“Ask the Expert” Roundtables are back with 15 speakers!

Hello from RUMC Job Networking!

“Ask the Expert” Roundtables are back with 15 speakers!

Join us Monday Night, October 27th when we have 15 speakers at RUMC! This is one of our most popular and interactive events. We’ll have each of the speakers give you a 30 second pitch as to why you should be at their table. You then get to choose 3 of them.

We start at 6:00 pm with a free dinner and close around 9:15 pm. Go to www.RUMCjobnetworki ng.com for more information and directions. No RSVP is required.

We are excited to have all of our guest speakers. However, for the first time ever we’ve gotten commitment from Ruthie Powell of “Ruthie’s List” fame to join us Monday Night. The other 14 speakers and topics will be sent via email later this week via RUMC Yahoogroups in time for our meeting as we wrap up our confirmations.

Our last meeting we had over 155 job seekers in attendance. Also 112 job seekers took advantage of our dinner which focuses on developing your spiritual resume. With over 40 of our 130 volunteers on-site at each meeting we are excited to contribute to your job search. We have a great program for you on Monday Night and hope you can join us.

Please review this line up for Monday Night. We are experimenting with the timing of some of these activities causing some of the activities to overlap. We added Resume Reviewing to follow the Free Dinner so you can take advantage of both in the same room. We also have moved our resume reviewers to 6:00 pm and added a new Interview Discussion Room and the new Small Business Opportunity Discussion Room. See below:

1. 6:00 – 7:00 pm Free Dinner Program with Resume Reviews (7:00 – 7:30 pm). We have an individual contributor who is sponsoring our dinner Monday Night starting at 6:00 pm on “Developing your Spiritual Resume.” Volunteer leader Bob Kashey will lead you through some critical steps that will help you in your job search. The dinner is free but please arrive by 6:00 pm. Again, no RSVP is required. For those that attend dinner we will be offering resume reviews so you don’t have to rush out early.
2. 6:00 – 7:30 pm Resume Reviews. We have Recruiters and HR Professionals volunteering their time as Resume Reviewers that are anxious to go one-on-one with you.
3. 6:45 – 7:30 pm Interview Discussion Room. This is a brand new addition to our ministry and is run by Richard Kirby. We will have an informal drop-in format.
4. 6:45 – 7:30 pm Small Business Opportunity Discussion Room. This is also a brand new addition to our ministry and is coordinated by Bill Williams.
5. 7:30 – 9:15 pm “Ask the Expert” Program. Select 3 of our 15 guest speakers based on what you are most interested in. Bring a note pad to take notes!!
6. Industry Guide Access. We have over 65 off-site volunteers that will take one of your phone calls after the meeting. You get to select one of them based on the industry and company that they work for.

Do you need directions or more details? Go to www.RUMCjobnetworki ng.com.

Membership Codes
Do you need another reason to attend? We will be distributing Membership Codes for www.crossroadscareer.org which is a site that will walk you through the Six Steps in your Job Search. This website is a one of a kind resource that we are pleased to share with you – if you attend Monday Night.

See you Monday Night!

Jay Litton
Volunteer Leader
www.RUMCjobnetworking.com

Market Meltdown: Change Your Job Search Mindset

Market Meltdown: Change Your Job Search Mindset
Joe Turner 10/20/08

The current economic meltdown is just the tip of a much larger iceberg that will have far reaching economic implications for all of us here in the U.S. Tens of thousands of layoffs in and beyond the financial industry will only be the start of more sober times as companies across the country will be forced to rethink their future hiring plans.

One fact seems certain. All of these combined circumstances will have huge ramifications for job seekers. The failing economy and a constantly rising unemployment rate will require individuals to take a fresh approach to their job search.

Referencing the most recent economic crisis, Neil McNulty, Principal Recruiter, McNulty Management Group states, "The game has changed, but the rules remain the same; now, more than ever, job seekers need to change their mindset from looking for 'openings' to looking for 'opportunities. ' Opportunities are born out of crisis and chaos, and exist even in the worst economy."This means that you, as a job seeker, must look beyond job postings and move into marketing yourself to the managers of the companies and organizations who are experiencing problems that you can solve.

