Skip to main content

Business Services

Advertising Your Jobs & Job Matching

Do you have an open position that you’d like to advertise?  We can post your job openings on the NYS Job Bank, on our webpage, and Facebook page.  As always, this service is at no cost to the employer! We also match your openings to customers in our database.  If there is a customer who is a good fit for the job, we will send them the information on the job & tell them how to apply! Complete the job opening form below and email it to the Business Services Representative.

Job Opening Form

Thomas Fulmer

Business Services Representative

315-376-5410

On-The-Job Training Program

On-the-Job Training (OJT) is a wage reimbursement program for the training of eligible new hires. It is designed to help unemployed and underemployed people improve their situation in the workforce, while giving businesses a financial incentive to hire and train them in full-time skilled or semi-skilled occupations. If your business and the new employee qualify, you are eligible to be reimbursed for 50% of the employee’s wages during their training phase. If you feel you qualify for the OJT program, please contact the Business Services Representative. 

How it Works!

Qualifying as a Business:

  • Business needs to be vetted by the New York State Department of Labor.
  • Agrees to hire & train workers in a skilled or semi-skilled occupation.
  • Have a physical location in New York State (profit or nonprofit).
  • Position being offered for OJT training is full-time (30+ hours per week) and leads to full time employment upon completion.
  • Provides wages of at least $16.75 per hour for adults and minimum wage for youth, not including commission, tips, or bonuses.
  • Training must be completed within a 6-month period.
OJT Fact Sheet

Qualifying as a trainee: 

  • If currently working, you must be making under $25.00/hr.
  • If you’re working currently and transitioning to a new job, you must be making more money with the new position.
  • Unemployed individuals, previous wage does not matter.

Open Recruitments

  • We can assist you with holding open recruitments in the Human Services Building here in Lowville. This gives you the opportunity to interview multiple candidates without disrupting your daily operations. 
  • We take care of all the advertising for the event on our social media platform, as well as let customers know when you will be interviewing and for what positions.
  • If you are interested in planning an open recruitment for your business, please reach out to the Business Services Representative by phone or email to schedule your recruitment.

Resume Assistance

The Lewis County WorkPlace provides free resume assistance. Please contact the Business Service Representative if you are interested in having a resume created for you.

What to include in your resume:

  • Contact Information:

    Place this at the top of your resume and include your full name, home address, phone number and an email address. If you don’t have a permanent address, use a location where you can receive mail, or a rented post office box.

  • Career Objective or Professional Summary:

    For a Career Objective, write the career you want to be hired for, such as “Retail Salesperson.” For a Professional summary, write 2-3 sentences to highlight the skills or accomplishments that show why you are a good fit for the job.

  • Work Experience:

    A list of past jobs you’ve held. Include employer/company name, city and state, your job title, dates you held the job, major responsibilities, accomplishments, promotions, and other highlights. Also include your soft skills here or in a Summary, for example “Strong communication skills”, “On time and excellent attendance record”, “Strong teamwork skills”.

  • Education/Licenses/Certifications:

    List your education and any specific licenses or certifications you have received. Include school or program name, city and state, dates attended.

  • Military Experience:

    List dates of military service, rank obtained and branch. Write in any special training or skills you gained.

Other things to think about when writing your resume:

  • Target your audience: Highlight skills and activities related to the job you’re applying for.
  • Be accurate: State your skills and abilities Cleary and accurately.
  • Include all related experiences: Include positive information about your knowledge and skills that’s related to the job.
  • Be brief: Limit your resume to one or two pages.
  • Formatting: check for spelling and grammatical errors, proper spacing, strong action verbs, and proper spacing and equal number of bullets for each job description.
  • Be professional: Ask two people to check your resume for any errors. Print your resume on high-quality paper using a high-quality printer.

Different Types of Resumes:

A chronological resume is a resume format that lists your professional experience in reverse-chronological order, beginning with your most recent position and continuing in descending order. This type of resume prioritizes your relevant professional experience and achievements. It’s beneficial to use a chronological resume if you have a consistent work history because it shows employers you have recent experience that’s relevant to the industry or a new position.

A combination resume format emphasizes both skills and accomplishments and recent work history. The combination resume format is a good choice if you are a junior or mid-level candidate with important, relevant skills that match the job description. For example, this resume format may be beneficial once you have a few years of work experience after college. Using a combination resume format will highlight skills you’ve acquired as an early career professional, and help connect those skills to your professional experience.

You may want to use a combination resume if:

  • You are an early career professional with 1–3 years of job experience
  • You are a recent college or high school graduate with minimal work experience
  • You are changing careers or industries
  • You have worked with only a few employers, but have a consistent work history
  • You have no gaps in your work history

A functional resume is a resume format that primarily showcases a candidate’s skills. As opposed to a reverse-chronological resume that organizes a candidate’s experience under their previously or currently-held professional jobs held in order of recency, the functional resume groups a candidate’s experience under skills or categories of skills. This allows employers to focus on the candidate’s qualifications such as any technical or soft skills required for the job. 

You should use a functional resume if the standard reverse-chronological format is not a flattering or appropriate representation of your qualifications. This might be true.

