Explore Your Skills and Career Options After a Layoff

Return to the Layoff Step Guide Home Page​ for more information.​

​Once the initial steps of connecting to Benefits and Services are complete, you may begin moving toward your new career opportunity. Now is the time to dust yourself off and move forward; remember that your past accomplishments and the hard work you have put in have prepared you for the next steps. You can do this! This step is where you can make the most remarkable strides and make the first move toward your new career.

First, explore your skills and interests and discover other job and career opportunities that could fit you well. Once you have explored different options and updated skills, you can select a new career field.

1. Find out if your skills and interests have changed since you first entered the working world with the Skills and Interests Surveys.
2. Use the transferable skills checklist to identify skills you already have to help you determine if your skills will be a fit for another career opportunity.
3. Test and update your workplace skills with the Job Skills Guides. These are skills that all employers want in potential employees. 
4. Explore Demand Occ​upations​​ in your chosen occupational areas. This can help you determine if your skills match the new career field you have chosen and the outlook for these careers. This can help you select a career in a growing field that can provide you with great job opportunities.
5. Search the WIOA Certified Training Programs​ if the career field you are interested in requires certification or credentials you do not currently have. WIOA funding may be available to laid-off or dislocated workers. Check with your local Illinois workNet Center to get local funding options. 

Click here to prepare ​and search for your new career​.​