Welcome to Job Club Nation

— -- If you're looking for work, don't go it alone. Job searching and navigating workplace challenges are much easier with the support of a small group of trusted peers.

Start or join a job club to connect with people in your area and share much-needed advice and camaraderie. We'll tell you how to get started now—let's go!

What Is a Job Club?

Job clubs are small groups of people who meet regularly to talk candidly about job searching and career advancement, with the goal of supporting the success of all members.

Think of it like a book club, but instead of chapters, you're talking careers. Such groups are rooted in the belief that each member has something valuable to contribute and that everyone benefits from the advice and encouragement that comes out of the diverse group dynamic.

How Will the Job Kernl Help Me Get Hired?

Throughout this section—and on links to ABCNews.com/JobClub—you'll find the basic tools to start a job club, and each week we'll provide you with tips and templates to stay motivated along the way.

The Job Kernl, found on the right side of the Job Club page, is our newest innovation in career counseling. It's a new interactive tool created by Hyperion Voice in cooperation with the GMA Job Club on Abcnews.com. You can load the interactive widget onto your desktop, share it on Facebook or e-mail it to a friend. It provides job seekers with practical advice in manageable pieces: you can watch a few short videos to get motivated or read a more in-depth article to find the right resources online through the Job Club links section. The widget is automatically updated with fresh text, videos and links each week.

Why Start Or Join a Job Club?

Let's face it: Most of us don't relish the idea of embarking on a job search. It can be a lonely and discouraging process. Because of the time it can take to find work, many people lose momentum and grow frustrated. But it doesn't have to be that way. Becoming part of a job club can provide you with valuable assistance and renewed optimism. It may also bring a strong sense of accountability that gets you going in the right direction. When you know that your fellow members expect to hear regularly about your progress, you're more inclined to have a productive period leading up to the club meeting.

The same can be said for other important life tasks, such as losing weight. Many people are more successful when they participate in formal weekly weigh-ins, or when they partner with a buddy to cheer each other on to their goals. That's the kind of support and potential for success that's offered in a job club.

What's the Benefit of Power Among Peers?

Unemployment takes an obvious toll not only on your finances, but also on your self-esteem. It's hard to send out resume after resume with no response. It can also affect personal relationships when a loved one pesters you about why it's taking so long to find a job, or people wonder what's wrong with you.

Those pressures often make it even more difficult to feel confident in yourself and in your ability to maintain momentum in your search.

By joining together with peers in your community who understand exactly what you're experiencing—because they're going through the same thing—you can plan together to keep one another focused on achieving your goals.

Securing a job is a process. If you wake up each day with the pressure to get hired that very day, you'll go to sleep nightly feeling like a failure.

Think again about dieting: Each day can't be focused on losing 20 pounds. Instead, it's about making the right choices, avoiding tempting foods, and exercising. Ultimately, over time, you're able to reach your goal of dropping that weight.

When you divide your job search into daily tasks and weekly goals, you stand a better chance of fulfilling the overall goal of landing a job with greater ease. Your involvement in a job club can help facilitate that process.

What Exactly Does a Job Club Talk About Weekly?

Within your group, members may swap job leads, offer feedback, conduct mock interviews, tackle challenges, and encourage one another's weekly success. Members are responsible for celebrating each other's strengths and collectively developing savvy solutions to overcoming the obstacles faced in a job hunt. This may be accomplished by inviting guest speakers as well.

Okay, there's going to be a little venting, too. Each meeting can start with members letting loose on a frustration from the prior week. Calls that weren't returned, resumes that were rejected, networking events that didn't live up to your expectations—the list goes on, but you're going to limit the amount of negativity during each get-together.

What If I Already Have a Good Job?

Even if you're happily employed, you too can be a great asset to a local job club. Use your experience, knowledge, and contacts to support the goals of each member. Like any other volunteer initiative, treat your participation in the job club as a serious commitment that you'll stick with weekly to make a difference in your community.

How can a group of unemployed people with no training as career experts really help one another find jobs?

You may not be able to give yourself the best advice, and you may have difficulty seeing the forest for the trees, but you're probably very good at guiding others in their moment of need. Plus, the collective power of a group can almost always help anyone through every kind of challenge.