Monday, February 14, 2011

Josh Dienstag - Our Volunteer of the Month




As a way of saying thank you, Met Council presents Josh Dienstag with our Volunteer of the Month Award. Josh’s journey took him from his hometown of Boston to take a job as the partner at a hedge fund in Manhattan, and set roots down in our fair city; he has done all of this so he could spend time as the volunteer leader for Met Council’s Mock Interview Workshop. (He also moonlights at our Resume Review Workshop.)


Josh comes to us through NY Cares and brings a group of volunteers each month to work with clients on their interviewing skills. Each client brings two copies of their resume as well as a copy of a job posting that they are qualified for. The interviewers then use this posting to interview the clients so they can get real interview experience with productive feedback at the end of the session. The volunteers and clients are separated as they enter so it will be as real an experience as possible – one never knows who will be interviewing them – and they come together at the end of the evening to talk about their experience.


When asked about his feelings on the importance of volunteering, Josh explained, “Income and education gaps keep widening, which means that those less fortunate need more help than ever. Volunteering is even more important during a recession when unemployment is high. Volunteers keep coming back because they find our workshops so engaging; the clients inspire me because they are willing to be vulnerable, both by admitting they need career help and by receiving constructive criticism. One of the most rewarding parts of being a volunteer is seeing some of the Met Council clients go on to get jobs.”


Thank you Josh for the time, effort, and skill you bring to Met Council monthly!

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