Register now, please!

There is no such thing as a free lunch! The economic wisdom of TANSTAAFL is well known and accepted. Someone needs to pay directly or indirectly.

Your LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence is a perfect example of this. The facility to hold this event costs money. The Living Waters Church has been very gracious in providing a very aggressive price for this event, especially because of the cause and their desire to help.

If we could hold this out in some open space that would be one thing but the nature of the discussions and presentations require something to cover us from the elements (nevermind this wonderfully unpredictable New England weather!)

So you get to contribute and sponsor this event with your $10 registration fee. By the time the Eventbrite and credit card processing fees are subtracted from the $10, the team ends up with 8 dollars and change. This is budgeted to cover the facility and refreshments for up to 200 folks.

There is flexibility in the budget if we don't need refreshments for 200 but we still need to cover the facility fee. Hence, the plea for your registration before the event. We will need to make a go/no-go call around mid-week.

The team is composed of volunteers contributing their time and effort for this worthy event. We can't afford to sponsor this from our pockets. Most of us have been looking for work for sometime. We are in the same boat as you are.

You can help make this event a success in two ways:
1 - register early
2 - be an active participant when you arrive

You should leave with more knowledge about the job search, more connections and hopefully an extra dose of confidence to add the spring to the next step in your job search.

All this for $10!

Can you get a better deal elsewhere?

Register for LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence here


Note: a full accounting of the event budget will be made available to all.

Session: How To Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile For The Job Search

Session Topic: How To Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile For The Job Search

Just signing up for LinkedIn is not enough! This session will cover 10 ways job seekers can optimize their LinkedIn profile for their job search. Topics will include Your LinkedIn Audience, Verbiage Best Practices, Keywords and LinkedIn Don’ts. Even the LinkedIn addicts in the crowd should walk away with at least one new idea.

Marci Reynolds is the CEO of J2B Marketing, a “Job Seeker 2 Business”™ Internet Marketing & Online Copywriting Services Firm based in Framingham, Massachusetts. From LinkedIn profile makeovers to launching Twitter strategies, J2B harnesses the latest internet and marketing communication tools available to help Job Seekers get back to work faster. Marci Reynolds was previously VP, North America Sales Operations at Monster.com. 

Learn more at www.j2bmarketing.com.
 
Register for LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence here

What do I wear to LaidOff Camp?

LaidOff Camp is a networking opportunity so first impressions will count. We recommend business casual. We want you to be comfortable and presentable without having to go all out and dress for an interview.

Here is a quick listing of links with more details on how to dress for an interview and for a networking event:

From About.Com - Dress for success

How to dress for business networking

From Ladders - Dress to Network  - Every Encounter Counts

From College Fashion - How to Dress for Networking Events

If you find other good sources, you can share them in a comment here, or on our Facebook page.


We'll see you dressed for a good impression on November 7th!




Register for LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence here

This is "a performance-driven marketplace"

Last February, designer Michael Locascio started calling recruiters after he was abruptly laid off from a Chicago-area company. “Usually within a couple of weeks, I would find something, even just project-based work, but this time there was nothing or the pay was ridiculously low,” he says.

Locascio, 50, always disdained networking. “I felt like you’re always asking someone for a favor,” he says. But last summer, out of desperation, he joined St. Hubert Job and Networking Ministry, one of Chicago’s largest free job-support groups. “There was a no-whining policy,” he says. “You’re there to stay focused on the task.”

The ministry breaks participants into small groups of eight to 12 job seekers from different occupations who problem-solved, shared job leads and held each other accountable for progress. “That helped to keep me going—seeing others land jobs,” says Locascio.

Read the full article in AARP Bulletin Today.

LaidOff Camp is designed to provide the same type of experience as a networking group, compressed into one afternoon. You get to choose the sessions you need and make new connections at the same time.


Register for LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence here

Should we have a session on posture?

The body and mind connection is reinforced with another study:

Researchers found that people who were told to sit up straight were more likely to believe thoughts they wrote down while in that posture concerning whether they were qualified for a job. On the other hand, those who were slumped over their desks were less likely to accept these written-down feelings about their own qualifications…

Read the full post here.


So in addition to keeping good posture during your interview, it is also important to keep good posture when you are preparing your plan, when you are preparing your application to a job posting. 


