Job Search Support Club

One of the highlights of the NCDA Conference our department recently attended was the opportunity to join in roundtable discussions to gain new ideas on adding creative activities, groups, and techniques into our career department.

We recently started the Job Search Support Club based on a presentation of a job club that was created for unemployed professional women. The idea is to encourage peer support and have a place for like-minded job seekers to encourage each other in a safe environment.

This reminded me of the interactions I often witnessed while working at career centers at the community college level.  While working in the labs, students seeking employment would share their experiences, offer advice, and inform other job seekers about upcoming job fairs and companies that were interviewing. Taking direction from the presentation and recalling my experiences from the career centers, I realized that OPI has the ideal set-up to create our own job search club.

The Job Search Support Club, also known as JSS, started last month, and in our first couple of meetings we have already seen the value that the group supports provides. The sessions follow a loose format that includes topics for discussions with handouts, an opportunity for participants to ask specific questions to guide group discussion, and time to apply for jobs.

Since all participants have already completed OPI’s Career Workshop, we are able to extend topics such as resumes and job search tips and dive deeper to make more meaningful connections to each individual’s specific job search. It has been amazing to watch the participants take lead on their own job search and begin to make new support communities.

The JSS is required for all OPI job seekers and is open to IOP and outpatient participants who have already completed the career workshop.

Post by:

Jenny Bell Martin, M.S.
Department of Career & Volunteer