The United Way recently estimated that the total jobs lost in New York and New Jersey because of Sept. 11 were somewhere between 90,000 and 150,000. In terms of the nation’s economy, the terrorist attacks hit when New York and New Jersey’s job market was already vulnerable, pushing the economy from stagnancy into an outright contraction.
Hoboken was hit especially hard because of the large number of professional commuters who make the daily trek into Manhattan. It is with those people in mind that the Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) of MetroWest will be hosting a series of employment workshops in town. The first workshop will be held Tuesday at the United Synagogue of Hoboken at 115 Park Ave.
JVS will be offering free job placement assistance to all residents of Hudson County without regard to race or religion.
Trained vocational counselors and career placement professionals will help the unemployed return to economic independence.
The first workshop, which will be held Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., will focus on “conducting a job search.” Issues that will be discussed will be self-assessment, transferable skills for career transition, resume and letter preparation and the art of networking. Other subjects that will be covered are informational interviewing, cold calling, use of the Internet for the job search, and job search sources and resources.
A portion of the funding for the employment services workshops has come from the United Jewish Community (UJC) Emergency Relief Fund. UJC has so far disbursed nearly $2.2 million from its Emergency Relief Fund, which has help dozens of Jewish social service agencies in New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C. and other areas respond to post-Sept. 11 needs.
The UJC fund has allowed another Hudson County Jewish organization, the Jewish Family and Counseling Services of Jersey City, to open a Hoboken office to counsel local residents who are still dealing with the after-effects of the Sept. 11 attacks. The service in Hoboken is open to anyone who lost loved ones or is still suffering from post-traumatic stress following 9-11, also without regard to race or religion. For information on this service, call (201) 222-9060.
Other funding sources for JVS include the Disaster Relief Fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation and The Blanche and Irvine Laurie Foundation.
Other workshops
“Conducting a Job Search” is only the first in what is going to be a series of employment workshops. While the dates and locations of subsequent workshops are still to be announced, they will cover the entire gambit of looking for a new job. For example, session two, “Preparation for the Interview,” will cover identifying and defining job accomplishments, preparing for the interview, salary negotiations, typical interview questions, fielding difficult questions, and tips on getting the job offer.
Although JVS would prefer that participants pre-register for the employment workshops, they will welcome walk-ins. For more information about the program, to register, or to inquire about the dates of future workshops, call (201) 674-6330, ext. 274. All calls will be kept confidential.