from Jobseekers of Peachtree City - encouragement

JobSeekers of Peachtree City
Helping People Find Good Jobs, Close to Home, in Minimum Time

Get out and about. Come to JobSeekers this week. Bring a friend.
If you're not looking, forward this message to someone who needs it.

In This Issue
1. Inspiration: To Get Better Results, Be Your Authentic Self
2. Success Story: God Blesses Manuel with Dream Job that Came from Nowhere
3. This Week's Meeting: Looking for Hippos
4. Networking: ABC from 10:15 to 11:30
5. Job Leads: Leads and Links in South Metro Atlanta
6. Contact: Chaplain and Ship's Crew
7. Donate: You Could Help Save a Career, a Home or Even a Marriage

JobSeekers of PTC Website | JobSeekers of PTC on LinkedIn

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1. Inspiration: To Get Better Results, Be Your Authentic Self
One of the themes in my teaching and writing in the past few years has been to "be your authentic self." The more authentic you are, the better results you will get. I have experienced this myself, in both my personal and business life. You will get better results too.

Rick Warren writes about authenticity in his inspirational book, The Purpose Driven Life:

"Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection and being hurt again. Why would anyone take such a risk? Because it is the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, 'Make this your common practice: confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.' We only grow by taking risks, and the most difficult risk of all is to be honest with ourselves and with others (p. 140, the scripture is James 5:16a from The Message)."

I have a vision of JobSeekers having small group meetings throughout the week; we've taken steps in this direction. After the JobSeeker meeting on Friday mornings, one-fourth to one-half of us meet at the Atlanta Bread Company for a very informal gathering. I hear that many of you meet at other times during the week.

My vision also includes support groups meeting at some of the local churches as well – not for a big, formal meeting, but instead for the heart-to-heart relationship building that takes place during some of the more difficult days of our lives. We have just started a pilot at First Baptist in Peachtree City, and another church is talking about doing it as well.

Here's more from Warren's book: "People wear masks, keep their guard up and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of fellowship (p. 140)."

If you want to see a textbook example of this, go to a little league baseball game and listen to the dads and coaches talk to one another. In Wild at Heart, John Eldredge calls these men 'posers.' He says, "Most of what you encounter when you meet a man is a façade, an elaborate fig leaf, a brilliant disguise (p. 52)." I'd rather sit by myself than witness their puffed-up pride and listen to their braggadocio.

By the way, I am not immune to this; I'm trying to overcome my human condition every single day. I confess that I am guilty of 'posing' every now and then.

Friends, if you are out and about, put your game face on. Be positive and energetic. Smile. "Fake it 'til you make it," as they say. But let me make this strong recommendation: don't fake it with your close friends, with God, or with yourself. First, be honest with yourself. Then be honest with God and with your closest advisors. We are here to help, or just to listen.

One of the reasons I enjoy what I do is that I get to meet with and help people when they are more in touch with their authentic selves. The loss of a job and the challenges that come with a career transition can remove several layers of pretense!

I get frustrated with the few clients who keep secrets from me. How am I supposed to help them when they don't lay all their cards on the table? They experience negative consequences like longer job searches, lower pay or less-than-satisfying jobs because they withheld information that I need to know in order to help them.

Which cards are you holding back? What do you need to disclose to your three closest advisors? What secrets are you keeping from God? (You're not doing a very good job on that one!) Think about it. Pray about it. Then do something about it.

See you tomorrow at JobSeekers, the place where we can be our authentic selves!

Copyright © 2010 / Dave O'Farrell / All Rights Reserved

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2. Success Story: God Blesses Manuel with Dream Job that Came from Nowhere
We love to hear from you when you land a new position. Please write and let us know how you found your job, what you learned from the experience, and how JobSeekers helped you.

Like me, Norma Manual is a career coach and an outplacement consultant. Three months ago she hired O'Farrell Career Management to reenergize her campaign. (Notice that the career coach needed a career coach; I used one myself 10 years ago when I was in the midst of a transition. We all need wise counsel.)

During the previous 17 months, she'd been doing consulting work, but was having a hard time getting back into a full-time job. That's where OCM came in. Norma landed her new job on the strength of a referral, a powerful résumé and one simple telephone interview. When she started her new job on Tuesday, she met her boss face-to-face for the first time.

Norma has been a real blessing to me. She's served on our board of directors, helped many people at JobSeekers of PTC, and she has given me encouragement when I've been down. I remember one letter she wrote to me exactly three years ago when I was freaking out. What a blessing that was.

She is the founder of College Park Job Seekers. I was their guest speaker on January 2nd and heard her good news as I sat in the audience. Good luck and God bless you Norma!

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Dear Dave,

It was my desire to give this testimony and JobSeekers in person. But things happened very quickly after I accepted my new position. I want you to share some thoughts from my job search that may be helpful to some.

What a "journey" this has been for me, my husband and my family. Dave you have been a real blessing to me. In the end, my husband (recently laid off by Georgia-Pacific) and I have become more compassionate towards each other and have been humbled by this experience, which I hope will make us better people in the long run.

