Experience Unlimited, SF

I used Experience Unlimited in 1992 so my opinion may not carry weight, however I did read one recent review that sounded a lot like my experience so it sounds like EU hasn’t really changed over the years.
This is a club that pushes networking except most of the people in the club are 50+ who are doomed to unemployment for life, so I didn’t know how networking with them can be beneficial. Secondly, the club back then was run by a couple of people who had (mildly speaking) strong personalities or. in other words (truthfully speaking) condescending and patronizing personalities.
I won’t use names, but in 1992, there was a person who moved to S.F. from Austin, Texas and if I remember correctly, he was looking for jobs in the field of either computer programing or I.T. I remember of all the people there he was by far the rudest person and he was also on a power trip when dealing with the rest of us. He was the one who taught classes on how to use a computer to type up your resume and how to save them on your floppy disc. I remember one job seeker confronted him about his rude behavior and it was ugly. Another person, who had a background in radio, conducted mock job interviews and while he wasn’t as bad as the computer/I.T. person from Austin, he too was condescending and patronizing. I found him to be very annoying just by the way he came off at me. He always spoke to me like he thought I was stupid.
All told, I don’t feel I learned anything from joining EU. I did find a job eventually, but I don’t give them credit for that.

Experience Unlimited San Francisco is a great experience for any professional who’s looking for work. In exchange for 14 hours a month, you get networking opportunities, excellent presentations and great classes in Networking, Résumé preparation, and Interviewing. I have worked with EUSF twice when unemployed and the emotional and practical support is invaluable! And since you are working at and contributing to EUSF as a member, you’re also adding to your résumé. Lastly, EUSF is a fully functioning office (with computers, printers and a fax) for your job search activities.

My friend is a Technical Writer, got his undergrad at Cornell in Ithaca… so went with him to this Experience and Sylvia is interesting, but economic forces are quite daunting for many… the turnaround approximation for his prospect of getting a new job is the tough turnaround time of SIX months… but hey. check it out… we might learn something or network the room…

1.5 stars
Experience Unlimited is an organization for job-​seeking professionals and is part of the Employment Development Department.
The organization is run by the somewhat excitable Sylvia Gonzales and the 100 – 120 members of Experience Unlimited’s Job Club. The group has weekly meetings on Thursdays from 12:30 — 1:30 in the large dingy basement room and often has a guest speaker 1:30 — 2:30.
To join, you must attend a Thursday morning orientation from 10−11am and complete various forms, submit your resume to Caljobs, show right-​to-​work documents to the EDD upstairs to get a One-​Stop center card, take the 4 required workshops and volunteer for 1 4-​hr admin shift (answering phones, staffing the computer center).
You’re also signing on to do 4 hrs of volunteering a week on the newsletter, PR, etc.
Your reward is being eligible to come to the Thurs meetings to network and hear guest speakers, the free workshops, 1 hr/​day use of the 6 EU computers downstairs (less noisy than the Turk St. office), more printing/​fax/​copying privileges. You can also join the Yahoo and Linked In groups pending approval.
The EU offices are around the corner from the EDD offices on Turk St.
2 hr parking is available on nearby streets.
The Sunnyvale Promatch EU program offers more seminars and counts the twice-​weekly meetings as part of the 4 hr/​week volunteer commitment, so if you have a car and are open to working in SV, check it out.
Otherwise, look around at the general meeting. Are these the people you want to network with? Most of the members seemed 45+, low to moderately motivated, and one described himself as ‘chronically unemployed.’ Some of them seem to be ‘lifers’ or resigned to spending more time at the center than perhaps was helpful for their search.
Is 6 hours out of your 40 hr/​wk jobhunt worth it?
My recommendation:
a) Sign up for Promatch in Sunnyvale, if you have a car. There is no comparison.
1) Go to Jewish Vocational Services at 225 Bush St. (public transit best option) for free one on one counseling services and excellent free resume/​workshop seminars. Join the biweekly professional group that meets Mondays, led by Elizabeth Driver, where there’s a discussion and some networking.
JVS has a clean, orderly computer center with about 20 computers and a fax/​copier you can use once you complete a 1 or 2 hr orientation about JVS and the tech services. No volunteering required.
2) Try Graceworks (Grace Cathedral) on Monday mornings (9−11− speaker and networking exercise) — I found the crowd and networking more motivated and inspirational. No computers available.
3) Attend the SF Chamber of Commerce’s Job Forum (Wed nights, 6:30 — 8:30 on Montgomery St.) The two rotating panelists will give you 8 – 10 mins of individual advice on your resume, search, pointers, etc. Very smart people, and you can go numerous times and ask for help on various aspects of your search.
4) Additional free computer services– 25ish computers at Goodwill One-​Stop offices on Mission, including printer/​fax. The seminars here are very basic– GED, etc. and mostly for the Goodwill workers. There is a free 4 hr PESCO computer assessment.
*The WIA program here is supposed to be excellent.
5) The 3 orientation workshops at EU are semi-​helpful as starters. Try a couple meetings on for size. You’ll get to meet everyone during the meeting, but ask yourself if the level of conversation is as helpful as the other places.
Some of the interesting clients: an incredibly condescending 50−60ish woman; a very judgmental man of the same age. However, most of the people are kind.