As the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) continues to highlight Workforce Development Month and celebrate our staff and partners who are committed to helping career seekers find employment, we want to take a moment to recognize just how much our job seeker services have changed in the past six months. 

Prior to COVID-19, most of DEED's work with job seekers was done face-to-face in our CareerForce locations across the state. The pandemic required us to make changes in how we provide services to protect the health and safety of customers and staff and slow the spread of the virus.

Virtual career fairs and job clubs

With so much of our daily activity moving online in recent months, DEED has worked with our partners to offer virtual career fairs and other virtual hiring events. Now, instead of in-person events, we've made it easier to connect job seekers with employers online. CareerForce staff and partners host multiple virtual hiring events each week throughout Minnesota. You can see a listing of upcoming virtual hiring and networking events and find recordings of previous virtual events on our Virtual Career Fair YouTube playlist.

Another service we've brought online is our job clubs. These previously in-person events allow career seekers to learn more about job searching in today's economy, get advice, develop new strategies and more. In addition to Job Club Online, you can find a variety of job search workshops on topics such as resume writing, interviewing, and more. Check out our Virtual Interactive Services page on CareerForceMN.com for all our upcoming workshops and events – as well as recordings of recent online workshops and classes.

One-on-one assistance

We know that many job seekers want to speak one-on-one with our CareerForce staff for answers to their questions. CareerForce staff are available to help job seekers with individual career exploration and job search assistance, including one-on-one resume review and interview preparation. You can contact staff at a CareerForce location near you for personalized services.

We realize that not all people looking for work now have internet or computer access to utilize virtual and other online offerings. Workforce development staff and partners throughout the state are working to break down digital barriers job seekers are facing. CareerForce is working with partners throughout Minnesota to help provide computer equipment and internet access to people who need it. This will be an ongoing priority over the coming weeks and months.

Despite the uncertainty this pandemic has brought into everyone's life, one thing that's still certain is our commitment to job seekers. DEED and our partners in CareerForce are here to assist Minnesotans navigate these challenging times.