WorkNet Career Journey Workshops

WorkNet Career Journey Workshops: Discover, Decide, an Win Your Dream Job!

The Larimer County Workforce Center is offering eight fun and interactive workshops to assist customers on their Career Journey to a rewarding career, not just another job. If you are frustrated about your job search due to a lack of career goals, gaps in your work history, limited work experience, or other challenges with employment, you will benefit from the fresh ideas in these workshops.

It is recommended (but not required) that you attend all eight workshops in the order listed below since each two-hour workshop builds on information provided in the previous workshop. Please contact a Workforce Center Employment Specialist to find out how these workshops may benefit your Career Journey.

One: Finding Works that Work for Me
Are you so focused on finding a job that you don’t have time to think about what you want from work? If so, this workshop will show you ways to increase your focus and reduce the time you spend on your job search.

Two: Explore Career Options
In this workshop, you will identify the career fascinations, skills, and values that are important as you choose your career direction. You will combine your career fascinations, skills, and values in order to explore new paths toward a fulfilling career.

Three: Discovering the Path to My Dream Job
Looking for employment can be discouraging when the path to your Dream Job is not clear. This workshop will help you see yourself in your Dream Job. It will also help you design a path to guide you.

Four: The No-Fear Career Plan
The hiring process is a tough process filled with rejection. Most people experience feelings of insecurity and fear along the way. This workshop will help you identify what is uncomfortable and fearful for you. You will learn new ways to handle these feelings so that you move forward to your Dream Job.

Five: Understanding the Hiring Process: Don’t Get Screened Out!
In this workshop, you will learn about the hiring process from the employer’s point of view. This will help you talk about yourself in a way that best meets the employer’s need. If you are concerned about specific employment barriers, you will be introduced to tools to sell employers on your ability to meet their needs while reducing their concerns.

Six: Overcoming Job Search Obstacles
This workshop discusses five tools to help manage issues that keep you from getting your Dream Job. You will find ways to address these issues and learn the skills needed to problem solve in the future. Addressing the issues, along with positive problem-solving, will increase your success once you get your Dream Job.

Seven: Explain This! My Good Answers to Tough Questions
Is it hard for you to give good answers to an employer’s tough questions? Do your answers reduce the employer’s concern? Do your answers convince the employer that you are the right person for the job? In this workshop, you will learn ways to discuss concerns and issues with an employer and still be considered for the job.

Eight: Successfully Navigating Today’s Business Culture
Did you know that the business world plays by a different set of rules? Did you know that understanding these rules will increase the chances that you get and keep the Dream Job that you want? In this workshop, you are introduced to the rules and expectations of today’s Business Culture. You will also learn about the benefits of working with those rules. You will learn techniques for discovering the written and unwritten rules of the workplace in order to get your Dream Job, keep it, and put yourself in a position to get a better job.


To sign-up for these workshops, please contact Tricia Vogl, at 970-498-6649.

Share Your Workshop Experiences

Tell us about your experience with a job search or career preparation workshops. Have you gone to a great workshop? Not so great? What was it you liked most about the workshop? What do you wish they would have covered?

Share your workshop experience by clicking on the comments link at the bottom of this post.

Check back often to see what other job seekers have experienced with their workshops!

Older Worker Job Fair

Older Worker Job Fair

"Putting Experience to Work!"

Wednesday, April 16, 200812:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Fort Collins Senior Center1200 Raintree DriveFort Collins, Colorado

Flyer for Job Seekers - Download
Booth Registration Form for Business - Download
Flyer for Businesses - Download

For adults (50+) who are seeking full-time part-time or seasonal employment. This is an opportunity to meet with interested businesses and explore job possibilities.

To maximize your success at the Job Fair, the Larimer County Workforce Center and the Education and Life Training Center are offering the following workshops in March and April:
Click Here to Download the Pre and Post Workshop Schedules

• Job Fair Preparation
• Getting the most Out of the Job Fair
• Basic Computer Skills
• Filling Out Internet Job Applications
  

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Miller at the Larimer County Workforce Center at (970) 498-6657.

10 Keys to a Successful Job or Career Fair

The Ten Keys to Success at Job and Career Fairs
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

There are many types of job and career fairs but they all have one common theme: it's a chance for a company to meet and screen a large volume of potential job candidates. These ten strategies will improve your odds of having a more successful job fair experience.

