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Georgia Work Ready honors Cumming resident
Program aids job-seekers
Bob Westfall
Westfall - photo by Submitted

Despite the sluggish economy, Robert Westfall Jr. has been doing everything he can to become “work ready.”

Westfall, a Cumming resident, was named Georgia Work Ready’s Job Seeker of the Month for July.

The Work Ready program assists unemployed state residents with their job searches.

“I’m extremely excited,” said Westfall, who was laid off from a corporate relocation sales position in February 2008. “It’s trying to show the support of the program and making it accessible to people.”

According to a news release, the Work Ready initiative is “based on a skills assessment, certification and skills gap training for job seekers and a job profiling system for businesses.”

Through a series of standardized tests, job-seekers can earn a Work Ready certificate, which the program’s Web site said more than 175 Georgia companies “recognize, prefer or require.”

In order to increase his marketability to employers, Westfall enrolled in a human resource management specialist certification program at Gwinnett Technical College. Through a friend, he heard about Work Ready.

“To me it’s just a fantastic program,” Westfall said. “And in doing it, it really bolsters your self-esteem ... and the resources there have just been fantastic in terms of trying to do things to help you secure a job.”

Although Westfall scored well on the tests, he is involved in “gap training” to help raise his scores. The training, as well as the testing, is free.

And he’s not standing pat in his job search.

“What I’m concentrating on at this point is expanding my network,” said Westfall, who points to local chamber of commerce meetings and church organizations as good places to start networking with leads to potential employers.

“I’m still unemployed, but I continue to work harder and invest even more time on these types of things, and just feeling confident that it will work out,” Westfall said.

As for advice for others who are in the middle of a job hunt?

“Don’t stagnate, keep your mind stimulated,” said Westfall, adding that going back to school was one of the best things he’s ever done. “It got me thinking again and opened up my mind to more creative opportunities.”