Milwaukee JobCamp- A Very Cool Concept

Last week I had the opportunity to work with the fine people over at Milwaukee JobCamp, if you don’t know who they are you should check them out at www.milwaukeejobcamp.org and follow them on Twitter @JobCamp. Basically, what they do is host free daylong events that focus on helping people with their job search and/or career. The first JobCamp was held in March of 2009 and had about 500 attendees. The most recent camp had close to 2000 attendees. You may look at those numbers and assume that unemployment is a factor and view them as negative. I look at those numbers as 2000 people who are ready to better themselves.

JobCamp is very different from a typical Job Fair because it allows people to practice the skills they will need to obtain a job in a real life setting. From impromptu interviews to using social media, JobCamp really gets individuals prepared for the real life job hunt. They offer free professional headshots, resume doctors, elevator pitch practice, and many other resources to help in the job search.

All of the presenters and organizers of JobCamp are there on a volunteer basis and it really is a community building event. Jeanette and I were there to discuss how to use Twitter in your job search which is apparently something that many people were not doing. (I’ll be writing on article on this subject next).

To me the most amazing thing about JobCamp is that it is about a community working together to better themselves, this includes all the volunteers, sponsors, and attendees. We are not content to sit here and do nothing. We are working together to make sure that we all succeed. I think that is very cool.