Here's how:
1. Change Your Mindset: Move away from being a passive job seeker and toward being an active problem-solver. Don't just rely on the Internet to find job openings. Scour the marketplace to find the hidden jobs that aren't advertised. Most jobs are not posted or advertised. The best jobs are often found through networking, word-of-mouth and informational interviews.
2. Stop Thinking of Yourself as Just an Assortment of Job Skills: See yourself as a product to package and market, and then create your own marketing campaign to find your desired job. This includes having a state-of-the- art resume and sharpening your interviewing skills.
3. Sell ROI: View yourself in terms of Return on Investment for an employer. See yourself as a mini-profit and loss center. Be prepared to demonstrate ways you have helped to positively impact the bottom line of your past or current employer. This means demonstrating ways you've helped make money or save money for an employer or clients. As employees, we all touch money. Some of us may be closer to it than others. Regardless, we must find ways to prove this in short "sound bites" when given the opportunity.

Remember, it's not about you, but about the organization itself. All communication with a prospective employer must answer the question, "What's in it for me (the employer)?" The road ahead will be littered with casualties; make no mistake about that.We could sit by and whine about the circumstances. We could wait for the government to initiate a "bailout" package that might somehow rescue the unemployed. Or, we could take charge of our own lives and power ourselves forward.

Joseph P. Kennedy said many years ago, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." That statement is just as true today as it was then. Whether we're employed or not, we all have this rocky, tough economy in common. We can respond as victims of the economy or we can get tough, and get going.

As a recruiter, Joe Turner has spent the past 15 years finding and placing top candidates in some of the best jobs of their careers. Author of "JobSearch Secrets Unlocked" and "Paycheck 911" , Joe has interviewed on radio talk shows and offers http://www.jobchangesecrets.com/ free insider job search secrets.

Resources to help you Survive a Layoff

You may click on the picture above to enlarge the information. All the information above is listed under the Georgia Department of Labor under "Surviving a layoff". The link is: http://www.dol.state.ga.us/js/survive_layoff.htm

And there are live links to each resource listed on the webpage above.

Unemployment highlights need for community, family networks

CLARKONOMICS: Clark wants to issue a special challenge to churches and other religious organizations ahead of what is likely to be a trend of rising unemployment.

At just a little over 6%, unemployment remains low today compared to historical numbers. But odds are fairly good that we may see it rise to between 8.5% or 9%. Some places like Michigan and Rhode Island may be there already, with California following closely behind.

In the past, churches, synagogues and other religious institutions have offered people a place to network during times of high unemployment. In Clark's estimation, the Internet and its networking forums just don't have the same touch as a brick-and-mortar building where you can go to share bumps in the road with others seeking work.

So our nation's religious institutions should look to fill that role again. There's also going to be a great need for counseling. People are more likely to hurt themselves during times of higher unemployment. They may feel a lowered sense of self-esteem; we perceive our value as being based on what vocation we have. It may not be true, but it is how we feel in America.

If you are facing unemployment, realize that it probably stems from larger economic tides and it is not a reflection of you.


Likewise, if you know a friend or family member facing unemployment, reach out to them regularly. Some people may need financial help. The big houses we Americans have can be put to good use if a loved one is evicted or foreclosed upon and needs a place to stay. We tend to look to government to take care of us, but the state can't do what we can do as a family.

Having said all that, Clark wants to emphasize that we are not headed toward a wave of mass unemployment in the 20% range that would suggest a depression.

 

From Clark Howard on October 20, 2008: http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/index.html

Webinar – How to find a job on the Internet

This webinar will take place on November 1, 2008 @11:00am. It is free but you must register.

I cannot preview the material so I cannot provide a true "reference " for it. If you watch it and have any questions about the validity of the information or processes discussed, please let me know.

http://howtofindajobontheinternet.eventbrite.com/

Excerpt from Registration page:

Even though times are tough, it is not impossible to find work to support yourself and your family. I remember the last recession of 2002 when I had bills to pay, mouths to feed and no interviews pending. How is that for irony - a  Recruiter looking for work?

Like every other job seeker, I placed my resume on Monster, scanned the newspaper and asked people if they knew of any openings. In other words, I was doing what everyone else was doing, at the same time, but for some reason I was expecting different results. Two weeks into my job search I decided to do something different and today I am still reaping the rewards from my efforts back in 2002.

In my free webinar, "Confessions of a Job Search Strategist" you will learn the following:

• Where does your resume really go? (The Blackhole Explained)
  
• Why Job Boards don't matter (and why they do)
  
• How to use Google to discover jobs that most people will never see
  
• How to get Recruiters to chase after you 
  

The class is 1-hour to include a Question and Answer session.

