'Empowerment Tour' Offers Career Coaching for Adults

ATLANTA -- Adults looking to make a career change, whether they have been laid off or not, have the chance to get some free advice, thanks to a national tour.

The Empowerment Tour, sponsored by eLearners.com is making two stops in Atlanta, as part of a nationwide tour. Wednesday, the tour stopped at the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta. Tuesday the tour will stop at Atlantic Station.

Career coaches and jobs experts are traveling with the tour, offering free advice and targeting adult job seekers like Penelope Williams.

Williams, a former music director at a church was recently laid off. Now, she's making ends meet as a freelance musician. "I don't see it as a permanent position. I'm on my way to the next thing," she said Wednesday.

Williams is also looking for her next gig. Like many adults in today's economy, she's contemplating a career change. "Is it teaching that I define as my new step, or is it organizational leadership? Its food for thought," she said of her career desires.

Williams has enlisted the help of a career coach who offered her advice and gave her direction. It's advice many job seekers could apply to their efforts.

First, career coaches say job seekers should get focused. "People are saying 'Hey I want any job', but that is not going to work," said career coach Ayn Fox.

Fox also advises job seekers to get involved in professional organizations to make contacts. "They'll be able to refer you to positions and they'll also be able to act as a reference," she said.

Finally, Fox advises job seekers to get out there, "get more no's quicker" and learn from rejection "to find out what may be missing," she said. "What is it that you need to enhance how you come across?"

Williams is realizing that continuing her education is important and she's applying for scholarships. It's a course experts advise. "If you look at all the new jobs that are coming to America, four out of ten of those jobs, you need a college degree," said Flavia Colgan, a commentator and correspondent working with the Empowerment Tour.

"You can go to school online, part time, while you're looking for a job and give yourself that competitive edge and give yourself some of that training that can help you transition into a new job," Colgan said.

Job seekers who are interested in meeting with a career coach can meet the Empowerment Tour crew Thursday at Atlantic Station between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. You can find more information about the Tour by clicking this link.