The Flourishing Job Club lessons learned - Part 1

Recently I was asked to speak with a group about lessons learned from The Flourishing Job Club. I'll share the secrets in 2 parts.

Part 1 - the 5 Key Questions for those who are interested in starting a job club.

Part 2 - the 5 Success Factors to start a great job club.

5 Key Questions

If you want to start a job club, I have learned it is important to have the answers to the following questions:

1. What is the purpose of the job club?
2. Who will collaborate to launch and maintain the job club?
3. Who can participate in your job club?
4. What (if any) is the cost to participate in your job club?
5. What will the members do when they get together? (agenda)

Click here to watch Heather discuss the 5 Key Questions in more detail.

Job Club Update on Talk Back

On September 22, Heather was back with Sean Haggerty to update viewers about job club activity in the Toledo area. The Lucas County JumpStart Job Club was built on the system developed by Heather and she discusses how the program offered at The Source can help local job seekers.

Watch the segment

Lessons Learned From The Flourishing Job Club - Part 2

Recently I was asked to speak with a group about lessons learned from The Flourishing Job Club. I'll share the secrets in 2 parts.
Part 1 - the 5 Key Questions for those who are interested in starting a job club.
Part 2 - the 5 Success Factors to start a great job club.

5 Success Factors


If you want to start a job club, I have learned the following factors can help create a success group.

1. Don't re-invent the wheel -there is lots of info on the web about what works and doesn't work when starting a job club
2. Clearly set expectations - be clear about what your job club is and is not. - you will get a number of requests - be clear and practice saying no or you could get overwelmed
3. Enroll supporters - community members want to know how they can help
4. Be innovative - we hosted a Reverse Job Fair, iniviting hiring mangers to come and meet with our job seekers
5. Draw on the talents of members - job clubs have resident expertise you can draw on to run the club and they are willing to help their peers

The Flourishing Job Club featured on 13abc

From it's inception, The Flourishing Job Club has enjoyed the support of members of the media. We thank them all for their continued interest and help to spread the word.

On Sunday August 30, 2009, TFJC was featured on Jeff Smith's Roundtable to discuss progress since visiting the show back in April. Joining me was Alan Maag, an alum of the club and Wendy Gramza, Executive Vice President of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.

It's always exciting to share the story of this successful pro bono project. In this program Alan shared his story as a successful job seeker, Wendy discussed the transition of TFJC to the Chamber Job Club and I talked about the Reverse Job Fair. Thanks Jeff!

You can watch the show on-line. The program is loaded on the net in two parts.

Part 1
Part 2

Managing conflict in job clubs

We hope all goes swimmingly within our job club and we are not naive enough to think that conflict will never, ever arise in a club meeting. We get out in front of the issue.


As job seekers sign on as members, we request they read a short yet effective article, Managing Conflict. While I co-authored this piece for a legal audience, our job seekers identify a useful approach and powerful skills should conflict arise.

What is a job club?

Job clubs are small groups of people who meet regularly to talk candidly about their job search with the goal of supporting the success of all members. Rooted in the belief that each member has something valuable to contribute, job clubs create the opportunity for everyone to benefit from the advice and encouragement of a diverse, dynamic group.

What is The Flourishing Job Club?

The Flourishing Job Club (TFJC) is a network bringing together pods of 8-12 job seekers in the Greater Toledo area to provide support and increase capability. Heather Bradley, local business and career coach, designed the system and volunteered to launch and coordinate the network. She is joined by like-minded area professionals who volunteer their time to facilitate the launch of pods of job seekers.

What The Flourishing Job Club IS NOT

The Flourishing Job Club is not a search firm, job bank or career coaching services.

Additional Frequently Asked Questions

If you are interested in learning more about how The Flourishing Job Club operated, we invite you to visit TFJC FAQ page.

Help for Older Job Seekers

I don't know what the average age is in our job club (we don't collect that data). I do know the majority of our members have a lot of work experience and some have mentioned the challenge of conducting a job search as an older worker.

Tory Johnson, workplace contributor, had a helpful segment on Good Morning America.
Overage and Overqualified? Get Job Searching Tips - Older Workers: Find Out How You Can Get an Edge in the Workforce. An article and the original segment footage is posted. (A couple of the folks in this segment are members of The Flourishing Job club)

Welcome to Job Clubs Work!!

Why launch yet another blog? Because job clubs help job seekers find their next job and we know job seekers in today's employment market need all the help they can get!

Each year at The Flourishing Company we dedicate pro bono hours to work with organizations in Northwest Ohio. While these pro bono engagements have typically supported non-profit boards, the current employment market motivated us to reach out to professionals in the Greater Toledo area currently in search of employment.

I was inspired by a segment presented by Tory Johnson on Good Morning America showcasing the power of job clubs. Joining with other local leaders who believe in the need to help fellow members of our local community, we came prepared to share our time and expertise!

In April 2009 we launched The Flourishing Job Club. Dozens of Toledo area job seekers have been supported and in August 2009, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce assumed the management of club. We are very excited! The new Chamber Job Club increases visibility, resources and sustainability for the club.

I invite you to join in the conversation. I will share what I learned along the way and the resources we have discovered for our club members. What can you add? I can't wait to hear!