Catholic Knights: Partners with MRA to offer online job search modules

Media Contact:

Janet Arnold-Grych

Director of Communications and Marketing

Tel: 262-696-3365

Fax: 262-696-3366

E-mail: janet@mranet.org

August 19, 2009 Waukesha, Wis. – For those who’ve lost a job, figuring out how to get the next one—especially in this market—can feel daunting, confusing and deflating. To help their members confronted with this situation, Catholic Knights, a 124-year-old fraternal benefit society headquartered in Milwaukee, contracted with MRA – The Management Association (MRA) to create a series of eight informational webinars on finding and landing a job. MRA is the largest employers association in the Midwest and is headquartered in Waukesha.

Catholic Knights’ goal was to provide relevant assistance in a personal and practical way to its members. “We’d heard from members who were really struggling with issues related to job loss,” says Catholic Knights President Bill O’Toole. “We immediately think of the financial hardship that results from losing employment. But the loss is typically more profound. With our member’s needs in mind, we responded by creating services that offer spiritual, financial and educational support including a prayer line, access to resume review services and even a one-time benefit of $100. But we wanted to pair those services with additional tools that would give members a job search roadmap. That’s when we turned to MRA because we know they have the HR expertise to provide our members that information.”

Coupling its HR and technological knowledge, MRA created eight, 30-minute educational webinars customized for Catholic Knights’ members. The webinar topics are:

* General Advice for Jobseekers

* Resumes and Cover Letters

* Networking

* Interviewing

* Job Boards

* Personal Branding and Differentiation

* LinkedIn® and Other Social Media

* Negotiations

“Successful job hunting certainly has an element of luck to it, but a comprehensive job search strategy and knowledge of how things really work is essential,” says George Blomgren, MRA’s director of recruiting. “With so many people looking, you need to be aware of all the tools and opportunities at your disposal and how best to use them. These webinars, complete with video segments and Q&A synopses, make job hunting more efficient and effective. We at MRA were thrilled to partner with Catholic Knights on this novel project and create these modules.”

Catholic Knights rolled out the modules to members in April, May, and June. The response from members has been very positive. “We have received many contacts from members who are using these tools and find them to be genuinely helpful,” says O’Toole. “We feel these webinars truly extend a unique and relevant service to our members. The economy may be improving, but recovery is going to take a long time and job seekers who ‘know the ins’ are going to have a better chance of rising above the pack and being selected. We want to help our members do just that.”

MRA has worked with additional organizations to customize the modules and make them available to different membership groups or employees. MRA sees the modules as offering assistance not only to those who have personally lost a job, but also to employed individuals seeking to offer assistance to family members or friends. “In essence, it’s also a type of wellness benefit,” says Blomgren. “If you’re concerned about someone close to you being out of work, it can be difficult to fully focus on your own job. Having educational webinars like these close-at-hand can really deliver a dual benefit.”

For more information on MRA’s Online Job Search Modules, contact MRA at 800.488.4845.

Catholic Knights is a not-for-profit fraternal membership organization focused on putting Catholic values in action. For 124 years, Catholic Knights has put Catholic values into action through its charitable outreach, scholarship programs, trusted financial products, and support for parishes and parish schools, as well as opportunities for members to participate in making a difference in their parishes and communities. Each year, Catholic Knights members support activities that raise more than $1 million to benefit parishes, schools and communities. For more information, visit http://www.catholicknights.org, or call 800-927-2547.

Founded in 1901, MRA is a not-for-profit employers’ organization serving more than 4,000 employers throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, covering close to a half million employees. MRA applies its talent, tools and training to help organizations recruit, develop, and retain a powerful workforce. For more information on MRA visit http://www.mranet.org or call 800.488.4845.