Job seekers finding success in Roswell church

As the economic downturn translates into more and more layoffs, many newly unemployed are finding their prayers for a new job answered in church.

That is because several area churches have job networking ministries designed to polish resume-writing and interview skills, provide networking opportunities and offer job postings. One of the longest-running such programs is at Roswell United Methodist Church on Mimosa Boulevard.

On the second and fourth Mondays of the month, RUMC Job Networking Ministry starts at 6 p.m. with a free dinner program and speaker. From there more than 65 volunteers offer various job skills seminars on resume writing and giving a good interview.

A lot of time is given over to networking. Experts give information on starting a business or going into a franchise. The evening finishes with a guest speaker speaking on topics to motivate and train the job seeker. By 8:30 p.m., everybody is on their way home.

Jay Litton has been the lead coordinator for the RUMC program for 11 years. This is the third economic downturn he has witnessed during this time, and he has never seen the need for this kind of program dry up.

Along with fellow leaders Katherine Simon and Nancy Schrempp, Litton sees as many as 120 to 130 people come for dinner these days. Another 50 or 60 people show up later.

"Our Web site is RUMC's most visited site other than the home page. We always had 40 to 50 people come out even in good times," Litton said.

Ken Grimme is one job seeker who has embraced the opportunities offered at RUMC. He is an insurance executive looking for a position in his field and wants to do everything he can to help the process.

"You have to have an edge over the others in a job search. I went to a job fair in downtown [Atlanta]. But that was just a cattle call," said Grimme.

One of the things Grimme likes best is the networking done by job seekers themselves. Part of the evening is spent in what is called "speed networking." Similar to speed dating of the 1990s, the members spend 15 minutes telling each other about themselves.

The idea is to find someone who knows somebody in your field that could lead to a job opportunity.

"You never know who might know somebody who could help you. And if you can help someone else, they are likely to try to return the favor," Grimme said.

Perhaps the first thing to do after losing a job is to get over the shock. In today's world, it is a fact of life that few careers flow smoothly with one company.

"The tendency is to think you lost your job because of some inadequacy in you. You have to get positive and realize it can happen to anybody," Grimme said. "When I came to my first meeting [at RUMC] I expected to see a bunch of losers. I was blown away with the caliber of people I met."

Litton says networking is a big part of the job search. Too many people sit back and use the want ads and Internet searches for jobs, when what they need to do is get out of the house and meet people who can help them.

At RUMC, some people may be looking to be their own boss and start a business. For those folks there are Bill Williams and Don Schuster. Williams is an expert on franchising, while Schuster is a volunteer with SCORE, the Small Business Administration's program using retired business people to counsel entrepreneurs just starting out.

"We give people the knowledge how to start a business or a franchise, but we don't steer people to a particular franchise," Williams said.

Schuster says they see many middle management people who make ideal candidates for running their own businesses.

"You can start a business out of your home to keep costs down. But don't turn down a job just because it only pays 75 percent of your old job. You may have to pick up the other 25 percent with a second job," Schuster cautioned.

As for job seeking, Williams and Schuster recommend networking as much as possible.

"It's the Six Degrees of Separation thing. Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody. You have to just find the right somebody. Networking could lead you to a career you didn't even know existed," said Williams.
- www.northfulton.com

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