People who are looking for a job can get help and greatly increase their chances of success by joining a job club that begins meeting April 19 in Hazard.

The Perry County Job Club will meet from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.. every Thursday at the Kentucky Career Center JobSight at 412 Roy Campbell Drive in Hazard.

Participation is free. Drop-ins are welcome and are encouraged to come 30 minutes early for a new member orientation.

National statistics indicate that 80 percent of people who participate in a job club find employment, as compared to 15 percent of those who search alone, according to Traci Nolen, job club coordinator for the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP), Inc.

“If you’re really serious about finding a job, you should take this opportunity to take your search up to the next level,” Nolen said. “Our job club will give you the tools, skills, job leads, and understanding of how the job market works that can help you get hired.”

Basically, a job club is a small group of job seekers who meet weekly with local workforce professionals to improve their job searches. The group members provide support for each other while networking, sharing job leads, and learning techniques for improving their job searches from workforce professionals, local businesspeople, and other invited guests.

The combination of support, networking, and job-search education makes job club members much more successful at getting a job than job seekers who search alone.

The clubs are sponsored by EKCEP, Inc., the Kentucky Office for Employment & Training, and LKLP Community Action Council. The sponsors’ expertise and contacts are made available to help the club members.

The opportunity to network is one of the most important opportunities the job club provides, according to Nolen. This gives job seekers a chance to “know the people who know the people who have the jobs,” she said. As a result, job club members get to penetrate what professionals call the “hidden job market” — the job openings that exist but aren’t advertised.

Once job opportunities are identified, job club members have a better chance to land them because of what they have learned in the job club about marketing their skills and talents, professional branding, resume writing, interviewing techniques, negotiating, and other job-hunting skills.

“We welcome anyone who wants to take control of their job search and get results,” Nolen said. “Job club works, and we want it to work for you.”

For more information call Pam Tuttle at 606-436-3161 ext. 5013. Find us at Facebook.com/jobclubseky.