Champaign County employers and job seekers will have an easier experience posting and finding local jobs, thanks to a new Champaign County-exclusive job site, Community JobConnect.
In addition to simplifying local job posting and searching, the free-to-use site will help inform local schools and students about the range of local career opportunities, so students will be able to prepare for life after graduation. It is slated to go live March 18.
By connecting local employers, job seekers, schools and students, Community JobConnect will strengthen Champaign County’s economic development efforts, said Champaign Economic Partnership (CEP) Director Marcia Bailey.
“Community JobConnect further emphasizes our message that Champaign County is open for business,” she said. She added that the job site is the product of efforts by local organizations – the CEP Board of Directors, the Champaign County Manufacturers Human Resources Council, local schools and other partners – to coordinate economic development and workforce development initiatives.
“Community JobConnect makes the connection between economic and workforce development. Businesses choose to establish or expand in communities that have the available workforce to help them succeed and grow,” she said. “Community JobConnect is a clear sign that Champaign County is ready to help businesses find the employees they need.”
Community JobConnect will be featured on the home page of the CEP website, CEPOhio.com, and can be reached directly at CommunityJobConnect.com.
While Community JobConnect is for all types of businesses and jobs, the site was created in answer to concerns expressed in meetings of human resources managers and executives of Champaign County manufacturing companies.
How Community JobConnect came about
“One of the chief concerns shared at these meetings is how to attract and retain local talent for manufacturing jobs, which are often difficult to fill,” said Jill O’Neal, human resources manager at WEIDMANN Electrical Technology, Inc. in Urbana.
O’Neal approached Ashlie Starkey, human resources information systems (HRIS) and compliance manager at WEIDMANN, about the need for a local job site.
Starkey told her, “I think we can make this on our own,” and began developing Community JobConnect. Starkey and O’Neal created the site on their own time, which they donated.
How to Use Community JobConnect
Employers and job seekers will be able to set up free accounts on Community JobConnect to access all the site’s interactive features, Bailey said.
Employers can:
•Set up a profile for their business with logo,
•Post part- and full-time job listings and descriptions,
•Post internships, summer jobs and job shadowing opportunities to help students prepare for the workforce in Champaign County and stay in Champaign County after graduation,
•Accept applications and resumes from registered job seekers who reply to job listings, and
•Search the job site database for uploaded resumes that match their needs.
Job seekers can:
•Set up a profile,
•Search the site for jobs that meet their interests and qualifications,
•Sign up to receive notifications of new jobs that meet their criteria,
•Apply online for jobs posted on the site,
•Upload their resume to submit with online applications, and
•Use Community JobConnect’s resume creation tool if they don’t already have a resume
Bailey said that Community JobConnect will make finding local jobs much easier, as it will include only Champaign County job listings: “This gives job seekers immediate access to jobs available in our local community.”
Jobs posted on Community JobConnect will also appear on the Community JobConnect Facebook page and on the site’s Twitter account, @CommunityJobCon.
The CEP will host public meetings over the next few weeks to train employers and job seekers on how to use this new community job board. For more information, email [email protected] or call the CEP office at (937) 653-7200.
