It is the third Monday of the month, and the eight members plus one newcomer of the Make a Difference Job Club are sitting in a back room at the Old Wives Tale restaurant, 1300 E. Burnside, having a discussion. The topic of conversation is job networking. Leading the discussion is Vicki Lind, the counselor who started the job-seekers group one year ago. She has just given a presentation about structuring time and the importance of making a commitment to do job research and make new networking calls each week.
"Watch out," she says, "for addictive patterns like 'I'll start tomorrow.' Bargain with yourself to work about thirty minutes every day."
"I'd rather have a root canal," admits one man. Another member says she finds it helpful to enter dates related to job findings into an electric calendar on her computer because "It keeps beeping at me."
"Oh, electronic harassment," Lind says approvingly. Five of the attendees are Portlanders. Four are from out of state. No one has held the same kind of job, but everyone hopes their skills will transfer over to the nonprofit field.
A former clerk for Nike says, "I give blood. I think it's important." She would like to work for the Red Cross, possibly as a blood donor recruiter. The diverse backgrounds of the group members include a training manager, a church administrator, a Verizon employee, a file clerk, and a mother whose parenting responsibilities kept her out of the job market for nine years.
A former Irvington resident, Lind has degrees in counseling and education. After working for fifteen years in administration and counseling for Linfield College, she left to go into private practice. At Linfield she helped adults in transition earn their degrees and enter meaningful careers. She decided that she wanted the next phase of her counseling to target a specific group of people.
"I wanted to focus on creative people in all fields and people who want to make a difference, people who work in fields helping the community or the environment. Even if someone is in pretty tough economic straits, if their core self cares so strongly about problems of the environment or community, it's very painful to think about spending eight hours a day without making a contribution," explains Lind. "These people have great heart, great values, but they don't always have money for counseling."
First Lind came up with the concept of the group and then the name. She wanted a member group rather than a drop-in group, one where people could help each other with ideas and give emotional support. The job club meets on the first and third Mondays of the month at Old Wives Tales from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The first Monday meeting is open to guests and there is no charge. At this meeting participants focus on giving job leads. The third Monday meeting, for members only, is when individuals discuss issues they are working on and Lind gives mini-presentations.
"In each group there is time for commiseration," Says Lind. "We start with accountability by asking questions such as "What did you accomplish?" and "What is your commitment to an action step?"
The cost of membership is $15 for one month or $60 for six months. According to Lind, most of the members are mid-career and between 35 and 60 years of age. Of the eleven people who have been in the club for the last six months, four are now employed in jobs that are a good match, two have taken survival jobs, and three are still looking.
"It's fairly common for a full career transition to take two years, with one or more interim steps," says Lind. "Some people have to make a change in two steps. They may take a job that does not use their skills on the level they had hoped but always with an eye on how the interim job will position them better."
Debra Jarcho, a Southeast Portland resident, attended the job club for three months and recently found employment. After working for fifteen years for the school district she was laid off from her job as a "technology person." She was without work for one year, a time which felt really long. "The job club was great. I've been to other job clubs, and it was a different type of job group. This one helps people explore and pinpoint something they really want to do."
Club members encouraged her to do informational interviews with nonprofit, which led to her current position as a part-time consultant for Technology Assistance for Community Services. "I wanted a full-time, regular job," she says. "Then the reality of what's available hit me. I'm grateful to have something I like. I'm using my technical skills in a different environment, helping the organization fit technology into their organization's purposes."
For many years, Bev Taylor of Northeast Portland was a married homemaker and an artist, but a divorce meant she suddenly found herself facing the job market. From August 2002 through March 2003 she sought employment. She attended the Make A Difference Job Club and took six months of business training through the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The AARP program arranged for her to work at Portland State University while receiving a minimum-wage salary from AARP. While at PSU she heard about an opening in another department, applied for it, and got it.
"At the club," says Taylor, "people cheer you on. The job-search process can be so disheartening. We keep each other going." Taylor landed in a front desk, office assistant/receptionist position, a full-time job with benefits. She advises others to not to buy into the stereotype about people not hiring older people. "My personality was my strong suit. Also, my work ethic. Everyone has a strong suit and he or she should follow it."
For more information about the Make A Difference Job Club, contact Vicki Lind at (503) 284-1115 or vlind@teleport.com. Anyone interested in attending a meeting is asked to contact Lind first. |
