We have created a database of individuals looking for opportunities in the region. It is called Roanoke Connect. In about 5 months we have 650 folks who have completed a profile to receive eNewsletters about local employment opportunities. We are now beginning to see successful matches being made. Visit Roanoke Connect and submit a profile. To see old eNewsletters, click here.

I was in DC recently conducting some focus groups of young adults. We asked what are the amenities DC has that are important to you.

The common theme response was free events. Free events? What do you mean? They went on to tell me about many daily, weekly and monthly free events in the region.

In comparing events locally, I cannot recall a lot of free events in this region. They usually have a price tag to them. Sure there are some, but most do cost attendees to participate.

Below are some sites showcasing events (free and for a fee). If you have free events you want to post, then send to me. Perhaps having more free events is where the focus should be? 

Downtown Roanoke Inc. -

Roanoke Chamber of Commerce -

WDBJ7 Community -

MeetUp.com -

Roanoke Times Inside Out -

City Magazine -

Event Zone -

This site provides some interesting reading on financial issues facing young adults.

NewVa Connects - the young professional’s voice for action - will be holding a social at Martin’s Restaurant in downtown Roanoke on Thursday evening starting at 5:35 pm. For more info, email jsnead@roanokechamber.org.

The Virginia Tech Faculty Net is having a social event on Friday, August 18 at Oge-Chi’s Restaurant in Blacksburg from 5:00pm-7:00pm. (Located on Draper Rd. next to Bollo’s). For more info email wgo@vt.edu.

Do Something is seeking to honor six outstanding leaders age 18 and under and three outstanding leaders age 19 to 25 who have taken action to strengthen their communities in the areas of community building, health, or the environment. Winners in the 18 and under category will receive a $5,000 scholarship and $5,000 community grant. Older winners will receive a $10,000 community grant.Applications are due by October 25, 2006. Click for more information and an application.

I received this recent email from the marketing manager of a new job search engine called Indeed.com.It reminds you of Google, yet your searches uncover jobs. (Note: I stand firm on the fact 80% of jobs are never advertised and most people get jobs through networking. This is a good source for the 10% of your job serach time via the web.)

Below is the note…Contact Sophie and visit the site.

"I read your blog today regarding a frustrated job seeker asking you for help. You made some great points about how time-consuming the job search process can be and to keep a strong focus on networking. The reason I’m contacting you is because you mentioned online job searches, and I wanted to introduce you to Indeed.com. If you haven’t heard of us, we are the most comprehensive job search engine pulling job listings from thousands of job boards, newspapers and companies. We pride ourselves in the fact that we provide the freshest job listings and do whatever we can to put the job seeker first. Many people write to tell us how much time Indeed.com saved them, and how efficient our emailed Job Alerts and many other tools are for them.

I realize that you are focusing on specific locations within Virginia. In turn, I searched how many listings would come up for Roanoke Virginia and came up with 4,081! For Virginia alone, the results page gave me 137,021!

Thanks for your time and please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions."

Sophie Beaurpere, Marketing Manager, Indeed - one search. all jobs.

Cumulus Radio New River Valley Employment Expo is being held at the University Holiday Inn of Blacksburg on August 29th from 9 am - 5 pm. Contact Michelle at Michelle.Coffman@cumulus.com for more info.

A frustrated job seeker recently wrote me asking for help. She had been writing resumes and cover letters and searching all of the online databases of jobs locally. She asked for help and assistance on her strategy and use of her time. Below is my response to her…

Frustration is part of the process. It is best to accept it, know that is going to be part of the process and focus on how you can separate yourself from the rest of the pack. This requires discipline and self-confidence - traits we often struggle with all the time.

Here are two standards used when job searching. It will take one month for each $10k in salary you want to make. Also, it will take you working a full-work week (40 hours) for 3 solid months to land the job that you want.

Studies indicate that about 80% of all jobs are NEVER advertised whether it is online, print, TV, etc. The way to uncover these jobs is through personal networking - your contacts. Additionally, although online job boards have increased in terms of effectiveness, still no more than 10% of people get jobs through online resources.

Therefore, let’s say you have 10 hours to spend each week on your job search. If you know that 80% of jobs come through networking, then it would be reasonable to spend about 8 of the 10 hours networking with people you know. There are many ways to do this - informational interviews, letting people know you are looking, volunteering for non-profit organizations, etc. If you want some suggestions read two books - Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and Dig Your Well Before You are Thirsty by Harvey McKay.

I would spend 1 of the 10 hours online searching. In fact, the job boards now, make it so easy to search, that it really should not require a lot of time. In fact, once you register and visit it for about 5-10 minutes daily, then you should know what is out there. MyHomeTownJobs.com and Roanoke.com are good resources locally.

The more specific you can be in your job search the better. What I mean by that is if you can tell me the location, industry and specific companies you are targeting the easier it is for me and others to help you.

The other hour I would spend connecting with all employment and staffing agencies, headhunters, HR directors, etc. These people hold information on multiple positions and it is a wise use of time to build relationships with these people throughout your life.