The chapter in Monmouth/Ocean, NJ has 952 professionals with more than half on the Alumni list (meaning -- employed or they have landed and are with a new employer). Our objective is to support each other, share leads and discuss general intelligence about the market. On the first Saturday of each month we hold a breakfast meeting at the Panera Bread in Freehold, NJ. Our breakfast meetings a...

The chapter in Monmouth/Ocean, NJ has 952 professionals with more than half on the Alumni list (meaning -- employed or they have landed and are with a new employer). Our objective is to support each other, share leads and discuss general intelligence about the market.

On the first Saturday of each month we hold a breakfast meeting at the Panera Bread in Freehold, NJ. Our breakfast meetings are very popular and draw a nice crowd. Stop by, grab a cup of coffee and network with other FENG members right within your community. Dress attire for the breakfast meetings is casual (jeans and sneaker are acceptable).

For all meeting please bring a name tag, plenty of business cards and resumes.

The FENG Ocean/Monmouth breakfasts are designed for members to get to know each other in a relaxed and informal setting. There is no agenda – this will give you time in a different forum to interact, receive individualized attention, and help each other.

Although the meeting is informal, here’s how we structure it:

• For the first 15 minutes, get your coffee and talk freely amongst yourselves.
• At 8:45, I will make a few announcements. I’ll ask if anyone has something they want to share with the group. Then, everyone will have a chance to say their elevator pitch (no more than 30 seconds, please).
• Then we’ll split the group into sub-groups of no more than 8-10 people facilitated by a leader. Depending on the number of attendees, we may ask someone to run a group. The group splits will be done on a random basis which facilitates a good mix.
• Within each sub-group, everyone will have a chance to talk about his / her issues and how the group can help, job search problems / opportunities, etc. Come prepared – if you want us to critique your resume or networking document, bring enough copies to distribute. Know what you want to achieve in the time we give you. I expect everyone will have the floor for about 5-7 minutes depending on attendance. In order to facilitate the conversation, I often ask people:

• What is your competitive advantage?
• What do you do differently that marks you out from others?
• How do you provide value?
• What are you known for? What do you want to be known for in a couple of years’ time?

These are a bit like interview questions, but often I am trying to find the gold in your value proposition that might not be as clear to others as it is to you.