Notes will be made available for downloading after the session.

Talk about a challenge

The Wizard of Oz characters sculpted in the eye of a needle.

http://www.willard-wigan.com/

Check out Willard Wigan's art before you decide you just cannot do something J.

Part-time and Home based employment for Professionals

The link for Mom Corps is also posted on the right hand side of the Blog under Job Search Resources.

http://www.momcorps.com/about_us/

An Industry-First Business Model for Flexible Employment

Mom Corps is the expert in the flexible employment market. Our mission is two-fold:

We provide companies direct access to a previously untapped market segment of exceptional talent - professionals who have opted out of the traditional workplace.

We enable professionals to work in their respective fields, while simultaneously meeting familial needs and responsibilities.

We execute this mission through the following services:

Staffing Services (Contingent, Project, Permanent)

Online Job Posting Board

Events and Conferences (Coffee Clubs, Own Your Life Annual Conference)

Expert Services for Candidates (Expert Resumes, Expert Coaching, Expert Training)

Corporate Consulting

Interview Preparation

Do Your Homework Before the Big Interview

by John Rossheim
Monster Senior Contributing Writer

• http://career-advice.monster.com/interview-preparation/Do-Your-Homework-Before-the-Big-Int/home.aspx
  

Once upon a time, a job seeker landed an interview, skimmed the prospective employer's annual report, wowed the hiring manager with a few company facts and strolled into his dream job.

That late-'90s fairy tale rarely comes true these days. With employers in more control of the labor market, candidates feel compelled to give it their all when preparing for interviews. And that includes mounting a broad, deep search for relevant information about the position, the company, the industry and even the interviewer.

Luckily for you, diverse resources, many of them free or cheap and available on the Internet, enable you to achieve that competitive edge if you're willing to put your nose to the grindstone -- or computer monitor.

Employers' Web Sites

Your prospective employer's corporate Web site is the best place to see the company as it wants to be seen. Do check out that annual report, but also look for a "press room" or "company news" page that links to recent news releases. As you mull all this information, consider how the open position, as detailed in the job posting, relates to the company's mission.

But don't stop there. Use the company site's search facility to query the names of the hiring manager and any others on your interview dance card. You may retrieve bio pages or press releases that give you insight into their most visible activities at the company. "Learning about the interviewer is probably the most valuable thing you can do," says Ron Fry, author of 101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions.

Research Employers

Next, get some vital statistics and independent perspectives on your prospective employer. Hoover's Online, for one, provides capsule descriptions, financial data and a list of competitors for thousands of large corporations.

Your 401k or mutual fund account with a major broker likely provides more detailed research on publicly traded companies and industries, free of charge. "You may be able to go to competitors for the prospective employer's financials," says Joyce Lain Kennedy, Los Angeles Times career columnist and author of Job Interviews for Dummies.

News Sources

Now broaden your perspective and see what general-interest and business publications and Web sites are writing about the employer and its industry. You can find a wide range of media outlets at NewsLink, notes Kennedy. Search national publications for news on major corporations; use hometown newspapers to learn about small businesses and how big businesses interact with their local communities. Refdesk and bizjournals.com also offer gateways to journalism on companies and industries.

Trade Journals

Taking cues from your research so far, drill down into your target company and its place in the industry by looking at trade journals and other specialized publications. "Get a few months of the relevant trade journal," advises Fry. "You're going to find out about new products and what the trade is saying about the company."

You may find hard copies of trade journals at university or public libraries. Some journals are available for free or by subscription through their own Web sites; the full text of thousands more is available through periodical databases like ProQuest and InfoTrac. You may even be able to access InfoTrac for free via the Web, using just the membership number on your public library card. Contact your local library for details.

Industry Directories

By now, you've probably got some very specific questions regarding the employer and your potential role there. Go directly to the grapevine by making contact with other workers at your target company or elsewhere in the industry. "If you belong to a professional organization, go to its directory," says Marilyn Pincus, author of Interview Strategies that Lead to Job Offers. If you don't belong, consider joining; check out the American Society of Association Executives' Gateway to Associations Directory.

Of course, you can also use networking services to get in touch with people inside the company.

Google

Finally, if you hope to have a company ogling you, try Googling them first. You just might come up with a nugget you would have missed otherwise.

While you're at it, Google yourself to make sure you and the interviewer are on the same page. Because if he's savvy, he's doing unto you as you've just done unto him and his company.