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In 2007 Booz Allen Hamilton set out to help small nonprofits in the Washington, D.C. area gain access to expert advice and guidance on management and fundraising that was otherwise unattainable for them due to cost. In the four years since, the Booz Allen Hamilton Nonprofit Development Conference Series has grown exponentially and now successfully serves more than 400 unique nonprofit organizations with top tier guest speakers from around the metropolitan area who provide the sorely needed advice and guidance.
Monster keeps America working
By Sylvia Kinnicutt, Research Associate, Boston College Center
Last year when the economy started to falter, leadership at Monster Worldwide considered its role and responsibility during these times. As a company that brings together people looking for jobs with the people who are hiring, there was a natural fit with the challenge of getting Americans back to work, and the Keep America Working Tour – the “Ultimate Career Fair” – was born.
In a break with tradition for both Monster and other job fair organizers, Monster’s Keep America Working job fairs are free of charge to both job seekers and Monster employers with current job openings, thus eliminating any cost barrier and encouraging the greatest number of employers with available jobs to link face-to-face with people who need those jobs.
The Keep America Working Tour brings together the tools and expertise job seekers need to not only find a job, but to also help manage their careers. Job seekers can learn from Monster’s career experts by attending live theater presentations that offer advice and techniques that will help them stand out from the crowd and better market themselves in today’s tough job market. On-site kiosks feature Monster’s new career exploration and management tools, including Career Snapshots, Career Benchmarking and Career Mapping.
The tour has been a great aid for job seekers, but Lew Karabatsos, the company’s vice president of corporate philanthropy, saw even more opportunity to extend the company’s positive contribution: the ability to support disadvantaged American job seekers through partnerships that would bring job opportunities, skills and resources to those who most need them.
To aid in this effort, Monster chose to work with Career Gear and Dress for Success, national organizations that prepare disadvantaged men and women for job interviews and provide training and career development resources. Many of the clients of these organizations have never been to a career fair. They may be new to the workforce and many of them come from domestic violence situations or have been incarcerated previously.
Working together, Monster offers the nonprofits’ clients a head start in the incredibly overwhelming and competitive career fair market. Dress for Success and Career Gear clients arrive early, before the career fair opens. They are met by Monster employees who offer a seminar that prepares them for what to expect, how to approach employers and what to say to employers when asked certain questions. The focus is on demystifying the career fair experience by building confidence and providing tools and techniques that will enhance their experience. And, to minimize the stress of the crowds, these nonprofit clients are escorted onto the floor just before the career fair is open to the public, giving them a head start with the employers.
According to Karabatsos, “We have gotten great feedback in terms of our approach and how we’ve helped change people’s lives. We are proud to say that to date, many Dress for Success and Career Gear clients have gone on first and second interviews and some have successfully been hired into jobs.” Based on the success of the U.S. model, Monster has now integrated the philanthropic initiative into its Keep Europe Working Tour.
“At Monster we strive to inspire people to be as good as they can be – to get a job that will positively impact their lives. When it all comes together like this, there is no greater feeling.” Karabatsos explained.
For more information about the job fairs in Monster’s Keep America Working Tour, visit http://monstervjf.adicio.com/ or follow Monster’s Keep America Working Tour on Twitter @MonsterKAW and connect on Facebook.
