Mark Babbitt, CEO of YouTern, is proud to support “Hired for the Holidays” – a collaborative effort by the career experts found on Social Media to help exceptional job seekers find work, one person at a time.
As you read the press release below, please consider joining our efforts as a sponsor. By using your expertise, personal network and a little elbow grease, you’ll make a huge difference during this holiday season – and into the New Year!
12.21.2010– To help job seekers find rewarding, gainful employment or career-enhancing internships, career experts who met on Twitter are volunteering their time in a collaborative effort they’ve deemed, “Hired for the Holidays.”
“There were 3.4 million job openings on the last business day of October, according to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report,” said Mark Babbitt, founder of Hired for the Holidays and CEO of YouTern. “We know jobs exist. Many people just have a hard time properly marketing themselves and getting noticed by employers. That’s where we come in.”
In early December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported:
- The unemployment rate edged up to 9.8 percent in November
- Average duration unemployed remained about the same at 33.8 weeks (-0.1)
- Nonfarm payroll employment was little changed (+39,000)
After a recent Twitter chat, a discussion among several career experts concluded that many consistent contributors to our social media community were themselves unemployed.
“Collectively, we agreed that the holiday season is a perfect time to help our friends and colleagues – and Hired for the Holidays was born,” said Babbitt. “In just a few short business days following those initial discussions, Hired for the Holidays already had a ‘pay it forward’ mission, a website, and our first round of sponsors and candidates!”
In addition to Babbitt, the following individuals are founding “sponsors” (someone to mentor candidates to stay prepared, motivated and confident):
- Becky Benishek, co-moderator of #careerchat on Twitter
- Rich DeMatteo, founder of Corn on the Job and #jobhuntchat
- Heather R. Huhman, founder and president of Come Recommended and co-host of #internchat
- Chanelle Schneider, creator of #GenYChat
Each “charter” candidate, selected by a sponsor based on his or her avid participation in the aforementioned Twitter chats, will receive the following free services:
- 8 to 12 weeks of one-on-one counsel with a career expert
- 30 to 60 minutes of scheduled phone time per week with their sponsor
- Access to several career experts within the HFTH team for niche support
- Resume critique/edit/review by a professional resume writer
- Analysis of the candidate’s online presence and reputation
- Introductions to hiring managers within the candidate’s field of expertise
- Name, bio and job search goals displayed on the Hired for the Holidays website
The charter candidates’ stories can be found on the sponsors@hiredfortheholidays.com.
The Hired for the Holidays movement is actively seeking more sponsors – and candidates.
To become a sponsor, there are only three set guidelines:
- Your expertise must be such that you can personally serve as a sponsor – and help your candidate find meaningful employment
- All work done on behalf of the candidates is 100% pro bono
- We ask that individuals serve as sponsors rather than your organization (for example, Mark Babbitt, CEO of YouTern, serves as a sponsor, but YouTern cannot)
Interested parties should tweet @HiredHolidays or send an e-mail tohere.
To become a candidate, you must:
- Be “coachable”; the input you’ll receive from your mentor will be practical, honest and – most important – will help you find employment.
- Be the “CEO” of your job search; the mentor’s role is to assist you – your role is to find work!
- Agree to the “pay it forward” nature of Hired for the Holidays – this time next year, you agree to sponsor a candidate yourself, and help them find work.
Additional details regarding Hired for the Holidays can be found here.
