DANVILLE, CA – The Job Connections’
With unemployment rates in Alameda and Contra Costa counties at 5.5 percent in March 2008, and a March statewide jobless rate of 6.4 percent (The East Bay Business Times, April 12, 2008), the Job Connection’ Summit helped Northern California employees connect with area employers. Whether unemployed, employed or in the midst of a career transition, The 2008 Career & Leadership Summit offered key strategies for effectively enhancing one’s professional skills. The Summit featured a free continental breakfast and a large lunch buffet, all donated from area restaurants, such as: Bridges, Chevy’s and Ristorante Forli. The entire Summit was produced by 116 volunteers & donations from over 50 company sponsors.
The 2008 speakers, who all donated their time and expertise, included:
• Sheila Murray Bethel (Walnut Creek, CA), best-selling author and authority on leadership, who presented on “Leadership That Makes a Difference”, highlighting ways to achieve greater influence while maximizing one’s potential.
• Joe Pelayo (San Francisco), one of the nations’ top 75 Recruiters, who shared best practices for “Networking Your Way to Success”.
• Libby Wagner (Seattle, WA) is a recognized leadership communications expert who delivered “Five Strategies for Better Results – Effective Communications in Leadership”.
“Having organized five annual Summits, I believe this one was the best yet. We had speakers, whose messages were relevant to job seekers, employees and employers. We were able to offer free breakfast and, for the first time, an extensive free lunch buffet to a record 600 attendees.” said Job Connections organizer, Dean Tracy. “There was no charge to attend the entire event, which was made possible through the generous contribution of time, materials and cash donations from our Job Connections volunteers, guest speakers and sponsors.”
The following companies and organizations were represented at the event:
Chevron Corporation
Employment Development Department
SkylarHaley Company
Farmers Insurance Company
EastBay Works
CSIX Connect
East Bay IT Group - ebig
Kaiser Permanente
Mass Mutual Financial Group
Robert Half Company
The next Northern California Career Summit will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2009, and all volunteers are welcome to help produce the event. The Summit will include something for everyone. Employers will have access to hundreds of available professionals from the Greater Bay Area. Job Seekers can meet with hiring managers. The employed can increase their career contacts by networking with hundreds of attendees from varied backgrounds and professional experiences.
