11 Ways The Chamber Can Help You Get Your Career Back On Track

Press release from the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce:

4 May, 2021

COVID negatively impacted most of us. We lost our jobs; some of us lost loved ones; some of us had to put our careers on hold while we took care of more pressing issues. But now, as vaccinations increase and active cases decrease in Michigan, we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We are all hoping to return to normal. But for those who are still unemployed or are just starting to think about returning to the workforce, it could be overwhelming to think about starting over. If that’s the case, please know that the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber is here to help. While you may not think of us as career counselors, we can assist you in your job search and building your network to help you get your career back on track in ways you may not have considered before.

Networking
Even before COVID, getting a job was often dependent on who you knew. This matters for two reasons. All things being equal, an employer will select someone who knows someone in their organization because that makes them less of a mystery and a risk. Hiring is one of the most expensive and riskiest things an employer can do. An applicant that is a known quantity poses less of a risk. The other benefit to building your network when you are job hunting is that you may find out about openings before they become public, giving you an edge over the applicant pool.

Chamber networking can be extremely helpful, especially to those who feel out of touch because they’ve been out of work (or working form home) for the past year.

The chamber offers networking mixers and can make personal introductions if you know you want to meet specific types of people like those in your industry or an industry you’d like to know more about.

Education
A year out of the workforce (or working from home) might not seem like a long time but it can have an effect on your career. Some technology may have changed. There are new social media features and etiquette that has rolled out. And if you were unemployed and focused on your family, you may have completely missed the video call tech and its intricacies that became a major part of daily usage.

The chamber can help bring you up to speed through its webinars, videos, and content on various professional development topics. Best of all, these resources are free to members and a lot of it is free to the larger community as well. Visit www.bbcc.com/past-events/ to view the educational seminars we held throughout the past year.

Thought Leadership
Many people have used the pandemic to reevaluate their career trajectories. In doing so, they may have decided they no longer want to work for other people but go out on their own. Maybe they want to consult or share their knowledge with others instead.

If you are considering entrepreneurship, you’ll want to build up thought leadership avenues. The chamber can help. There may be speaking opportunities, committee leadership positions, and video interviews that can help set you up for success by sharing your views and knowledge.

This press release was produced by the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.