Networking 101

In regards to the dream job search, I made my first leap this evening.  Anyone that knows me knows that I HATE speaking in public and making small talk with people I've never met.  I just don't have that skill.  I'd rather be the wallflower than the life of the party.  And I go out of my way to avoid these situations every chance I get.  However, I'm trying the whole branching out thing and networking (according to all the smart people I read) is a huge deal when it comes to that.  So off to the County Job Meetup Group I went. 

I joined this group on Meetup.com, as part of my "new lease on life" world view.  It sounded like a good opportunity to meet some employers or at least meet a cute boy (afterall this is what I'm really after here...).  Anyway, as the day wore on I tried to think of reasons to avoid going but when I couldn't come up with any, I grudgingly went.  And I am so glad I did! 

I was the youngest person there and I felt really guilty about having a job when most of the attendees did not.  That being said, they could not have been more gracious.  As I was informed, each meeting will have a different theme, all pertaining to topics job seekers need to know.  This particular week's theme was Proactive Interviewing.  The speaker was dynamic and even though audience participation activities are my worst nightmare, I found myself relaxed and even throwing my 2 cents in (Shocker, I know!).  They provided some helpful hints and even (apparently...) a magic bullet cover letter that will increase the chances you'll get a call back.  I'm not sure if I believe this fact but I'm so re-formatting my cover letter to match tomorrow.  I even met a woman that was interested in my eLearning skills which could pan out into a new opportunity.  She's currently a volunteer so my new opportunity will most likely also be volunteer, but hey, experience is experience!

I think the biggest asset to this group is that it shows job seekers that they are not alone.  It's a forum to talk about issues with people that really understand them and provides an opprtunity for info sharing.  Friends are more than willing to listen to you complain about your dead-end job and can even give you advice but if they have their perfect job already, they're never going to understand what you're going through.  This is the piece that I was lacking without even knowing it.

Thank you JCA!  You rock!  And I will most defintely be back next week : )