Home   >   Pastoral Care   >  Jobs Assistance

Jobs Assistance Ministry

 

 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

 

Due to the upcoming renovations in the Parish Hall and both kitchens here at St. Michael, JAM meetings will be held at St. Mary Catholic Church (9505 Gayton Road, Richmond) beginning May 15 until the end of August.  The Lower Commons has been reserved every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

OTHER INFO—

 

If you have any questions, contact JAM Coordinator Ed Landry at Ed.Landry@verizon.net.

 

 

JAM at Four Years

Dear Fellow Michaelonians,

The Jobs Assistance Ministry (JAM)  celebrates its fourth anniversary next month by reaching a major milestone. JAM has now assisted over 400 job seekers in finding employment. This would not have been possible without the unflagging support of Father Dan, Deacon David Nemetz, Lani Vasquez, the office staff, and many of you. 

From the beginning, our vision for JAM is to offer all of the services a job seeker would receive at an outplacement center. We have been able to achieve that goal thanks to many talented volunteers who include HR leaders, career counselors, business owners, and so many others. In addition to weekly workshops, we provide a Job Seeker’s Guide (220 pages, 15 sections), JAM LinkedIn group (1,060 members), resume reviews, one-on-one mentoring, mock interviews, career counseling, special workshops, and pastoral care/counseling.

JAM is a community ministry with our doors open to all who request our services. We work collaboratively with a number of churches, ministries, and organizations. 

While we’ve been able to offer professional services thanks to expert volunteers, JAM is first and foremost a ministry, and job seekers recognize and appreciate this.  Here are a few examples of their feedback when they find employment.

Great news!  I’ve landed! Keep up God’s work at St. Michael's.  The spiritual support I received and the friends I made helped and sustained me during this challenging time.  I will continue to pass forward that support.

Many blessings and thanks to those of you supporting, helping, coaching, and praying for work to come my way. I landed a contractual position and hope to be starting soon. I know I am very blessed during these times and thankful to God!

I know God used JAM in my journey – and I thank you for being available to His calling.  I really needed this group as I watched employment opportunities disappear.  I so appreciate the innovative ideas I heard in the meetings and workshops that helped me feel more confident in this job market. I will confirm, I do believe that God’s plan unfolds in His timing.  It has been tough trusting God for our needs over the past several months.

While we celebrate this milestone, we are re-committing and re-dedicating our efforts to assist all job seekers who ask for our help. Despite some improvements in the local economy, the need is still great. For example, we welcome six to eight new job seekers weekly. 

How can you help? One important way is by notifying us about available jobs at your employers. In addition, since most job seekers find employment by networking, you can provide valuable support by offering to meet with them and help them expand their networks. For example, you are most welcome to join us for lunch on Wednesdays in the Parish Hall. If interested in supporting job seekers, please contact me and I’ll give you more information about JAM.

Blessings,

Ed Landry

JAM Leader

Ed.Landry@verizon.net

 

Mission

Responding to Jesus' exhortation to feed His sheep, the Jobs Assistance Ministry at St. Michael's provides a variety of resources and services to support job searchers in identifying and obtaining employment that meet their skills and needs. JAM collaborates with neighboring parishes and other ministries to share resources.

Weekly networking meetings are held at St. Michael Catholic Church in the church hall.

Services

JAM services are available to all job searchers. You may join by attending a weekly meeting and registering in person. That way we can protect your privacy and your fellow job seekers' too. Once you are registered, you will be given instructions on how to sign up for services. We will be reviewing JAM services at the weekly meetings as well. The services provided by JAM are:

• Support Group (weekly networking meetings - every Wednesday @ Noon)
• JAM Luncheons & Networking Events
• Job Search Skills Workshops
• Mini resume posting (if authorized by the seeker), critique and feedback
• Resume reviews with critique and feedback
• Available Jobs Coordination
• Mock Interviews with coaching & feedback
• Personal mentoring and support
• Prayer Support

Jobs: Email JAM to provide an open job for JAM Job Seekers Volunteers: Help with the JAM ministry R.S.V.P. for workshops and schduled events General Questions or Advice Mini Resume Posting Resume reviews with feedback Mock Interviews with coaching Personal mentoring and support Suggestion box Seekers: One Stop Websites for Researching Business, People & Beyond LinkedIn JAM Group - How to join JAM LinkedIn Group JAM Resume Guidlelines JAM Preparation Packet for Job Searchers JAM Interview Coaching Template for Mentors JAM Marketing Plan Template 2010 Tips For Job Seekers JAM Job Search Actions Checklist JAM Marketing Plan Tracking (Excel Spreadsheet) JAM Richmond Recruiting Agencies (Excel Spreadsheet) Richmond's Largest Corporate Employers Dominion Positions with Contacts Dominion Positions -- Application Process

Presentations

February 24, 2010, How to get a job in the age of Google

Other Groups

Needles Eye Career Transition Group - The group offers spiritual encouragement, networking, prayer and Bible study for those who are unemployed. Click for more information or visit the Needles Eye website at http://www.needleseye.org.

Career Prospectors - Career Prospectors is an organization serving the greater Richmond area, focused on helping people find job opportunities since 2003. Visit their website at http://www.career-prospectors.com.

Helpful Links

www.monster.com - Monster, Your calling is calling...
www.dice.com - Dice, The career hub for tech insiders...
www.job.com - Job.com, Gear for your career...
www.job-find.com - Find a job...
www.job-net.com - North Carolina, South Carolina & Virginia jobs...
www.jobsonline.net - Jobs Online, Every job, everywhere...
www.careerbuilder.com - Career Builder...
www.richmond.com - Richmond.com, Find it...
www.vec.virginia.gov/vecportal - Virginia Employment Commission...
www.virginiaresources.org - Virginia Resources Authority...