KIT List is moving to a NEW platform!

Hello Everyone,

Since Yahoo Groups is closing in December, we’re moving the KIT List to a new, free platform called Groups.io.

Please subscribe today so you will continue to get job postings and career information before the KIT List on Yahoo Groups goes away.

How to join the NEW KIT List platform
You or your friends can join by sending an email to:
KIT-list+subscribe@groups.io
Once you reply to the confirmation email from Groups.io, you’ll be all set!

NOTE: If you don’t get the confirmation email, check your junk folder and then add Groups.io to your email approval list.

Or you can sign up via the page at: https://groups.io/g/KIT-list

Feel free to share this with other friends and colleagues who are looking for jobs, and with recruiters and employers looking for great employees or consultants. This is how we’ll help get everyone into work they’ll love.

To post a job
We’ll keep this process the same. Just go the KIT List website: www.KITlist.org

Thank you all who’ve given us ideas while we were researching all the platform options out there.

I chose Groups.io since it’s free to users, doesn’t use advertising, require a special email address, or sell your personal information…unlike some platforms which will remain unnamed. 😉  It also has a robust array of tools like wikis, polls, hosted chats, and other things that are no longer available on other platforms. We’ll roll those out at a later phase.

After all these years on Yahoo Groups, we’re grateful for what it was able to do to help us get jobs out to 72,000 people free of charge with over 175,000 job postings just since we moved to Yahoo Groups in 2000. I actually started it in 1997. It’s been truly meaningful and encouraging to hear from so many of you about the jobs, or multiple jobs, you’ve gotten from the KIT List community. That’s why we keep this going!

Now, we’re excited about continuing our mission to “Help great people find great jobs” in a strong, new platform.

Please sign up quickly, since we can’t migrate the group over, you’ll need to subscribe directly.

Warmly,

Sue and Kelly Connelly
KIT List Founder and Moderator

Come to our “Ask the Recruiter” Expert Panel Event on 7/25!

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever had a question that you were just dying to ask an employer or recruiter about the hiring process, how to land the right job, or how to get a promotion? 

Now, you’ll have a chance to hear directly from the hiring experts their smartest tips, the mistakes to avoid, and the inside scoop from the employer/recruiter standpoint!

The KIT List is hosting this free event, and I will moderate a panel of five experts from some of the Silicon Valley’s top recruitment firms for permanent, temp-to-perm and contract placements. We’ll have a combination of prepared questions and Q&A from the audience. 

Our panel will share their expert advice from working with companies including Facebook, Apple, LinkedIn, Nike, HP, Cisco, Microsoft, VMWare, Intuit, NetApp, Adobe, Stanford Health Care, Bank of the West, Wells Fargo, Kaiser, Blue Shield, Safeway, Varian Medical Systems, Brocade, and Gigamon, to name a few.

Join us at the beautiful Northside Branch of the Santa Clara Library in their large events room.

There is a space limit of 100 so please register for this free event, and be sure to arrive early to get a seat since this will be standing room only (if you can’t get in, then join us for the free mixer afterward). 

Tuesday, 7/25
7:00 – 8:30 PM  

Northside Branch Library
695 Moreland Way
Santa Clara CA 

There is no charge, but please register and arrive early: https://nskitlistpanel.eventbrite.com

Post-Event Mixer:
8:30 – 9:30 PM at Yan Can Asian Bistro (Across the street from the Library) 
The mixer is free; just pay for your own food and drinks. Some of the panelists will join us as well. 

This is a special opportunity to ask the questions you’ve always wanted to ask — and to get beyond the basics!

You are welcome to share this invitation with friends and colleagues, too. 

We hope to see you there!

Sue and Kelly Connelly 
(Yep, we’re sisters!) 
Your KIT List Team

Introducing the Career Actions Network. Next meeting is November 2nd.

Hello Everyone,

I was on a speaker panel recently with Al Hulvey, one of the heads of the Career Actions Network, which is a very effective and free service that is being offered by Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC).

The church has an excellent program of meetings with expert speakers on job search strategies, plus small accountability groups, and a résumé and referral network.

You can sign up on their network now — and I also encourage you to attend their next Large Group meeting on 11/2/13 with the topic, “Hire Yourself an Employer.”

See the end of this email for the topic and speaker info.

Here’s their link:

http://mppc.org/connect/information-job-seekers

These are the key actions you can take to access their great (and free!) resources:

1. Attend a Large Group Meeting.

When: On the 1st and 3rd Saturdays
9:30 to 11 a.m. at MPPC’s Fellowship Hall
1667 Miramonte Ave., Mountain View, CA

The aim of the large group meeting is to provide practical training on job search skills and networking. This large group setting offers:

– Presentations by experts to help you improve your job search
– Networking with a broad cross-section of professional disciplines
– Resume review with instant feedback
– Opportunities to join a Success Team and participate in our Job Referral Network

2. Join a Success Team.
CAM (Career Action Ministry) offers on-going small group support and encouragement through weekly Success Team meetings. These groups of 5-10 job seekers provide:

– A regular meeting structure that avoids isolation
– A forum for sharing ideas, contacts, and job leads
– A sympathetic group to practice interviewing techniques or other job search skills
– A trusted team to share individual problems for referral to other MPPC ministries or community resources.

3. Become part of the web-based Career Actions Network.
A unique feature of the CAM program is our job referral network. Members of the congregation have opted in to provide job leads and referrals. Register to create a profile and post your resume.

