Job Club releases 2019 winter/spring schedule

The University of Kentucky Alumni Association, Fayette County Cooperative Extension Services and UK Human Resources Staff Career Development are pleased to announce Job Club’s 2019 winter/spring schedule. The purpose of the Central Kentucky Job Club is to provide a positive environment for motivated job seekers to meet, connect, share and learn.

The free group is open to the public and meets at 9 a.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the Fayette County Cooperative Extension Services office, 1140 Harry Sykes Way, Lexington, Kentucky. Business attire is encouraged. Convenient, free parking is available.

Job Club is for you if you are motivated and currently out of work, underemployed or looking to make a career transition. In addition, recruiters and employers are always welcome and introduced to Job Club attendees. For more information, call the UK Alumni Association at 859-257-8905, the Fayette Cooperative Extension Services office at 859-257-5582 or the UK Human Resources Staff Career Development office at 859-257-9416.

Additional information, including testimonials from former Job Club participants, can be viewed at www.ukalumni.net/jobclub.

Job Club Winter/Spring Meeting Schedule:

Jan. 8: Unleashing the Beast: Finding the Job That’s Right for You — Presented by Mark D. Rucker, president, the Mark D. Rucker companies of Lexington

After 2 1/2 years of hard work, and 130 pounds lost, Mark achieved his dream when he crossed the finish line at Ironman Louisville. Mark has written a book about his journey and now speaks to groups and organizations across the country sharing his 6 Building Blocks of Success and his story of inspiration and life change. In 2017, Mark left his job as a managing attorney at a Louisville law firm in an effort to find a more suitable work-life balance. Mark attended the Job Club for several months and utilized his own 6 Building Blocks of Success to successfully manage his job search. Mark found his “perfect” job in October 2017 and wants to help you do the same.

Jan. 22: Think Startup — Presented by Eric Hartman, associate director of Co.Create, a service of the UK Office of Technology Commercialization

Lexington enjoys a thriving business sector of entrepreneurial startups. Have you ever considered joining a startup? At this session of the UK Job Club you will learn how you can apply your skills to join a startup team or to perhaps launch a startup of your own! Find out how you can connect with local startup companies. As you consider your next career move, take this opportunity to disrupt yourself and Think Startup.

Feb. 12: Analyzing Three Aspects of Your Next Job — Presented by Michael Cunningham, insurance program evaluator, Carroll & Stone Insurance Services, a division of Nations Choice Trusted Advisors

This presentation will shed light on three important areas (compensation/benefits, trajectory of the position and work environment) to evaluate in your next job offer and break them down into cost/benefit considerations. Additional insight will be shared regarding what employers are valuing and looking for in the current job market and going forward.

Feb. 26: Active Job Seekers: It’s Time to Start Thinking Like Recruiters — Presented by Jayne Jarvis, senior talent sourcing strategist, Catholic Health Initiatives

Good talent acquisition professionals are constantly thinking like active job seekers. If you’re coming up short in your job search, perhaps it’s time to start thinking like a recruiter. Key points covered in this presentation will include how to think like the organization(s) and recruiters of which you are interested and how to know your audience.

March 12: Target Your Resume — Presented by Jill McCoy, business development executive, the BaronHR Family of Staffing Companies

A focused resume entices the employer to want to interview you and see if you’re as impressive in person. Make your qualifications stand out and utilize the keywords of the job posting to get noticed by target employers and land an interview. This presentation will help the audience build a solid resume foundation, target your resume/skills to the specific position using keywords and highlight your accomplishments by capturing the keywords of the job posting.

March 26: 100 Interviews to 1 Job: How to Interview Less and Get the Job You Want — Presented by Amanda Huddleston, executive vice president, People Plus Inc.

Join us as we discuss/role-play the typical interview set-backs, blunders and mistakes candidates make and how you can avoid them to land the job you want.  Our facilitator, Amanda Huddleston, will share with you her 15+ years’ experience as an employment interviewer to guide you through the steps for a successful job interview.

Free resume reviews held immediately following Job Club.

April 9: Identifying Your Talents and Envisioning Opportunities — Presented by Lori Garkovich, professor emeritus, UK Department of Community and Leadership Development

Are you tapping into all of your abilities?  Could this be an opportune time to consider new employment possibilities? This presentation will engage the audience in a self-assessment of talents.  Learn how to use your results to explore different career options including entrepreneurship.

April 23: LinkedIn or LinkedOUT: How to Build a Knockout Profile & Network Yourself into Your Dream Job — Presented by Amanda Schagane, Associate Director, UK Alumni Career Services

LinkedIn has 332 million members. Two new users join every second. Are you tapping into your full networking potential on LinkedIn? This session will address how to build a robust profile and strategies for using LinkedIn to network yourself into new job leads.

May 14: Job Search Tips & Strategies from a panel of regional recruiters and HR professionals

This week’s Job Club meeting will feature a panel of local HR professionals and recruiters. You will learn job search tips and strategies directly from those involved in the recruiting and hiring process. This is an opportunity to get your job search, application, and hiring questions answered, so come prepared with questions for the panel.

May 28: Panel of Job Club Success Stories

Back by popular demand this annual program will be sure to inspire. Hear from former Job Club attendees on how they made successful job or career transitions, landed interviews and kept their spirits up during their search.

*Snow policy: If Fayette County schools are close or on a delay, Job Club will not meet.