Workforce Challenge:

Mark was rehired as a mechanical engineer with his previous employer on a 4-month, temporary assignment. At the end of February 2021, he was laid off again, but took this time to recover from shoulder surgery. Mark visited the AJCC in Cerritos to find out about his unemployment insurance, but also sought information about job training from the SELACO Workforce Development Board. SELACO WDB scheduled Mark to take a very valuable job training, but unfortunately due to challenges, the school needed to postpone training to 6 months to a year out. He continued to search for positions online using Indeed, LinkedIn, CalJOBs, and Monster but felt that his biggest challenge was understanding how job searching has changed.

Workforce Solution:

SELACO WDB helped Mark by exposing him to various networking sites, new approaches to resumé writing and how to brand himself. “The staff have been very helpful to me.  I have seen their dedication to their customers. They have provided relevant and timely information regarding job searching.” stated, Mark.  He attended different workshops and Job Club on Fridays, watched recommended videos, networked and developed relations with several online recruiters, one of which helped him land his current position. 

Workforce Outcome and Results:

After several months, Mark was approached by a recruiter who saw his resumé on Indeed.com. Following the interview process, he was offered a full-time position in the beauty industry for a company that makes hydradermabrasion equipment and formulas in North Long Beach.  He will be working as a SOLIDWORKS Designer creating new product designs and updating SOLIDWORKS drawings. Mark appreciates the good salary and that the job is only a 20-minute drive from his home. He stated that the youthful staff are enjoyable to be around, and that he also enjoys working on the product line that this company produces. Mark advises other job seekers, “Up until recently, when looking for a job we would reveal our skills at using a particular software or our ability to operate a piece of equipment.  We would list the companies we worked for and what we did there. Today, this seems to be the wrong approach. We need to let the potential employer know how valuable an asset we are, demonstrate how we will improve the quality of their team and convince them that we will contribute to the company’s success.”

Congratulations, Mark!