Career Support
Our Career Support program serves job seekers and others along their career journey by providing holistic support, focusing on the whole person and partnering with them to translate their unique strengths, skills, and passions to work that generates energy and enough income to live comfortably in our region.
Using a strength-based and customized approach, Career Support clients can participate in a variety of professional development and career advancement activities, including professional workshops, career counseling, and coaching.
Individuals can also engage with our Career Support Network, made up of other job seekers, A Wider Circle staff, and volunteers, all working in partnership to explore work-life solutions that align with each individual’s values and strengths.
Our Services
Resume, Online Job Application, and Interview Assistance
The Career Support team provides a range of services to support you in your career journey, including resume and cover letter assistance, online job application support, and interview preparation. The process begins with a consultation with a Career Support Team member to introduce to our services, address your questions, and discuss your employment and career goals.
Individual Career Counseling
Career counseling is a partnership with the career counselor to explore your strengths and interests and develop a strategy that maximizes professional growth and career alignment. These one-on-one sessions offer a safe space to address areas related to career exploration, workplace trauma, facing a career transition, and maintaining work life balance.
Professional Coaching
Clients requesting professional coaching will meet with a Career Support coach to learn more about our approach and how we can partner with them as they move forward on their career journey.
Specialized Workshops & Professional Networking
Along with individual services, job seekers have the opportunity to gain knowledge and practical tools from volunteer subject matter experts. Specialized workshop topics range from field-specific career insights to the inner work of building confidence, cultivating emotional intelligence, and processing stress and trauma. These workshops, along with professional networking opportunities, allow clients to meaningfully connect with fellow job seekers and people across our network to share information, expertise, and encouragement.
Getting Started
To get started with Career Support and receive assistance, please fill out our Career Support onboarding form. After submitting the form, a member of our team will be in touch with you within a few business days to provide an overview of Career Support services, explore your support needs, and direct you to the appropriate next step.
If you experience any difficulty completing the form, feel free to call our main number (301-608-3504) and ask for a Career Support team member.
Our services can be delivered in-person, over the phone, or virtually (Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) based on your preference and convenience.
Check out our weekly Career Support newsletter to learn what’s happening this week!
Career Support FAQs
Career Support offers career counseling and coaching at no cost to you.
Through one-on-one counseling, workshops, and coaching, we can help you learn more about your strengths, grow your professional network, and make career, educational, and life decisions that align with your values and goals.
To get started with Career Support and receive assistance, please fill out our Career Support onboarding form. After submitting the form, a member of our team will be in touch with you within a few business days to provide an overview of Career Support services, explore your support needs, and direct you to the appropriate next step.
If you experience any difficulty completing the form, feel free to call our main number (301-608-3504) and ask for a Career Support team member.
Our services can be delivered in-person, over the phone, or virtually (Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) based on your preference and convenience.
There are no costs, qualifications, or eligibility criteria to attend counseling, coaching, or workshops. You do not need to provide any documentation to receive services.
Career counseling sessions are one-on-one conversations that focus on your career development. We can partner with you as you explore career options, make career choices, manage career changes, and create work life balance. We provide expertise and guidance, including support with resumes, interviewing, job searching, networking, and more.
Using a strength-based approach to career counseling, the Career Support team offers information, tools and resources in the following areas:
- Strength-based job search strategy
- Strength-based networking
- Essentials to work life balance
- Strength-based interviewing
You can receive guidance on any or all of these areas by signing up here.
We also host regular workshops on a range of special topics related to career development and work life balance. Details of upcoming events are included in a weekly newsletter sent to those who wish to be in our Career Support Network.
Coaching is complementary to career counseling, and facilitates self-discovery and personal development. A coach will help you clarify your goals and values, identify the obstacles holding you back, and support you in your vision for both your personal and your professional life.
You can only be paired with a coach after identifying your specific support needs and goals through career counseling.
We provide services to anyone with an interest in developing and/or improving their approach to job search, interviewing, expanding their professional network, managing work life balance, and dealing with the experiences of the working world – regardless of career stage or experience. We regularly work with people who have been out of work for many months or years, and those who are looking to provide more stability to themselves or their families by making a career move.
Workshops, counseling, and coaching will typically take place during normal business hours, 9 am – 5 pm Monday through Friday. A full list of activities and workshops is listed on our monthly calendar, which is distributed weekly via email to clients who have joined our Career Support Network.
To find out more, and meet with our Career Support team, you can make an appointment via our online scheduling platform with Adam or Regina through email or by calling us at 301-608-3504.
Each group activity will either be in-person or virtual (which includes via Zoom or by phone).
Most in-person events are held at our offices:
- Center for Community Service: 9159 Brookville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910
- Open by appointment Monday-Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.
- Ward 8 Hub: 400 Atlantic Street, SE Washington, DC 20032.
- Open by appointment and for walk-ins every Monday and Wednesday, 9 am – 3 pm, with virtual service offered on Tuesday 9am – 3pm.
Yes! After meeting with a Career Counselor or attending a workshop, we can help you develop, review, and customize your resume. Resume support is best done once there is a clear understanding of what positions you will be applying for.
No. The Career Support team does not conduct direct job placement services. We can partner with you to prepare for your next employment opportunity by offering career counseling and/or coaching, job search assistance, mock interviewing, and networking opportunities.
No. We do not offer any computer training or technical skills training that leads to credentials or certifications. However, we are very aware of relevant programs to obtain industry credentials. Our team can provide referrals and information about the process of selecting a training program for those interested, including training programs that are government-funded for eligible persons.
The frequency of attendance and participation is determined by the individual needs of the client. There is no one size fits all approach. We meet you where you are and co-create a plan that works best for you.
Career Support is available on an as-needed basis; we do not limit the number of sessions or workshops you can attend. You can always return to request additional services.
Career Support does not offer these kinds of assistance. However, A Wider Circle has in-house resource navigators who can help you find resources to meet your needs beyond your career.
We do not have any bilingual staff on the Career Support team. We can generally get another staff member or volunteer to answer basic questions via phone or email, but at present, because of the nature of our frequent interactive work with Career Support clients, we are unable to provide regular interpretation assistance for our appointments and resume development work. We always welcome clients providing their own interpreter, including ASL, if needed. We are happy to help refer and connect any non-English speaking client to one of our trusted career partners.
Yes we do. We are happy to work with everyone. Please note, we do not have expertise in finding jobs for people without a work authorization permit.
If you need professional clothing for interviews or work, we offer free professional clothing appointments where you can select professional outfits that help you feel your best!
We also offer appointments to receive furniture items and/or baby items.
Long-term support is available through our Partnership to Independence (P2I) program.
Our Ward 8 Hub in Washington, D.C. offers regular programs on topics like health, financial planning, and wellness.
