MARY MOTHER OF GOD
Job Seekers Support Group
Meeting notes

Date/Time: 5/12/09 7:30 p.m. Meeting held in Parish Hall
Attendees included various seeking employment. Group was led by Jake McCormick and Tim Pelligrino. Job support expertise is being by Bob Murphy (Procurement Manager at Bogen Imaging, Inc.), James Taylor (Sales Management Training, Organization Development, Performance Improvement), and Michelle Brusyo (Marketing & Communications Manager at Digital Brand Expressions).
Discussion Jake started the meeting by discussing Resume Development, Job Search Strategies and Interviewing techniques. He emailed his agenda and talking points LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT JOB HUNTING
Resume Development 2 Pages Max and prepare multiple resumes to cover specific job types. Also, prepare a cover letter that is very specific to the job and how your skills apply to that job. Get the annual report to align your cover letter that matches the “buzz words” being used in the organization. Make sure your resume includes key word to ensure it passes matching criteria.
  • Prepare a 30-second “elevator pitch” and always have it ready.
  • Free business cards can be obtained at vistaprint.com or Staples.
  • Keep a printed copy of your resume on your person at all times and have it on a flash drive.
  • Tip from Bob Murphy: Job search expenses are tax deductible.
  • Tip from someone in the group: He developed a 6 page Powerpoint presentation highlighting his skills and uses printed out copy on interview for impact.
  • Consider keeping your resume on a website.
  • Jobfox is a website for interviewing. The Library provides deep access to Company information.
  • Join professional societies for networking opportunities.
  • Flood companies with your resume where you might want to work
Michelle presented a brief overview and presentation of the Linked-In website:
  • Add job-specific keywords to your Profile
  • Link in to a website (to yours if you have one)
  • Enter a brief note related to those who might contact you.
  • Join Groups in your field (e.g.,Veterans, Engineers, Accountants, Mary Mother of God)
  • Michelle created a Linked-In group for Mary Mother of God the Group to join
  • Go to ZoomInfo and search for your name to see if there is a profile
  • Michelle emailed a Linked in Document to the group Guide to LinkedIn and ZoomInfo SA
Bob Murphy spoke and mentioned to use recruiters to your advantage. They will help you because the market is tight right now.
Create a marketing campaign….Brand yourself, Headlines, Who am I and what can I do?
Mary DiPaola created a website for members: http://jobs.marymotherofgod.org
For the next meeting James Taylor will present tips for marketing yourself.
Notes for meeting submitted by Ruben Trevino




Date/Time: 6/23/09 7:30 p.m. Meeting held in Parish Hall
Hello all-
We had a good turnout last night - with three new people joining us this week.
We discussed "How to get that interview." Don Yacus and Tim Pellegrino shared some handouts with us. I'd ask them to please send copies of them to all on Mary's roster, and/or bring some extra copies to our next meeting for those who missed them.
We agreed to continue our meetings every other Tuesday at 7:30 PM, rather than try to reschedule around various calendar problems that come up for individuals.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 7th at 7:30 PM in Schelberg Hall. Suggestions for discussion include "Interviewing Techniques" and "Interview Role-playing."
As always, if anyone has suggestions to help keep our meetings productive, please share them. This might include speaking on a topic, bringing someone else who could speak, bringing relevant articles or sources of information - and, of course, actively participating in the meetings.
Happy 4th of July to all - see you in two weeks.
God Bless
Notes for meeting submitted by Jake Mccormick



Date/Time: 12/22/09 7:30 p.m. Meeting held in Parish Hall
... thoughts for activities all job seekers
  • track on a daily basis and then tally each week
  • Weekly reviews will allow us to see where we are spending our time, and then adjust future activities to those areas that deliver the best results. Each of these ought to have a daily or weekly target number/goal.
  • 1. outbound phone calls for networking
  • 2. job ads replied to on the Internet (all sites - Big Boards, niche boards, aggregator sites, etc.)
  • 3. target companies where I have built a job profile and/or posted my resume and submitted against posted jobs
  • 4. custom cover letters to senior level types inside each of my target companies
  • 5. Linked In contacts to whom I have reached out for support
Wish you all a wonderful & blessed Christmas Season and only good things for the New Year!
Notes submitted by Jim Taylor
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