I wasn't sure what to expect, but since I'm laid off, and collecting unemployment, I had to attend a mandatory orientation session here to keep receiving benefits. There was no appointment time listed, the letter just said show up between 8 am and 5 pm. I should have gotten there earlier as I had about an hour wait at 9 am, but I had my Kindle with me, and my phone charged, so it wasn't too bad.
You go in and let the person at the desk know why you're there, and she gives you a beeper/pager like at restaurants. Obviously people are there for different reasons as people who came in behind me were called before me.
Finally, the representative buzzed me and we went to his cubicle where he explained what they do, which is provide resources and help for job seekers. They have computers, fax, printers, copiers, and all kinds of help for people looking for a job. They have grants for people that want to go back to school, and so many resources to help people looking for work.
For me, he sat down and navigated my page on the Work in Texas website to make sure I had everything updated for my best opportunity at finding a job. It was good information, as I actually had a few issues with the website, and he showed me how to fix them.
They offer job fairs, and on Tuesdays they have resume and interview help as well. I may go to these if I'm still unemployed just to make sure I'm doing everything I need to be doing.
I was impressed. I figured it'd be a big waste of time, but he gave me some tips, and some help, and I even applied to a job I found on their website earlier, so who knows? Maybe this was the missing puzzle piece to me finding a new job! read more