July 28, 2009

Career Center offers solutions
for laid-off employees

Speed networking, résumé development, and interview coaching are just some of the offerings of a new center that aims to assist recent Yale employees looking for new job opportunities.

Shelli Eason (right), a nurse and internal auditor, with Career Center manager Elena McHugh (left) and John Klym (center), career consultant with Right Management.

Speed dating has been around for a decade or so, as a way of helping singles quickly meet a large number of new people. Now this formalized matchmaking process is being applied at Yale in the world of work, not romance, to help laid-off employees gain exposure to a wider array of job opportunities within the university.

The “speed networking” event scheduled for Thursday, July 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. at 221 Whitney Avenue, is just one approach the university’s newly established Career Center is taking to help laid-off Yale employees find new jobs. Participants at the event will learn skills and tips from consultants at Right Management, an international management firm that specializes in preparing employees for placement into the job market. They will then have the chance to “speed-network” for a few minutes at a time with other participants, practicing these skills and gathering information in a fun and informal environment.

Speed networking is one of many workshops offered by the Career Center, which opened in April. Elena McHugh, LMSW, the center’s manager, estimates that of the Yale employees laid off from their jobs this year as a result of university budget cuts necessitated by the current economic crisis, about 100 are seeking positions through the center, including 10 from the School of Medicine.

Keeping laid off employees at Yale is a priority, McHugh says, because they already understand Yale’s work culture and have developed skills and contacts within the university. To make the job search easier, Human Resources posts openings internally for at least two weeks before opening them to non-Yale applicants. And if a laid-off employee is qualified for a job and applies, McHugh says, he or she is guaranteed an interview. The Career Center’s mission is to help applicants land that job, whether through résumé development, interview coaching, or exploring career options. Some of the Career Center’s offerings include:

• Classes on résumé editing, networking and interviewing strategies, and choosing a new career for applicants to all job grades
• One-on-one coaching with McHugh or with consultants from Right Management
• Preparation for difficult interview questions, such as behavior-based questions, and rehearsal of interview techniques
• Stress management workshops through the Employee Assistance Program
• Computer access, a phone line, Connecticut Labor Department information, and other useful resources

The Career Center is located at 155 Whitney Avenue and is open for walk-in appointments from 9 to 4:30 every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; appointments can be made by calling 203-432-5155. Registration for Speed Networking is not required.

—Ayelet Amittay

Photo by Charles Gershman

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