This section will help you in your path to finding your next job and keeping it. Every effort is made to provide the best tools possible to make your job search as productive as possible. If you need further information, contact our workforce center for assistance. Also look on our calendar for our job seeker workshops on topics like résumé writing, interview skills, and more.

YOUR JOB SEARCH

Are you struggling with where to begin your search? Here are a few tips to help you organize and implement your job hunt. Don’t get overwhelmed; simply take each step at a time.

Beginning Your Search
 The Job Search
 Using the Internet for Your Job Search
Four Steps to a New Career
 Identifying Your Skills

Organizing and Planning Your Search
Writing a Résumé
Writing a Cover Letter

Activating Your Job Search
 Networking
 Dress for Success
 Filling out Applications
Interviewing Skills
Thank You Notes

Keeping Your Job
Job Success Skills
Salary Negotiations

TRAINING ASSISTANCE AT COBBWORKS

Have you recently received unemployment insurance or been laid-off from your job through no fault of your own? Have you received public assistance or earned very little income in the past six months? Maybe you have received notice your company is downsizing or have been dependent on a spouse whose income is now gone.

If you have these or similar circumstances and are having difficulty finding work due to inadequate skills, CobbWorks may be able to assist you in obtaining short-term, skill-specific training for high-demand, higher-wage employment utilizing Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding. We provide training assistance that builds upon current skills and helps our customers rejoin the workforce as soon as possible.

There are two basic categories of eligibility for training assistance:

1) “Dislocated Worker”
refers to a person meeting one or more of the following circumstances:

• Has been “laid-off” or lost his or her job due to no fault of his own and/or
  been able to collect or has exhausted unemployment insurance benefits shown recent attachment to the workforce, but is not eligible for unemployment (as in the case of a contract worker);
  
  
• Has been notified of a business or plant closure within 180 days;
  
  
• Is a “Displaced Homemaker”, an individual who has been providing unpaid services to family members in the home and has been dependent on the income of another family member and is no longer supported by that income and is unemployed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment; or
  
  
• Has been self-employed, but has lost that employment due to natural disaster or economic conditions (must be verified).

2) “Economically Disadvantaged” 
refers to a customer meeting one or more of the following criteria:

• Has collected TANF (welfare) or Food Stamps in the past (6) months;
  
  
• Has a household income for the past six (6) months for all members related by blood, marriage, adoption below income limits (based on federal poverty guidelines);
  
  
• Has been incarcerated in a 24 hour facility within the past six (6) months

Service priority is given to Cobb County residents and customers laid off from companies within Cobb County. If you reside in another county, click here for a complete list of workforce agencies that cover your area.

CobbWorks does not directly provide training, but assists customers through the Individual Training Account (ITA) system. Training is available for employment within High Demand Occupations as determined by local labor market data. With guidance from CobbWorks, customers select eligible programs of study at third party educational institutions and training providers. These providers and programs may be found on Georgia’s Eligible Provider List website. A program’s inclusion on the Eligible Provider List (EPL) website is not an endorsement of quality or appropriateness for every customer. Not every program on the statewide list is approved within the local workforce area.

Do you meet the Dislocated Worker or Economically Disadvantaged criteria described above?
If so, we want to discuss how we may be able to help you achieve your career goal. Check out the Guide to CobbWorks WIA Training for more information.

Have more questions? 
Review our Frequently Asked Questions About WIA Training.

Don’t meet the criteria? 
Don’t give up on your training goal; check out other Financial Aid Resources for education and training programs.

Note: This federally funded assistance program is intended for customers’ whose unique circumstances meet specific criteria; it is not an entitlement program, meaning not all customers will be eligible. We must assess your specific circumstances before we can determine if you will be eligible. You must attend an information session to begin the eligibility determination process. We cannot determine eligibility over the phone or without verifying your circumstances.

At CobbWorks, we strive to be good stewards of public tax dollars and competent managers of federal program requirements; therefore, we must ensure funds are used for their intended purposes. To achieve these objectives, please remember:

1. Final eligibility must be determined by your CobbWorks Workforce Development Specialist (WDS) based upon verification of your circumstances;
   
2. Assistance is intended to support entry into high-demand occupations for customers lacking marketable skill sets for such occupations;
   
   
3. You must participate in career advisement with a CobbWorks WDS staff to assess your past work history, job marketability with your current skill set, career and training goals, and suitability for your desired training program prior to a final determination of eligibility;
   
4. The ITA covers training and training-related expenses only; childcare and transportation assistance is not provided;
   
   
5. Eligibility must be determined before customers begin training programs and before payment is made. All payments are made to the training provider or vendor on the customer’s behalf;
   
   
6. No payments are made to the customer and customers cannot be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket payments;
   
7. Customers are expected to complete their training plans and may be responsible for repayment of financial assistance if they do not complete their training or obtain suitable employment.

Think You Might Be Eligible?

Come to an information session for full details and to make an appointment for an eligibility session. For complete dates and times, call 770-528-4300.

WIA Forms:

• WIA Application 
• Labor Market Questionnaire 
• Job Search Form 
• Family Composition Form