Should we have a session on posture at LaidOff Camp?

Register for LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence here

How bad is unemployment in New England?

The Wall Street Journal provides a nice interactive chart to pick five states to compare. I do subscribe to the Journal online edition and took a screen shot to share here.

Rhode Island leads the pack with 13%. Connecticut 9.8% leads Massachusetts with 9.3%. Vermont actually improved on the bottom 6.7% and New Hampshire passed it with 7.2%.

These are not great numbers to work with, hence one of the reasons why LaidOff Camp is so important. You need an edge to get your resume out of the pile that flows in every time some one posts a position for hire.

You can come to LaidOff Camp, share what you know, pick up tips and tricks from others and take the next step in your job search with more confidence!

This is something you CAN do.

Register for LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence here

Press Release on Event Published

Attleboro/Providence LaidOff Camp, Region’s First,

Will Offer Networking Opportunities, Motivational Boost

for Massachusetts, Rhode Island Job Seekers

___

Event is scheduled for November 7, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The location: Living Waters Church, 15 John L. Dietsch Blvd., North Attleboro, Mass.

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass.——New England, a region especially hard-hit by the current economic slump, will play host soon to its first LaidOff Camp. The Attleboro/Providence LaidOff Camp is expected to draw several hundred job seekers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and neighboring states.

LaidOff Camps are springing up around the country in response to the recession. The camps offer peer-to-peer learning, networking opportunities and motivational support for laid-off and unemployed workers. Previous LaidOff Camps have been held in Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and New York.


The Attleboro/Providence LaidOff Camp is scheduled for Saturday, November 7, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The location: Living Waters Church, 15 John L. Dietsch Blvd., North Attleboro, Mass. 


Persons interested in attending should register at http://laidoffcampprovidence.blogspot.com.


Attendees will be asked to check in at the Living Waters Church on Nov. 7, between 12:00 and 12:45 p.m. LaidOff Camp tickets purchased in advance will cost $10 per person; tickets purchased on the day of the conference are $15. Proceeds from tickets will help defray conference expenses. Coffee, refreshments and snacks will be served during the conference. 


Directions to the Living Waters Church can be found on the church’s website (www.achurchonthemove.com).


“This is an ‘unconference’ for the unemployed and underemployed,” says Steve Sherlock, a LaidOff Camp organizer. “The event’s organizers and session facilitators all have experience dealing with the challenges of layoffs and unemployment, and they are enthusiastic about sharing what they’ve learned in a peer-to-peer setting.”


“LaidOff Camp participants will not only acquire dozens of new LinkedIn connections. More importantly, they will share experiences and ideas with their peers, make potentially valuable new contacts and refine their job search skills. And at the end of the day they’ll return home more confident and motivated to pursue new opportunities.”


LaidOff Camp Agenda


The Attleboro/Providence LaidOff Camp will feature both seminar-like sessions and informal opportunities to network in small groups. The camp’s agenda will be adapted to reflect the needs and interests of participants.


State employment officials from Massachusetts and Rhode Island will be on hand to answer questions and discuss resources available for unemployed and laid-off workers. There will also be sessions devoted to job interviews and the use of social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Call for session leaders and topics

What topic would you like to have discussed at the LaidOff Camp? This is your conference. It will be a good time to get your questions about the job search process answered.

 

Use the comments or send an email to laidoffcampprovidence@gmail.com

 

 

For session leaders: please send along the following info -

• Title for your proposed session
• Brief description to tell the attendees what the session will cover, what they can leave with
• Whether you'd bring your laptop to present, or use handouts, or just talk/interact with the group
• A brief bio of yourself

 

 

Note: We are planning to have a representative from both MA and RI to answer questions around unemployment.

 

 

 

 

Vulnerable is beautiful!

So you were laid off. It may have come as a shock. The economy is not so great right now. It is hard to keep looking. It is hard to keep up your spirits. The financial pressures are starting to mount.

You are not in this alone. The recently released JOLT numbers said that there were 2.4 million jobs posted. It also said that there were 15.1 million people looking for those jobs. Tough competition, yes.

You are not in this alone. You can stay alone and looking.

Or you can admit you are looking and job a networking group. Over the course of their meetings (whether weekly or monthly or?) you'll get to learn something from a guest speaker and network with others.

