Alexandria and Arlington, Helping Residents Get Back To Work

Published on September 01, 2022

Today’s labor market is soaring, and many organizations are offering higher salaries and improved benefits as they compete with one another to attract the best talent. ”Did you know, there are two jobs available for every one person who is unemployed in our region?” stated David Remick, Executive Director of the Alexandria/Arlington Regional Workforce Council at a recent meeting with local hotel general managers, “and it is a job seeker’s market right now.  They are calling the shots and smart employers are responding by offering more money and benefits.”

For several months, businesses are reporting that there are more open job positions than applicants. There are thousands of unfilled job positions in Alexandria and Arlington right now (Source: JobsEQ 2022). So there is ample opportunity to land a new job, but how do job-seekers take advantage to find their ideal job? What resources are available to those of all industries, skill and experience levels? 

The Alexandria Workforce Development Center and the Arlington Employment Center help residents develop the skills needed to secure long-term employment.  Both Centers offer many free virtual and in-person programs and services to support our residents. These services range from personality diagnostics to employment interview-prep workshops to career counseling. 

Career assessments are available through the online program Career Concourse, which runs personality diagnostics and provides labor market information, ensuring the job-seeker is best informed about their interests and industry. The Alexandria and Arlington Centers also offer a variety of webinars and workshops. This includes interview prep, resume and cover-letter help, and more. The Centers offer free workforce training programs as well, including Skill-Up and Arlington’s Child Development Associate program.

Utilizing these free services is potentially transformational: a job-seeker could arrive at an employment center with no previous experience, skills, or sense of ideal industry, and receive comprehensive personality diagnostics to select their industry, career counseling to improve their application, and potentially certification training, all for free. These services help overcome barriers that traditionally exclude many from the workforce, such as resume conventions and interview skills. In doing so, the Centers ensure that Alexandria and Arlington residents have equal access and opportunity to the labor market.

To learn more about these programs and to apply, call (703) 746-5990 in the City of Alexandria and (703) 228-1400 in Arlington County.

 

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