The Ten Keys to Success:
1) Pre-register. Some career fairs allow job-seekers to pre-register for the event, which usually includes submitting a resume or summary resume. With more fairs going to the Web, pre-registration will most likely become even more common. The idea behind pre-registering is that employers get a chance to prescreen applicants and possibly make note of applicants they want to meet at the fair. Does pre-registration guarantee that you will get noticed or that employers will even look at the registrations? No, but why not take advantage of such an easy step?

2) Research. Many job-seekers go to fairs to "see the sights" and are not prepared to interview. You can get a huge jump on the competition by getting a list of the companies attending the fair and doing research on each of the companies you want to interview with; don't waste time with companies that do not interest you. While all of the recruiters will have company literature at their booths at the fair, you often can't access those until after the interview. With so much information about companies on the Web, there is no excuse not to do your homework.

3) Resumes. Bring lots of resumes to the fair -- at least two for each company for which you have an interest. If you have multiple interests or job objectives, make sure you bring enough of each version of your resume.

4) Portfolios. More and more career experts are emphasizing the importance of career portfolios. These portfolios should include copies of your resumes, a list of references, and samples of your best work. While most career fair interviews are fairly short, there may be opportunities for discussing your portfolio with a recruiter -- either over a short break or meal or during a second interview on-site.

5) Attire. Conservative business attire is essential. Know the expected attire of your profession and dress accordingly. It is always better to be overdressed than underdressed.

6) Strategy. You need to devise a strategy or plan of attack for the fair. You've already done the first step by researching the companies you are interested in. The second step is seeing if any new companies have registered when you arrive at the fair. The third step is surveying the layout of the fair and determining an order of interviewing. Some experts suggest meeting with your top choices first thing in the morning, interviewing with your other choices in the middle of the day, and returning to your top choices at the end of the day to thank them again for their time. But remember to stay flexible as your top choices may be the top choices of many, creating long lines that you may wish to avoid.

7) Interviewing. You may only have two to five minutes to market yourself and protect yourself from being screened out, thus you need to make the most of your time. Many experts suggest that you develop a one-minute "commercial" that highlights the key benefits that you can offer the organization -- and then use it at the beginning of the interview. Also remember the three keys to all interviews: make eye contact, offer a firm handshake, and show enthusiasm. You should also prepare answers to interview questions just as you would any employment interview.

8) Intangibles. There are several other things you can do to make your career fair experience a success. First, don't waste your time interviewing with companies you have no desire to work for; do make sure to interview with all the companies you do want to work for. Second, if you did not prepare for a company you want to interview for, try eavesdropping on several of the interviews ahead of you so you can better prepare; do also try to get some company literature from the booth before getting in line so you can read about the company while waiting; don't just stand in line doing nothing. Third, do extend common courtesies, such as offering to get the recruiter a beverage or snack; don't be upset if the recruiter has to take a break before your interview. Fourth, if your ideal company is hiring computer technicians and you want to work in accounting, do still interview with the company at the fair, being sure to leave the interview with the contact information of the person responsible for hiring in that area; don't be discouraged and walk away.

9) Networking. Career fairs are all about networking. Of course, you are building a network with the recruiters -- this task is your most vital. However, you can also network with your fellow job-seekers in terms of sharing information about job leads, companies, and their recruiting strategies and styles.

10) Follow-up. Some experts would say that follow-up is one of the most important factors in a successful job fair experience. You would be surprised at how few job-seekers actually take the time to follow-up their career fair interviews, thus when you do it, you will get an edge over the many others who do not.

Reference: http://www.quintcareers.com/job_career_fairs.html
Notice: This article is copyright protected.

This Weeks Events (January 28-February 1)

Click on the calendar to view this weeks events (workshops, hiring events, jobs fairs, etc.) at the Larimer County Workforce Center.

Your Interviewing Experiences

We are interested in hearing from you!


Tell us about a good interviewing experience. What about it made it so good? What did you learn from the experience you want to share with others?





When commenting please refrain from using employers names. They will be deleted before comments are published.

This Weeks Events (January 21-25)

Click on the calendar to view this weeks events (workshops, hiring events, jobs fairs, etc.) at the Larimer County Workforce Center.