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Newsletter of the East Bay Chapter of STC
November/December 2003

Employment News: Job Search Assistance
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Ken Evansby Ken Evans
EBSTC Employment Manager
 

The Bay Area is one of the most intensely competitive job markets in the world. Thousands of well-educated, extensively experienced, and highly skilled workers from all over the world want to live here. Most of them are not independently wealthy, so they need employment. The result is a large number of well-qualified applicants pursuing a limited number of jobs. That’s the bad news. The good news is that most of these applicants don’t know how to efficiently get a job.

Commercial Companies

Near the front of any large newspaper’s employment classifieds section, you often see ads for companies that promise to help you market yourself, mine the hidden job market, and get the elusive interviews. If you go to these organizations, you’ll find fancy furnishings and elegantly dressed staff who will greet you, stroke you, soothe you, and present you with impressively packaged literature—for several thousand dollars.

If you don’t have (or don’t want to spend) that much money, a much better value is available. Some years ago, an astute state employee persuaded California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) that most workers are trained to do a job, but very few have been trained to get a job.

State-Sponsored Help

The result was a network of state-sponsored job search operations that are associated with most large EDD offices. They consist of unimposing leased office space, equipped with desks, telephones, computers with Internet access, laser printers, fax machines, photocopiers, meeting rooms, etc. At each location, the program is overseen by an EDD employee (usually assigned half-time). The operation is manned by the job seekers using their talents and experience. Computer experts train those who don’t have experience in using computers. Human resources people conduct mock interviews (often videotaped) to help sharpen that skill. Those with sales experience visit potential employers to market the talents of personnel in the program. All facilities and training are available at no cost to the participants.

For job seekers, the EDD program is probably more effective than the very expensive commercial operations. More participants are involved, so there’s much more and better networking potential. The information communicated is up to date and unvarnished. You can quickly learn who is and is not hiring, who you want to work for—and, more important, who you don’t.

As a participant, I found it very helpful to take advantage of absolutely all the training offered. Every workshop conveys at least some new and useful information. Combining and applying what I learned there enabled me to consistently ace out the competition. As a result, I usually got the interview and frequently was offered the job.

Words of Caution

The networking potential in these programs is excellent. In addition to numerous valuable business contacts, I made several lasting friendships with people I met there. But remember that not everyone is ethical. Some important cautions:

  • Never turn your back on your personal belongings. If you go to the rest room, take your stuff with you.

  • If you use the office equipment to produce resumes and cover letters, don’t discard the extras in the wastebaskets. You never know who might scavenge them to use, misuse, or abuse your personal information.

  • Don’t store personal data on the computer hard drives. Before you put a data diskette in the floppy drive, be sure it’s legibly labeled with your name and phone number. It’s easy to get distracted and forget to remove it when finished. This identification will help to get it back to you.

  • At large weekly meetings, you may want a placeholder to save your seat. Don’t use anything you care about (my device was a manila envelope ballasted with newspaper).

Resources

If you decide to investigate this program, contact your nearest chapter. In the East Bay, different locations of the program have various names:

Experience Unlimited, 367 Civic Drive, Pleasant Hill 94523, 925-602-7700

ProNet, 39115 Liberty Street, Fremont 94538, 510-794-3681

ProSearch, 675 Hegenberger Road, Oakland 94621, 510-563-5310Top of page
 

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