Attention all job seekers!

Steps to take to access employment opportunities through MatchBridge.

MatchBridge is making some important changes to our program as we continue to grow and evolve. As you may know, our Youth Specialist is no longer with MatchBridge, and there is no one at her old phone number (415-808-4419) to answer the phone. Therefore, if you have questions or concerns, you can call (415) 861-JOBS and you will be directed to someone on MatchBridge staff who can help you. You may also e-mail our general e-mail box matchbridge@uwba.org and your question will be abswered within 72 hours.

To access training and employment opportunities posted by MatchBridge, we ask that you follow these simple instructions listed below.

1.) Check our Job Opportunities page regularly for upcoming recruitment events and job opportunities.
2.) Check your e-mail regularly for opportunities (make sure we have your most current e-mail address).
3.) Download, print, and complete our Membership Application Packet (make sure you include current resume and recommendation form). You can access the download after completing our Intake Form.
4.) If you would like to register for an upcoming Employer Recruitment event at MatchBridge, please visit our Job Fair Registration page.
5.) Submit your Membership Application Packet by appointment, at an orientation event, or at the time of your first MatchBridge Employer Recruitment event you attend.

Please take note of these changes to our program moving forward. Thanks so much!

The City and County of San Francisco’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) is offering paid work experiences for youth low-income youth ages 17-24 who live in San Francisco. SYEP provides young people with hands-on work experience, job readiness training and ongoing support through partnerships with local community-based organizations. You must meet income and SYEP program requirements to be eligible for this summer program. SYEP begins mid-June and ends in early August.
Apply NOW until May 28, 2010. Download an application here.

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM YOU MUST:
• Have a legal right to work in the United States
• Be at least 17 years old and no older than 24 years old
• Live in San Francisco
• Qualify as low-income, based on the Lower Living Standard Income Levels
• Meet program requirements as specified by SYEP
• Males who are 18 years old or older must register for Selective Service.

IF YOU THINK YOU QUALIFY, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING (see the SYEP APPLICATION PACKET for a list of acceptable documents) :

• Current picture ID
• Original Social Security Card
• Proof of age if photo ID does not include date of birth
• Proof of your address
• Valid Permanent Resident/Alien Registration Card (if applicable)
• Selective Service Registration Card (if male 18 or older)
• Work Permit (if under 18 years old)
• Proof of earned income for low-income status
• Proof of additional barriers to employment

**IF YOU ARE UNDER 18, YOU MUST BRING A PARENT OR GUARDIAN WITH YOU TO YOUR APPOINTMENT.

MatchBridge’s Real Estate 4 Tomorrow’s Adult Summer Internship program has started recruiting for Summer, 2010! Real Estate 4 Tomorrow’s Adults (RE4TA) was launched in 2008 by eight Bay Area Real Estate companies, in partnership with United Way of the Bay Area and MatchBridge. In its pilot year, eight Real Estate companies joined the RE4TA Founders’ Circle and pledged a five-year gift of support.

Interns will be expected to work an average of twenty hours a week and attend weekly seminars, focusing on ‘soft skills’ such as communication, conflict resolution and customer service. This provides a unique opportunity for students to learn from both their workplace experiences, various volunteering professionals, and their peers. MatchBridge will recruit, assess and place the interns, as well as serve as the employer liaison to ensure both the companies and students are having a positive and engaging experience.

“We were pleasantly surprised to find that the summer intern referred by Match Bridge was bright, responsible, and hard working despite his young age. Training him was easier than expected, and he immediately understood the nature of our business, the software we use, and what his responsibilities were. It was a pleasure having Kevin with us, and his contribution to our company was great.”
— Michael Hack, Product Sales Manager PropertyWare Systems and RE4TA Intern Supervisor

“Before working at Cushman & Wakefield I thought real estate was just about selling houses. I learned the ‘ins and outs’ of property management, and I gained excellent work experience, which will strengthen my resume.”
— Antonique W., RE4TA Intern at Cushman & Wakefield

There’s only 6 days left until the first Recruitment Fair. REGISTER TODAY!

To learn more about this six to eight week PAID summer internship opportunity, you must be at least 16 years of age, interested in Real Estate, and able to commit to working 20 hrs/week for the duration of the internship, beginning June 15, 2010.

Through the RE4TA Program you can:

1.) It’s a PAID internship for 6-8 weeks over the summer ($10/hour for 120-160 hours)
2.) You’ll receive FREE brand-name interview clothing, shoes, coats to help dress in style for job interviews at the May 12th Dress for Success Event.
3.) You’ll receive a FREE leather portfolio to carry your resume, pens, business cards and notepads with style at the May 12th Dress for Success Event.
4.) You’ll receive FREE MUNI tickets to transport you to and from your internship job interviews at the May 12th Dress for Success Event .
5.) You’ll learn more about a career in the Real Estate Industry and how to get started.
6.) You’ll Benefit from a summer of experiential learning through an internship in a real estate office.
7.) Opportunity to attend our six-week work-readiness seminar series, where you can develop the positive life skills and work habits to be successful.
8.) You can intern in a variety of capacities- such as property management, residential sales, construction, marketing, office management, outside sales- and more.
9.) You’ll network with successful Real Estate professionals in San Francisco.
10.) You’ll have FUN while meeting people and earning MONEY this summer!

