SUCCESS
Newsletter for Lake County Workforce Development
Who’s Inside?
Trainees
1
Workforce
3
Investment Board
Youth
4
Businesses
6
Job Center
8
Fall 2013
Among other services, Lake County Workforce
Development funds qualified job seekers for
short-term training. The goal is to help them gain the
up-to-date skills necessary to compete in the current
market. Read on to learn how these trainees found
their careers. Visit www.lakecountyjobcenter.com for
more information.
‘Going Beyond’ Leads to Landing a Job
Michael didn’t expect that his job search would last for years when he was laid
off. After all, he was a highly skilled manufacturing engineer. He found that
opportunities in his niche industry were rare. After re-evaluating his skills and
the job market, he decided to enter the IT (information technology) field. In
2012, he contacted Lake County Workforce Development for funding to train as
a CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional). He completed certification
within 5 months.
Michael says that his CCNP certification showed employers that he had a
willingness to ‘go beyond’ in problem-solving. However, he still found job
search to be an uphill battle since he didn’t have formal IT experience yet. He
haunted specialty job boards and job fairs. He networked with former co-workers and neighbors.
Workforce Development staff ‘pitched’ his resume to prospective employers.
He eventually secured an interview with a major telecommunication company. However, the company
passed him over for someone with more experience. In April, Michael secured a short-term assignment
that allowed him to put his networking training into practice. When the telecommunication company
called him back in June 2013, he could show them practical experience and was hired as a Network
Engineer.
Michael says that it is necessary to be aggressive when looking for work. ‚ Schedule time each day for job
search activity. If the phone is not ringing, you are not doing enough .‛
Michael’s recommended websites:
www.linkedin.com professional networking website
www.dice.com Information Technology specialty site
www.craigslist.com Michael found his current job on craigslist; beware of scams, though!
Tips that a job listing might be a scam http://ow.ly/qmE8k