Staff Report
Published Aug. 26, 2010

The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce will debut the new Virtual One-Stop system for jobseekers and employers on Monday, the state agency said.

The website serves the same function as the agency's 38 offices around the state, which is to connect employers with potential employees.

"The Virtual One-Stop has been a long time in planning and development," Executive Director John L. Finan said. "We've had other job search engines in the past, but we wanted something more modern, more on the cutting edge of technology. I think all of our customers, both job seekers and employers, are going to see a dramatic improvement and a much more effective system."

Job seekers will be able to access the site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from any Internet connection, including smartphones.

Users can also use resume builder software, which is searchable by employers, or import an existing resume. It also connects to other major job search engines. Registration at the website is free.

Job seekers can also take advantage of:

• Job Market Explorer, which tells which jobs are in demand.
• Skills and Career Assessment Tools.
• Background Wizard, which allows you to build and publish up to 10 distinct resumes.
• Virtual Recruiter, which looks all over the Web for jobs that meet your criteria.
• Education information, which tells about training programs in your area.
• Online learning resources, which provides information on free training and open courseware, from GED assistance to continuing education.
• Budget help, which explains how to build a household budget, apply for financial aid and prepare a transitional budget for tough times.

Employers will be able to search locally, statewide and nationally for either potential employees’ resumes or labor market statistics.

Employer tools include:

• Virtual Recruiter, which schedules automated candidate searches tailored to talent needs.
• Real-time labor market information to provide details about the available work force.
• Industry, wage and occupational data.
• Information about registered jobseekers, training opportunities and work force development programs.
• Employee relations, EEO, workplace wellness and incentive information.
• Find guidance about labor laws, personnel management and eligibility for special perks.