Effective job preparation and job search strategies include determining your employability, assessing your skills and interests, finding local jobs in demand, handling applications and preparing a solid resume, improving your interview skills and selling yourself as a job candidate, identifying and honing your soft skills (team player, polished presentation, work ethic, attitude, communication, etc.), and developing the best job search strategies that will quickly lead to employment. The information and weblinks below are provided for these purposes.
AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, AND GLOBAL RESOURCES that assist with job preparation and search:
JobsCenterUSA.gov Also, you can also create an account at www.usajobs.gov and use the “Saved Searches” feature to receive emails daily, weekly, or monthly on jobs that meet your search criteria. Search criteria include Location, Occupational Series, and Salary.
Tennessee Veterans Leadership Jobs Portal (TWC)
Career and Job Seeker Assistance and Guidance for Ex-Offenders (JVS Chicago)
RESOURCES AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
1. Global Resources
Career Info Net (Job Search/Preparation Strategies)
2. Determine Your Skills, Interests, and Strengths
CareerInfoNet.org and MyNextMove.org (American Job Center Network)
3. Develop Your Soft Skills (communication, work ethic, positive attitude, etc.)
U.S. Department of Labor - Soft Skills to Pay the Bills Program
Seven signs you have terrible people skills (Salary.com)
4. Overcome Employment Barriers
Identify and Deal with Employment Barriers
Rights and concerns with background and credit checks during a job search (Federal Trade Commission)
Get better job references even when you have a difficult background (exoffenderreentry.com)
Be aware of recent rules and guidelines that protect you from job applicant discrimination based on your criminal record the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (April 2012).
5. Improve Interviewing Skills and Strategies
Be more effective in dealing with questions about a difficult background
Tips for More Effective Job Interviews at Ex-Offender Reentry.com
Also, here's another great set of web sources for ex-offender job interviewing and job readiness through the Kansas Department of Corrections (includes a great document on handling the "felony" question).
6. Improve Your Job Search Success
Search Tips and Info (Career DFW.com)
Focused Job Seeking (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Spring 2011) is an excellent 10-page manual on executing a more effective job search strategy and process.
Tennessee Workforce Commission - Job Search Portal (statewide)
Career Resource Library and an excellent Job Search Portal that will give you great direction on planning your search, networking, building a great resume, interviewing and negotiate, and more) both from CareerInfoNet.org
JOB SEARCH ENGINES AND PORTALS (Comprehensive and by Categories)
Dice.com (IT and Technology)
Area Career Fairs, Workshops, E-learning modules, Networking Groups, etc. in Dallas, Fort Worth, and other areas
CareerDFW.org Job Seekers events (click "agenda" view on right). Includes career fairs, networking events, career workshops, training classes, business meetings, etc
DFW Career Networking Groups (click agenda view on the right side of the screen)
The US.Jobs by the National Labor Exchange
7. Applications and creating Winning Resumes
Access resume guides and gain resume tips and strategies from CareerInfoNet
The CareerOneStop.org resume guide is also one of the premier one-stop web portals for discovering and building a winning resume.
OptimalResume.com (free resume help)
Applications and resume tips and tools from the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Use this blank application here as a tool to gather and have ready all the important background information needed to fill out a paper or online application. Examples include education, prior jobs, previous training, prior experiences, references, etc.