Green Jobs Expo

40Plus members take note: the 2009 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference will feature a Green Jobs Expo showcasing the many pathways to green jobs and careers. The Expo, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Thursday, February 5, from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C.

Expo attendees can visit over 85 booths from academic institutions, manufacturers, non-profit agencies, corporations and governmental agencies highlighting interactive and dynamic displays that portray a multitude of career options in the emerging green economy.

Geico to hire 870 in first quarter

An article in the current issue of the Washington Business Journal indicates that Geico Insurance will be adding over 800 positions during the first 3 months of 2009. Many of the positions are at the company’s headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland.  Jobs can be found on their web-site  http://careers.geico.com/.

LinkedIn info; free job-search teleseminar

Here’s a two-for-one post to help bolster your online job searching.

An article in yesterday’s Washington Post Jobs section provides a great tutorial about using LinkedIn.  The writer, Ted Knutson, has visited 40Plus a couple of times.  Although 40Plus is not mentioned, we referred Ted to Cynthia Gilmer, a Monday morning speaker, who was featured at the end of the article.  So, as we like to say, networking, networking, networking is the key to landing your next job.

Good job Ted.  To see the article, go to
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/24/AR2009012400586_pf.html

An additional free resource came in from 40Plus Board Member Pat Lovenhart.

The link below has an audio replay of a free job-search teleseminar
that you can listen to at your leisure.  It is about an hour long.  Pat says she thinks it is one of the better seminars she has attended and even if you are not looking you should still check it out; you will get a lot out of it.

The seminar deals with personal branding and developing your
online profile.  Go to: http://www.reachbrandingclub.com/jobfind/

Thanks for the tip Pat.  Bolstering your online profile helps attract the attention of potential employers.  Best of luck to all job hunters out there.

Tips for joining a 40Plus Job Club

40Plus Job Club Coordinator Bob Guldin (guldin@starpower.net) passes along these tips for organizing or joining a 40Plus Job Club.

Organizing a Job Club, says Bob, is like organizing any other kind of group.  It takes some initiative, communications, and often compromise over things like where and when to meet.  But many people at 40Plus have found that it’s well worth the effort, in terms of getting support, suggestions, feedback, accountability, networking connections, reading and reviewing your cover letters, doing practice interviews with you, and more.

You have to make it happen by communicating with other potential Job Club members, and then keep it going by staying in touch.  In addition, to bring a new member into an existing Job Club, there is usually a process of introduction and getting to know each other.  This may take time, especially because a Job Club usually wants to operate by consensus when having a new member join.  But if an existing Job Club seems like a good match for you, don’t give up.  Stay in touch with the people in the Job Club.  Get their email addresses, send them your résumé.

In general, a good way to find a Job Club is to come to the 40Plus Monday morning talks to chat with people before the speaker starts and during the networking part of the meeting to let people know you’re interested in joining a Job Club.

If you have questions or comments, please get in touch with Bob at guldin@starpower.net.  He also invites you to send a copy of your current résumé, which he can use to introduce you to other people.

WaPo Mega Career Fairs

Once again, the Washington Post is sponsoring two Mega Career Fairs –  January 26 in Adelphi, MD and January 27 in Arlington, VA.

This is an excellent opportunity for 40Plus members to meet face–to–face with representatives of dozens of leading employers — all under one roof.

Click here to get more information, pre-register, and submit a resume.

Off to a great start

40Plus got the new year off to a great start with a full-house presentation yesterday from Katherine Thorn, a professional counselor who discussed Making Your Fear Work for You: Anxiety to Action in 2009!

After the Monday Morning Speaker, we celebrated two bell-ringers — Emily Glazer and Nancy Bulger — who recently landed new jobs!  Congrats to Emily and Nancy.  Later, the office was abuzz with activity in preparation for our general office cleaning/reorganization project later this month, which will be accomplished with help of numerous volunteers, including in-kind services from the National Association of Professional Organizers.

A new class gets started next week, and we’re all determined to put the economic woes of 2008 behind us.  Good job hunting to all.