Looking for a job in any city can be an overwhelming task, so it helps to have help. Networking with people you know, signing up with employment agencies and conducting online job searches at job websites such as Monster, CareerBuilder and HotJobs are all viable methods for tracking down possible employment opportunities in the Los Angeles area. However, you might want to include using community-based service organizations, many of which offer free job search assistance.
Don’t know where to start? Well, here are ten Los Angeles area community service groups (listed alphabetically) that offer career services to local residents.
Community Career Development
Located in the Koreatown Section of Los Angeles, Community Career Development, Inc. (CCD) is a non-profit organization which operates the Wilshire-Metro Work Source Center. CCD provides free services to individuals seeking employment which include computer and Internet access, job postings, copier and fax machines, workshops and career counseling.
Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) assists Los Angeles area residents who are looking for work, career advancement or career management assistance. They offer job search, career planning, skill assessment, training and retraining services. There are fees for these services.
Los Angeles Urban League
The Los Angeles Urban League Business and Career WorkSource Centers offer employment services such as career exploration, skills upgrade, a job club network and matching job seekers with employers. The online website provides labor market information, job descriptions, current employment listings and educational training opportunities.
The Career Services Team (CST) at the Los Angeles Mission focuses on finding new employment opportunities to graduates of the Los Angeles Mission’s Urban Training Institute (UTI). UTI offers skills training in areas such as janitorial, maintenance, housekeeping, general office and security. Applicants complete hands-on vocational training by attending job readiness seminars and learning job search techniques. Graduates have access to a resource center to conduct their own job search.
Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE)
PACE Business Development Center was originally formed to provide entrepreneurship classes for low-income individuals. Today PACE offers business training, capital acquisition, market development and technical assistance to low to moderate income small business owners who want to start up or expand their business. Services include bilingual consulting, loan packaging and assistance, tax preparation and credit counseling and small business legal clinics.
Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board
Serving Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood and Norwalk, SELACO WIB provides career information and support. Job seekers can access onsite computers to conduct an Internet job search and create a resume and cover letter. Career Development Specialists are available to help job seekers with career decisions, share educational and vocational training information and help with career and education planning. Other WIBs: Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City, Long Beach and the Foothill Area (Pasadena).
Southern California Indian Center, Inc.
The Southern California Indian Center (SCIC) was created to help promote social and economic self-sufficiency for American Indian, Native Alaskan and Native Hawaiian peoples throughout the Los Angeles as well as Orange and Riverside County areas. They offer vocational skill training and job placement to native peoples who are economically disadvantaged and under- or unemployed.
Created to leverage partnerships that result in job opportunities and economic vitality in the Glendale area, the Verdugo Job Center offers no cost services such as Internet job search access, business services (phones, fax machines, copiers), job bulletins, resume preparation and employment workshops.
Women at Work
For the past 30 years Women at Work in Pasadena has provided career services to over 100,000 women and men. As a career resource center, WAW offers thousands of job leads, career counseling, workshops and classes to the under- and unemployed in the greater Los Angeles area.
WorkSource California
With a network of over 40 WorkSource/One-Stop Centers in the L. A. area, WorkSource offers skilled employment specialists, thousands of local job listings, training resources and full-service technical centers with phones, fax machines, copiers, and computers with Internet access and resume building tools.
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