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County Executive Rob Astorino and Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church, will co-host the Workshop Day from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Grace Baptist Church, 52 South 6th Ave. in Mount Vernon. The workshops are coordinated by the Westchester One-Stop Employment Center, according to a news release from the group.
The focus of the discussions will be "geared towards making Westchester’s unemployed and under-employed residents more competitive in the job market and providing encouragement and building confidence in their job search," employment center representatives said in the release.
“When you’ve been out of work for a long time, it can be very discouraging,” said Astorino in the release. “Sometimes you just need a fresh set of eyes on your resume and a new look at how you are presenting your experience. We want our residents to be at their best when they walk into that interview. That’s what this job readiness day is all about.”
Mount Vernon’s unemployment rate is 8.9 percent versus 8.1 percent for New York State as of March 2013, according to the release.
“County Executive Astorino is responding to a crisis among Mount Vernon’s poor and unemployed,” said Richardson in the release. “I came to him and asked what he could do to connect our jobless residents with employers and he responded immediately with the full resources of the county. Mount Vernon’s unemployed and our fellow residents around the county need empowerment. They need confidence and they need the skills to go after the jobs they desire. County Executive Astorino understands this and is committed to doing everything he can to provide our residents with the tools they need to succeed.”
Professional career counselors will lead the workshops that will focus on writing resumes, employment trends and interviewing techniques, according to the release.
“We have successfully recruited workers through the One-Stop Employment Center in the past and look forward to this new pool of potential applicants coming out of Readiness Day,” said Dorothy Dobkowski, recruiter at Whole Foods Market, in the release. “Job seekers that have been trained by One-Stop programs always have an edge over other applicants in my mind. They know how to present themselves in a professional manner. They are ready to work.”
The event is free and open to residents throughout the county. Participants are encouraged to register in advance at the Westchester One-Stop Employment Center's website or call 914-995-3910.
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