The Case for Professional Job Clubs in Ireland

Whereas executives, similar to other job seekers, have traditionally used résumés, interviews, and networking to find employment, they often have an additional resource at their disposal - outplacement services. One program that outplacement firms are using is the Job Club, or Career Networking Group.

Traditionally Professional level Job Clubs meet weekly and consist of a small number of professionals plus a facilitator. The meetings begin with members spending a few minutes sharing results and accomplishments from the previous week's network and career development activities. Participants request group feedback and insights regarding specific job search strategies, and opportunity leads are shared. Meetings close with members stating their job search and network development goals for the upcoming week.

However, what are the benefits of Jobs Clubs?

Job Club participants consistently identified several benefits associated with being in a Job Club.

Contextual understanding of job search – a Job Club helps participants to gain perspective on what is considered normal. For example unrealistic expectations of how long a job search can take.

Group learning process - a Job Club allows participants to construct an understanding of the current job market by providing a place to test ideas, gain feedback on the strategies used to secure a job, and learn through observation

Sense of accountability – by comparing measurable results with other participants, this motivates participants to work harder on their job search activities.

Networking opportunities - whereas networking is an effective strategy for job seeking, it does not come naturally to many job seekers who may be unaccustomed to prevailing upon strangers or casual acquaintances

Social and emotional support – a Job Club can be a source of support providing hope as well as a safe place to vent. The emotional support provided by the Job Club was likely instrumental in allowing the participants to persevere despite experiencing setbacks.

Ability to help others – a sense of importance and increased self esteem comes as a result of being able to help one another in the search.

Were the job club members' searches simply faster than or in some way fundamentally different from those of the non members?

Participants in a Job Club are more aware of the breadth of services available to them when job hunting and with the shared experiences and ideas, can expand and widen their horizons with regard to their transferable skills and opportunities.

Are the differences in the job search experiences found between Job Club members and non members a result of participation in the Job Club or simply a reflection of the personalities and experiences of people who are likely to join a Job Club?

Previous experiences, personal characteristics, or both may have contributed to the likelihood that participants would choose to join a Job Club.

For non members, previous job search experiences when the market was easier, can lead them to believe that finding a new job will be a relatively straightforward and expeditious endeavour and therefore they do not perceive the need to participate in a Job Club.

The Hare and The Tortoise

Executive job seekers exhibit qualities similar to those of the hare and the tortoise. The Soloists are similar to the hare. On the basis of previous expeditious job searches, they burst out of the gates. They draft their résumés and seek edits from their career counsellors. Soloists quickly approach their target companies, recruiters, or professional colleagues emulating what had worked for them the last time they changed jobs. Then, they wait. Soloists become frustrated as their efforts do not generate the interviews and job offers they were expecting.

Job Club participants, on the other hand, are similar to the tortoise. They take it slow and steady, viewing their job search as the gradual process of building an ever-widening network of contacts. Drawing on multiple resources and pursuing multiple avenues, participants gain the support of many supporters and, eventually, land their jobs.

If you are interested in joining an Executive Job Club, CareerVision run a range of Professional Career Development Programmes. These interventions are career focused, run by highly qualified facilitators and specifically aimed at professionals, specialists, experts, managers and those with established career histories, who are actively seeking to re-establish their careerpaths.

For a more in-depth information on this research “Benefits of job clubs for executive job seekers: a tale of hares and tortoises by Christopher T, Kondo can be found within the Journal of Employment Counselling, March 2009, Volume 46.