For those of you who attended the speaker segment I want to address a few things that were mentioned because they really resonated with me. I know we all had a laugh when Patrick asked the question about volunteering and mentioned it was a shameless plug but Tom’s answer reaffirmed what we already knew. Volunteering allows you to show you are active, helping others, keeping your skills sharp and building transferable skills that you can then put on your resume and offer to a potential employer.

Volunteer experience is “real” experience – it’s a job – just not one that pays in dollars. I want to encourage all of you to volunteer be it with us or with another group or non-profit. We can always use volunteers to help us in areas other than just working an event. Are you a great sales person? Do you have a marketing background? An HR background? Are you a tech wizard? These are all areas that we and other organizations always need help in. You can volunteer your time and skills in these areas. I know we would definitely be open to it so let us know if you are interested. To back that up even further Joy talked about “getting out and being productive” what a better way than to feel like you are doing what you are good at, sharpening skills, learning new things and the wonderful feeling that you are helping others. I thought both of our speakers were wonderful and gave very specific and useful things that you can use to take action right now.

Don’t forget that our big “Company Holiday Party for those with no Company” is coming up on December 9th! If you haven’t already registered go to the events page on our website and register. It will be a great night filled with lots of fun, food, drink, entertainment and gifts! It isn’t only for those unemployed either – it can be for entrepreneurs, employees of smaller companies that aren’t having a party or for anyone just wanting to get out and have a good time! The $10 registration fee not only gets you into the event but will also get in a guest under one condition – they have to bring a non-perishable food item for The Chicago Food Depository or a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. Remember that even if your situation is tough right now – there are people out there that are doing even worse – let’s help them out too!

Thank you again to The Affinia, all of our volunteers, our incredible volunteer coordinator Linda Kesselman and everyone who attended. We so appreciate all of you! Please continue to send us your feedback via the survey or directly to me – we can only get better if we hear from you on what you want and need.

Make the rest of the week a great one and we’ll see you in December!!

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the great pics from this event now posted on our Photo Gallery

While admittedly we are “Job Fair adverse”, this event only resembled a typical job fair at

Participating Universities

30,000 feet. At the ground level we found a well-organized and detail orientated event vastly superior to job fairs we have attended in the past. Having a booth at this event afforded us the opportunity to spread the word about OWC and get a pulse on the the recent-grad job-seeking community. In speaking with event organizer Tarek Pertew we observed a genuine regard for helping others which transcends in to the quality of his event program. In fact, superlatives abound; not only from us, but from attending employers & job-seekers alike:

Accenture: “I wanted to let you know that my colleague and I really enjoyed ourselves at the career fair yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised by how many qualified candidates I met…Next time I definitely need to bring 3 additional recruiters with me.”

Job Seeker: “I would like to say I thought the Chicago Job Fair was great. It was just like you stated, not crowed and over 35 top companies and banks were their. It was very professional and well organized. I would highly recommend this job fair to anyone who is looking for a job or a career change.
Thanks again”

We look forward to MyWorkster’s return which is tentatively slated in the spring of 2010. Until then, check out the MyWorkster website; it is quite impressive.

The MyWorkster Guys

Spreadin' the word...

• What networking REALLY is and how to use it to tap into the hidden job market
• How to quickly build a list of meaningful connections
• Ways you can market  yourself effectively by communicating their message in 60 seconds or less
• How to develop a system that keeps it all straight
• Best of all, ways to relax and enjoy the experience of making new contacts and connections.

So, get the inside scoop this Thursday – for free.  Interested?  Send an e-mail to our business manager: meganmckenzie@getcertainty.com.  Now, today, this very  minute.  Remember you have to be 1 of the first people responding to grab these free spaces.

Special thank you’s to The Affinia Hotel for taking such good care of us. The employers for coming out to give our jobseekers the opportunity to meet and talk to them. Our volunteers for donating their time. Linda Kesselman and Senta Schreiber for coordinating our volunteers. Our expert panel for not only donating their time but also their expertise to help our jobseekers. And to our speakers, Gina Barge and Karen Evertson for giving our audience great information and for answering all the questions. And last but definitely not least – Veronica Ludwig for moderating the Q & A session. We couldn’t do these events without all of you!

