Employment and Career Help

Help Finding a Job

This web page will help you find the public assistance and community resources you need. Most of the information you need can be found on the Internet. If you have any questions or need more information, please email nicole.verver@twc.state.tx.us.

If you need help finding a job, your local Texas Workforce Center is the best place to start.

Texas Workforce Centers offer job search and career development services. Each Workforce Center has a career resource library with computers, high-speed Internet access, resume-building software, and access to WorkInTexas.com, the most modern job search and job matching web site in Texas. If you have any questions, the Workforce Center has career consultants available to help. They are trained professionals who will help guide you along the path to a great career. Workforce Centers also offer career-training programs and scholarships to eligible individuals.

Workforce Centers can also provide supportive services such as child care, transportation assistance, and other services so you can work or can attend career training. Best of all, Workforce Center services and programs are available to you at no charge. You can also find the closest Workforce Center by dialing 2-1-1 on your telephone and speaking to the Information and Referral Specialist.

Help Applying for Public Assistance

Texas 2-1-1 Telephone Assistance

Texas has a new, telephone-based system for getting information about and applying for assistance services and programs. By dialing 2-1-1, you will be connected with a live Information and Referral Specialist who can help find the information and resources you need. 2-1-1 Information and Referral Specialists have information on local as well as state resources, such as employment and training programs, help with child care, food-pantries, emergency help, counseling services, and government benefits. 2-1-1 is free and is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

State of Texas Assistance and Referral System (S.T.A.R.S.)

If you need financial assistance or other services a great way to find out what’s available is through the S.T.A.R.S. web site. STARS stands for State of Texas Assistance and Referral System. STARS allows you to find out if you are potentially eligible for programs provided by Texas state agencies. STARS will walk you through some basic questions to help determine what programs you qualify for. Once you answer all the questions, STARS will provide a list of services to help meet your needs and will provide the information on how to access those services. All the information that you type into the STARS web site is confidential and the answers you give are not kept by anyone.

Earned Income Tax Credit

The Earned Income Tax Credit is a special tax benefit for people who work full-time or part-time. If you qualify, you’ll owe less in taxes and you may get cash back. Even if you don’t owe income tax you can get a tax refund. It is very easy to apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit. You can do it when you fill out a federal income tax return. You can find out more about this great opportunity by going to the Internal Revenue Service or by calling 1-800-829-1040. If you use a TDD, call 1-800-829-4059.

Advantages of Having a Job

The goal of having a job is to become financially independent. When you’re independent, you make your own decisions and take responsibility for your life. It isn’t always easy. Caring for yourself and your kids can be difficult, but being an adult means standing on your own two feet. Finding a job and sticking with it are the first steps toward personal independence and economic freedom.

Despite the challenges, being an independent adult has it’s own rewards – the kind that shape your character for the better.

When you have a job you:

1. Gain Self-Respect
   When you’re personally independent, you respect and feel good about yourself. After all, people gain self-respect, not by saying they respect themselves, but by doing things to earn their own respect.
   When you face challenges and overcome them, you gain confidence in yourself. When you face your responsibilities – even when you don’t want to – you feel good about yourself. When you strive to support a family independently, you become a person that you admire.
2. Set A Strong Example
   When you have a job and are personally independent, you set a strong, positive example for your children. You show them the value of hard work, education, honesty, and courage. Kids pay attention to what you do, not to what you say. If you want your children to be contributing members of society, you have to show them how.
3. Enjoy A Better Lifestyle
   When you have a job and are personally independent, you enjoy a better lifestyle than when you depend on others – such as your family or taxpayers – for your financial needs. You enjoy your home more when you look around and see all that you earned, not what was given to you. You enjoy work more when you have a job that challenges you and provides for your needs.
   You also worry less about today’s bills and plan more for the future when you have a job and are financially independent. Instead of trying to get by until your next paycheck, you set aside money for retirement, vacations, your children’s education, and more. Personal independence gives you some power and control over your financial future, which makes you feel better about your life in general.