Are you looking for help with expanding your professional network so you can find a new job? Thanks to the recession, a growing number of jobless individuals are putting together “job clubs,” which have the primary goal of bringing together job seekers so they can provide one another with support and assistance with finding a job.

For many, attending these job clubs is simply a way to feel some camaraderie with other people who are facing the same dismal employment opportunities as they are. Of course, when meeting at these job clubs, you never know who you might meet and what potential job leads you might uncover.

Whiles some of these job clubs are well established, others are just getting started and don’t have a solid direction in mind yet. Nonetheless, one thing is for certain – the number of job clubs being started as increased significantly since the recession hit.

“In December my document was 15 pages long, and in June it was 39 pages long,” said Janice Lee Juvrud, who has maintained a list of job clubs for the past three years at blog.yoursearchlights.org, in a New York Times article. “The growth is huge.”

Although Juvurd’s list primarily focuses on New Jersey, Connecticut and Westchester County, the growing size of her list is a good indication of what is being experienced on a national level. In fact, more and more of these clubs are sprouting up at churches, diners, hotels, libraries and just about anywhere else you can think of.

What takes place at these job club meetings can be quite varied. In most cases, however, the members visit with each other and listen to guest speakers who talk about topics such as how to write an effective resume or how to give a great interview. Sometimes, the meetings serve almost as a confessional, with members sharing how much their lives have changed since the recession hit and their jobs were lost.
While some of the job clubs have been started by employment consultants, some of whom are out of work themselves, others are simply developed by others who are looking for support through these rough times. So, if there isn’t a job club in your area and you feel like you could benefit from the support and networking opportunities these clubs provide, you might want to consider starting a club of your own.