Job Seekers Get A Competitive Edge
JOB SEEKERS GET A COMPETITIVE EDGE WITH THE HELP OF CINCINNATI CAREER NETWORK
As he looked for a job in Greater Cincinnati, Brian Monk tried online job listings. Then, he used a headhunter. Neither approach worked.
But after contacting the Cincinnati Career Network, he landed a job.
“Working with Cincinnati Career Network certainly became a turning point in my job search,” he says.
Now Monk, 36, is director of operations for the Mayerson Jewish Community Center in Amberley Village, Ohio
And he recommends the Career Network, a program of Jewish Vocational Service of Cincinnati. “They gave me the one-on-one attention I needed and helped me tailor a strategy,” he says.
The Career Network, based in Blue Ash, Ohio advises and supports people looking for a job. Its two consultants help clients polish their resumes and cover letters, improve their ability to handle interviews, become more effective in networking and negotiate salaries.
The services, funded by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and JVS, are available to anyone in Greater Cincinnati. Clients range from top-level executives to minimum wage employees. The consultants also work with people seeking part time, temporary and summer jobs.
To help job seekers make contact with employers, the Career Network maintains an advisory committee, which provides advice to the Career Network and one-on-one guidance to clients. It also has a network of employers. And it partners with other community organizations to provide additional resources to its clients.
“We help people move from where they are to a better place,” says Barry Wolfson, the Career Network’s manager. “Today, that may take a little longer than usual. But with the support and guidance of our consultants, our clients are making progress in moving toward their employment goals.”
Because of the recession, the consultants, Kim Slaton and Bridget Barzman, are in more demand than ever. Their caseloads have more than doubled in two years to almost 200 clients.
To deal with the increasing caseload, the Career Network has added workshops, allowing the consultants to work with clients in small groups, in addition to the traditional one-on-one sessions.
Monk initially worked long distance with Barzman, using email and the telephone. He and his wife, Molli, had decided to move from Atlanta to the Cincinnati area to be closer to her family.
Barzman oriented him to the style of the Cincinnati area business community, a more personal style than what he had found in Atlanta. For instance, she suggested he write handwritten thank you notes after job interviews.
“I could see that she didn’t see me as a case file. She treated me as a person with a unique skill set and background,” Monk says. “And she treated me with compassion, dignity and caring.”
Monk is thankful not only to Barzman, Slaton and the Career Network but also the Jewish Federation for its career guidance.
Career Network client Batya Boxt, 31, of Finneytown, appreciated that Barzman got to know her. “They really do listen to what you need and what you’d be good for.”
Now, Boxt is an administrative assistant in the institutional advancement office at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
Thanks to Barzman, George Dellal, 27, began to understand the importance of networking, including using social media such as Linked In and Twitter.
Dellal, who was living in England before moving to Cincinnati, didn’t know anyone in Ohio. So based on Barzman’s advice, he tapped the networking contacts of his wife, Elana, a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College.
By doing mock interviews at the Career Network, he anticipated interview questions. He ended up doing eight hours of interviews for a job at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Now, he’s a project manager there.
Slaton helped Stephanie Markowitz, 22, fill out an application for graduate school at Ohio State, and the university admitted her.
Now, Slaton is advising Markowitz how to find a teaching job in middle childhood education. “She’s definitely dedicated to what she’s doing,” Markowitz says.
As Micah Kamesar started looking for a job, he thought he had a well-written resume and cover letter and knew how to conduct a job search.
Then Slaton coached him, and he realized he had a lot more to learn. With Slaton’s assistance, he became more comfortable during interviews and learned how to find the “hidden” job market.
“She helped me realize how many more opportunities you have if you start networking,” Kamesar says.
Kamesar, 23, found a job working as a customer service representative for Touchstone Group Associates, a Blue Ash marketing company.
And Kamesar recommends the Career Network to friends. “It just gets you on the right path,” he says.
