Get Started | Job Seeker Services | Job Search Resources
KCDEE provides a host of services to eligible adults who need assistance in seeking and obtaining new employment or job skills enhancement. Click on each of the following to learn how we can assist you.
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Accessibility Services & Equipment
The one-stop centers make available adaptive equipment for visually impaired customers in our 3 largest centers (located in Elgin, DeKalb and North Aurora). This equipment includes:
- Video magnifiers (capable of magnifying any document) that include a 19″ high contrast monitor, color CCD Camera, line markers and a windowing feature
- JAWS software that acts as an audible screen reader that actually reads computer information displayed through a speech synthesizer for visually impaired or blind customers
- ZoomText software that enlarges items on computer monitors making them easier to see and read for visually impaired customers
- A document scanner-reader that can scan and read any text, thus making nearly all written materials accessible to visually impaired or blind customers.
A full listing of accessible equipment and services available may be found on our Accessibilitypage. Additional information for persons with disabilities may be found at http://www.dhs.state.il.us/ors/.
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The purpose of the Career Resource Center is to provide information that will help you with your career and employment needs. To that end, you can check with staff in the Resource Room when you have questions about where to find material and how to access computer programs. But you may also wish to help yourself. Since many of the resources available in each Center are designed to be used independently, feel free to look around when you visit. Here are some resource areas that you can investigate:
- Labor Market Information – click this link here to investigate information to help you determine wages and occupational growth. Understanding what is happening in the labor market can be an important factor in helping to determine what type of job or career you want to pursue. Various types of national, state and local labor market data are available both at your local Career Resource Center and through this and other websites. Some of these include:
- Fast Facts (data such as unemployment by county & MSA)
- Employment & Wages
- Employment by size class
- Affirmative Action population estimates
- Area Economic Development organizations – Kane, DeKalb, Kendall
- If you’re interested in starting or continuing your education, go to the College Information bookcase in the Resource Room of your local Career Resource Center to find university catalogs, brochures, and pamphlets. Information is also available on financing your education through Pell Grants and other financial aid.
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When you visit one of our Career Resource Centers, you can ask a staff member in the Resource Room to help you track down job leads. There’s a wealth of information on the computer and in the Career Resource Library. However, don’t forget about the two obvious ways to learn about potential job openings:
Networking – The most effective method to find a job is by word of mouth. Every person you know – your friends, neighbors, former employers and coworkers, even your mail carrier – can be a job source. People are generally more than happy to help you find work if they know you are looking for work. At the one-stop career center Job Club sessions, you can learn more about effective networking techniques.
Newspapers – Check the classified section of your Sunday newspaper. Although only 15% of jobs are advertised this way, it is still important to look at the want ads. Newspapers offer some of the most recent job openings, as the printed advertisement is at most 7 days old. In each center you may find copies of the local newspapers. Below are links to the help wanted sections of local and regional newspapers.
| Chicago Tribune | Chicago Sun-Times | Daily Herald |
| Courier News – Elgin | Beacon News – Aurora | Kane County Chronicle |
| DeKalb Chronicle |
There are times when you “need a job right now” and getting one yesterday was too late. Although the Illinois workNet Centers do not have any guaranteed jobs, we do have access and information on many employers and their available openings.
Sign up for a computer in the Resource Room to look through hundreds of openings on the Internet. When you access the Illinois Job Link website you can explore jobs across Illinois. Other job search sites are available by linking to our Job Search websites. Even more information is available through Illinois workNet. Should you need information on Unemployment Insurance and additional services from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, click:www.ides.illinois.gov
Career Resource Centers offer many services that you might not have within your home such as:
- Resume Paper – High-quality paper for resumes (that will be mailed or hand delivered to an an employer) is available for participants in the WIA program at all of the One-Stop career centers. You may bring your own paper, of course, or use the paper available.
- Copy Machine – The copy machine is free for job-search-related activities, including making copies of your resume and cover letter.
- Fax Machine – There may be a charge for using the fax machine during your job search for long-distance calls. Fax cover sheets are available in a file next to the Fax machine at each Center.
- Typing Tests/Tutorials
- A typing test is available at each Career Resource Center.
- If you need typing instruction (how-to), each Career Resource Center is equipped with typing tutorials (such as the Mavis Beacon Typing Tutorial) that can help beginners and skilled typists alike
- On-line typing and software assistance is also available at Illinios workNet
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Child Care and Family Services
Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) helps parents who are striving to become self-sufficient by giving them more choices in child care arrangements and by helping them find qualified caregivers. If you meet certain income guidelines, CCRR can reimburse some or all of your child care costs. Information on additional services for families may be found at: http://dhs.state.il.us.
Family healthcare services are available to families with children under 18 years of age through FamilyCare. There is a sliding scale fee based on your family size and income levels.
Another state program available just for children is AllKids. Through All Kids, comprehensive health insurance is available to every uninsured child at rates their parents can afford.
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Sign up to use a computer in the Resource Room of your local Career Resource Center to build your resume or access the Internet. With this vital resource you can enter Illinois Job Link job banks as well as other state agency sites. Use Illinois workNet to find information about local employers and communities in our area. You may also access our list of niche job search websites by linking here.