You MUST be available to attend BOTH of the following events at MatchBridge/United Way:
• ONE Internship Recruitment Event (4/29, 5/5, or 5/6 at 4:00 pm)
• AND The “Dress For Success” Event on May 12, where RE4TA interns will be connected to business clothing and interview accessories to project a professional image.

Matchridge encourages businesses to open their doors and work with young people to enjoy the benefits they can bring to a workplace and to invest in the workforce of tomorrow. Since its inception, MatchBridge has taken every opportunity possible to offer paid internship opportunities to youth in the community including within their own organization.

Most recently, MatchBridge was able to create another internship opportunity within the program thanks to the Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program (MYEEP). MYEEP provides subsidized employment opportunities to approximately 1,400 high school aged youth each year. The goal of the program is to support the positive development of youth in San Francisco by engaging them in meaningful employment, career, leadership, and community involvement opportunities.

MYEEP’s collaborative agencies provide employment programming, which includes work experience, job readiness training, transition planning, educational support, and community involvement opportunities, to youth with barriers to employment. Thanks to the MYEEP program, MatchBridge got a qualified and motivated candidate at no cost to the program.

MatchBridge has been more than happy to welcome our newest intern, Priscilla Abaurrea. A life-long local, Priscilla was born and raised in the heart of San Francisco. When her counselor referred her to MYEEP, she figured it would be an excellent chance to get some entry-level, job experience.

“I really felt like I needed more office experience. Not only that, but I wanted to better understand what it was like to build relationships with people on a professional level,” said Priscilla. Priscilla plans on continuing her education to ultimately become an ultrasound technician someday.

“Several members of my family are in the medical field, so I’ve gotten a lot of exposure and inspiration from them. But I’m not very good with the sight of blood and other things like that, that I might encounter on the job. Then one time, I was examined for a pain in my side and was told I needed an ultra-sound to diagnose the problem. I spoke with the technician who was working on me and it sounded like a perfect fit.”

As an intern Priscilla’s duties will include general office duties, and assisting Mayela who runs MatchBridge’s Youth Services.

The YEC also promotes opportunities that provide training and professional development to youth workforce service providers as well. This winter season, the Youth Employment Coalition and MatchBridge have been hosting free training seminars lead by Larry Robbin, Executive Director of Robbin and Associates.

Larry Robbin is widely regarded as a national expert in the workforce development and youth employment fields. He has over forty-five years of youth employment experience as a direct service provider, program developer, evaluator, consultant, and keynote speaker. Larry has trained over 100,000 people in workshops held in every state, presented at more than 500 conferences and worked with over 1000 public, private and non-profit organizations. He has designed over 50 youth employment, training and education programs serving all types of at-risk youth.

Larry has been a keynote speaker and presenter at the nation’s largest youth employment conference, the National Youth Development Symposium and the Department of Labor has used his consulting services to develop national peer-based youth employment programs.

The YEC hosted three training sessions featuring Larry. The first, “Finding Assets to Employment,” focused on challenges that face at-risk youth and provided unique strategies and perspectives to better promote a successful experience. The second, “The Radar Approach to Job Retention,” focused on the typical experiences youth face in the workplace and new creative methods to best prevent job loss. The third, “Are You Talking Like Businesses Think?” offered strategic insights into marketing agencies to the private sector.

This year’s Seasonal Job Fair series has been MatchBridge’s best yet. Companies such as Best Buy, Gap, Old Navy, Ross, UPS, Skechers, Macy’s, and Nordstrom Rack participated this year and hired a total of 26 young jobseekers.

The Winter holidays are the busiest retail season of the year, where retailers do a high volume of hiring for seasonal employees- an ideal time for motivated youth with an interest in customer service to break into the retail industry. Between 25% and 50% of total annual retail sales take place during the holidays and retail employers usually increase their workforce by at least 4% just for the holiday gift-buying rush.

Young people tend to work well in these positions as many are home for the holidays from school and are looking to spend that time earning some extra cash. Many retailers recommend hiring young people because the time commitment is a perfect fit and the energy and enthusiasm that young people bring to the workplace becomes key during the busy holiday season.

MatchBridge responded to the needs of retail employers by developing the Seasonal Job
Fair Series to connect them to pre-screened candidates, who were qualified and well-equipped to take advantage of these seasonal opportunities. As retiring populations increase, more companies are taking an interest in programs like MatchBridge that specialize in youth workforce development and connect them to young people with career-specific potential.

