemporaryhousing,foodoranyotheremergencyhelp,cometotheInformationCenter.Ifyouwanttofindoutwhatkindsofresourcesmaybeavailabletoyouandyourfamily,checkwiththeInformationCenter’sInformationandReferralServices.Thestaffcanhelpyoufindwhat’savailabletoyouandyourfamilymembersasyougothroughadifficultsituation.
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A Final Word
Lookingforworkcanbeverystressful.Manypeoplehavecomparedbeingoutofworktofacingadeathinthefamilyorapersonalillness.Thereisagriefprocessoflettinggoof
theoldjobbeforewecanmoveintoanewjobsuccessfully.Manypeoplehandletheseupsanddownswiththesupportoffamilyandfriends.Ifyouareexperiencingmorethanyourshareofdowntimes,thenfindaprofessionalyoucantalkto.Acounselor,aclergymemberorasupportgroupmaybeabletohelpyoumovetowardreachingyourgoal.
Here are some suggestions to help you cope with job search stress.1. Getorganized!Useadatebook,personalphonebookorcomputertokeeptrackof
yourscheduleandcontacts.2. Setaschedule.Structureyourtime.Useacalendartoscheduleyourdailyandweekly
jobsearchactivities.3. Taketimeoutforyourselftodothingsyouenjoy.4. Joinordevelopa support group.Groupsareusually available throughchurches,
professionalorganizationsandcommunityagencies.Getoutandbewithpositivepeople.Helpothers.Beavolunteer.Networkwithotherjobseekers.
5. Schedulevarietyinyourweek.Directyourjobsearchindifferentareasandtrynewtechniques.(SeetheInformationCenterstaffforvariousjobsearchtechniques.)
6. Treat your job search likea real job. Job searchall dayduring regular businesshours.
7. Exerciseregularlyandeatabalanceddiet.8. Reviewyouraccomplishmentseachday.9. Donotbeupsetwhenyoudonotgetajobofferateveryjobinterview.Trytolearn
fromtheseexperiences. Doyouneedtolearnbetterinterviewingskills? Areyousearchingforajobforwhichyouarequalified? Doesyourrésuméneedtobeupgraded?10.Maintain importantrelationships.Letfamilyandfriendsknowwhatyoufeel.Your
familyisunderstresstoo.Bekindtooneanother.11.Learnanduserelaxationtechniques.12.Use theCareerCenterand InformationCenterasa resource for your job seeking
needs.Thefriendlystaffcanhelpyoureachyouremploymentgoals.
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Anew job can be a new begin-ning.Remember,employersareseekingworkerswhocandocumenttheirEssentialWorkCompetencies.Keepsearching.Thereisanemployersomewhere inMainewho is look-ing forsomeone just likeyou!YourCareerCentercanhelpyoufindtheright employment opportunity andconnectyouwiththatemployer.WithyourCareerCenterasyourpartner,nowisagreattimetobejobhuntinginMaine!
Good Luck in Your Job Search!
JobHuntinginMaine is a collaborative product of the Center for Workforce Research and Infor-mation Advisory Workgroup supported by the Maine Department of Labor. This workgroup or team consists of representatives of the Training Resource Center, Training and Development Corporation, Western Maine Community Action, Inc., and staff of the Maine Department of Labor’s Employment Services, Rehabilitation Services, and Center for Workforce Research and Information units.
The Maine CareerCenter network consists of 12 full-service centers
and additional service points and partner providers located throughout the state.
For a complete list of locations, visit: www.mainecareercenter.com
or call 1-888-457-8883TTY: 1-800-794-1110
Full-serviceCareerCenterlocations
Rev. 06/10
www.mainecareercenter.com
Presque Isle
Calais
Machias
BangorSkowhegan
Augusta
Lewiston
Wilton
Rockland
Bath
Portland
Springvale