Beautiful New England Church-Photo by Ruth Glover

Are you aware how fortunate we are in Dallas to have a large number of faith based career and job transition groups?  Other cities might have one or two groups, if you can find them, but Dallas boasts more than 50 such groups. Whether you live in Denton, Southlake, or Rockwall, a job group exists for you.  If you want to find a group close to your home, go to www.careerdfw.org. Click on the map and calendar for times and places.  The site is amazing as not only can you find a group, but valuable career advice is readily available.
 

For example, Plano has the following groups:

Christ United Methodist Church-North Dallas/Plano Career Group   

Fri. 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Custer Road United Methodist Church-JOB Group           

Tue.  6:30-8:00 p.m.

Grace Outreach Center-Employment Network                Sat.   5:00-6:00 p.m.

Prestonwood Baptist Church-Career Transitions            Tue.  6:30-9:00 p.m.

Reformed Church-JobNet                                             Thur. 7:00-8:00 p.m.

St. Andrew United Methodist Church-Career Care           Mon. 7:00-9:00 p.m.

You could overdose on career transition groups, attending one every day of the week.  Each of the groups seems to have its own “personality” or method of reaching out to job seekers.  Prestonwood Baptist (Plano), Career Solutions (Bedford) and Northwest Bible Church (Dallas) offer 12 week programs to assist the search. 

There is no charge for any of the faith based groups and you do not have to belong to the church or be a Christian, Jewish or of any other particular faith.  The groups exist to help you with your search for new work.

The Jewish Family Services in North Dallas has many worthwhile services for job seekers.  Career- Connection in Dallas is the “grand-daddy” of the groups, having started over fifteen years ago.  Although it meets in a church, there is no religious component, as some have.  This group charges a small administrative and monthly fee for their members.  They offer “spin-off” groups for various job groups, such as marketing, executives, IT, and others.  Several other groups offer one day workshops periodically, such as Crossroads Bible Church in Double Oak in southern Denton County, which is taught by a volunteer group of senior recruiters.

All the groups provide speakers on resumes, interviewing, networking and other related topics.  Their mail lists are a fabulous source for leads, as well as the exchange of information among the participants.  You may not want a job lead that would be perfect for someone sitting next to you at a meeting.  Some of the groups have hundreds of attendees, while others are small and less formal.  You should visit a few, if only to subscribe to their mail lists for leads.

Friendships develop and the support provides a level of comfort while going through the upheaval of unemployment or under-employment.  But if you join a group, be sure you realize that you must connect with more than the job groups.  Networking plays an important role, whether you find your next job through the internet or newspaper (less effective), the job groups or a friend (most effective).  A word of caution…you can become confused with too much information and opinions, as many of the group leaders are volunteers, rather than professional instructors.  You must filter the information and do what is best for you.

Be sure to visit www.careerdfw.org as one of your regular stops for success!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!