The 2014 DiverseNote Career Management Symposium is the largest career management and recruitment event within the state of Michigan. With a focus on diversity (all inclusive), find the best talent, learn from leading CHRO’s, CDO’s and recruiting professionals all while building your career and your professional network. Attend the 2014 DiverseNote Career Management Symposium (CMS), April 28-29. Register today at http://www.cvent.com/d/44qps5/1Q, email 2014cms@diversenote.com or call 888-947-2899.

The workforce of the future will be more diverse than it has ever been. What has been historically lacking is a way to bring the best candidates from the diversity community to the companies that are actively searching for them. DiverseNote was specifically engineered to bridge this gap. Join over 1,500 professionals and 40 companies to recruit the best talent at the 2014 DiverseNote Career Management Symposium (CMS) in Detroit. Learn more at http://www.cvent.com/d/44qps5/1Q.

Michigan Shifting Gears is a three-month career transition program for experienced professionals who want to leverage their talents and knowledge to pursue exciting new career opportunities. The program runs four times a year in alternating regional locations across the state.

Support from the business community and professional volunteers in driving the program’s success.

Here are ways to lend your expertise to help reinvent Michigan:

Internship Host: Michigan start-ups, small businesses and non-profits can benefit from 80 hours of pro bono assistance from professional talent. Examples of past projects include strategic plan development, marketing strategy development, research, website/social media, data management, and human resources.

Volunteer Mentor: Play a critical role in helping a participant move forward in their career transition. Commit 2-4 hours per month for three months supporting the participant. Support may include sharing advice on career topics, acting as a sounding board/providing feedback, assisting with career goals, and selectively sharing your professional network (if appropriate).

Volunteer Mock Interviewer: Provide participants with valuable feedback and advice for sharpening their interviewing skills through a simulated exercise. Each interview lasts about 20 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of constructive feedback.

Volunteer Resume Reviewer: Help support participants by attending a resume review networking event to meet with them and provide valuable feedback on their resumes.

If you are interested in joining the program as an internship host, volunteer mentor, mock interviewer, or resume reviewer, please visit www.mitalent.org/misg-stakeholders to sign up.

Governor Rick Snyder declared February 2014 "Cooperative Education and Internship Month."  Find helpful resources here to establish effective, mutually-beneficial internship programs at organizations of all sizes. Internships help ensure that supply and demand of skill sets are properly aligned. They’re also an inexpensive recruiting tool, plus a great opportunity to train future employees. The Employer Internship Toolkit, created by the Michigan Internship Initiative Partners, is a free, comprehensive online resource.

For further information, contact Amanda Dumond, director of talent initiatives and business enhancement at Prima Civitas; in West Michigan, contact Cindy Brown, executive director at Hello West Michigan.

Southwest Solutions has been named a Green Organization by NeighborWorks America for its keen environmental practices in affordable housing, workforce development, community development and its entire operations and culture.

The designation recognizes a NeighborWorks network member that incorporates healthy and sustainable principles into every facet of the organization to benefit in the individuals, families and community that it serves, in multiple ways.

Southwest Solutions has been a NeighborWorks Chartered Member since 2006. NeighborWorks was created by Congress to provide opportunities for lower-income people to live in affordable homes in safe and sustainable neighborhoods. NeighborWorks has more than 240 members across the country, and it has designated 42 of them as Green Organizations.

Read the full story here.

Questions? Contact Steve Palackdharry: spalackdharry@swsol.org, 313.297.1374.