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Education & Training Information
You may discover, during the course of your career search, that you need a certain kind of training or education for the type of job/career that you desire. Or, you may have other goals such as getting your GED or learning a new language that require further study. Let us help direct you to some solutions:
Adult Education – Adult Education means different things. For many–it means an opportunity to create a solid foundation of skills and knowledge for the beginning of their own personal goals. These goals may be becoming a more aware and knowledgeable person, getting a new job, learning a new language, obtaining a GED, getting into college or a training school, and/or increasing your self-esteem. Adult Education can be a starting point for all of these!
Elgin Community College
Waubonsee Community College
Kishwaukee College
Aurora University
Judson University
Northern Illinois University
Rasmussen College
Kane County Regional School Office
DeKalb County Regional School Office
Kendall County Regional School Office
Learning in Illinois
Job Training Facilities – Information on technical schools and training facilities are available at our Career Resource Centers. We have information on certified nurse assistant schools, RN training programs, truck driving academies, computer network certification schools, and many others. To see a list of the approved training providers in Illinois on the Illinois Statewide Training Provider list click here. Select Consumer Information. Shortcut
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Job Fairs and Additional Resources
Attending a job fair can be one of the most productive activities for a job seeker. It’s one of the few times that you will have several businesses and other employers gathered together in one spot just to talk to you about a job! They are also a great place to figure out what’s happening in the economy – what companies are growing and what positions are in the most demand in your local area at that time. You don’t have to understand a labor market survey to comprehend just who is hiring when they are sitting right in front of you!
You can find out about upcoming job fairs in your area by visiting a local Career Resource Center. OR Link to Illinois workNet for area news and events. Here are a few tips to Make the Most of a Job Fair before, during and after the fair. Additionally, you can check our calendar of events for upcoming job fairs.
Sometimes, you may need other agencies or state departments to help you through a situation.Visit our Job Search Resources page for a list of Federal and State websites that you may need.
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KCDEE and partners in the Illinois workNet Centers offer a variety of workshops to help you plan your next career move. Besides workshops our Career Resource Professionals can help you with your resume, interviewing and assessing the skills that you possess. Following is some basic assistance and links to find more:
Workshops – a list of our scheduled workshops can be found on our Workshopspage and our calendar listing. They include resume, interviewing, How to use Illinois workNet website, LinkedIn, Moving Forward – Reintegration and more.
Assessment – Assessing your skills and interests is a fundamental part of deciding a career path and beginning a job search. The One-Stop career centers offer many assessment tools that can help. For more information you can check out the tools on Illinois workNet.
O*NET – offers tools to discover career paths based on the skills you have
Career Journal – the Wall Street Journal offers a number of resourcesResume – A resume is your “advertisement” – not your life story. Many employers expect you to have a resume. A good resume will help “sell” your specific skills, abilities and accomplishments. It provides information that will let an employer know how you are a good match for the job. Remember, the main purpose of a resume is to get a job interview.
Tips on Writing Effective Resumes
- Use the “need to know” principle. What does the employer need to know about you in order to want to interview you?
- Resumes don’t get people jobs – they help to get interviews.
- Length should be no longer than two pages. If you use a second page, fill it completely. If you can’t, make it one page.
- Tailor the resume to fit you. There is no right or wrong, except for the following: DO NOT use pronouns (“I” or “My”). DO NOT list birthday, marital status, height, weight, references, etc.
- Give the employer a reliable way to contact you. Home phone, work phone (if appropriate), message phone (if there is no answering machine and you’re not at home much). E-mail.
- Listing an Objective on the resume is optional – some employers like it, some don’t care. However, listing an objective can strengthen a resume, if it is compatible with the job for which you are applying. Having your resume on a computer disk can make it an easy task to change your objective. Never send a resume with an objective that doesn’t match the job for which you are applying. Save the employer time and tell them what you can do – don’t just list a work history and make them figure it out. This is best done using a section highlighting/summarizing skills and accomplishments, e.g. “Summary of Skills & Experience”.
- Always list job history with present or most recent job first and work backward from there. Be as descriptive as possible about the work you’ve done – help the employer picture you at work. Quantify accomplishments when possible.
- If education or licenses are an important requirement of the job, list them near the top. If not, list high school graduation, GED attainment, college work or degree at the bottom. It is not necessary to list the years of attendance or address of the institution. If you are a graduate of the program, list: Graduate, Springfield Jr. College.
- ALWAYS have at least one other person proofread your resume!
Interviewing – Have you ever said or thought, “Interviewing is one of the hardest parts of the job search”? IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY! The interview is your chance to show an employer that your skills and experience would be a great asset and that they should hire you! It’s normal to be nervous before and about the interview; however, there are ways to prepare for and manage your anxiety. At the Illinois workNet Centers, our Career Specialist can help you prepare for your job interview –
- What do I wear?
- What kinds of questions will the interviewer ask me?
- How should I respond to tough personal questions?
- What kinds of questions should I ask the employer?
- Are there some questions that are illegal for an employer to ask?
- Are there any rules or hints that would benefit me?
Softskills – are those skills that are important to your success in the workplace, but are not actual hard job skills. They encompass things such as teamwork, maintaining professionalism, communication and other skills that employers look want in their employees, but cannot take the time to train you for them. Review our softskills materials here to refresh before you interview for your next job.
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