Some favorite links

Warren Toastmasters Club: http://warren.freetoasthost.ws/
Toastmasters International: www.toastmasters.org

Thursday. Networking. And a Few Plugs...

At this past Thursday’s Take Charge: Job Search Strategies, I spoke about using LinkedIn.com as a job search and networking tool. At the end of the 30 minute presentation, I took questions out in the hallway from many enthusiastic job seekers.



I met Michael Winokur (visit him here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwinokur; Michael is looking for a position in Property Management) who connected to me originally through Patrick Distelrath (visit him here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickdistelrath; Patrick is considering starting his own business).

Patrick attended the Job Search Strategies session back in January and has been very assertive and enthusiastic about using LinkedIn and all available resources to help land him his next job. He met Michael at another networking event, and “introduced” me to him through LinkedIn. Michael has since reached out to me to connect with one of my connections for a job. And, he showed up at Thursday’s session and made the effort to meet in person.

You have to believe that with all the good people in Michigan looking for a job, those who are using their professional networks and all available resources have an advantage. I think Patrick and Michael will both find new careers soon. They are positive. They are enthusiastic. They know the value of networking and managing those connections. And they are eager to learn from others during the job search process.

I speak from a position of experience. I was laid off from a former employer several years ago. Lucky for me (odd, right?) that my employer offered career transition services through Drake Beam & Morin (www.dbm.com). By the way, EXCELLENT program there. I learned a lot about myself and the whole job search process. Found out a few things I was doing right, and wrong (better to know…right?). Anyway, my transition lasted about 3 months - and this was when things weren’t nearly as bad with the job market.

By offering help through my network and through the great sessions at Walsh College, I hope that folks like myself can help others with their job search. If we all pitch in and help one person - each day - think about how much better off we would all be. And think about how you can help someone like Patrick or Michael.

Here’s one thing you can do: if you know of someone out of work, tell them about the free job search strategies session at Walsh College. Tell them I’ll be there speaking about using LinkedIn as a job search tool. And ask them what you can do to help.

Sites and Services for your job search

Great article for those in transition - helpful job search sites:

We found a battery of new sites and services--such as LinkedIn JobsInsider, Recessionwire, and Uberi.com--dedicated to providing the kind of cost-cutting, job-search, and moral-support tools that can be invaluable during lean times.

The complete story can be found here:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,160925/article.html