After months of preparation, networking with pure strangers and a zillion drafts of my resume, God did all the "heavy lifting." Even the final formal telephone panel interview, with notes in hand, marketing statements ready (which Dave helped me with) and pencils sharp, it turned out to be a one-on-one discussion where no hard questions were actually asked; instead the interviewer wanted to sell me on the opportunity.

The door God has opened is absolutely amazing. Here are some highlights:

After 20 months of unemployment, which includes some off-and-on consulting work, God has blessed me with my dream job – a job I did not know existed and one I did not apply for. Nevertheless, I have accepted an offer to join the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, in the newly formed Trade Office as a Trade Investigator.

This new opportunity promises to utilize my prior corporate outplacement background along with my maturity (their words, not mine) – and my management, strategic planning, training and writing skills.

I'm thrilled to join this close-knit team where I can continue to grow my career at the federal level. They are bringing me on during a time when they have been asked to move from a "division" to a federal office. In other words, the door has opened just when this group will be experiencing a complete reorganization – and they have asked me to come aboard for the ride!

The only unexpected turn of events is that my husband and I will be relocating near my eldest daughter to the Washington, DC area (at least for the next four years). My youngest daughter will be leasing our home in Henry County. Our two little grandsons in Virginia are excited beyond words.

I want to thank each of you for your continued support and encouragement through out this long process. Here are a few lessons I have learned that may be helpful to others:

1. God is God and I am not.

2. God loves me and has plans for my life; wonderful plans.

3. God does not use a "watch" but rather a "compass."

4. God is MORE concerned about the journey than the job.

5. God has wonderful plans for all of us as we navigate this journey of faith.

If you are like me, you will find solace and encouragement from Ephesians 3:20 which states in part: "God is able to do exceedingly MORE than you can ask or IMAGINE." He has certainly proven that to me.

Finally, noted writer Joseph Campbell wrote, "we must be willing to give up the life we had planned in order to gain the life that's waiting for us." So, our adventure begins...

Please remember to support the team at College Park Job Seekers and let's stay in touch.

I will think of you and smile while in my Friday morning meetings... and they will just have to wonder why. Know God is using you in a wonderful way in HIS service. Give my regards and special hugs to Linda, Michelle and my other good buddies. We have all come a long way baby. Stay encouraged; look for my occasional note on job stuff, entitled "From the Hill."

Love to each of you,

Norma Manuel

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3. This Week's Meeting: Looking for Hippos
Hippos are one of the key elements that determine how soon you find work and how successful you are in your job search. Hippos are also critical to sales people, sales managers, executives and entrepreneurs. Come tomorrow and learn how to find and execute "hippos."

Who: All are welcome; the topics are targeted for professionals, managers and executives.

What: JobSeekers is a nondenominational career ministry.

When: Friday mornings from 7:30 to 10:00 am.

Where: First Baptist Church in Peachtree City; 208 Willow Bend Road.

Why: We work with you to find a job, and we walk with you on your journey of faith.

Attire: Business casual.

Agenda: 7:30 coffee / 7:45 welcome and devotional / 8:10 introductions and announcements / 8:45 job search training module / 10:00 adjourn to the Atlanta Bread Company

We look forward to seeing you on Friday!

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4. Networking
Atlanta Bread Company

After the JobSeekers meeting, we go to the ABC from 10:15 to 11:30 for an informal gathering. There's no agenda; we just have fellowship and help each other out.

Newnan First UMC Job Networking Ministry

Come join us at our next meeting on Tuesday 9 February 6:00 PM.

Meetings are always held the second Tuesday of each month in the Parish Hall of Newnan First United Methodist Church. The church is located at 33 Greenville Street in Newnan. You may reach them by telephone at 770-253-7400 or click here and select "Job Network" under "Resources" on the left side of the home page. We look forward to seeing you there.

College Park Job Seekers

Have a family member, friend or neighbor concerned that they may lose their job, and they cannot take time off to attend a job seekers group? Attend the College Park Job Seekers Group which meets the first Saturday in every month from 9:00 am – 11:30 am. The next meeting is Saturday 6 February. This is a community service of Living Hope Christian Fellowship, 5885 Mallory Road, College Park, Georgia 770-306-9922.

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5. Job Leads
For Employers

Our goal is to help our members find good jobs, close to home, in minimum time. Most of our members are salaried employees from the professional, technical and supervisory level all the way up to general managers and other senior executives. If you have a job lead with the three criteria below let us know.

Please send a brief position profile and tell us how you would like to be contacted. We run the lead for three weeks unless we hear from you to remove or extend the listing.

This service is FREE!

1. The position is salaried; or it is a higher-level hourly position

2. The job is located on this side of Atlanta, especially in Fayette or Coweta County

3. The compensation is not 100% commission-based; this includes MLM's

If your job lead meets these criteria, please submit it before noon on Wednesday.

For JobSeekers

Leads are updated each week, or when I get a chance! Please forgive me if they are a little out of date. Click on this link (or copy-and-paste the following one into your browser) to view this week's jobs:



For more leads go to: JobSeekers of PTC on LinkedIn; go to the 'jobs' tab.

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Thanks to Dave O'Farrell of Jobseekers for allowing this message to be re-posted.