Job clubs for millennials

A growing number of Americans are joining so-called job clubs to seek emotional and professional support while they hunt for work. Traditionally, these clubs are comprised of people with a decade or more of professional experience, but now more job hunters in their 20s are creating clubs of their own. 

What makes these job clubs for younger people different is that they tend to be populated by underemployed workers. According to a 2014 report by the New York Federal Reserve, 44 percent of recent college grads either are working part time or hold positions that don't require a degree. Vimala Punsammy is one of these grads: She has a bachelor’s in biology and a graduate degree in biotechnology, but she's just getting by working as a clerk.

"It is kind of defeating. I feel like I wasted my years in school because I can't get a job in my field," Punsammy said. She was one of roughly two dozen young workers who attended a job club at the New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business branch. Like many members, she turned to the group for both emotional support and career advice. 

The library markets the free group as a drop-in job club for college graduates in their 20s. It meets twice a month and is led by volunteer career counselor and outplacement expert Karen Palevsky. Each meeting has a unique focus, such as interviewing skills or application strategy. On the night Punsammy attended, the topic was networking to gain access to the "hidden" job market. 

Members are encouraged to share their contacts with the understanding that what may not work for one person may be another's golden ticket. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that there are more than 10,000 job clubs in the country, with more forming every week. 

“Certainly since 2007 and the great recession, these jobs clubs have proliferated. They are in churches and mosques and libraries and synagogues, one-stop employment centers and community colleges — they are all across the country,” said Acting Assistant Labor Secretary Eric Seleznow. 

John Fugazzie runs an organization called Neighbors Helping Neighbors and has started several job clubs. His efforts to combat long-term unemployment have been recognized by federal and local lawmakers. He says many young people rely too heavily on the Internet and not enough on real-world networking.  

"If you have a job to fill, essentially it is like a currency," said Fugazzie. "You are going to fill it with someone you know. You're not going to fill it with someone off the street." He said nearly 400 people are now working because of the support they received at one of his meetings. He encourages millennials to join clubs to help them find work.

Career experts say finding a job means not being ashamed to tell people you need work, keeping a positive attitude and developing a thick skin. Yet as Hannah Campbell knows, the search can be tough.

"It takes a blow to your ego,” Campbell said. “You are consistently trying to tell people I am great and I am awesome at everything, but at the same time hearing crickets back or getting no response or a rejection. It doesn't make you feel as great as you're pretending to be.”

So like other millennials at the NYPL’s job club, Campbell is helping herself by supporting her peers and reminding herself she is not alone: "Hopefully put some good energy into the world and maybe get something back."

Related Links 

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2014/02/28/how-to-start-job-club/
https://partnerships.workforce3one.org/page/job_clubs
http://www.neighbors-helping-neighbors.com/
http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2014/02/20/drop-job-club-college-graduates-their-twenties