Relaxed events where people gather to schmooze for jobs over hors
d'oeuvres are multiplying on the social scene. Résumés are welcome.
The first such gatherings were spotted in November in New York, as Wall
Street began cutting loose huge swaths of its workforce, and the events
have migrated to Chicago, Boston and San Francisco. No matter the
location, the forum is always the same: cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in
a relaxed setting where job seekers can network and meet with potential
recruiters.
"I think people are realizing that sitting at home looking on
Craigslist isn't working anymore," said Allen Artcliff, the director of
food and beverage of the Crescent Hotel in Beverly Hills, birthplace of
the Los Angeles pink-slip party. "And gone are the days of trying to
find a job at some job fair in the basement of the convention center."
The Crescent held its first pink-slip event at its Boé restaurant and
lounge in February, attracting about 100 people. At its March event,
that number had doubled. By 6 p.m. that Tuesday evening, a line of
people -- many clutching their résumés to their chest -- snaked around
the block. There, over $5 pink vodka martinis and half-price
appetizers, they vied to hook up with representatives from the five
recruiting firms on-site, representing industries as varied as
entertainment and human resources.
The events take on somewhat different tones. Edwin Duterte, founder of
Pink Slip Mixers, hosted a gathering at the high-tech uWink restaurant
in Hollywood last month that was attended by about 50 job seekers. But
instead of meeting with potential employers, they networked with each
other, exchanging tips on how to perk up a flagging résumé or make a
good impression at a job interview. A large projection screen allowed
people to use Twitter to communicate about job needs and leads.
"My biggest priority is to get more community interaction," said
Duterte, who himself was laid off from his commercial real estate job
in January last year. "I'm adamant about people helping one another out
and sharing resources. It should be about paying it forward."
Job seekers and hirers are encouraged to mingle. At the Crescent Hotel
event, those looking for jobs were given name tags in one color, while
recruiters from different industries wore different colors (although,
in the trendy dim lighting, it wasn't always easy to discern who was
who). But, unlike some social gatherings where it might be gauche to
ask someone what they do, at pink-slip parties everything is clear-cut,
everyone is there for the same reason, and there is no awkwardness
about handing out your résumé and card to anyone you meet.
Rachel Pine, organizer of a Wall Street pink-slip party at a Manhattan
bar last November, said that most who showed up at the first one were
still employed, there just to socialize.
"By the next one, in December, about 80% of them had been laid off,"
she said. "By February, almost everyone there was looking for a job and
was serious about using it as a resource."
If economic conditions continue to slide, pink-slip parties may
well continue to thrive. BCS Staffing, a recruitment firm that
specializes in accounting, finance, human resources and administrative
services, recently hosted its first pink-slip party at the aptly chosen
Pink Taco restaurant in Century City. Another event in April will be at
the Staples Center, where the stub from a discounted ticket to an L.A.
Clippers game that night will get you into a party in a conference room
there.
Beryl Smith, president of BCS Staffing, says she represents many
recruiters who mine pink-slip events for candidates; there are always
new people to meet, and the relaxed ambience helps do away with nerves.
At the Crescent event, she had picked up several résumés from people
who would be a good fit for her job openings. "We need to come out and
support events like this," she said. "It's about everyone doing their
part."
Certainly, there does appear to be a community spirit of altruism at
play. In most cases, venues are donated. Liquor firms donate the
beverages that are sold for reduced prices, and those who organize the
events say they make no profit. Duterte recently moved from Los Angeles
to San Jose but says he will commute to host and promote pink-slip
parties in both places.
But even the most successful pink-slip parties cannot lead to jobs if
there are no jobs to be filled. Smith was at the Crescent Hotel event
the other week hoping to meet candidates to fill six jobs she had
available. But a year ago, she said, she had 30 jobs to fill.
"My view is, 'Let's try and be as hopeful as we can,' " said Wendy
Tuttle, director of management placements at DD Factor, a recruiting
firm that specializes in the hospitality industry, and who has attended
a few pink-slip parties. "As word gets out, the candidate pool is going
to become more interesting and diverse. It's not like a job fair, where
someone is bumped along from recruiter to recruiter. It's not about
résumés at all. It's about a connection."
And there's always that chance, no matter how slim, that over a chicken
skewer and a martini, a connection will be made that will lead to
employment. Matthew Reno, a 25-year-old who lost his job at a Swiss
bank a couple of months ago, met someone at a pink-slip party who
introduced him to someone else. Two weeks later, he had a job as a
healthcare industry consultant.
"That's the reason so many people go to events like these," he said.
"You never know who you are going to meet. But," he paused, "I know I'm
one of the lucky few."
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