  • When you are changing careers and do not have significant experience within your chosen profession or industry
  • If you’re a recent graduate without extensive professional experience
  • If you have significant gaps in your employment history
  • If you’ve gained significant skills and experiences in ways other than professional jobs, such as in school or through mentorship

Essentially, if you feel your qualifications are better categorized under types of skills rather than within a set of jobs you’ve held, a functional resume may be a good fit for you.

Other Resume Resources

Mock Interviewing

A job interview is a formal, two-way conversation between a job seeker and a potential employer, designed to evaluate if a candidate is a good fit for a position. It serves as a, screening tool, where employers assess a candidate’s skills, experience, and cultural fit.

The Lewis County WorkPlace provides free mock interviewing assistance to job seekers. Please contact the Business Services Representative to schedule a mock interview session. 

Tips for preparing for a interview:

  • Research the employer and job:

    Research will prepare you to answer their questions and show your enthusiasm and intent. It will also inform you about the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and help you form questions to ask the interviewer.

  • Make a list of questions to ask during the interview:

    Write up questions for the interviewer that will demonstrate your interest in the job and the company. Refer to information you learned in your research and ask a question related to it. Also ask questions about the job you will be expected to perform, such as:

    • Can you tell me what a typical day is like in this job?
    • How are responsibilities and performance measured in this role? By whom?
    • Please describe any training and professional development opportunities that would be offered through this job.
    • What would you say are the organization’s top priorities for the next 1-3 years?
    • Could you summarize what you see as the greatest challenges in this role and how the organization supports employees in meeting them?
  • During the interview:
    • Be confident, but let the interviewer start the dialogue. Send a positive message with your body language.
    • If the interviewer extends their hand, shake hands firmly. Make eye contact and listen carefully. Smile and welcome all questions with openness.
    • Give honest, direct answers. It’s OK if you need time to respond to some questions. If you don’t understand a question, ask for it to be repeated or clarified.
    • Avoid saying negative things about your past employers. It’s fine to describe how you turned a negative situation into a positive one but avoid putting blame on the employer.
    • Typically, you will be offered a chance to ask questions near the end. Make note of their responses if needed.
    • When the interviewer indicates they are wrapping up, ask about their next steps in the hiring process. If you want the job, express your enthusiasm. Restate any strengths and experiences that you might not have emphasized earlier.
General Interview Information
NYS Interviewing Guide
  • Practice your answers to common interview questions, on paper and out loud

    It’s often difficult to come up with great responses during an interview. Practicing your answers to typical interview questions will help you think through how to respond clearly and intentionally. Include real-life examples from your education and work experience that illustrate your skills and how you handle challenges. It can be helpful to practice out loud with a friend or on a free interview practice website.

  • On the day of the interview
    • Plan your schedule so you arrive 10-15 minutes early, if in person. If the interview is online, prepare your space and equipment so you’re ready to sign on 10-15 minutes early.
    • Dress appropriately for the workplace and the job.
    • Bring a notebook and pen but leave your water bottle or coffee at home or in your car.
    • Mute your phone or leave it your car.
  • Send a thank-you email or letter after the interview
    • Write a note right away and try to send it within 24 hours after the interview. Even if you don’t think you were a top candidate, it’s not uncommon for candidates to drop out and you could be hired.
    • Address it to the interviewer by name and title; send thanks to everyone you met with.
    • Thank them for the interview and express interest in the job. Restate your key qualifications and skills, add relevant background you haven’t mentioned.
    • Note any websites, books, articles, or contacts you said you’d follow up with them about.

Follow the STAR Method

The STAR interview method is a technique you can use to prepare for behavioral and situational interview questions. STAR stands for situation, task, action and result. Hiring managers ask behavioral interview questions to determine whether you are the right fit for a job. 

  • The STAR interview method helps you answer behavioral and situational questions with a clear story structure based on situation, task, action, and result.
  • Preparing STAR responses involves reviewing the job description, identifying examples from your experience, and practicing your answers for clarity.
  • Focusing on your specific actions and results can show interviewers why you are qualified for the role.

How does the STAR Method work?

The STAR method helps you create an easy-to-follow story with a clear conflict and resolution. Here’s what each part of the technique means:

Situation

Set the stage for the story by sharing context around a specific situation or challenge you faced. Share two or three important details about relevant work situations, academic projects or volunteer work. You should spend the least amount of time on this part of your answer as interviewers are more concerned with the actions you took and the results you achieved.

Task

Describe your responsibility or role in the situation or challenge. In other words, discuss the goal or task set out for you. Consider just one or two main points that best illustrate the task you needed to complete. This section requires a minimal amount of time, similar to the situation component.

Action

Explain the specific actions you took to handle the situation or overcome the challenge. Identify and discuss a few of the most impactful steps you took to find success. Even if your actions were taken as part of a team, avoid using “we” in your response and instead use “I” to highlight your particular contributions. This part of your answer requires the most in-depth description, as this is what largely indicates your fitness for a role.

Result

What was the outcome you reached through your actions? Focus on two or three main results of your actions and discuss what you learned, how you grew and why you’re a stronger employee because of the experience. And, if possible, provide concrete examples of the results of your efforts. You should spend only slightly less time discussing the results than your actions.