For the Disabled: Helpful Inmates
Corrections or additions?
These articles were published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on July 7,
1999. All rights reserved.
Job Seeking for 2000
When the Professional Job Roster shut down last month,
it was the end of an employment epoch in Princeton. Founded in 1968
by faculty wives at Princeton University, the Roster was fueled by
dedicated volunteers, and as everyone knows, dedicated volunteers
are a scarce commodity now.
Also, in the ’90s, the process of hunting for a job got much more
attention than before. Every issue of every magazine, it seemed, had
an article on "How to survive down-sizing." Everybody and
his sister were writing paperback books on job hunting treatise.
Compare this proliferation of career tips to days of yore. The benchmark
"What Color Is Your Parachute" book (the one that preached
"do what you love, the money will follow") was published in
1971. Then, there weren’t that many other good jobhunter books available.
Now, MarketFair’s Barnes & Noble bookstore has no less than 12 full
shelves on the subject — plus six more shelves on such related
subjects as creating a resume and picking a career.
The Internet also contributed to the demise of the Roster, which formerly
attracted dues-paying members with its treasure trove of information
about jobs in hard copy form. Now most of the jobs can be trolled
for on the ‘Net. For free.
But those stories in magazines and those listings in cyberspace lack
one vital ingredient. They cannot make a particular suggestion or
extend a personal hand of support to an individual jobseeker. That’s
where support and networking groups can help. These groups, also,
are run by volunteers, but compared to the Professional Roster they
are less labor intensive, partly because they involve group meetings,
not individual consultation.
Jobseekers was founded in 1982 and meets weekly at Trinity Episcopal
Church on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. That’s every Tuesday, even during
holiday weeks. http://www.trinityprinceton.org. You can count on at least one volunteer moderator (most
often founder Niels Nielsen) showing up (E-mail: pmcnielsen@aol.com
between networking activities and workshops, led by volunteers. At
the next meeting, on Tuesday, July 13, U.S. 1’s Barbara Fox
will give the workshop.
On what topic? Fox says she’s going to delve into the U.S. 1 Newspaper
Survival Guide index to find a selection of tips and package it as
"The Best of U.S. 1." For instance, she’s partial to the tips
in Peterson’s "The Ultimate Job Search Survival Guide" by
Paul L. Dyer (Peterson’s, 1998. $14.95). Then there are some
good books by area authors, including "CareerXroads," a compendium
of job-hunters’ websites by Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler
also at http://www.careerxroads.com. Mark Dorio, an industrial
psychologist who has a consulting firm in Titusville, has written
three guides, including "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting
the Job You Want," published by Macmillan’s Alpha Books. Nick
A. Corcodilos is a headhunter-turned author with a hard-hitting
volume "Ask the Headhunter: reinventing the interview to win the
job" (Plume Books).
Now for some specifics, drawn from Fox’s list of Worst Case Scenarios:
but dusty awards from your resume, no matter how much they meant to
you at the time. If you are 40 years old, your employer does not need
to know you were an Eagle Scout or that you were Employee of the Month
10 years ago. Instead, look to the future. "To a manager,"
says Corcodilos, "it doesn’t matter what you know or what you
can do if you aren’t enthusiastic about doing it and motivated to
do it well."
need computer skills before, you do now. Practice your typing every
day. Yes, you can learn keyboarding skills. Then ace those computer
courses. "Invest time in redesigning yourself," says Dorio,
"so that, rather than applying for a job, you market yourself
among the pool of employers who need — who desperately need —
remarkable individuals with great transferable skills."
knowing the company upside-down and inside-out," says Steven
Graber , editor of the New Jersey JobBank directory. In CareerXRoads
a recuiter points out that everyone can do the "easy" research
on the Internet but that to get a competitive advantage you should
do some sleuthing to get facts about the company that only an insider
would know — and then drop them into the conversation, cover letter
or interview. (One way to sleuth is to do the company name word search
in the U.S. 1 archives at http://www.princetoninfo.com).
your expectations are too high for the field you have chosen. Maybe
you were overpaid in your last job. Maybe your future employer likes
to allow leeway for fat raises. Find out. Salary information is out
there, if you look hard enough. As Dyer says, "The job offering
the highest salary may not represent your best deal."
As for the "What Color is Your Parachute" book, it is still
popular and has a new edition every year. MarketFair’s Barnes & Noble
orders this book by the half dozen, and the warehouse has 356 copies
ready to ship. Yes, it’s still very popular. After all, everybody
still wants to be told that — if they do what they love, the money
will follow.
Top Of Page
Job Networking
08540. Niels Nielsen, coordinator. 609-924-2277; fax, 609-924-9140.
Home page: http://www.trinityprinceton.org.
This self-help group is designed to assist persons of any faith or
who are involved in a job search or contemplating a career change.
Volunteer coordinators provide a supportive atmosphere where participants
can explore the possibilities open to them. Meetings are every Tuesday
at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church’s Pierce Hall on Stockton
Street. There is no charge.
