I’ll start this off by admitting that I am not an authority on job clubs. For some of you, this might be a good time to stop reading this blog because I just don’t get them. For those of you that are a part of job clubs, can you kindly (or not) explain to me:

- What value do you get from belonging to the group?
- What advantage have you achieved?
- How much time have you given?
- What has the group done for you lately?
- Is it just a big rah rah meeting?

I’m asking these questions because I think job seekers really need to focus their efforts on activities that will land them a job. If you haven’t asked these of the job clubs you belong to, maybe you should. As a recruiter, I try to help as many companies find talented executives, and executives find companies, as I can. I understand that I can’t help everyone that I come into contact with; some folks are outside of my industry / contacts, some don’t have the level of experience that the companies I hire for require, some companies are looking to hire people that I don’t have access to. There are a myriad of reasons that I can’t help everyone and I let all parties know this up front. Does it work the same way when you are part of a job club or do they try to be all things to all people? Several months ago I spoke at a local club. The room was packed (50+ in attendance), the questions were many, the reviews at the conclusion were positive but what did they really get out of it? If my discussion on “How to present yourself using social media to get a job” actually didn’t land anyone a job, what was the point?

I’m not saying there is a right or wrong answer to the questions I posed earlier. What I am saying is this - as a job seeker you must be accountable to yourself in all that you do to find a job. Have a way of measuring / validating that the methods you use are working - job boards, recruiters, job clubs, etc. Know what you want to get from the relationship, measure it, and if it’s not effective, don’t be afraid to change and try a new approach. Now is not the time to do things for the sake of doing them. Now is the time to do things that are going to lead to results.