By Stephanie Raygoza
Editorial Intern
More than 25 Long Beach residents and job seekers showed up Tuesday for an informational workshop on how to use technology to find employment. The Office of Seventh District Councilmember James Johnson and the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network presented the workshop in conjunction with the Brett Harte Library in West Long Beach.
The network’s program specialist, Sal Barajas, and job development team member Josh Butler conducted the two-hour workshop. Field deputy Mary Sramek from the councilmember’s office provided opening remarks on behalf of Johnson.
“The councilmember was really concerned about making sure we reached out to people in West Long Beach and made sure we gave them an effective means of really being eligible for not only jobs that are computer- and technology-related, but also being eligible for jobs where maybe you’re more experienced with working with your hands instead of computers,” Sramek said.
Barajas and Butler presented residents with an overview of what the hirelb.com website offers in addition to helping register job seekers. Registered applicants can get special advanced notice of network-sponsored hiring events catering to their career interests and designed to connect with employers currently hiring.
“What we want to do is make sure that you’re comfortable with using our website to put in your résumé and that you do it in several different ways that help all your skills,” said Kathy Parsons, business solutions officer for the network.
The network’s team also administered handouts for creating stronger résumés and building confidence skills during interviews. The company works with several employers that include the auto industry, construction companies, nonprofits and small employers with staffs of less than 20.
“One of our main goals is to really help the job seekers enter employment,” Barajas said. “We want to provide you with that guidance to make sure you know your skills and know what kind of jobs you can get with your skills.”
The network also provides extended services at its Career Transition Center located at 3447 Atlantic Ave. Visitors can get help writing résumés, figuring out alternative skills to broaden employment opportunities and enrolling in academic courses if needed.
Assistance such as referrals to housing resources, child care, transportation services based on individuals’ needs and scholarship opportunities are also available.
“We’re going to assist with different resources on how to obtain a general education degree, computer-related and apprenticeship programs,” Barajas said.
The nonprofit organization is dedicated to delivering critical workforce development and business programs to diverse communities. The network also provides its services for the cities of Signal Hill, Torrance and Lomita.
The registration process for hirelb.com and services at the center are completely free. Visitors stopping by the center are encouraged to register through the website first before getting paired up with a network specialist for job guidance.
“If you want to crack into a different industry, you can learn how with the website,” Butler said. “We want to get you all hooked up online so we can do your online job search.”
Biggest problem candidates had was the fear of background checks. They think that if an employer does background checks on the candidates, they lose their chance at that job, which cannot be further from the truth. Only 8% will turn down candidates based on these searches results, but even these 8% will rethink your situation if you’re honest about any criminal background in the first place. Honesty goes a long way.