Observations/Lessons Learned from a Group Facilitation Project

I will be finishing my involvement with the Searching for Work group at the end of November. I started the group one year ago as an outreach mission of the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, NJ. My vision was to provide unemployed people who were actively searching for work with tools and techniques they could use to improve their abilities to find work. I believe the program has succeeded in helping those who have put an effort into their searches. A number of people have found employment, several have launched consulting practices, and one has purchased a franchise business. Others are struggling for a variety of reasons — lack of effort among them.

I have learned much from this experience that has expanded my knowledge of the process of searching for work. In summary —

1. Searching for work continues to be hard work requiring an extraordinary amount of dedication and effort that is difficult to sustain over time.
2. It is difficult for some people to believe that they can create their future.
3. Searching for work effectively requires vision, planning, resources, exploring opportunities, and aggressively pursuing real work.
4. Without making a serious commitment to creating your future, there is a direct relationship between the incentive to search for work and financial need.
5. Groups formed for a specific purpose must impose rules for joining and participation to achieve group objectives.
6. There is always an excuse for avoiding searching for work.
7. Sharing experiences helps others achieve their goals.