Clients and Practitioners

WORKink NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Special WORKink Insert

Get WORKink Working For You
WORKink is an Internet based employment centre specializing in employment resources for persons with disabilities. Through partnerships with agencies and employers across the province, WORKink makes available many of the resources offered by conventional employment agencies and is available all day, every day, through any computer connected to the Internet. All services are provided completely free of charge so be sure to visit the site today at http://nl.workink.com to see how you can get WORKink working for you.

Chat Rooms: Leading Edge Technology
WORKink bridges the gap between work seekers with disabilities and technology by providing a site that introduces the latest in Internet technology in a way that is easily accessible.
The WORKink Chat Rooms, for example, give work seekers the opportunity to practice using chat rooms on the Internet. A chat room is a virtual location where people can connect in one place to share information, regardless of their physical locations. All that is required is Internet access.
To find the WORKink Chat Rooms, and get your free user account, visit the WORKink site at http://nl.workink.com , click on "Go to the WORKink Chat Rooms Now", which is located under the Online Counselling times.

Online Counselling in our Province
WORKink Newfoundland and Labrador now has its very own counsellors who are online and ready to chat with you. The online counsellors at the WORKink site coach and assist people in their online job search. They demonstrate to them how to maximize their time spent on the Internet, or to improve their research skills. They guide them through the process of electronic networking and advise them on suitable resume formats. These services are available at no charge.
Clients utilize online employment counselling for a variety of reasons. Often they are isolated in some way. They may live in a rural area. They may not have transportation. They may have family obligations that keep them at home at the moment. They may have mobility problems. They may speak American Sign Language as their first language. They may just love computers and communicate easily through text. They may live in another city, another province or another country. They may be at work and can not get to your agency during the day. They may be embarrassed or afraid and wish to remain anonymous. They may be introverts and express themselves best in writing. They may be searching for expertise that is not easily found in their area. The weather may just be awful and they do not want to risk going out.(Source: Keltie Creed, CCRW)
The work seekers who use WORKink’s interactive features are using the written word to express their ideas and concepts and appreciate the fact that communication is far more than eye contact and a smile. Thanks to WORKink, work seekers who are unable to access traditional employment services are now able to search from home, or the nearest location with Internet access.
To make an appointment with an online counsellor, simply go to the web site at http://nl.workink.com and choose "Make an Appointment with our Counsellor". You can also meet the Counsellors by choosing "Meet the Counsellors" on the same page.

New Resume Bank
Get in on the ground floor of the Web Access Employment Network (WAEN). Corporate members of the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work asked that such a resume/job bank be developed and it is available online.
The all new WAEN is now in Phase I, gathering the first client resumes and registering employers. Work seekers can cut and paste their existing resume into the WAEN in a few minutes, or can build one from scratch. If they have questions, the site is interactive. They can receive an email reply, or can request an appointment with an online counsellor using chat technology.
One bonus to entering a resume early, is when employers register, they usually do a search of existing resumes. If they find any of interest, they often contact the work seeker directly rather than posting the position. If they do submit a job posting, the WAEN offers Job Alert, an automatic notification system that informs the work seeker that an appropriate job order has come in.
Work seekers can edit their resumes at any time and can also change the keywords for the Job Alert searches. They may also search for job postings without logging in.
During Phase I, there may not be many job postings in the system, but the resume bank is fully active. Phase II will start with the official launch early in 2000 when sufficient employers are approved and registered and there is a steady supply of job postings.
To access the WAEN go to http://www.waen.org or go to the WORKink site at http://nl.workink.com  and choose "Resume Databases" in the Services for work seekers section.
The WAEN is a free service, funded by Human Resources Development Canada, hosted by Access for Success.

Publish Your Material On The Web!
WORKink Newfoundland and Labrador believes that in order to keep articles and stories on the site relevant to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, it should come from that source — you! Clients and community partners are encouraged to submit content to be posted on the web site for everyone to view. Are you a client with a great story to tell about your job search techniques, or about a good experience you had with your counsellor, or a particular agency? Are you part of an agency that uses excellent counselling materials, or has unique programs to assist people with disabilities find work? Let others know about it. Join your colleagues and get your materials published on the Internet for others across the country and around the world to read. If you do not want your name on it, we will not put it there. It is totally up to you! Send your content to your Provincial Coordinator, Jennifer Lake, using either mail, fax, or email as outlined below.

Take a look at the web site and maybe you will get an idea about what you will submit. We look forward to publishing your content and to those of you who have submitted content, keep it coming! Please note, we reserve the right to edit or reject submissions.

Community Partners
WORKink Newfoundland and Labrador would like to acknowledge its community partners and thank them for their submissions to the web site. We look forward to their continued support in the future through content submissions, site usage and marketing of the site in their respective regions. Our partners include the Canadian Paraplegic Association, Ability Works, Exploits Community Employment Corporation, Genesis Employment Corporation, Avalon Employment Inc., FINALY, Independent Living Resource Centre, Labrador West Employment Corporation, and Port aux Basques Community Employment Corporation. If your agency, or any agency you know, would like to become a partner with WORKink, please contact Jennifer.

PLEASE CONTACT WORKink
For further information on the program, to become a community partner, to submit content for the site, or for anything we can help you with, please do not hesitate to call.

Opening Doors Career Development Centre
5^th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building
P.O. Box 8700, St. John’s, NF A1B 4J6

Phone: 709-729-2296 TTY: 709-729-5441
Fax: 709-729-5446 Toll Free: 1-800-950-4414
Email: jlake@gov.nl.ca

Web Sites: http://www.gov.nl.ca/openingdoors  and  http://nl.workink.com

WORKink Newfoundland and Labrador is brought to you in partnership with:

Back to Career Lens Home Page

Back to Client and Practitioners Home Page