Job Center of Lake County

I don’t have very much context of what a career center should entail, so for those of you either seeking positions (or filing for unemployment) should take my review in the context that I had a specific task in mind when I went on Friday, October 11, 2013 — to file in person for unemployment as a currently furloughed civilian «non essential» government employee.
Location: 3 out of 5
I lived in the general downtown area of Chicago for about 10 years, and moved recently to the «dark side» of Wisconsin. I call Milwaukee home now, but still retain my job in the loop. Since Federal employees who are currently furloughed have to file in person, I did have to make the drive down to Grayslake. A 45 minute drive wasn’t terrible in light traffic, and to boot — there were plentiful shopping/​dining/​amusement options in case the day dragged on, such as Gurnee Mills, Six Flags, the outlet mall, etc. The office itself is located on the campus of the College of Lake County — and the closest intersection is Washington and Lancer. Parking is free and plentiful in the outdoor lot.
Customer Service: 5 out of 5
I understand that employees of the state of Illinois as well as counties within Illinois have it arguably harder than employees of surrounding states (or the Feds) and many kudos to each and every person I met that morning for being polite, friendly, and extremely helpful. I was greeted kindly by the reception desk lady who directed me to where I needed to go; the clerks were helpful and allowed me to use one of the computers to print off a W2 that I had forgotten to bring with me; the representative that was assigned to my case explained the process clearly to me, etc. However, you should leverage this with with the fact that I was over-​prepared when I went: aside from not having one of my W2 forms, I had with me my SS card, various pay stubs, tax returns from the previous 3 years, and my «congrats, you can get unemployment» form from my employer. In other words — the more prepared you are, the easier the process will be. For reference, I was in and out in 25 minutes (there was no one in line ahead of me though), and most of that time was spent filling out the application.
Décor/​cleanliness/​amenities: 4 out of 5
I know — it’s really not fair to give a rating on décor, but I thought that for a publicly funded building serving the general public, the building was well-​kept, clean, and laid out in a way that could make your time there more bearable. There are tables in the main foyer area for you to fill out paperwork or just relax; the bathrooms were clean and accessible; the actual job search center hand about a dozen computers for job seekers to use (and print out applications/​resumes/​etc), and the chairs in the waiting area were functional and at least minimally comfortable. As an added bonus — the building didn’t have that sometimes pervasive must/​mold smell that sometimes government buildings can have.
Followup: 5 out of 5
I had forgotten a piece of information regarding one of my positions, and my representative called me back at around 4:40 on Friday afternoon. She committed to following up with me the next Tuesday (today) and sure enough, at around 9:30 this morning, she called back and we sorted everything out. This goes into the simple category of following through with what she committed to do, which is rare these days.
Overall: 4 out of 5
A decidedly pleasant experience at a state government services building. The intent is that I won’t have to use any of the funds that I’m entitled to so that if Federal government employees get backpay for the time we were furloughed, the process of returning the funds will be easy. However, knowing that there’s a safety net in case of worst case scenario is comforting, and perhaps most importantly — humbling.