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JCC to host free seminar on job hunting skills March 12

Date: 3/2/2009

By Debbie Gardner

PRIME Editor



SPRINGFIELD -- When it comes to sharpening the skills you need to land that next job, strategic life coach Jeff Doff knows what he s talking about.

The 35-year-old former product brand marketer for Playtex and strategy consultant to several Fortune 500 companies has personally been through two layoffs and initiated over 200 informational job interviews over the past eight years.

I m not just talking from a textbook, but from experience, Doff told Reminder Publications about the job-hunting tips and strategies he s developed.

On March 12 at 7 p.m. Doff will share those skills with local jobseekers at a free seminar titled Career Transitions in Challenging Economic Times, hosted by the Springfield Jewish Community Center (JCC).

The hour-and-a-half seminar, which will take place on the JCC campus at 1160 Dickinson St., is open to the public, but registration is required. Call 739-4715 by March 6 to reserve a place. The event is being co-sponsored by Jewish Family Services of Western Massachusetts.



Making a change in tough times

A self-described informal career coach since his college days, Doff became a certified career coach in 2008. Before this career change, he earned BA from Brown University, an MBA in marketing from Duke and spent years working for both profit and non-profit companies.

Looking at the current job picture, he told Reminder Publications that even though news reports may make things look dire, it s still possible to break through and land a new job.

I m going to be covering the attitude and perspective and mindset that can help land a job in these times, Doff said.

During the lecture Doff said he will help people learn how to maintain that crucial positive attitude during their job search, as well as polish up and strengthen their networking skills.

Forty to 70 percent of jobs are found through people connections, Doff said. A lot of people don t know how many great connections they have.

In addition to helping people tap into their existing networks, he ll share tips for finding new ones.

According to Doff, these personal connection not only help jobseekers find out about hidden opportunities, but also find out a lot about the company and how to speak the language, which is crucial in giving you the edge.

Doff will also offer help to jobseekers who are finding themselves overwhelmed and unsure how to start their search.

I have a framework that I ll be sharing [that will help] people to clarify what is important to them and move forward in taking their next step, he said.

At the end of the lecture, Doff said he hopes attendees will leave with a set of skills and a mindset that will help them in their job search. But he said for success, job seekers need more than just tools; they need to take the initiative, and he ll also be sharing tips on how to conduct a proactive job search.

It really does take being proactive, he said. In the end it is the people who combine the skills with their own follow through who will be successful.

Doff s lecture is one of several free community-oriented programs presented by the JCC in the past few months.

Our hope is to provide workshops and programs that help people acquire proactive tools to assist them in the current economic conditions, Beverly Nadler, director of the William & Margery Sadowsky Center for Adult Learning at the JCC, said. For more information contact Nadler at 739-4715 ext. 355 or visit www.SpringfieldJCC.org.