The Job Forum 2021 Year
by Janet Beach
We are so happy when job hunters who come to The Job Forum make that crucial connection with a local business manager or get an insight – ah ha moment – for how their job search could go faster and be more productive, or get invited to an informational interview or make it through the company’s phone screening and get an appointment for a job interview and come to us to practice and prepare.
Most of all, we are delighted and impressed when they land the job and tell us they are happily “back to work”.
Job-hunting today is more isolated and more complicated than ever, with more expectations for job hunters and less interest in any job hunter who has not proven they’ve “already done it before “.
The hiring bar is high, and the challenges are formidable. Everybody, no matter how talented, needs somebody to extend a helping hand!
We are proud of having created and hosted so many special events this year that help job hunters.
We are 100 local business managers who volunteer, extending our hands out to help countless job hunters when they are out of work and really need it most!
Some of this year’s Job Forum special events included:
- Virtual career fairs
- technology workshops,
- career advice from healthcare company experts,
- job search input for careers in banking,
- workshop to practice an elevator pitch,
- resume workshops,
- financial insights to use while you look for a job,
- a biotech career panel,
- a small business panel,
- a panel on non-profit work
- workshops on optimizing your LinkedIn profile and another on making your career plan
- a decision-making process for becoming a consultant
- an exploration of careers in philanthropy and foundations
- new career options such as working in immersive technology,
- video interviewing tips
- careers in sales and customer success
- tips for how to work with staffing and recruitment firms
- advice and the science of staying positive
- career events for advertising and marketing professionals
- and more!
All the varied content to support job searchers, in Job Forum workshops or through valuable career panel discussions and job hunter meetings, is in addition to our every Wed evening Job Forum meetings!
Every Wed, job hunters bring us their individual “problems of the week” and we volunteers suggest what specific actions the job hunter might take to get around or under these roadblocks that job hunters typically face.
We are proud and gratified to have earned the trust of the community again this year because the advice we offer is up to date and it works.
Job hunters say:
“Thank you very much for this Job Forum. I loved connecting with people at local companies and hearing directly from them about their open positions and how the hiring process really works. This is so incredibly valuable and so effective. Thank you!”
“Thank you to all who came to encourage and help us today. You’ve helped me think differently about my next career move. I so appreciate all the advice and insight from you and the opportunity to meet so many smart kind people of The Job Forum is very inspiring. I am now very motivated to get to the next step in my career ”.
Thank you to the volunteers of The Job Forum and to our generous supporters and partners.
Together we are getting people connected with Bay Area managers, referred to other people who can help them or into companies they are targeting and helping them with the advice they use to get hired!
This is a team effort. Volunteer! Mentor! Donate!
Thank you,
Janet Beach Chairman, Executive Director, The Job Forum