Local Career
Support
Meetings,
Groups and Resources
For the Memphis,
Tennessee, Area
We are fortunate that Memphis has an informal network of "career support" groups for assistance during the job search.Going by various names and generally meeting at churches as part of their ministry to the community (all Memphis area residents are welcome, regardless of church affiliation or faith), these groups gather together people looking for work with professionals in the employment field and outside speakers to provide networking opportunities, emotional support, and perspective on the proccess of finding a job.
Carlin Stuart first told me about these groups and encouraged me to attend. Bob Brogden and David Montague also provided some information and Steve Luptak gave me additions to the data that was posted here previously. Thanks, Carlin, Bob, David and Steve !!
As these groups are for those in career transition and generally run by volunteers, the groups themselves appear, change and disappear. I am working on developing a current list of them. Please contact me for a copy of that list or to add your group to the list if you are involved with such a group. Once it is complete, I will post it here, so please check back here for that.
If you want info on local group meeting in the meanwhile, I suggest that you start with the Memphis Area Career Center and/or Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Germantown, as the first is taxpayer-funded and the second has been offering services in this area for many years. Or you might try the Faith Presbyterian Church (of Germantown) Career Support Group, led by Carlin Stewart (who got me into career networking back in 2001).
In addition to the in-person meetings, most of these groups also have email lists that function as "virtual meetings" and online support groups -- most of them require that you attend their meeting in order to get on their list. Most or all of the lists are on yahoogroups.
Some of the yahoogroups allow people who are not members of the group to read the messages and files there, so it is worth your time to visit yahoogroups and register for a yahoogroups i.d. so that you can log-in.
Besides those on any one list, there may also be other churches, synagogues or mosques that have career support meetings which they combine with other programs. If you are aware of any other career support - job seeking - networking opportunities in Memphis, please email me (
) so I can add them to this page. Please be sure to put "Memphis Career Local Meetings" or something similar in the subject line of your email so that I can retrieve it if it goes to my spam folder.
Most of the local in-person group meetings are FREE and open to the public, although the ones at the Memphis Area Career Center do require advance registration. I will NOT list any group meetings here that charge for attendance, as I believe there are plenty of opportunities for free networking and this site is about helping people, not making money from their situation.
More local resources include the following:
| The
Memphis Area Career Center (MACC) in the MATA North Terminal
downtown at Main and North Parkway (the second floor of the Terminal is
all Career Center space) is available for more than just the one meeting
mentioned above. In addition to the professional-level Career Alternative
Network meeting, the MACC also has a second career club meeting (currently
called "Career Club 2") for entry-level job seekers, although I am not
sure when that meets. Both of those require advance registration
and that the participants be "career ready" -- meaning, having a resume,
being prepared and dressed for an interview, and otherwise ready to present
themselves to potential employers. These requirements are in place because
these two meetings frequently have outside speakers from area employers.
The MACC also has (or had) a networking meeting called Career Connections,
but I am not sure if it is still meeting -- check with them about that.
Besides those meetings, they have many other services for job seekers and
career support -- all free to the public. See their website (www.memphiscareercenter.com)
for more info.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
| The Central
Library of the Memphis Public Library and Information Center (MPL)
at 3030 Poplar has an entire floor devoted to business and science, where
you can find many good resources for your job search, including high-speed
internet access computers for looking at all the following links.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
| Some of the other Library
branches also have resources -- check with the Library branch nearest
you to see what may be available there.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
| Also, especially if you are a student
at or graduate of Rhodes College, Christian Brothers University, LeMoyne-Owen,
Southwest Tennessee Community College, the University of Tennessee, or
the University of Memphis, be sure to check their job placement or alumni
support offices (as well as their libraries) for assistance in seeking
employment.
If you are an alumnus of one of these institutions, they have a vested interest in seeing that you do well, so do not be shy about using their resources. Even if you are not an alumnus, STCC, UT and U of M are public bodies and open to all taxpayers of the Midsouth. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
To return to the Midsouth Career Network main page, go BACK
This page was created on Thursday, March 27, 2003. Last updated Friday, November 13, 2009.