Kasich Presents Revamped Website for Ohio Means Jobs
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- With the help of speakers in five cities across Ohio, Gov. John Kasich rolled out the new OhioMeansJobs.com Wednesday morning during a video conference viewed locally at Youngstown State University.
The website follows the rebranding to OhioMeansJobs of the state's One-Stop workforce development system, but with new features aimed at giving employers and job seekers more options. Several elements of the site have been added or revamped.
“When you get on this site, there's a lot of opportunity. You can dig deeper into professions. You have a set schedule. Salaries are available when looking at jobs,” Kasich said at Columbus State University. “It's just totally unbelievable, the capability of this site.”
The hour-long presentation focused on features aimed at helping veterans and students, both in high school and college, enter the workforce. It also seeks to help employers identify the workers they want.
The career planning section, budget calculator and newly added backpack -- which allows students to keep digital copies of their resume and other job-finding documents -- were highlighted during the press event.
“The features available to our students will be very helpful,” said David Todt, provost at Shawnee State University, in Portsmouth. “There are features that will help build resumes, help find jobs. I see the spectrum of services available helping students at Shawnee State and even beyond as they move into their careers.”
Robin White, speaking from Great Oaks Career Development Center in Cincinnati where she is president and CEO, said the budget calculator and career planner will help not only students but also their families make better plans for after they graduate.
“[They] can see what jobs are available in their area and as those jobs change, students can revise their plan to meet their own needs,” she said. “It's not only great for students but for their parents as well, in terms of education needed, what they will expect to have as their budget when they get out.”
Resumes posted by veterans on the revamped OhioMeansJobs.com site will be automatically placed at the top of search results when an employer seeks to hire, said Tim Gorrell in Dayton. Gorrell is director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.
Another added feature for veterans is what Gorrell described as “putting your resume into language.” By converting military jargon into everyday language -- “4 November 071” and “68 Whiskey” (meaning medic) are the examples he gave -- veterans will be automatically sorted into fields that match their experience.
Employers will be able to search through resumes on the website and see the training a person has received through Ohio Means Jobs. The training is also available online, instead of just at One-Stop centers where it had been available only.
“I think it's a just a tremendous resource from the employer’s side. We use it quite a bit to search for resumes,” said Bob Christoff, human resources manager at Dearing Compressor in Boardman. “It's also a very nice site to search for specialized talent. If we're looking for a field service group and we need a certain type of mechanical background, it's very helpful in that respect.”
Kasich said the biggest challenge going forward is getting people to use the site, describing it as that state's “best-kept secret.”
“We have to figure out a way to let everybody in Ohio know that we now have a tool to help sort out a lot of things,” the governor said. “If you are young, this is going to open the world to you. If you are getting ready to go on to further your education, this is going to help you. If you have lost your job, this will be an opportunity to find something within your field or in another field.”
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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