Job Search Councils (JSCs)

What is a Job Search Council?

It's a group of peer job seekers – typically 4 to 6 – who agree to form a mutual support group to help each other find good jobs they love.

You can set up and create your own JSC (Phyl’s book tells you how).

or

You can sign-up for our free matching service (we have launched thousands - check the homepage for the latest count) that will connect you to peer job seekers and provide free training and support.

Whether you set up your own, or join one of yours, you are making a significant commitment.

Don't want to read?

Watch videos about JSCs and the Never Search Alone method

Why should I join a JSC?

Three key reasons:

1. Confidence, hope, motivation and accountability
From 25 years of research and experience, Phyl and their team at Collaborative Gain have found that no matter who you are – college student looking for your first job, manager looking for a new role, a VP, or even a CEO – if you search alone, then you will experience anxiety, demoralization, and lack of confidence in your job search.

If, however, you join a group of job seekers, then by simply sharing your insecurity and anxiety, you will together convert those into hope, motivation, accountability, and, most importantly, confidence. There are more benefits to a JSC, but giving you confidence is one of the valuable.

2. Support to determine your Candidate-Market Fit

One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is to quickly start networking and interviewing before they know both what they want and how the market sees them.

The reason for this mistake is simple: the anxiety and pressure to find a good job quickly, especially if you don't have a JSC, will push you to skip this important step.

But just as product-market fit drives business success, candidate-market fit drives career success.

Yet, very few people take the time to understand this.

Your Job Search Council will help you discover your candidate-market fit and follow the step-by-step process outlined in Phyl's book (and made available via agendas and tools to all JSC members).

3. Help interviewing,  negotiating, and setting yourself up to succeed

The third big reason to join a JSC is to get the help you need when you are interviewing and negotiating with a company.

As Phyl outlines in Never Search Alone, candidates need to drive the process and, most importantly, create what Phyl calls a "Job Mission with OKRs."

In other words, you need to write your own job description with clear accountabilities for what you are signing up to deliver to this company. And then you need to think about the budget, resources, and support you'll need to succeed in the role.

Phyl's book goes into much more detail, but these are the three main benefits.

What are the Requirements to Join a JSC?

These are open to all *and* they are free.

But we do have several requirements.

  1. Significant commitment
    You are committing to about *80* hours of work on your Never Search Alone job search (you can review the commitment you are making).
  2. Attending your first 10 JSC Meetings
    You are committing to attend *every* one of your first 10 meetings (and maybe more depending how long your search takes). Your success – and your fellow members success – depends on the commitment you all have to each other.
  3. Attend JSC Orientation
    We require that all new JSC members attend a Zoom-based orientation, which will tell you more about how JSCs work and answer all your questions (you will be given the link to register for orientation after you sign-up).
  4. Read Never Search Alone
    The five-step methodology is counter-cultural and takes time and effort to implement. As a result, we ask JSC members to read the book with their Job Search Council.

    Note: The book is available in 20+ countries, but if you have trouble finding it, consult this article.
  5. Attend our bi-weekly LinkedIn Live sessions
    We bring the whole community together every other Friday at 12pm ET for conversation and Q&A on all the aspects of the Never Search Alone methodology. Go to the homepage of Phyl.org to sign-up for the latest session.
  6. This is a volunteer-driven community and the services are free
    We'll provide matching, training, and tools - but the impetus is on you to make this work. In fact, the job search success of every individual depends on every member's commitment

Are the JSC Members Strangers or?

If you sign-up for our matching service, then yes we'll pair you with strangers who are peers (meaning at about the same level of work tenure – college student, Director, VP, CEO, etc.) and who are either working and looking, or out-of-work and seeking a new job.

As Phyl explains in their book, there is real power  to working with strangers in the job search. They bring new networks, perspective, and honesty that may be otherwise difficult to find.

More Questions?

Read our FAQs (frequently asked questions).

Ready to Join? Thousands of JSCs and counting

So, again, you can create your own JSC (Phyl’s book tells you how).

or

You can sign-up for our free matching service that will connect you to peer job seekers (and provide free training and support).

We have set up and launched thousands (check the homepage for the latest count) since September 2022 and our team is ready to create thousands more for all those laid off, let go, or otherwise looking.

Again, this is a completely free service powered by volunteers who want to help.