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Helping Hand Opens Doors: Career Alliance also valuable employer resource
By J. David Barron, dbarron@starlocalnews.com
When the Beatles were telling the world they would get by with a little help from their friends while singing "Hey Jude!" they could very well have been heralding Career Alliance -- though it certainly was unbeknownst to the Fab Four at the time.
St. Jude Church in Allen is indeed a friend the lads from Liverpool would no doubt approve.
Getting down to the nuts and bolts of helping real people in a real way is a ministry at St. Jude's called Career Alliance. The ministry focuses on the temporal as well as spiritual needs of those seeking employment, and is two-fold: It helps people looking for employment put together a comprehensive search utilizing a variety of resources -- including an exceptional support staff made up primarily of indispensable volunteers who provide both prayer and job-searching expertise. Secondly, Career Alliance is proving to be just as effective for employers looking to find a quality pool of potential employees to fill a particular business's current or upcoming job opening.
"These types of economic times can cause a lot of pain and anxiety," Church continued. "People can really go through a lot of anger, disappointment, fear, disillusionment -- just the range of emotions. So it takes a little effort to get through these emotions, and some people need a little help with that.
"But we're not just an emotional band aid," he quickly added. "The program also provides skill sets people need."
Career Alliance applies the Crossroads Careers Network Program (CrossroadsCareer.org), a proven Christian-based, 6-step program featuring experts on career exploration and job search. The program is free and open to everyone, with weekly meetings on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The meetings feature training and networking opportunities that include 1-on-1 coaching, help with selecting career direction and in writing effective resumes, interviewing preparation with specific personal guidance, help with posting resumes and searching available posts, as well as how to find any and all applicable job boards, even with tutelage on how to negotiate for salaries.
Those wanting to commit to go all the way through the program are also provided a free, 80-page in-depth career workbook. In addition, the ministry offers reference books on Metroplex-based businesses. A Directory of Human Services representing the Collin County Assistance Center is another resource made available for participants in the program.
Greg Taylor is a major in the U.S. Army Reserves who endured two tours in Afghanistan. When Taylor came home, his job as an architect was no longer available to him. But Career Alliance was. Taylor effusively credits the ministry with helping him go through the difficult times of searching for a job while not being gainfully employed. Taylor currently has a contract job at the architectural firm of O'Brien Architects.
"It gave me support from the people in the group, just hearing the things they were going through," Taylor began. "It is a good career motivational, support-type group setting. There's a lot of people there in similar circumstances with a lot of different job experiences.
"The speakers they have come, the six-step program," Taylor ticked off, listing the benefits available. "The people that work there; Jack Bick and Della Doss. They were real good at encouraging us and helping us with our search.
"They were great," Taylor said. "They absolutely gave me hope and help."
Taylor volunteered that Bick, the ministry coordinator, went over and above the call of duty.
"Jack Bick served in Vietnam, and he was really helpful to me," Taylor related. "When I first came, he sort of connected with me, and he offered to meet with me separately outside of the meetings. He sat down with me for like an hour or two at a time and went over my resume and offered suggestions. And that was real helpful."
"So many people helped me in my career," Bick modestly noted. "This was an opportunity to give back; not only in a practical way, but also in a spiritual way. That's it in a nutshell."
Doss related a recent success story that was especially gratifying. Doss, who is the director of Career Alliance, said, "Any of the men and women that come into our program and that, you know they've been struggling, and they come back and share with us that they've landed a job, that is just, you know, beyond description! And we stop and praise God every time for His faithfulness.
"But there was a certain gentleman," Doss confided when pressed, "who came for awhile and was always very supportive of the others. He even gave a financial donation. He wrote me a letter when he landed a job. I still have it on my desk. It said, 'God bless you and strengthen you in what you are doing.'
"And it really touched me that it was done immediately (after securing employment)," Doss said.
The monthly Saturday seminars from 9-11 a.m. are another aspect of the ministry Doss sees as especially enriching.
"We have guest speakers who sometimes present their own agendas," she conveyed. "And we have some wonderful professionals in the community who come and present tips and great advice to help with the job searches in general. They teach about LinkedIn, help with resume writing, talk about attitude in job searching -- those kinds of things.
"We could not have the program without wonderful volunteers to help us with their time," Doss added. "So we're always looking for volunteers and volunteer speakers to come and help."
Doss and Bick are each just as adamant about Career Alliance also proving to be an excellent aid for area businesses looking for that next reliable employee.
"Employers who would like to send their information regarding any job openings, St. Jude will be glad to post it and pass it along to our prospects," Doss said. "If they (employers) let us know their job openings, we can be a real resource for them."
Bick emphasized how much time Career Alliance can help area businesses save in their prospective employee searches.
"Instead of having to sort through 200 or even 400 applicants, we can help them find three or four highly qualified people for their jobs."
Another resource offered at Career Alliance is 1-on-1 small group settings for peer connections. Called Christ-Centered Career Groups (C3G), such meetings are designed to help people benefit from a small group that lends itself to serving one another until each member of the group is employed by providing spiritual support and shared strength throughout the oftentimes emotionally taxing career and job search experience. For more information on C3G, visit ntxcatholiccareers.org.
"It's good to be part of a solution," Father Church concluded. "Churches have an investment in the community, both spiritually as well as financially, and we want to take care of that investment.
"We are all a community of people working together."
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