Las Vegas NowHenderson Libraries Helping Jobseekers

Henderson Libraries Helping Jobseekers

A record number of southern Nevadans are looking for work and Henderson libraries are trying to help them find it. To do that, they're focusing on ways to help jobseekers stand out from the crowd.

It may not look like an office, but among the books and web surfers there are job searchers hard at work. "This is the best place to come when you need to start looking and keeping on top of things and I recommend it," said Linda Hohnke.

Hohnke has searching for customer service jobs down to a science. "The internet is a very valuable tool now. In the olden-days you pretty much walked the sidewalk pounding on doors and dropping off resumes. This is a quick and easy way," she said.

While the web has become a gateway to jobs for some, for others it's a blockade. "We are finding a lot of people are having to look for jobs that have not had to in a long time. A lot of the applications are only online now and that has been a hard thing for a lot of our patrons," said Paseo Verde library manager Joan Vaughan.

To help, Henderson libraries are offering free monthly classes teaching people to use computers to find a job. "Cover letter help, resume building help, and also very important interviewing skills and how to save your interview or how to ace your interview," said Vaughan.

The library is also reaching out to those already internet savvy with advice 24/7 through their web site. There, job searchers can get advice on what to put on their resumes and even have someone look over their cover letters. "It kind of gets you back into the whole readiness of being prepared for an interview when you get an interview," said Hohnke.

The libraries say they limit classes to about 12 people so everyone can get the attention they need. Both the classes and the online help are available to anyone who has a Henderson library card.