💼👷 Job Opportunities and Resources

Written By Will Guzzardi

Dear Neighbor, 

In these particularly challenging economic times, many constituents have reached out to our office seeking support, as they feel the strain from rising costs of living to shifting job markets. We understand that securing stable, meaningful work with livable wages is essential. 

Previously, I shared resources to help Illinois families navigate the impact of recent federal cuts, including support for food security, healthcare, utility bills, and housing. In this newsletter, I’d like to share current employment opportunities that my team has gathered from a variety of government agencies and local organizations.

  • The United States Postal Service is recruiting for full time, part time, or seasonal positions. You can learn more here, and apply here.

  • The Illinois Department of Transportation is hiring 1,600+ temporary Winter Highway Maintainers across the state for the 2025–2026 snow and ice season. Help maintain and repair roads, bridges, and keep Illinois moving safely this winter. Requirements include: HS diploma or equivalent. CDL B with N or X (Class A by year 3), 1 year clean driving record. Apply here.

  • The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is looking for passionate, service-minded individuals—especially bilingual candidates—interested in making a real difference in child welfare. View all open positions here.

  • The Illinois Department of Human Services is hosting virtual and in-person recruitment events in English and Spanish. Register here, and apply for open positions here.

  • Greater West Town Project is offering a Shipping and Receiving Training Program with full-time classes that run for 12 weeks. Illinois residents who are 18 years old or over and low-income eligible can train at no cost. For 33 years, Greater West Town programs have successfully equipped community residents with in-demand job skills and placed them in jobs in industry with recent wages averaging $18-20 per hour. Apply here. 

  • The Cook County Assessor's Office is hiring a Director of Data Science. The deadline to apply is Thursday, September 11 at 11:59pm.

  • After School Matters’ fall application for Chicago teens is open! This fall, ASM is offering hundreds of programs across the city between the weeks of September 23 through December 13. Programs are available to Chicago high school teens ages 14-18. Every program encourages teens to pursue a new passion, build community, and earn money at the same time. Teens can apply here.   

  • Healthy Hood is hiring youth interns for 2–3 month cohorts, ages 16–24. Gain hands-on experience in nonprofit work, community advocacy, media, arts and culture, health and wellness, and customer service at some of Chicago’s amazing small businesses. This is a paid opportunity to build skills, grow your network, and make a real impact in your community. Apply here.

I also wanted to highlight Center For Changing Lives, an organization on the Northwest side that offers a variety of employment coaching resources in English and Spanish. They host:

  • Employment coaching sessions

  • Open computer lab hours for assistance on resume, cover letter, job application, and job fair preparation, as well as printing, faxing, and copy, and networking over free coffee

  • Google IT Certification Skills Courses

Please stay in touch with our office by calling (773) 853-2570 or sending an email to will@repguzzardi.com. We are happy to help you navigate state agencies and connect you to organizations and services for support.

All my best,

Will

Jefferson Township Appeals

Jefferson Township is open for Cook County Assessor Appeals, and the deadline is October 3rd. The majority of the 39th District is within the 8th District of Cook County and Jefferson Township. You can check on which Cook County district you live in here.

If you would like to appeal your property’s assessed value, you can do so in three ways:

  • You can appeal online, with help from this video. 

  • You can schedule an appointment with the Assessor's office downtown or in Skokie by calling 312-443-7550 or using their online system.

  • You can schedule an appointment with Cook County Commissioner Jessica Vasquez‘s office, Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm by calling 312-603-6386.

Shredding Event

My office is joining Rep. Jamie Andrade for a FREE paper shredding, electronics recycling, prescription take back, and clothing/shoe collection event on Saturday, September 27 from 9am to 11:30am. This event will be held at NEIU El Centro, 3390 N Avondale Ave. and is first-come, first-served, until trucks reach capacity.

  • Paper Shredding: Please remove all paper clips, staples, and other bindings that could obstruct the shredder.

  • Electronics Recycling: TWO TV per vehicle, monitors, computers, laptops, motherboards, printers, cell phones, game consoles, toasters, blenders, etc. NO A/C Units.

  • Prescription Take Back: Accepting expired and unused medication. No liquids/needles/sharps.

  • Clothing/Shoe Collection: Cradles to Crayons is collecting children’s clothes and shoes.

Illinois Multi-Sector Plan for Aging Public Engagement Session

Governor J.B. Pritzker wants to make Illinois an excellent state in which to age. In August 2024, the Governor signed an Executive Order to develop a Multi-Sector Plan for Aging (MPA) in Illinois including participation from all Departments in the State of Illinois, experts in the field of aging, and most importantly, the voices of people across the State. The Illinois Department on Aging, with support from Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, will host in-person and virtual engagement sessions with the goal of getting your thoughts and ideas to inform the plan.

Every one of us has an interest in making Illinois a great place to live, work, support family members, and grow older. With more and more of the baby-boomer generation living longer, states across the country are developing cross-sector plans to ensure that we are as healthy and engaged as possible as we age. The plan will be designed to address the needs of the diverse population of Illinois. To ensure everyone’s needs are considered, we seek to include diverse voices, particularly those from rural and historically marginalized communities. You can register for one of the listening sessions here.

Will Guzzardi
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