Friday, May 30, 2014

Racine Public Library - Job Application Lab - additional job searching help

Job Application Lab

Fridays (when our Library is open; there are occasional closing for holidays and furlough dates)
Computer Lab - southwest corner of Adult Services, the second floor.
Up to four uninterrupted hours of computer time
Lab is open for use between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Our Library closes promptly at 4:00 p.m., so work in the lab needs to be completed by 3:30 p.m.  Please arrive with sufficient time to finish your work.
Registration is not required.  Just drop-in.
 

Help is available for:
Learning how to use the Internet to search for jobs
Completing applications for jobs, company and agency registrations, training, local services, etc.
Making small additions to your current  résumé if you have it on a memory device/flash drive, or you have previously created one during a Wednesday appointment
Creating an e-mail (necessary for on-line job and agency applications)
Creating a temporary document (for up-loading your resume and other documents into an application or registration
Practicing your keyboarding skills using our tutorial links
Basic computer skills, creating employment documents

You must have a résumé completed, on a memory device/flash drive or in an e-mail account that you can access.  If you do not have a completed résumé,  help is available, by calling 262-636-9217 to make a 1 1/2 hour appointment on a Wednesday.  Appointments are suggested, but you can also stop by the Reference Desk, and if that time is available, I will help you right away.

Holiday and other closings will be noted here, as well as available when calling for an appointment.

Current
Wednesday appointments and the Friday Job Application Lab will not be available:
June 29 through July 5
July 27 through August 2
August 31 through September 6

Friday, May 23, 2014

Job searching help is available at our Racine Public Library

Job searching help is available

Your Racine Public Library is here to help you with your job searching.  We offer one-on-one appointments to help you craft resumes, cover letters, the skills for on-line job searching, basic computer help and more.

Nearly all job listings and applications are now on-line.  The job search is often difficult because most job hunters do not have experience working on computers. 

Employment help is available at Racine Public Library on Wednesdays.  One and a half-hour appointments are available for crafting a new resume, updating a current resume and receiving basic computer skills on how to search for jobs.

On-line options for job searching are web sites for:
  • Companies.  Many companies prefer that people search for job openings and make application for those jobs on their web sites.
  • Placement agencies.  These used to be called temporary agencies, but they are mostly used by companies to do the hiring and vetting of new employees.  
  • Job aggregators.  These web sites seek out all kinds of on-line job listings and present them on a single site, with search capabilities that allow you to narrow your search to a specific type of job/job title, geographic area (city, state, etc.), types of employment (full/part time, temporary/permanent/seasonal), and more
We can help with that!

The process is simple.
  • Call Racine Public Library Reference Desk to make an appointment - 262-633-9217
  • Visit our Library to make an appointment - 75 Seventh Street, Downtown.
  • Prior to your appointment, please gather the following information.  If you do not have all of the details about the locations and telephone numbers of your previous jobs, we are most likely able to find them on-line during your appointment.  Bring this information to your appointment.
    • The name, address and telephone number of each of your previous jobs for the past ten years.  We can help you with the addresses and phone numbers during your appointment.
    • The date that you began working at a particular company and the last day that you worked there.
    • Your job title.
    • Your job duties.
    • Your volunteer experience.  Keep in mind that we know most people do not have time in their busy lives to volunteer, but if you have done so, please bring that information along with you.  Service to your faith community may also be considered volunteer experience if it is of long and regular duration.
    • Your educational experience, which includes military service, significant trainings, certifications and more.  Bring it all along, because we never know what we will find in that.
  •  Try to think about the large body of skills that allow you to do your work.  Our tasks and duties for a job are important, but the larger skills that allow us to perform those duties and tasks is more important. 
  • Skills do not have to come from particular jobs, but can come from other areas of your life, such as hobbies, things you do because you are simply interested in them and ways that you are of help to your community.
The process may seem intimidating, but it really is fairly easy.  Make an appointment and find out!