Road, Box 941, East Brunswick 08816-9998. Jerry Walker, president.
609-655-3804; fax, 609-860-2891.
An incorporated non-profit self-help association of professionals,
membership $50, meetings usually on first Wednesdays at East Brunswick
library.
of Employment and Training, New Jersey Department of Labor, 28 Yard
Avenue, Room 209, Trenton 08625-0954. 609-292-3417; fax, 609-292-6618.
Jessie Breccia, facilitator. Patricia Reed, manager.
A network of unemployed professionals organized under the auspices
of the State Department of Labor who pool their talents in their job
search. The state provides PSG members with free use of computers
complete with Internet hook-ups, facsimiles, telephones, and postage.
New members are required to attend one week of seminars starting with
an orientation usually held on Mondays, followed by workshops on skills
like networking, cover letter/resume writing, telephone use, and interviewing.
After that, members are expected to provide at least three hours of
their time each week to the good of the cause by conducting the seminars,
contacting employers about job leads, or providing office support.
The PSG self-help concept was established in 1989 in New Brunswick
by a group of unemployed professionals who gathered to talk about
the effects of unemployment. The concept flourished and now there
are 12 PSG locations operating throughout the state, including New
Brunswick, 732-418-3304; Westampton, 609-518-0275; Bloomfield, 973-403-1815;
Cherry Hill, 609-489-3680; Dover, 973-361-1034; Hackensack, 201-329-9600;
Morristown, 973-631-6327; Phillipsburg, 908-859-0400; Pleasantville,
609-677-1469; and Vineland, 609-696-6293.
SC 229, 609-586-4800, extension 3304, E-mail: careers@mccc.edu.
Professional career counselors Jack Guarneri and Gail LaFrance offer
a counseling and testing program for $190.
& Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County, offers week-long workshops
for developing job search skills. Ten people in managerial, technical,
or professional fields can attend each of the workshops taught by
specialists from the Department of Labor at the JFCS conference wing,
707 Alexander Road, Suite 102. The program is free but preregistration
is required. The next session is July 12 to 16. Call 609-987-8100.
Road, Princeton 08540. Susan and Jack Guarneri, co-facilitators. 609-771-1669;
fax, 609-637-0449.
September to June, seminars on first Mondays at 7:30 p.m., also support
group on second Mondays, free, open to the public. The next date will
be Monday, September 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Brunswick 08903. Dorna Silverman, chair. 732-745-5300 extension 4201.
fax, 732-745-5325.
Client service and professional organization, monthly meetings and
bulletin, annual job fair. Third Thursdays starting in September.
Top Of Page
For the Disabled: Helpful Inmates
As Bart Jackson’s cover story in this week’s issue suggests
(see page 14), the authorities are on the prowl for smarter ways of
meting out punishment. Another program is aimed at making the transition
from prison to the outside world a more productive experience.
The Progressive Center for Independent Living (PCIL) in conjunction
with the New Jersey Department of Corrections has developed the Renovations
for Access and Mobility Program (RAMP), which involves ready-to-be-released
inmates in a home renovation project, to enable homeowners with disabilities
to make their homes fully accessible.
PCIL will assist homeowners with disabilities with the entire home
improvement process, from loan and permit application to final inspection.
The homeowner must pay for materials and labor will be provided at
no cost by ready to be released inmates, closely supervised by Department
of Corrections staff, as part of their vocational skills training.
The inmates will build ramps and renovate consumer’s homes to make
them wheelchair accessible.
PCIL, an independent living center serving people with disabilities
in Mercer and Hunterdon Counties, is modeling this program after a
similar one proven to be successful in Bergen County for the last
five years. Until now work crews of ready-to-be-released inmates
in Mercer County have been doing maintenance and repairs on public
buildings, trash pick up, and grounds work. Besides providing a worthwhile
public service, this program will equip these inmates with skills
they can use in jobs after their release.
Homeowners must obtain appropriate permits, have current homeowners’
insurance, and obtain financing to pay for materials. PCIL will assist
in the entire process. Some banks statewide have set aside loan money
at low interest rates for qualified applicants. The Department of
Corrections will provide a building plan for the consumer to use in
obtaining the building permit. PCIL will also arrange for delivery
of the materials based on the Department of Correction’s plans.
PCIL is a community-based, non-residential, non-profit organization
that represents people with a variety of disabilities. Members, staff,
and volunteers have the training and personal experience to know how
to live independently and are able to offer guidance to individuals
on becoming productive members of the community, or on enhancing their
already independent lifestyle. PCIL offers programs on money management,
transportation issues, cooking, scuba diving, and camping.
In addition to building ramps, RAMPS has ideas for a variety of accessibility
improvements, such as widening doors, adding hand railings, and installing
elevators. Interested homeowners can call the PCIL at 609-530-0006.
Corrections or additions?
This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com
— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
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