This was a very informative lesson. I looked at the websites for creating an online resume. Visual CV looked intriguing - with the opportunity to include samples and showcase projects that the patron has worked on. Moving on to the TWDL (Texas Workskills Development in Libraries)...I had seen this before, but my library is not a participant. I really liked the video explaining TWDL. It was very heartfelt, addressing a problem we do see in our Texas library. We have a Texas Workforce in our city, which is a good thing for our patrons. We have computer classes throughout the fall winter and spring, although they are in the daytime so not everyone can utilize them. We certainly assist people day to day in various aspects of their jobsearch; helping them use the Word resume templates, using email, accessing the Workforce page, and making their way through the maze of job websites. One patron brought to my attention how now there are these "companies" or websites that offer a "one size fits all" job application, so the poor patron thinks they can fill this out for Wendy's, Walmart, McDonald's, etc. We have to redirect them to go through the company websites for the best results. And of course so many websites are set up for the customer, not the job seeker....and when you try to navigate the employment page, it's easy to get bogged down and lost. One retailer has on their job seekers page, a link for the actual application, but the title of the link includes "pharmacy position" so you can miss it if you just want to apply for regular clerk positions.
Because Workforce is just down the road, our 1 hour computer time still holds, although we direct patrons filling out applications to see if they can save it and then resume it with a second time session. And we spend a fair amount of time helping people create a web email. (interestingly, gmail was easy except now gmail requires the person to have a cell phone to verify setting up the account - another example of technology moving on and leaving some behind.) I found the links on TWDL excellent - good guidelines (on the Riley Guide) about being careful when you use social networking and resume websites to job search - how you can spread out too much and hinder your chances, plus all the sites that just want to market your information...... I was interested to read their advice to not attach your resume, but insert it in the email itself so as to be more accessible! (unless the job notice directs you to use a Word attachment) That actually doesn't seem that professional, but the author may have a point.
I looked at the LinkedIn information. I am not convinced of the helpfulness of this site. I don't see why strangers will be willing to forward your emails to their managers to be introduced. But I may be mistaken! I like the idea of keeping an online resume confidential by disguising even the names of places you worked....the writer argues that the confidentiality should not hurt your chances and even make you look more desirable....
Since I am a librarian, I looked at the jobsites for librarian positions. This brought up a weakness that many of such sites do NOT have all career choices listed (like librarians or archivists, or even information professionals) and they also usually hinder the search by insisting you select a state (when the person may want to see country-wide).
I had not seen the Goodwill Federation computer classes before. I looked at a few of the beginning videos and one on using Powerpoint 2010. They seemed good, very straightforward.
Again, I found this information informative. The biggest hurdle is that so many patrons are not computer savvy, and just having skills to navigate does not mean that you can use these sites to your advantage. My boss pointed out that although we can assist patrons to a certain degree, we are not human resource professionals, and can not really fill those shoes. It's a good thing to remember - just seeing how I myself have gaps in my knowledge of what is out there and the best way to go about it.
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