JobZone: A New Career Management Product

JobZone is a new career management product developed by the Division of Research and Statistics of the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL). The program is designed to provide comprehensive job search, career exploration, and career planning assistance to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each user creates a free, secure account, which is retrievable from any computer with Internet access.

The cornerstone of this new product is the pooling of the resources and expertise of multiple NYSDOL divisions. It allows a job seeker to access localized labor market information, training and development information, and job fair and job bank services all in one convenient online location. The integration is seamless, allowing customers to access the necessary information without needing to visit another web site or having to contact a staff person in a local One-Stop Career Center.

JobZone allows career development staff to concentrate on the customers who require the most assistance. For the customers capable of self-service, it provides a central site with the tools addressing all phases of career development. Customers can explore the world of work by viewing occupational profiles, which combine the most relevant statistics from government surveys. A career journal is provided to halp customers tie it all together, and record the results (and their impressions) of the information found through career exploration.

After exploring the world of work, customers are offered tools for self-exploration. Adaptations of the O*NET Interest, Work Importance, and Skills profilers are readily available in formats that self-score, and provide links to occupations suggested for further exploration. These tools also provide valuable keywords for job searches and resume preparation, and add another level of personalization to the occupational explorational functions.

Customers armed with accurate knowledge of the labor market and of their own skills, interests, and values are then ready to begin connecting the two, to make informed decisions about their next steps. JobZone can also help with this phase. If further training is necessary to achieve their goals, customers can develop education plans using fully integrated college and training databases. The can also search America's Job Bank, which can provide job postings within five miles or statewide.

The program further supports the job search efforts of our customers by displaying a continuously updated list of regional job fairs, as well as the contact information for the nearest One-Stop Career Center. To help customers make the most efficient use of these services, a module that builds resumes is available in JobZone. Multiple resumes can be stored, each exportable in print-ready or editable formats.

The above information only scratches the surface of what JobZone has to offer. New features are under development, and a modified interface to ease its adoption as a staff-assisted tool is also in the works. The best way to learn about this new product is to create an online account and look around and www.nyjobzone.org. You may also contact the JobZone Team by phone at (877) 226-5724 or by e-mail at support@nyjobzone.org.

By Christopher Myers, Ph.D.

Source: Employment in New York State newsletter, published by the Division or Research and Statistics, New York State Department of Labor. View the most recent copy of the newsletter.