OTTUMWA —
This place is a lot more than an unemployment office.
Linda Rouse, operations director for the IowaWorks Ottumwa Center, talked proudly about the new building, the attitude of her staff and the services that are available to both job seekers and employers.
Their grand opening open house Thursday was for members of the community, employers and job seekers to see some of the resources available at IowaWorks. The center is at 15260 Truman St., on the Indian Hills Community College North Campus, located near the Ottumwa Regional Airport.
Maybe you took a language course all through high school and know that a second language could be a selling point in a customer service job but consider yourself too rusty.
Rouse said the center has Rosetta Stone, a highly regarded language-learning software. The computers are along one wall and don’t require membership in the center. They’re free for the public.
If you don’t know how to use a computer, however, she tells members of the public the center has that covered, too. The idea is to be a resource that gets workers to work.
“We have free computer training five days a week — and an excellent teacher,” Rouse said.
J.R. Beamer, an Iowa Workforce veterans representative, focuses on those who have served their country. Despite all the positives they have to offer, veterans of recent wars are unemployed at a higher rate than the general population.
His job, he said, is to help veterans overcome obstacles so they can find a job that’s a good fit.
He has tools available to help, from training opportunities to a new program designed to help more employers give veterans a chance to work.
Teresa Sloan, an Iowa Workforce advisor, said the services she provides for job candidates cost nothing more than a bus ride and an investment of time.
Which works out well, she agreed, because while unemployed, a job seeker may have more time than money.
“Wouldn’t that be a great time to brush up on those skills?” Sloan asked.
Sloan helps run InterviewStream. While it can help employers narrow down a pool of applicants, the fun part of the job for her seems to be helping potential employees practice their interview skills.
The closed room allows privacy for the job seeker. Sloan leaves and gives them their privacy. It’s just them and a computerized interviewer. Some of the interviewers are nice.
“See this lady? She’s a tough one,” Sloan said.
The mock interviews allow job seekers to practice before the real thing, she said.
The interviewer asks the candidate questions that any human resources director might ask. The candidate practices and then watches themselves on playback video.
“If they don’t want a state employee [watching their video], we don’t have to watch it, so they don’t have to feel [embarrassed],” Sloan said.
But practice interviewees learn a lot. One woman told Sloan she didn’t realize she pounds on the table when she answers questions. Others have been wide-eyed with shock watching themselves wave their arms around like a bird.
“A lot of us don’t realize how many times we use ‘um’ or ‘like’ when we’re speaking,” she said.
You will after using this large-screen computer. “It counts the number of times you say ‘um,’” Sloan explained.
Sloan said it’s rewarding for her and her co-workers to see job hunters leave classes at the center saying they spent their time wisely.
It feels even better, she said, to see those job seekers “empowered” as they make their own decisions — and create their own successes.
Local News
August 24, 2012
IowaWorks offers classes, training, tips to job seekers and employers
- Local News
-
-
Reviving downtown's upper stories
Building by building, the upper stories of downtown Ottumwa are coming back to life after some have sat empty for half a century.
- Expanding Ottumwa's trail system OTTUMWA — The Market Street Bridge is a major link in connecting Ottumwa's north side to its south side. The seventh annual Wapello County Trails Council mediathon kicked off Saturday morning with volunteers on the phones taking pledges from the comm
-
Storms forecast to return later Monday
OTTUMWA -- The first severe weather outbreak of the year didn't do as much damage to southeast Iowa as in other areas, but it's likely on to round two today.
-
Searching for the perfect book
A steady stream of people snatched up books, magazines, DVDs and more at the annual Pages for Pennies book sale at Bridge View Center this weekend.
-
Staff eager for swimmers Beach Ottumwa improvements
OTTUMWA — When kids talk about the last weeks of school, one subject that often comes up is The Beach Ottumwa. It'll be ready soon, said employees. On Friday, the maintenance staff was installing the fountain heads that shoot water straight up at the
- Mixed reactions to tax reduction OTTUMWA — During past public forums in Ottumwa, Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, told voters the state should follow its own laws and make taxes equal across the board. This week, legislators in Des Moines took a first step toward that goal, which is a
-
New sports store coming to mall
OTTUMWA — A new tenant is coming to Quincy Place Mall. Lexington Realty International announced Friday afternoon the mall's newest tenant, MC Sports. Construction has already begun, and the store is anticipated to open just in time for back-to-school
-
Ottumwa teen earns criminal justice scholarship
OTTUMWA — A high school senior who shares the work ethic and spunk of the late Lisa Caldwell has been awarded a scholarship in her honor. Ottumwan Hunter Varner, a senior at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont High School, earned the first Wapello County Sh
- Budget shift on county agenda OTTUMWA — There's nothing like having some money in the budget to cover a project that doesn't have enough money on its line item. The Wapello County Supervisors will need to move some money to an item that has spent all of its funding, according to
- Wellness challenge asks people to live healthy OTTUMWA — Are you ready for the Live Healthy Iowa 10-Week Wellness Challenge? Some of the city employees joined Live Healthy Iowa, and Jody Gates, the city's health director, was captain of one of the two teams of about a dozen people. "Our goals for
- More Local News Headlines
-
