Office in community resource center helps connect job seekers and employers.
For those who are looking for work, a great resource sits in Plant City. CareerSource Tampa Bay is the government-designated local workforce development entity in Hillsborough County. CareerSource is the direct service provider for workforce programs that are supported by the U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies. The entity operates seven career centers, and one of them sits inside the Plant City Community Resource Center at 307 N. Michigan Avenue. CareerSource offers no-cost career planning services for entry-level job seekers and for experienced professionals. It also offers professional networking, career fairs, in-person and virtual hiring events, resume building tips, interviewing techniques, career orientation, veterans services, and data on in-demand occupations and industries.
The Plant City affiliate is normally staffed by two people to help Plant Citians find jobs. Three kiosks with computer stations are available, with access to a printer, faxing, and the internet. The site has a portal to Employ Florida that makes it easy to search for open positions. A hot jobs listing is set up as another way to find jobs. Companies also post job listings through CareerSource.
Santia Munoz is the pillar of the site. She is extremely helpful in navigating the job search systems, registering on Employ Florida, using resume builder software, helping people file for unemployment, and educating job seekers in the ways CareerSource can help them.
“When you come in, Santia will assess how we can better service what you need,” Anacelis Collazo, Jobs and Benefits Administrator for CareerSource Tampa Bay, said. “Most people come in thinking we are the unemployment office, but we are not. There is no local unemployment office in the State of Florida. We focus on the employment side, how to get you out of the unemployment system. We offer services to anyone trying to get reemployed. We do help any customers coming in with starting their first unemployment claim, and guide them through the process. Since we are also an American Jobs Center, we have a phone line that will connect people quicker to the unemployment office, versus them doing it on their cell phone. We have a plethora of workshops. They are all employment-focused. One is how to use our state labor-exchange system, Employ Florida. That is a required website for anyone getting unemployment benefits to register on.” Part of this process is establishing an ID.ME profile. ID.ME, is a federal online identity network people can use to prove their identity online. Florida makes use of the platform. It can be a difficult system to work through. Santia can help with this, too.
Other in-person and online workshops available are computer basics, overcoming barriers, get hired, how to do a virtual interview, and how to create a LinkedIn profile. “Our workshops evolve as the labor market changes,” Collazo commented. “So, now some of our workshops have started to touch on artificial intelligence, and how to use those tools for your résumé. As the labor market changes, we stay current with the trends, making sure we are giving any client that comes in up-to-date information.” There is a section on the CareerSource website dedicated to workshops.
CareerSource can support employers by helping them put a job order on Employ Florida to hire workers or help source their customer database to fulfill workforce needs. CareerSource also offers a summer youth program in which a qualifying small business can hire one or two qualifying youths for the summer. CareerSource will cover the part-time paychecks to help the young people gain on-the-job experience. This is a win/win, because the employer has a chance to test people to see if they want to bring someone on as a regular employee.
“Whether you served in the U.S. military is important to us,” Collazo said. “We issue priority of service to any veterans or their spouses who come into our offices. I would love veterans to come to Plant City to get services. We have Veterans stationed at our career centers that work closely with Veteran career seekers to provide a variety of employment services and intensive case management services to those with significant barriers to employment.” For example, CareerSource holds an annual Paychecks for Patriots Resource and Job Fair in Tampa. CareerSource also facilitates veteran networking. “We always have an employer on site at all of our networking groups. So, you are meeting with someone face-to-face, allowing you to build rapport instead of sending an email or giving them your resume.”
Between July and October, the Plant City Center helped out 251 people with their employment needs and issues, and they are enthusiastic to help more. That is an uptick since last year. “I attribute that to our customer service; our staff,” Collazo said. “They go over and beyond in helping people. We believe in concierge customer service. If you come in, we want to help you A through Z, and make sure you leave with something in hand to know that we have services we can provide to you.”
