Eagan group aims to help job seekers transition into new careers
by Jessica Harper
Dakota County Tribune
Members of the job transition group at Easter Lutheran Church in Eagan met on Sept. 7 to share leads. The group was formed by Catherine Byers Breet, owner and founder of Arbez, an Eagan-based career counseling firm that specializes in career transitioning. Byers Breet and guest speakers share various tips on job hunting. - Photo by Jessica Harper
After a 19-year career at Macy’s department store, Connie Cobb, 45, of Eagan suddenly found herself unemployed.
She was laid off in March from her job as a regional manager for service alterations and tailoring.
With her industry dwindling in the recession, Cobb decided to seek a new career path.
“I didn’t want to get stuck in a dying niche,” she said.
Cobb said she now is pursuing a new career in processing or product development.
However, changing career paths is much more difficult than she expected.
The most challenging part is being able to harness and identify marketable skills, Cobb said.
After months of searching, Cobb realized she needed help. So she decided to reach out to a job transition group at her church, Easter Lutheran in Eagan.
Although the group is housed at the church, it is secular, free of charge and open to the public.
Cobb, one of eight volunteers who help organize the meetings, said the group offers support and has helped her stay motivated.
“There’s no room for a pity party,” she said.
Cobb said the group has helped her learn new skills such as how to effectively search online, something that was previously foreign to her.
“My system in the past was to apply, and I’d get the job,” she said. “I hadn’t used the Internet for a job hunt before.”
The group was founded in 2008 by Catherine Byers Breet, owner and founder of Arbez, an Eagan-based career counseling firm that specializes in career transitioning.
“The goal is to help people get out and connected, and educate, empower and inspire them,” Byers Breet said.
Since its formation two years ago, it has accumulated 562 members, with 60 to 80 who consistently attend meetings, Byers Breet said.
What makes the group at Easter Lutheran Church different from other career counseling groups is that it focuses on those who are transferring careers and goes beyond networking, she said.
Byers Breet said she also teaches group members how to focus their search and create a “game plan.”
“It’s about defining a job and target market, and building your marketing tools,” she said.
Guest speakers also meet with the group to provide job-seeking tips.
However, networking is still a critical part of job searching, Byers Breet said.
“Eighty percent of jobs out there are never filled through the Internet,” she said. “Employers are busy. The only way to find a job is to talk with others in transition.”
Therefore, members of the group network and share leads with one another at the group’s weekly meetings.
Byers Breet said she always advises members to talk with people outside their own profession.
“People often find jobs through people who don’t compete with them,” she said.
Cobb said the group has helped her get some leads and interviews, but she still hasn’t landed any offers.
“I hope to get into a field soon,” she said.
In Brief
The jobs transition group led by career consultant Catherine Byers Breet meets from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays at Easter Lutheran Church, 4200 Pilot Knob Road in Eagan.
For more information, call Byers Breet at (612) 508-2017 or e-mail catherine@arbez.com.
Employers can send information on job offers to resumeonastick@gmail.com.
Jessica Harper is at
jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com