You can also come to Laid Off Camp on November 7th. For the one afternoon, for the cost of only $10, you'll get to share your tips and tricks of the job search with others.

Gain confidence in sharing what you know. Learn something new. Network with others.

And leave the event with more confidence, more knowledge, and a greater network behind you to take your next step in the job search!


Vulnerable Is Beautiful from Rachael Maddox on Vimeo.

Why wait, why not register now!

Vulnerable is beautiful. Especially when you are in good company!


Many thanks to Amy Palko for pointing out this video clip for me. Timing is everything.

LaidOff Camp Registration

The registration is now open.

Your cost - $10.

Why $10? The small charge covers the facility fee and provides for some refreshments during the afternoon.

Your benefit -

“LaidOff Camp participants will not only acquire dozens of new LinkedIn connections. More importantly, they will share experiences and ideas with their peers, make potentially valuable new contacts and refine their job search skills. And at the end of the day they’ll return home more confident and motivated to pursue new opportunities.”

Note: The capacity of the event we are planning for is 200.

The place for positive thinking

You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.

So only plant good & great seeds in your mind… and if some poison ones have slipped into the soil… yank em out and be sure to get the roots!

Read the full posting over at Kirk Weisler's Thought 4 the Day (T4D).

Consider subscribing to his almost daily email if you like this message and could use more of them. They do not always have a religious bent but they are thought provoking.

This is just as important a message for the job search as anything else you hear. Be positive and the positiveness will come through.

Where can you gain some positive thinking? LaidOff Camp! The sharing and collaboration from the group should generate plenty of positive reinforcement to go forth empowered with more knowledge and connections.

Consider registering for LaidOff Camp Attleboro/Providence here

We have a location - Living Waters Church, North Attleboro

We have located a fine facility to hold LaidOffCamp Attleboro/Providence. The Living Waters Church in North Attleboro has been gracious and accommodating working with us to plan for this event. You may recall that they hosted the United Regional Chamber of Commerce Job Fair in September.

Here are some photos of the facility to help you navigate around the building the day of LaidOff Camp:




The registration info will include directions to Living Waters Church. In the meantime you can view the local map here.

What to expect by participating in a LaidOff Camp

What should you expect when participating in the LaidOffCamp Attleboro/Providence? Here are a few tips:

Preparation for the event

• Pre-register for the event to give the coordinators a good idea as to how many people are coming.

• Come early, but not too early - Showing up at the announced starting time will be fine. Show up earlier, and you'll get drafted for setup work (much appreciated!). Show up later, and you'll miss some social activity and the session scheduling.

• Be ready to participate - come with an idea for a session you can lead. You don't have to be an expert at your topic; as long as it's not too specific, there'll probably be someone else present who can help you out. You can also contribute to the conversation during a session. This is a great way to participate, since it spreads knowledge from everyone, instead of just the leader.

The day of the event

• When you arrive, go to the pre-registration table, where you can claim/make your nametag. Make your way into the gathering place, where you should find lots of people to network with.

• We plan to start by gathering together in the Assembly Hall. We'll review the schedule for the afternoon. If you see that a session you're interested in is not being offered, check with some neighbors to see if they would be interested, and then approach organizers. We will have some open slots for ad-hoc sessions to be scheduled the day of the Laid Off Camp.

• We plan on having time slots of 45 minutes for sessions. This should allow for a brief presentation and plenty of Q&A. We will allow for 15 minutes between session for follow up and additional networking. We are planning for refreshments to be available.

• As you finish the last session, please look around the room and pick up any trash. We want to leave the facility in as good and clean a condition as when we walked in. Every little bit you can do will help the overall event. 


Note: the starting points for this posting came from the LaidOff Camp wiki

Hold the date - Nov 7th!

The Attleboro/Providence Laid Off Camp Team is bringing the unconference peer-to-peer learning format to the unemployed. Hold the date, Saturday Nov 7th, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Who should attend?

• Are you unemployed 
• Are you exploring entrepreneurial activities 
• Are you currently employed and willing to help

If you answered yes to any one of these, then the LaidOff Camp is for you.

The peer-to-peer learning format of the unconference will

• facilitate sharing the tips and tricks we have all learned while looking for work 
• provide additional networking opportunities 
• empower the unemployed to take the next step in their job search with more knowledge and confidence

Additional details and the registration process will be available by October 12th.