Job seeking! Why we NEVER have to help with that at the library. END SARCASM. Of course we always are helping with it and now more than ever, so this is a very relevant exercise.
I was not insanely impressed with any of the job sites I searched. I looked at http://texas.jobing.com and texasjobs.com. Both were very complex in the amount of skills an average user would need. I was able to use them very easily, but also found that you have to search A lot of our patrons don't have email, so they can't really apply for jobs online. They have to set up an email first and this ends up happening after they are well into their search process and their allotted computer time is ending. Ideally we could have unlimited time for job searchers, but our resources are limited and demand for them high.
I wasn't singularly impressed with Goodwill Community Foundation’s Computer Basics page. It didn't show the basic mouse skills, Windows skills, and other basics needed to get started.
What we do at our library to help patrons job hunt is provide pamphlets for job hunt skills, hand on assistance in searching and applying for jobs, resume and cover letter books and templates, computer classes that cover computer basics, and email assistance. I personally have heard from several people I have helped through this process find work and it is one of my proudest achievements as a librarian.
No comments:
Post a Comment