John Hannabach, owner of a Villa Rica-based career coaching and consulting organization, and Susan George, a human resources specialist with nearly two decades in the field, have been offering occasional career workshops at the Villa Rica Public Library to help teach people such job-seeking skills as building a resume and interviewing properly, but they are branching out with their new offering to help provide networking opportunities and a support group for those who are seeking work or a change in careers.
Career Care is a free bi-weekly series of interactive session that will provide job seekers with assistance, encouragement, networking and strategies for success. The first program will be held at Villa Rica First Baptist Church on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m.-12 noon. Registration is not required, but to ensure adequate seating and resources those wishing to participate are asked to call Villa Rica First Baptist Church at 770-459-5138 or the Villa Rica Public Library at 770-459-7012.
“There are a lot of similarities (between Career Care and the workshops), but I wanted to do this a little differently,” Hannabach said. “I want people to understand that they’re not in this alone, that there are other people who will be attending who are in the same boat as they are. We want to give them encouragement and help them with their frustrations.”
Hannabach added that getting frustrated in your job search isn’t uncommon and is, in fact, understandable in the current economy, but the only purpose it serves to make the job search that much harder.
“This program is basically trying to help them assimilate their current position and offer any kind of services that might be similar to those we offered in the workshops if they so desire, but that’s really going to be up to them,” he said. “Some may need assistance with their resumes and others may want to improve their interview skills and screening, and others may just want to network.”
The latter is one of the most important skills a job seeker can develop, according to Hannabach. The ability to network could not only help the job seeker learn what is required for a certain career, but what issues others in their same position are having while looking for jobs.
“One of the principal reasons I want to do this is to let people network,” Hannabach said. “You’ve got to network. That’s the only way your going to find employment today. You’ve got to get out there and make contacts on your own and we’re going to show them how to do that. That first contact is the hardest one to get.”
In addition to networking opportunities and technical expertise, Career Care will also include guest speakers who will use their unique skills to help provide insight into varying aspects of seeking job employment.
Hannabach said many of the people he’s seen coming through the workshops — which have drawn everyone from longtime workers who find themselves laid off to housewives who are rejoining the workforce — is that they aren’t doing some of the things that are necessary in today’s marketplace to secure a job. Among those is reluctance to network and write their resumes differently than they did 10 years ago.
“It’s very hard to get people to change their mind-set,” he said.
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