Job hunting blows. Job clubs, groups that get together to share tips and practice techniques, are becoming popular means to get better at it, and the Wallingford Job Club just had its inaugural meeting this past week. Organized by Eimear O’Neill and Natasha Pastouna, they’re meeting every Monday at Mosaic Coffee House at 10 am.
There’s a cover charge of $10 and this Monday’s meeting will be on “The Power of LinkedIn”. There’s a maximum of 15 attendees per meeting, so RSVP on the MeetUp.com page if you plan to attend.
We might go just for the pleasure of listening to Eimear’s delightful brogue.
I like the idea of a Wallingford Job Club and was going to recommend it to my husband until I saw “cover charge of $10.” Why on earth would a meetup group — especially one for unemployed people — charge its members when there are so many free resources available?!
ditto! especially $10 number. that seems high. maybe a suggested donation or sliding scale for people who are currently living below the poverty level. this meeting feels exclusive to a certain class of people.
Yeah, my partner’s been officially unemployed for over a year. Having to pay money to keep looking for & learning to apply for jobs at a meet up at a “pay as you can” meeting place is very unfortunate. Maybe they’re trying to make sure they don’t get overrun by too many people, but “first come first served” would work better.
Mosaic asks for a donation to use their Den meeting room. Maybe the cover charge is for that.
But, I agree maybe it would be worth finding a place they could use for free. Especially since if the donation were “suggested” or sliding people who need the help might be embarrassed not to pay the whole amount and just wouldn’t go.
Mosaic does ask for a donation for the meeting room use BUT when I was involved with BIZNIK we did not pay for individual workshops. We were however encouraged to buy things there.
Mosaic is a large space and there are tables which are not part of the meeting room..
I agree 10.00 is too much for people who ar not working.
I will say that I hardly worked for 2 years, but kept on with my applications and trying many things. I did not qualify for UI because once one substitute teaches they cant qualify – so I had mor epersonal pressure than those on UI. I had jobs when others did not because of my tenacity and careful persistence. I did everything from selling programs in front of Qwwest Stadium to applying for dancing at clubs besides my professional applications. There are ways to work and to make money. I used to give my ideas out but now am busy working. In a way this may be part of the request for money from the organizers.
Mosaic meeting room will hold more than 15.
$10? For what?
I participated in job hunting groups that met at Mosaic once a week, and there was zero reason to have a cover charge for anything. 15 people can casily meet in their available regular space, and the only donations needed are the ones that people would normally make for coffee. I’d boycott any unemployment meetup with a cover charge and start my own, for free.
Also, when job hunting and going to meetups, it’s most productive to meet with other people who are in a similar line of work, so you can trade tips that are relevant to your field and the culture unique to it.
$10 cover. I can’t believe anyone has the gall to ask for that.
For techies, the best job hunting advice I ever learned was at the free seminars offered by Prolango consulting. Highly recommend them, and they’re FREE.
I was about to forward this to a friend who I thought might benefit from a support group like this UNTIL I saw the $10 fee. Ridiculous!
Hi guys, Eimear here, one of the organizers for the new Wallingford Job Club.
I love the open discussion about our new local club – thank you for all your opinions!
Let me jump right in and tell you more about it.
Maybe the title “Job Club” makes people think that it would be for free from their past experiences of other job clubs. Our intention is different – we provide a structured job training session not a casual meetup with lots of people. We have a set agenda with discussions and activities and a limit of 15 people.
After attending some job clubs myself and Natasha noticed that folks who go were never shown how to do things only told about them. We don’t claim to be career experts – although saying that my background and experience is primarily in adult training, which includes providing training in job searching skills. Natasha has a wide experience of project planning and fantastic networking skills and Alicia’s (our newest organizer as of today!) professional experience is as a recruiter – so all in all a great team! We spend significant time in preparation for each meeting- each filled with relevant info and hands on activities.
Today’s session was the “Power of linkedin” – where we discussed, demo’ed and everyone completed activities in their own linkedin profiles! $10 is a token of appreciation for our time, our skills, our print outs, and the hope that we can keep supporting a brilliant community resource, Mosaic Cafe. We are hoping we can raise enough funds to get a second hand projector!
As a trainer I work best and participants learn more in an environment where there are few distractions. A public table in a coffee house unfortunately doesn’t lend itself to either; the Mosaic meeting room is however ideal.
For $10 participants get targeted activities that are crucial to their job search. They will pay much, much more for that service elsewhere. This opportunity is truly a bargain and yes I am biased but I am also a passionate trainer with an authentic brogue 🙂
p.s. The first session is FREE to try it out, after that it’s $10 on a first come first served basis.
ok here is my perspective..
if you cal a group a club.. then you ar eimplying that it is a socail group- not a pay for expertise group.
If you misinform people what youare doing and attempting to do.. HOW CAN YOU HELP PEOPLE WHO NEED JOBS??
Will you be teaching the participants to LIE?
I found 5 grammar errors in this short description. Do you help people write cover letters?
I am finding very difficult to understand the level of hostility from the folks commenting here towards a private initiative that it’s only intended to offer an extremely reasonably priced service that is completely optional. If you really think that charging participants $10 constitutes a profitable business, you obviously don’t know much.
This is not a bill that needs votes but simply the result of the initiative of a small group of people in the area targeted to help folks to increase their chances of success when looking for a job.
If you don’t like the grammar, the price or the value proposition, it’s really quite simple, do not join.
I personally like to see that there are people out there with the drive to setup initiatives to support the unemployed. Maybe you can come up with better pricing, better value proposition or better grammar (based on what I’ve read, I very much doubt it).