The next Large Group meeting:

Saturday, November 2
Guest Speaker: Dennis Romley
Presentation Topic: Hire Yourself an Employer

About the Presentation:
Go Hire Yourself An Employer (originally a book title by Richard Irish) is a powerful concept and the theme for Dennis Romley’s talk. Dennis will dissect the job search process and zero in on getting the interview. He offers concrete advice on how to nail each interview. Key is what Dennis calls the “ladder to success” which will translate personally to each one of us regarding our process of searching for a job. Participants will leave this discussion with an awareness of our choices in getting more of what we want in each situation as well as great materials for preparing and interviewing powerfully.

About the Speaker:
Dennis Romley is the founder and principal of Threshold Consulting, a firm dedicated to organizational change & development and strategic management of human capital. Recent assignments include: transition consulting and career coaching for Career Curve clients, design and delivery of Collaboration and Ideation workshops for product conception and improvement, and talent retention strategies for an organization under fire.

Dennis applies his skills as a strong negotiator, compassionate leader and team collaborator to produce the results needed when he is called in to support organizational change. He has over 30 years experience in strategic and global roles that include Senior Vice President at Roche Pharmaceuticals, Vice President SRI International/SRI Consulting and Director at Raychem Corporation (now Tyco). Dennis is a mentor and coach with senior leaders to encourage positive team and organizational dynamics. With global leadership and training experience in the USA, UK, Switzerland and Japan, Dennis is able to apply best practices across cultures and teams.

Warmly,

Sue

You’re invited to the KIT List “Friend-working” mixer this Wednesday 10/19!

Hey, summer’s not over yet! 

The weather is still warm, so come meet friends on the KIT List and use the power of friendship to help each other find great jobs! We had a huge turnout last year, so it’s time to do it again!

Everyone is welcome, including job seekers, consultants, employers and recruiters…and all KITlist.org friends.We’ll have some fun “Friend-working” exercises to get everyone mixing and helping each other effectively.

There’s no charge to attend, but you’ll need to pay for any drinks or food you order.

The theme for the night is “Friend-worrking” instead of networking. The idea is to come first with the intent to help others, which creates a more relaxed environment and the spirit of abundance. Even if you are out of work, you have something to offer of value: a tip, an introduction, a resource or an idea. Besides, a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet! Bring a friend or come on your own, all are welcome!

The whole purpose of the KIT List is to “keep in touch” and help our friends find great jobs. Come meet other great KIT List members — and new people are welcome too!This a casual event is to provide a way for job seekers, or just KIT List friends, to help each other, share job ideas, and mingle with others who may be hiring. 

Please RSVP so we can alert the BBC team for staffing. 

The Evite is at http://budurl.com/KITevent2

If you want to sign up for KIT List job emails, or post a job opening, just go to http://www.KITlist.org.

Thanks, everyone, this should be a fun night!

Sue Connelly, Amy Plunkett and Kelly Connelly
Your KIT List Team

(TM) Friend-working is a trademark of Connelly Communications, Inc.

It’s About Your “FriendWork” Not a Network

I hate the term “networking!” It sounds artificial and a bit calculating.

Networking better describes IT systems rather than trying to explain the magic of flesh and blood human beings who connect and help each other in much more meaningful ways.

I’d rather think of it instead as a FriendWork.

What makes life worthwhile is really our family and friends. They also have a huge impact in our careers since research shows that we get jobs primarily through people we know.

But when we are in the job search or new business mode, that awful word “networking” keeps popping up — and I personally struggle with the concept. I think most people dread going to networking events, or having to pick up the phone and make job or new business calls. I sure do.

Last Saturday, at dinner in San Francisco with a bunch of friends, I was struck by how MANY of us at that table had found jobs through each other. As our various circles of friends overlapped, there were even MORE people who’d found jobs as a result. The surprise was that I could see how each person’s act of kindness to another actually came back to that person later. Good karma is not some vague concept, it’s an exciting reality!

Here are some tips to bring your FriendWork to life (I’ll share some this week, and provide the rest next week):

1. Be a Friend First
The saying “build a network before you need it” is true. But better yet, to have friends, you need to BE a friend first. Focus on what you can do for the other person instead of thinking of what you need from them. That spirit of giving expands the possibilities, creating a larger ripple effect of goodwill and unexpected results. However, those with a spirit of “what’s in it for me” quickly turn off many, often without ever realizing it. Don’t get the label of being a “taker” or only connecting when you need something, or you will find your FriendWork dry up.

2. Do Your Friends Really Know What You Do for Living?
Don’t assume your friends know about the kind of work you do, or the kind of job you are seeking. Many of us have only a vague idea of what our friends truly do, and they might be embarrassed to let on. Tell them what you do (your 30-second description) and give an example (a story is more memorable).

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
Most people are happy to help, but many aren’t even aware that you may need a bit of help yourself. Especially for those who are “givers,” your friends may not think you ever need help. Put the word out there, and you’ll be amazed (and touched) by the results.

4. Be Specific
Just saying that you’re looking for a job doesn’t really work. It’s more effective to tell someone the specific job titles that fit you and the list of companies that are of greatest interest to you. Being specific gives friends a mental “hook” so that they can connect to key information in their brains, or trigger a light bulb moment when they hear about a job or think about someone in a key company they can introduce to you. You can be specific about how they can help you; review your resume, role play for interviews, give ideas for your job search strategy, the list is endless.

I’ll post the rest of the tips next week since I don’t want this post to be too long!