OWC in Crain's: Out of work, but not out of places to network
Stephanie Safran & Claire Bushey
Reporting for Crain’s Chicago Business, Claire Bushey attended our networking event on June 3rd. Here is her ensuing article:
Laid-off Chicagoans are confronting the daunting job market by banding together to win concrete benefits like access to recruiters and free advice from job search experts.
There’s more available at the Northwest Suburban Jewish Networking Group than a chance to hobnob with other out-of-work professionals, says Linda Kesselman, 59, who formed the group in January. The group brings in speakers to answer questions from job-seekers, like how to dodge inquiries about compensation or if it’s better for older workers to keep their résumés short.
Out-of-Work Chicago furnishes an “Experts Row” at its monthly networking events, where attendees line up for advice from a team of professionals familiar with recruiting, personal branding and business etiquette. These brief sessions can correct “glaring deficiencies” in how job-seekers present themselves, says co-founder Patrick Iwanicki, 32, of the Gold Coast.
Out of Work Chicago also draws job-seekers to its events by luring recruiters there first. They share with companies a searchable database of everyone who’s registered to attend. It’s more than names; there’s résumé information, plus each participant’s job and industry preference. Seventeen companies sent representatives to the June mixer, allowing participants to “meet the decision-maker who’s actually trying to hire for that job,” Mr. Iwanicki says.
That’s a boon to job-seekers like 40-year-old Margo Speer of Rogers Park, who attended the May event. “Face to face is always better,” she says. “They feel a bit more obligated to return calls than if you were just a name on a résumé.”
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