They have been renamed Southwest Job Network to better position themselves and be recognized as the premier valley wide resource for those in the community who are  in a job search or career transition or for anyone considering a change in careers during these challenging economic times.

During the month of June they have held events in other parts of the valley, on the west side of the valley in Glendale for their kickoff event at co-sponsor Glendale Community College a workshop entitled “Get Wired to Get Hired”  held on 6/4/09.

They also held an event at Chandler-Gilbert Community College on 6/11/09 for the start of their six part job search curriculum, with part one titled, “Understanding the Emotions of a Career Change”.

I attended both of these events as a supporter for SJN and one of the things I remember Eric Walton saying in his presentation at the Chandler event was something like “We are not a job service, and won’t get you a job, but will teach you to fish.”  That is a big part of what I like about SJN, and why I will continue to volunteer my time after I’ve landed my next position. People helping people, is what it’s all about.

SJN is staffed entirely by volunteers, from the founder Chris Vicari, and the other board members, to greeters at events who take new registrations and answer questions, to people who speak at the events, to those behind the scenes providing support in a variety of way including monitoring and approving messages on the Yahoo group, uploading and updating files, responding to information requests, to people who run for refreshments for the meetings, people who review resumes at some events, and people who handle the setup and take-down of audio-visual equipment at meetings, and those that provide technical assistance when needed.

Volunteering for SJN has been a blessing for me, I’ve met many amazing people through this organization.  I started this blog after several conversations with people at SJN including Bill Austin, who answered my questions about blogging, and many other members who I am able to bounce ideas off of to get feedback.

There are many exciting things coming up for SJN, and volunteering and getting involved is one way I know to expand your network, get out and be involved.

Losing a job has many emotional sides to it, and having only moved here a year and a half ago for a job, and only knowing a handful of people which were mainly the people I worked with, SJN and people I’ve met through this organization are there for moral and emotional support, and have been part of my support structure as I move forward in my job search.

As I last posted, I was given the opportunity to speak briefly at a blogging workshop hosted by SJN and was asked to give a job-seekers view on blogging, and how it’s another tool to use in and during your job search.  I likely would not have had that opportunity had I not been involved with and volunteering for SJN at that time.  An article ran in the Arizona Republic a short time after that event and can be found here: Baby Boomers turn to blogs to find jobs

Currently the website for SJN is at Scottsdalejobnet.com but will be transitioning to Southwestjobnet.com soon.

Happy Monday and Happy Reading!

For anyone local to the Phoenix Arizona metro area that is currently in transition it is a group I highly recommend connecting with and attending the bi-monthly meetings.

I simply searched meetup.com for “Networking” and found several local groups including BNI chapters, ASBA Arizona Small Business Association, and a few other groups.

When I looked at the calendar for the group posting the meetings for Scottsdale Job Network there was an event entitled “Creating Your Vision and Personal Marketing Plan” which caught my attention.  I started attending the bi-monthly meetings for Scottsdale Job Network.

I had made the acquaintance of Chris Vicari who is the founder and executive director of Scottsdale Job Network from an initial email to find out more about the group.

Some of the things that Scottsdale Job Network offers those in transition are:

1. personal connections
2. moral support
3. job transition training through various events and a job search curriculum
4. networking opportunities
   
5. resume reviews at meetings
6. access to online resources to assist those in job transition
   

Over the next couple of months I continued to attend the meetings and expand my network, finding out about other network meetings through out the valley from others who were in attendance. I continued to make personal connections, and with the technical advice of Bill Austin who is also a supporter of Scottsdale Job Network, I began this blog.

I had come to realize that I have a passion to help the people I was connecting with, and started volunteering for Scottsdale Job Network in a capacity related to my IT experience, Chris Vicari had asked me to monitor the LinkedIn group, and re-post information about jobs posted there to the Yahoo group they also have, which members join after attending a meeting and registering.

There is a variety of other resources available on the Scottsdale Job Network website as well some of which include:

1. Events Calendar
   
2. About Scottsdale Job Network
3. Frequently Asked Questions
   

I continued to build my network, and began attending other network meetings in the valley that I found out about through other members of Scottsdale Job Network.

In February I decided that I wanted to do more for the group so I approached Chris Vicari and asked her how I could help, she introduced me to Michael Prahl, a board member of Scottsdale Job Network, who was forming an ambassador program. I felt it was a great fit for me for many reasons, one of them being my passion and desire to help others.

The ambassador program has since begun, and I am attending local networking events representing Scottsdale Job Network, helping get the word out to the community, and letting people know of the resources available for those in transition through this great group of volunteers.

I will continue to volunteer and give back to this group once I’ve landed my next position as I want to continue to help others in finding their next great career opportunity.

Happy reading!

-Martin

I guess in some ways the quotes I come across, and people I’m meeting who have been an encouragement during this time for me, are all positive, as this quote is for me.

I know Bill personally and I’ve talked with him on a few occasions, most recently was about my blogging effort this past Tuesday after the Scottsdale Job Nework meeting.  I had set up but not started the blog here, but knew I just needed to jump in head first to get started.  This is a whole new world to me, and one which I will continue to explore and expand upon.

I have been following up on leads, and today is going to be another busy day for me.