The 405 Club

Careerist: Counselor, coach, employment specialist, job search specialist.

A rose by any other name…Whatever they call me while I serve the public, I continuously review my role in people’s lives who are seeking work.  My formal title doesn’t matter except for a government pay scale. What matters is what I do. Who am I and what is my role on my job? 

My job is to dispense help and keep hope alive. I recognize the painful fact of those who must start over because their former jobs may not return. There have been many layoffs but by far, this time has been the worst in sheer numbers and across all fields and industries—worse even than post 9-11 when lots of industries went down because of national morale.

So now when people ask me for job leads, I try my damnedest to find some, even if it means looking after hours. I even use my peers for contacts for some of them. I must confess that there were times in the recent past, during this economic crisis, that I felt like a deer in the headlights…

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On April 30^th, The 405 Club published an article titled “Unemployed & The Happiest I Have Been In Years.” I definitely sympathized with the writer. I recalled writing a similar piece last summer. I knew several people who had some pretty rough situations with an employer that I would prefer not to mention in this writing. Yet I felt the need to write something. While it felt good getting the words out of my system, I reviewed the article and decided it was not the right time to submit the writing. I had nearly forgotten about it, however the April 30^th article jogged my memory. I had to find my writing and take another look at it! After a subsequent review, I thought, “If the writer of the April article had the courage to express his convictions, why shouldn’t I do the same?” As a result, I have decided it is now time to submit the writing below.

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   The point I want to make in this writing is that sometimes unemployment is a preferable outcome; certainly better than working in a toxic environment. We all know the downside of unemployment: the loss of self esteem, the frustration of the silent phone, the nightmares, and worrying about how you will be able to pay your bills on $405.00 a week. Although I have written some articles about the lighter side of unemployment, I have realized that I need to look at things in a slightly different perspective. There are some times when unemployment is not necessarily a bad outcome….

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An idea struck me over the head today like a ton of bricks.  I was thinking to myself, how can I connect 405ers to the “hidden” job market? Then it occurred to me.  Unemployed people are still connected to hundreds and thousands of people.  While they may not be beneficial connections for him or her, they are still solid connections - connections that another 405er could benefit from.

So, an idea started to form.  I need to find a platform for friends of the unemployed to pass real job leads to the 405 club network.  But how? It seems promising in theory, but can it work?

Here’s the deal.  I’m giving each and every 405er who reads this a mission shall you choose to accept it…

Go to your best/good employed friend(s) today and ask him or her if there are any openings at any level at his/her company.  Don’t worry if it’s not in your field of interest - this is for the benefit of all unemployed professionals.  Really stay on them over the next couple of days to get a job description for an opening at their company.  if there’s no official job description, do your best to create one and get an email 405ers can send their resume and cover letters to - you’ll need this.  Now, go to Jobr Jobs and post that job.  Done.

Think about how many jobs leads we’ll give each other in different fields.  When we come together to help one another we’re stronger and it gives us all a better shot at rejoining the workforce.  Let’s do this together. I’ve started paying it forward already with a Business Development Analyst job posting at MediaMath. Now it’s your turn.

-By Garrett Dale, Founding Member of The 405 Club & Digital Media Professional.