Here are a few testimonials from this year’s participating employers:

“Thank you for getting us such motivated candidates!”
-Ross

“The job fair was a valuable use of my time. Your [MatchBridge] candidates are exactly the profile we are looking for.”
-Gap

“You can tell the candidates were well prepped and prepared for the interview.”
-Old Navy

“My regional recruiter loved how poised, professional and energetic the [MatchBridge] candidates were! We feel they will be a great asset to our team. I look forward to partnering in the future!”
-Skechers

“The main impact Greentech Media has had on me as a young professional is the fact that my experiences there have inspired me to strive further than ever before in my International Business studies. The opportunity to work at Greentech Media has opened my eyes to the world of marketing and what it has in store for me.

The experiences I have received so far at Greentech Media have helped shape my
vision of what I hope to achieve in the future. Essentially giving me a glimpse of what the marketing world is like and what being a marketing associate entails. The most exciting thing about this internship, is the combination of the fact that the internship offered educational experiences in a field of study directly correlated to my major as well as the fact that the position involved “Green” technology and information. The “Green” sector, in my opinion, is one of the fastest growing markets in the business world.

During my internship so far at Greentech Media I have been learning the foundation of salesmanship and marketing strategies. The challenges and struggles I have faced in the workplace have proven to me how much I enjoy this area of business. In essence the lessons and experiences I have had, have had multiple overlaps into my studies and my future professional goals.

I was offered an internship position at their New York office if I were to attend a school in that area, so that I may continue working for Greentech Media while attending college. Although I have yet to make a more final decision, I am definitely thinking about this new opportunity!

Tate Ishimuro has been a member of MatchBridge since 2008 and was an intern
this summer with Greentech Media. For more information on summer internship opportunities like this one, please contact MatchBridge.

The Real Estate 4 Tomorrow’s Adults (RE4TA) program is a partnership between MatchBridge, United Way of the Bay Area, and the San Francisco Real Estate sector to provide paid internship opportunities to young men and women interested in careers in the industry.

This summer, twenty-six young San Franciscans benefited from internships provided MatchBridge’s RE4TA program. Interns were assigned to various property and real estate companies as workers. Youth also attended seminars tailored to give them all the initial skills they need to get their careers started whether or not they decide to stay in the industry long term.

The seminars targeted the general skills they would need to start their careers, moved them to realize their goals, and pushed them to facilitate a plan of action. Professionals from the business community volunteered to teach each seminar utilizing their own experience to illustrate the principles.

United Way of the Bay Area’s Rebecca Riley and Kim Pham came in to speak on the power of networking. Wardrobe for Opportunity’s Hank Ramirez showed the youth how to
create a professional image. BRE Properties’ President and CEO, Constance B. Moore came in with colleagues Michael McKann and Sheryl McKibben to talk about careers in the real estate sector. And Wells Fargo’s Gregory Michail finished off the seminars by teaching the interns the values of budgeting and financial planning. A big round of thanks to all the speakers and volunteers!

RE4TA and the experiences of it’s participants would not be possible without your continuing dedication and support. “What an amazing young man. The guys in IT love him! He’s a winner,” said one satisfied employer. MatchBridge thanks all of the volunteers, companies, and interns for taking part in this year’s program and investing in tomorrow’s workforce.

“My experience at the Public Policy Institute of California allowed me to be more aware of the world around me. Just by talking to my colleagues and reading some of the documents I helped edit, I realized that public policy workers go through a lot to gather accurate information, spread awareness of economic and social problems, and provide well thought-out solutions. I was interested in how California budget cuts will affect youth in school. I became more aware of the policies around me related
to school budget cuts, child retention, transportation, immigration, and water. I am lucky to have worked there because it helped me understand a world that I was
previously oblivious to.

I am considering a career that allows me to work alongside youth. While working at the Public Policy Institute, I got the opportunity to talk to an education policy specialist. Meeting her helped me understand how rules and policies in the school districts work and how she gathers information to determine the impact on a child’s education. Even though my career in education is tentative, I was able to learn things that may help guide me in the future.

I gained plenty of new skills and had the opportunity to learn about my strengths and weaknesses. I was able to work with adults and leave my comfort zone. My
self confidence developed in presenting my ideas and opinions. Overall, I became more professional in the way I present myself to others in the work place. The
job helped me mature and become a more capable candidate with higher self esteem and new skills to improve myself.”

Amy Li has been a member of MatchBridge since 2008 and was an intern this summer with the Public Policy Institute of California. For more information on summer internship opportunities like this one, please contact MatchBridge.

The Community Youth Mapping project is a partnership between MatchBridge, San Francisco Unified School District and the National Academy Foundation to learn about and identify emerging and thriving industries in San Francisco; despite the troubled economy.

This summer, eight high school students in San Francisco interned with MatchBridge as youth mappers to “map” the “Green job” sector of San Francisco. By conducting employer interviews and surveys, the “MatchBridge Mappers” identified
“green” employers, learned about the required skill sets needed to break into the industry, current job opportunities, and potential for career development in the green sector.

The goal of the mapping project is to empower youth to learn about employment, internship and training resources in various industries in San Francisco.