We have our next event in just a few weeks – our very first suburban event at Entourage in Schaumburg on November 3rd! We are so excited and it’s already shaping up to be a great event! Registration is already open on the events page! Then our next city event will be on November 17th at The Affinia Hotel. Make sure you spread the word!

We are working hard to be able to bring you more resources and more events. The best thing you can do for us is to continue to spread the word about Out of Work Chicago! So tell everyone you know and we’ll see you at the next event!

- Amy Zagroba
Operations Director

Take a look at the Photos!

Hire Power Solutions

When Sarah Chang and I started Hire Power Solutions together, we both had the same overall visions and goals in mind.  Helping others is one of our main passions in life.  It’s why I truly love what I do as a Recruiter.  Establishing relationships with clients and helping them to find the best talent for their organization is one of the most rewarding feelings I could have in any profession.  Sharing my industry knowledge with job seekers is the other reward of my job.  As a Recruiter, a company hires me to find them someone that they cannot find on their own.  I learn about the company culture, internal management styles, hiring processes, day-to-day functions of the role, what the office environment is like, what the department and overall company goals are….etc…  Basically, I get to learn the internals of a company like I would learn about a new friend.  Finding the best, most qualified candidate that fits within this organization is my main focus.  But not only to please my clients…during the interview process I ask the candidate just as many questions as I ask the client.  I want to know them as a person.  I want to know what their goals are and what they would like out of their career.  In order to find the right fit for my client, this means finding the right fit for my candidate as well.  My job is not to put a body in an empty seat, my job is to make a good connection for both sides.

So what about all of the job seekers that I meet whose career goals don’t match those of my clients?  The unemployed, underemployed, or the unhappily employed.  These are the people who need serious assistance in this economy.  After spending forty five minutes to an hour with each candidate to interview them for a search I’m conducting, I found that I often spent almost another hour coaching them on their job search.  I meet people who desperately need help with their resumes and when I offer advice, I find out they have paid up to $350 for the resume they need help with…or maybe they need assistance on understanding how to interpret and answer certain interview questions…but wait, they have been speaking to a career coach and paying for these services with money that they don’t have.  They are jobless or underpaid and are paying for these services that are not helping them.  I’m not saying that there aren’t truly great service providers out there to help with resume writing and interview coaching.  I know a few excellent people on a personal and professional level and I would recommend these people to anyone!  But unfortunately, as in any business, there are people who claim to be professionals or “experts” in these services and in my opinion, are taking advantage of jobseekers during their most vulnerable time.

In July of 2009 we decided to start hosting a free workshop for job seekers.  Free so that people who are unemployed aren’t deprived of information that may help them to find a job and free so that people who have already paid for these services don’t have to pay again.  With the help of other industry professionals sitting on a panel, we created an open forum to discuss topics such as where to find quality job openings, how to use recruiters in your job search, networking tips and trends, surviving the let downs and emotional strain of unemployment and interview tips.  We also provide a free resume analysis at the end for those who would like to stay.  By having other industry professionals on a panel, it provides job seekers with a larger perspective on how recruiters and HR professionals view candidates.  Everyone has different opinions on the do’s and don’ts of job search and it’s important for people to hear them.

We have partnered with Out of Work Chicago to provide this service to as many people as we can reach.  We believe that the founders of OWC have a goal to truly help job seekers and businesses in this difficult economy and we are proud to partner with them to provide resources to accomplish that goal.

The next Career Strategy Symposium will be held on Wednesday, September 30^th, at Dragonfly Mandarin restaurant.  832 W Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60607  Seats are limited to 55 attendees and require an RSVP to info@hirepowersolutions.com.

This past Wednesday (July 8th) we held our sixth and finest event in a new venue, Pazzo’s at 311 S. Wacker. In an effort to accommodate our growing audience, we needed a spacious venue suitable for comfortable  networking while offering easy access to public transportation within the loop. Pazzo’s not only satisfied these requirements, but also our attendees with mouthwatering appetizers.

As always, the caliber of our job seekers was decidedly professional and earned high marks from attending employers. The video to the left speaks to this very point as Sears expects to extend up to 5 offers to candidates met at our event. In addition to  the job seekers were a solid presence of people with jobs; wise enough to start building connections in this very shaky employment landscape.

