There’s no single answer to the question, “How do I find a job?” One must explore all possible options in these tough economic times, and area “Job Clubs” are a great source of support and networking opportunities in looking for work.
We don’t look for work very often, so getting started in a job search can be a huge challenge, especially when separation from a job often involves a grieving process.
The Johnson County Central Resource Library has a number of resources for those looking for work, and a number of those resources are online. One sheet that can be picked up at the library, or can be found online, is a list of the Kansas City Area Job Clubs, which is updated by the Community Career Services of the Johnson County Community College. Each job club has its own personality and strengths, and often job seekers join several. Best of all, job clubs are free!
JCCC Job Club. Perhaps the largest area job club is the JCCC Job Club hosted by the Community College and facilitated by Laura Johannesmeyer.
This group has grown so large that it’s been split into two groups, one meeting at 1:30 PM and the other at 3:30 PM on Wednesdays at JCCC in Overland Park. I tried to attend the 3:30 meeting on Wednesday, but JCCC closed due to snow and ice.
Information about the JCCC Job Clubs is online, which gives general information, recommendations, and group rules.
The mission of the JCCC job clubs is to provide job seekers and career transitioners an environment of support and an opportunity for networking.
Other Job Clubs. Most of the other Kansas City area job clubs are affiliated with churches, but anyone can attend the meetings. The list published by JCCC gives the addresses and meeting times.
- Asbury United Methodist Church, Prairie Village
- Church of the Nativity Catholic Church, Leawood
- Church of the Resurrection United Methodist Church, Leawood
- First Baptist Church of Raytown, MO
- Grace United Methodist Church, Olathe
- Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Overland Park
- Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Lenexa
- Presbyterian Church of Stanley [NEW]
- Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Olathe
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Shawnee [NEW]
[See Shawnee Dispatch, "Club helps those seeking employment," Dec 17, 2008.] - The Center for Spirit at Work, Kansas City, MO
- William Jewell College, Liberty, MO [NEW]
Comments about some of the Job Clubs. I have attended six job club meetings in the last month or so, and have found useful tips, contacts, and pieces of information from each meeting.
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Shawnee has a new job club facilitated by Maureen Reintjes and Ralph Clevinger, which meets weekly on Friday mornings Besides the support and networking from the meetings, this group provides job seekers an online “Ning” community, which is a bit like a private Facebook group. See this online Kansas City Metro Networking Job Club.
- Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Olathe has an established job club, the St. Joseph Career Transition Group, facilitated by Fred Fosnacht, who is the founder of MyCatholicVoice.com. The group meets weekly on Wednesday mornings. The link to the “jobs” page for this group is not correct in the online JCCC list, but try this link instead. This site gives useful resources for job seekers, including audio podcasts, job postings, information interview tips, and reference links. Also, once a month Fred Fosnacht and Reid Hmelmaas hold mock interviews to help candidates.
- The Church of the Nativity Catholic Church in Leawood has meetings of its Career Transitions Support Group weekly on Friday mornings. Recently, the group was so large that it was split into two separate, concurrent meetings. Group leader Bill Eckert provides helpful suggestions and feedback to group members, and maintains a mailing list for new job postings.
- The Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lenexa only has monthly meetings of its Career Transition Ministry Group on the fourth Thursday evening. Judy Ambler is the facilitator for this group, which has a monthly program with a guest speaker, along with representatives from selected local companies. Linda Steele was the guest speaker at the November meeting about How to Business Network.
What to do before attending a Job Club meeting? Feel free to attend a job club and join the discussion without any preparation. The job clubbers will help you get started.
But, the first thing you will need to do is prepare a “30 second commercial” to tell your story to others in chance encounters, in an elevator, or on the telephone. This is your answer to, “Tell me about yourself.” [You'll need a longer "2-minute commercial" for your interview with a few more details.] You’ll want to identify your identity, strengths, contributions, and skills in as few words as possible.
Here are some Internet resources to learn more about creating your commercial:
- Your 30 second commercial
- 30-second commercial
- “Tell me about yourself — your 30-second commercial”
- Video: What’s your 30 second commercial
- Elevator Speech
- The Art of Interviewing: Powerpoint HTML
Most job club meetings encourage everyone to give their 30 second commercials, and ask for networking contacts, or other help.
How can a Job Club help you?
- Provide a support group that is sympathetic and helpful
- Provide a forum for you to express your feelings and concerns
- Provide a forum for you to ask any questions and receive feedback
- Meet others with similar interests and career objectives
- Provide an opportunity to practice your 30 second or 2 minute commercial
- Provide
- Tips about what books and other resources to read
- Tips about job search engine and other job web sites of interest
- Tips about coping with your job loss
- Tips about what firms have what kind of jobs
- Tips about what firms have recent job postings
- Tips about corporate cultures
- Tips about editing/updating your resume
- Tips about how to write a cover letter
- Contacts for setting up informational interviews
- Tips about getting business cards for use during your search (e.g., from VistaPrint)
- Tips about how to prepare for an interview
Please consider attending one or more of the area job clubs if you’re looking for work. You’ll find a friendly group willing to help you. While you will be helped by the group, there is an expectation that you help others as best you can in return. The groups are about people helping people.
I’ve been looking for work for almost four months, including the last two months as a full-time activity. My wife says all she wants for Christmas is for me to find a new job. Sadly, it will take a miracle for that to happen. R&D scientific computing jobs are a bit rare in Kansas City.
Related [Updated]:
- Job search is unemployed executive’s full-time quest, Kansas City Star, Feb 22, 2009.
- Six people put faces to six types of joblessness, Kansas City Star, Feb 22, 2009.
Tags: career transition, Job Clubs, unemployment
A great book that I read was “48 Days to the Work You Love” by Dan Miller. I would recommend it to anyone looking for work. Probably the best tip was to apply before a vacancy is posted. Most jobs are already filled by the time they are advertised, so it’s important to be proactive.