Promoting Professional Geekery #24: Start a Meetup

you've got cons, you've got your video viewings, you've got your midnight runs with your gaming group to get pancakes.  You've got a lot of social events, my progeeks.

So if you want to keep promoting professional geekery, why not make an event just for career geeks like you?

It's easy – you take a coffee shop or cafe, coordinate with various geek groups, and/or throw it up on http://www.meetup.com/.  Then keep doing it until you bloody well help people.

There's a variety of things you can do:

  • Have people swap job search tips.
  • Help the unemployed network.
  • Do workshops.
  • Commiserate and drink alcoholic beverages.
  • Have particular themes.
  • Run oddball documentaries on the history of your industries.

Of course whatever benefits these actions have, it also means that people will A) appreciate the potential of professional geekery, and B) They'll be drawn closer together.

Really it just helps for people to have a place to meet with fellow and future pros, whatever you do.  It's outside of other events so people aren't distracted, but formal enough that you can work together to help each other out.

Or do the drinking thing.  Hey, whatever works. 

Steven Savage

 

Why Aren’t We Geeking The Job Search?

Let's be honest here, my progeek kin (Progeekin?), the job search is a nightmare.  if you have your own business, the search for clients is probably somewhat saner, but I'm not ready to reach that conclusion because I'll probably get a good talking-to from people with their own businesses.

But anyway, it stands, the job search is crazy.  HR is ossified, overstressed, or both.  Recruiters slog through insanity for us, but need our help.  The resume and cover letter are a pain.  Job search sites are sometimes not helpful, and the more they experiment, the worse it gets.  The interview process is . . . well, you get the idea.

OK we know it's awful.  Part of what I post here is how to deal with the job search, along with my usual random complaints and charmingly witty observations.

But I just want to post a question here for us to think of – what are we doing to change this?

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Promoting Professional Geekery #23: Start A Pro Section At A Con

The roundup of Promoting Professional Geekery is here.

OK you're speaking at a con about careers.  You might be managing an entire track of career events.  So what more can you do to encourage people attending your convention or conventions to try the route of the professional geek?

Why, by inviting other professionals – but not just to speak.  Give them tables, give them their own area.  Start a Pro Section at your con.

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