Please visit WomenMentorWomen.org for more information on the kick-off luncheon for Women Mentor Women.

The basic premise of I Can Still Do That is something we like to call “mutual mentoring.” That is, I’m 23 years old and when I was looking for work after college, I met Dan Schneider, a New York based lawyer and I Can Still do That Executive Director. Dan holds a PhD in Social Networking, if there was such a thing. After briefly talking over a free drink at a First Mondays event, Dan recruited me in a matter of words. More specifically, I begged to be brought on board.

The current economic crisis has forced many Americans to entertain new career possibilities. For about eight months, I went through the grind of job hunting and interviewing for corporate positions with benefits. However, as the crisis deepened, finding a job the “traditional” way became increasingly competitive, eventually amounting to nothing but disappointment. Yet during that period, I was able to find freelance work. Now the word “barter” may conjure up ideas of exchanging chickens for newspapers but it is as relevant now as it was in the Days of Yore. For instance, I was able to barter my skills on websites such as Jobaphiles and Elance. This is the wave of NOW (Networking Offers Work) and events such as First Mondays allow you to do this on a personal level. While this is not the exact science behind I Can Still do That, it plays a key role. We want to expand on the idea of bartering… no chickens, just a 21st century social atmosphere.

Our goal is to bring Baby Boomers, Millennials and Gen X’ers together to create new opportunities and businesses, both virtually and live at our networking events. We hope to provide a virtual “self-help toolbox” of practical advice for job hunters, as well as a live opportunity for them to meet others to network and hone their interview skills. As a program we seek to create and develop these mentorships because we truly believe that it’s the relationships you build in life that set you on the path to success. With the enormous help of some incredible people, I Can Still do That is poised to be something we can all still do.

Our next networking event is July 13^th at The Parlour in New York City. It will be a benefit to kick-start the campaign. Come join the party!

Cheers,

Jake