What a public workforce centre actually offers
A national network of local offices providing training funding, job search help and assessments at no charge. Most people have never been in one.
Articles
Career
Training, credentials and the services that exist to help people into work — including which of them cost nothing.
Which credentials employers actually verify, and how
Licences, certifications and degrees are checked differently, and knowing which is which changes where training money is best spent.
Registered apprenticeships and how they are structured
Registered apprenticeships combine employment with instruction, and the registration is what separates them from unpaid work experience.
How résumé screening actually works, and what follows from it
Most applications pass through software before a person sees them. What that software does is more mundane than the advice industry suggests.
How unemployment insurance works state by state
Who it covers, what is required while claiming, and why the answer differs from one state line to the next.
Changing field without starting a degree from scratch
Several routes exist between a short course and a full degree, and they differ in cost, length and what they are worth to an employer.
Recognising an employment scam before you reply
Employment scams follow a small number of scripts, and each has a tell that appears before any money moves.
Where pay data comes from, and which sources to trust
Published pay figures vary widely because they are built from different things. Knowing which is which makes them usable.
Why a professional licence does not cross state lines
A licence is granted by a state, and crossing a state line does not carry it with you. Several mechanisms soften that, and none is automatic.
How to present a gap in your employment history
A gap is a question, not a disqualification, and the way it is presented changes what kind of question it is.
Your rights during a background check
Background checks are regulated, you have rights when one is used against you, and the commonest problem is an error nobody has looked at.
Working remotely from another state
Working from a different state than your employer changes tax, insurance and sometimes employment law. Mostly it is administrative, until it is not.
When unpaid work is worth doing, and when it is not
Unpaid work can genuinely open a field, and it can also be ordinary work that somebody has stopped paying for.
Negotiating an offer without putting it at risk
Employers expect some negotiation on most professional offers, and the way it is framed matters more than the figure requested.
Short training programmes that employers actually recognise
Programme length tells you very little. What matters is who issues the credential at the end and whether the field asks for it.
Asking someone about their job, and why it works
A short conversation with somebody already doing the work is the cheapest research available, and most people say yes when asked properly.
Workplace protections that apply regardless of contract
A set of rights applies by law rather than by agreement, and a contract term that conflicts with them is generally unenforceable.
Changing field in your forties or fifties
The obstacles are usually practical rather than attitudinal, and most of them have established workarounds.
Work samples, and what makes them persuasive
In several fields a portfolio decides more than a résumé does. The common failure is showing quantity instead of judgement.
Balancing work with a course of study
The conflict is usually about scheduling rather than hours, and some of it can be managed before either commitment starts.
Choosing references who will actually help
The most senior person who knows your name is rarely the most useful referee.
Non-compete and confidentiality clauses in plain terms
Two different clauses that are often confused, with very different enforceability.
Looking for work while you are still employed
Mostly a question of discretion and logistics, with a few points where carelessness has real consequences.
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