DeSoto church offers hope, help to job seekers

by Jill Quarles of DeSoto TODAY

Although they describe their current situation as “lonely,” “devastating” and “intimidating,” members of DeSoto's Hampton Road Baptist Church job seekers' support group are able to laugh about the obstacles they encounter, including a highly competitive market and declining economy, recent changes and complications in the job search process and occasional age discrimination.

Gary Sims, one of four church members serving as a group leader, told April 14 meeting attendees to look at the transition between jobs “as an adventure,” adding that while most unemployed visitors' focus is finding any kind of employment, the transitional phase can also be a time to “explore new opportunities” in different career fields.

Such is the case for Felicia Washington, who just began attending group sessions. Washington has not actively searched for a job in more than 20 years and called doing so “a learning experience,” particularly as she is seeking a different kind of position than she previously held.

“Most of my past work has been in management,” she said. “I don't want to do that anymore, but since I'm over 50 and that's where all my experience is, it's difficult to break into something else. Here, they teach us how to market ourselves for the type of positions we really want.”

Developing and honing individuals' personal marketability is a main focus of the meetings held at 7 p.m. every Tuesday. Each week, group leaders concentrate on one or two particular facets of the process, including interviewing, networking, resume writing, using technology constructively and professionalism in self-presentation

“The whole process has changed since I went door-to-door looking for a job 40 years ago,” Robert Nowell, another group leader said. “I appreciate the Internet, but it has made everything different.”

Those differences are often the open group discussions' topic. “We concentrate on learning some small tricks to the trade,” David Clifton, group leader and creator said. Clifton lost his job in July after working with the same company for 30 years and said that during his search, he learned how seemingly small actions like keeping a professional voicemail and e-mail account potentially impact networking possibilities.

It was because of his job search that he developed the idea for the support group. After joining Dallas' Career Connections, the largest career services assistance group in the Metroplex, Clifton said he found the group offered worthwhile services and realized there was no comparable local organization. “I'd been looking for a ministry,” he said, “and other church members agreed that we had a specific need to be filled in this area.”

While he does consider the group a ministry, Clifton says religion is not its primary concentration. “The faith element is important to us,” he said,” and we open and close every meeting with prayer, but we are really here to encourage, educate and inform about the job market.”

In each meeting, members discuss any job postings they have found, workshops attended and upcoming job fairs. They also attempt to share networking contacts and personal experiences.

Leaders have created a Yahoo group through which members can share postings, leads and contact information, and everyone works to use his or her own expertise to serve other attendees. Sims, for instance, works for the city of Lancaster, and regularly provides resources and advice for anyone seeking government jobs.

“Everyone usually leaves feeling a little better about job searching,” Clifford said. “We're all working to share any resources we have.”

“Our church leaders want to meet as many different needs as we can,” he said, “so everyone is welcome at meetings no matter their spiritual beliefs.” Still, Clifford does consistently remind meeting attendees that he believes a relationship with Christ is the first step in any transitional life experience.