COLUMBUS, Ohio – The state wants to make it easier for unemployed workers to search for new jobs, but the workers will have to meet some additional requirements to qualify for benefits.
New applicants for unemployment compensation are automatically registered for a free account with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services website OhioMeansJobs.com. A basic resume will also be posted on the site.
Users can post resumes, search tens of thousands of job openings, learn about training programs and live-chat with career counselors, among many other things.
But, to maintain access to all that, they must complete several tasks — either online or in person at their county OhioMeansJobs Center, director Cynthia Dungey said. Claimants who do not complete each task by the required date will not receive unemployment compensation until the task has been completed.
After applying for unemployment compensation, claimants have eight weeks to create or upload a new resume at OhioMeansJobs.com and make the resume public so potential employers can find it.
By week 14, claimants must complete three “core assessment” tests for math, reading and locating information to help identify careers that match their skills.
By week 20, they must complete a “career profile” questionnaire to determine the types of work that best suit them.
Dungey calls the expanded website “a full-fledged career center” that features career information for students, job-search and training information for adults, and a business “support center” for employers looking to hire.
She says connecting out-of-work Ohioans with the state website more efficiently will help many of them find jobs faster.