Criticizing is really easy, it seems obvious that anyone can do it, but unfortunately doesn’t add any value to the community.
@ Reuben: Thank you, very well said.
I have been without work myself for awhile. I am ,as I have said, bothered that people would capitalize on others’ needs.
If you wish to call this criticizing then that is your choice. Your stating that I don’t know much because I have a concern about the overcharging is more negatively and personally pointed than my words. 15 times 10.00 for one hour is 150.00.
Calling a group a club .. is misleading when the intention is to be a structured workshop orientation or focus. By opening misleading people it only adds to the frustrations people who are unemployed or looking for work have to circum-navigate.
By the way there is a job search group at CSL; a different meet-up which didn’t charge and the UW Womens Center had one for no cost. As did the YWCA. As does Worksource.
I went to the Meetup this morning and found it very useful and helpful. It was definitely worth my time AND the $10. I have been to other work meetup’s and this was far and above those. The facilitators had handouts and a schedule for the meeting. They helped with ideas and kept the meeting on track. I would recommend this to my friends and go again!
@ Cathy, No doubt there are many free options. I’ve attended quite a few, and in my experience, those that charge a fee, even if symbolic, always get better results since the attendees seem to take more interest in protecting their investment, even if it’s a very small one.
I have been member of many paying “clubs”, starting with my sports club, and I never took the interpretation that someone was misleading me or that they were teaching me to lie.
ok
In my experienc emuch can be learned from many sources. When ther eis misleading info or less than clear intent and format people ar eput off until things are mor eclear.
I got a job without goign to any of the groups this time around. I havebenefitted from much learned over many years of life and attending many sources when out of work. I was one of top considered to be a job counselor for Worksource twice in another city and both times a transfer was put inot the job. I am not stupid – simply wary of certain activities.
My job does not nor ever did typing accurately!
I’ve attended both the inaugural meeting and the follow up meeting of the Wallingford Job Club. I found both meetings very informative and helpful. I think it is a fresh take on the ‘Job Club’ meet-ups that are available around the area. It is a hands on work shop versus a group of unemployed people networking with other unemployed people for leads on limited jobs. I’m glad the group is small because it offers plenty of really helpful work into the relevant topics the organizers have chosen for each session. The people I have met there have given me better leads and I have more inclination to stay connected to them because our interactions are more relevant than notching another name on my LinkedIn connections.
I agree that the venom around the comments of a $10 charge are misplaced. If it’s not for you don’t attend. Value is a judgement call based on factors unique to oneself and your situation with the old adage still holding true ‘You get what you pay for’. Personally I got far more than I paid for at the Wallingford Job Club and bless all the organizers for the vision and insight to put this together and execute it so professionally. I will continue to attend.
Since when does Mosaic allow for-profit activities to take place in their community space?
Mosaic’s web site does say “Due to the nature of Mosaic, the Den is available to groups using it without fixed prices. This means fee structured events are not allowed. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Assuming this club got some kind of exception?
@Maggie
From Mosaic website “Mosaic welcomes all within our local community to participate in the life of this unique coffee house. ”
@Cathy – ” I am bothered that people would capitalize on others’ needs.”
If I want a class in job searching through a job searching coach (of which some are just marketing experts 🙂 I would have to pay something like $700 for a few days worth. Yet somehow you begrudge some folks who set up a similar service for $10 for a couple of hours to the local community. Really Cathy? That I find strange. A club is NOT a Non Profit.
It clearly stated in this blog $10 fee and on the meetup website it is $10 – who can be misled by that? if you think every club should be free then you are truly misleading only yourself. I think some folks will criticize the club no matter what – even when 2 participants come in to support the club, even when one of the organizers openly states what they do there. I see transparency you see conspiracy!? Sadly some folks are neither open minded or open hearted to welcoming new services in the community 🙁
>By the way there is a job search group at CSL; a different meet-up which didn’t charge and >the UW Womens Center had one for no cost. As did the YWCA. As dos Worksource.
Cathy if you think for a minute these services are free..then you are being misled! These services are paid by you and me through taxes and others are paid by generous donors. But they are being PAID for one way or another! And they are all great services but just because THESE services are “free” as you see them, it doesn’t mean everyone servicing the unemployed can’t charge.
Instead of being cynical – why don’t you go to it – it’s free for the first meeting I read – then when you have experienced it, come back and tell us if it was worth $10. Seems like a fair proposition. Are you up for it?
I don’t need it . I have a job and job offers.
I still think you could have used a better targetted name to prevent some of the confusion and hostility.
That with the grammar errors I have no inclination to try it.
My typing is not good but my grammar is better. And I never liked the cold underground nature of Mosaic.
I am glad people feel that they are profitting.
I think everyone would agree that is very good news that you don’t need to take part in this initiative. Always nice to find some common ground.
Thanks everyone for your comments. We have taken them on board, and made a few changes.
Firstly, the meetings are now at Q Cafe (www.qcafe.org), but are still every Monday at 10am. Whilst Mosaic was a great location, we acknowledge that they do not allow fee-based groups, and took the initiative to seek out alternative meeting space. Sadly, that means that we have had to move away from Wallinford.
Secondly, the name is now Seattle Job Workshop. We did not intend to misconstrue our group as not-for-profit, and we hope that the new name is less ambiguous.
Why workshop? Each of the meetings is focused on a particular part of the job seeking experience. We provide a general overview, before guiding participants through a series of prepared exercises to apply the lessons learned.
I hope that this post clarifies the issues raised – and that it encourages more people to join us next week. We are preparing a workshop focused on interviewing skills.