Complimenting the many networking opportunities, plenty of attendees took advantage of the wonderful resource that is our Expert Panel. Many walked away valuable tips from their resume critique performed by highly respected resume writers, Gloria L. Hess and Charlotte Weeks. In fact, a women approached me giddy with excitement as she had just received some great style tips form our style expert Noelle Cellini. This women had an interview the following day just learned that her look was all wrong.

Being our sixth event, we are seeing many familiar faces whom demonstrate markedly better networking skills and confidence than exhibited in early events. We are noticing that many return attendees now carry a much more impressive presence and are able to articulate what they do and what they are looking for . This point should be underscored. Networking is a skill and requires practice to be effective much like anything else. With that said, KEEP COMING BACK!

Now for what you’ve been waiting for: THE PICS!

Many of you asked for contact information for Pazzo’s catering director. Her name is Fay and she can be reached at 312-913-1600. She is very accomodating and delightful to work with!

Event Overview:
The Professional & Executive Diversity Job Fair is free and open to anyone with a 4-year degree or above regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, etc.

Meet face-to-face with recruiters and hiring managers from local and national employers, and speak candidly with industry leaders about opportunities in your field.

Whether you’re an active job seeker or just curious, you may discover a career opportunity just right for you.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN:

Visit Official Site for more info

On hand were career experts speaking on “how to stand out in the crowd in today’s tough job market.” The resume expert we observed delivered obvious resume tips in the form of platitudes which fell bluntly upon a thin and disinterested audience. Nonetheless, we applaud Monster’s efforts for the effort in trying to empower job-seekers.

It seems conventional wisdom compels most job fair attendees to arrive en masse right as the doors open. We eschewed this notion by arriving around noon and it worked to our favor, affording us greater accessibility to company booths. By this time the herd had thinned out and we were able to spend a little more time with hiring managers without the added pressure of someone looming over our shoulders.

The reality is long lines are a given at job fairs. In my opinion, this fundamentally handicaps ones ability to make meaningful connections with hiring managers. With a cavalcade of resume toting job-seekers behind you, it is crucial that your elevator pitch be on point and memorable. For this reason, I would suggest researching the companies and positions that will be at the job fair and be prepared to convey specifically why & how your skills and experience are a good match for that company.

For more on the Monster’s Keep America Working Tour, view their Calendar of Events

It’s limited to 25 copies, on resume paper.  You might call today to confirm your local store is participating, and to find out how best to get your resume into the queue early.

Here’s the only rule: Orders must be placed and picked up in-store. Customers may place orders by submitting their resume in printed format or as a digital file, and the copies will be printed single-sided on resume-quality paper. Usually, promotional giveaways are designed to entice customers to buy more products once they’ve been lured into the store, but considering the promo’s target audience, you can’t expect them to have very much discretionary income.

In an effort to get a pulse on Chicagoland job-seeker concerns, we suited up and headed out to the Chicago Career Fair at the Holiday Inn downtown. Organized by National Career Fairs, this event attracted thousands of hopeful job-seekers hoping to further their job search and learn of new opportunities. Having attended the last Chicago Career Fair in December, we had a good idea of what to expect: long lines, waiting and scant opportunities. In fact, this event does resonate one feeling which is true to its billing, and that is “Fair”.

After navigating to the end of the long and amorphous line to the main ballroom, attendees waited anxiously in line to meet the “dozens” of employers inside the ballroom. We watched expectantly as a wave of disappointment cascaded over  those entering the ballroom as they surveyed the prospects on hand. Present there were a real motley crew of booths  ranging from the Chicago Police Department to educational training programs. Though there were a handful of recognizable companies with open positions, I would say that the landscape of opportunities was decidedly bereft of a broad spectrum of open positions congruent with the broad spectrum job-seekers there.

Almost there....

Segment of the line waiting to get in

The general consensus of those we spoke to was rather consistent; they were disappointed in the the number and breadth of the companies attending and most agreed that that it was a waste of time. Everyone we talked to would have liked the benefit of knowing which companies they could expect to meet at the fair. However, it is no surprise why National Career Fairs does not disclose the companies registered for their booth space ahead of the event. Quite simply, many would not be inclined to go if they knew that the event would be comprised of a only a handful of companies that they are not even interested in working for. Further, most of the company representatives offer the same line of recourse: apply online. Apply online!?? I could of done that from the comfort of home.