January 12, 20149:00 am – 9:55 amPamela Kavalam

(Vice President, JETAANY)

SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENTS

JETAA Regional Conference on Membership in Boston, MA

SESSION GOALS

Discuss JETAANY’s professional development programming - A Case Study

Highlight events from other chapters Troubleshoot & brainstorm challenges and ideas for

improvement Talk about next steps

CAREER FORUM/WELCOME BACK RECEPTION Saturday from 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm Topics: Keynote Speech, Resume Writing, Interviewing,

Leveraging your Network, JET Alumni Panel Discussion, Meeting with Japanese Recruiters

Welcome Back Reception with the Ambassador Nijikai (networking opportunity)

CAREER FIELD-SPECIFIC PANELS

ESL and Language Education in Japan & U.S.

Freelancers International and Higher Education February 2014: Interpreting,

Translating and Working at a Japanese Organization/Company (feedback from the Career Forum evaluations)

MEISHI EXCHANGE/NETWORKING EVENTS Meishi Exchange

One of our biggest events of the year; 150+ attendees

JETs are encouraged to bring coworkers and friends

Invite Friends of JET, specifically Japanese community organizations that we work with throughout the year

Nametags, raffle, business cards

Co-Sponsor Events with Japanese-related organizations Japan Society (Young Professionals Night) Kenjinkai, Japanese-American organizations University Japan Clubs (Baruch, Rutgers)

HIGHLIGHTS OF JETAA-USA CHAPTERS JETAADC: Okaeri Career Workshop in November

with information catering to tips on the networking environment in Washington; co-sponsor networking events with Japan America Society of DC

NEJETAA: event where JET alumni share their post-JET job searching anecdotes/best strategies for job searching; alumni database for specific fields; career panel on international organizations

PNWJETAA: Transitions: Opportunities Forum and Networking Expo; use LinkedIn to post jobs; members leverage their personal connections to help other JETs

All chapters had monthly networking happy hours (yappari)

Any other successful events?

STRATEGIES FOR REACHING RECENT RETURNEES

Catch them early- remind them to sign up for their home chapter listserv: Pre-Departure Conference (home

consulate) Life After JET Conference (Yokohama) in

spring AJET in summer

Reach out to returnees in September/October Update information, Facebook, save-the-

date for Welcome Back Reception/Career Forum

Consulate & Recruitment Sessions

STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING ESTABLISHED ALUMNI

10+ Year Reunion Alumni Survey LinkedIn Sempai/Kohai happy hours Board of Directors Higher profile events (meetings with

Japanese government officials, prefecture-specific events, etc.)

Future plans: event for former officers and board members

OTHER RESOURCES FOR MEMBERS Job postings Writing for JQ Magazine and JETWit Informational interviews Having point-people with connections in various

fields Having an officer dedicated to professional

development (professional development chair, careers chair, mentorship chair)

Nihongo Dake events Building skills: Toastmasters (Nichibei); Japanese

language classes What else?

CHALLENGES

Budget/human resources/time Buy-in from members (i.e. attendance) Lack of information about members’ career fields Security issues with alumni database/sharing

information about members’ careers What else?

NEXT STEPS Google spreadsheet: Professional Development for New

Returnees Let’s share our resources

connect officers who do professional development, share our materials, share speakers (particularly notable JET alums)

Create a working group of officers planning professional development events

Have a website space to collect materials in one place Collaborate to share connections and job postings across

chapters; connect members in the same career fields What suggestions can we share with the national initiative?

Thank you!

Email: vicepresident@jetaany.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/jetaany Website: www.jetaany.org

Please feel free to contact me if you’d like a copy of our Career Forum program or to share any professional development materials.