A snippet with the rules:

Organizers will give out 10,000 free tickets to the 2009 MAC championship game Saturday, Nov. 21 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Gate A outdoor ticket window on Brush Street in downtown Detroit. Two free tickets will be available to each person who can present a Michigan unemployment debit card and government-issued ID, valid military ID or United Auto Workers badge.

The Project Connect community information expo will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 18 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, parish hall, 937 E. Third St., Monroe, Mich., immediately before the God Works! Family Soup Kitchen dinner.

It is free and open to all Monroe County families who need information on local resources that can help with financial and housing needs, whether or not they are currently homeless. More than 25 agencies and organizations will have information tables.

The Gleaners Mobile Food Pantry is scheduled to be on site. There will also be door prizes, children’s activities and other distributions and free services.

Those who need transportation to the event are asked to call (734) 241-2775, ext. 205.

This expo is sponsored by the Monroe County Homeless Network as part of Homeless Awareness Week events. Other sponsors include the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness and Monroe County Opportunity Program.

Former workers for Holcim (US) Inc. at Dundee, Mich., have been deemed eligible for training and benefits under the federal Trade Adjustment Act.

It means they can get weekly income for a year after their unemployment compensation runs out if they’re participating in an approved full-time retraining program.

The act also provides up to 104 weeks of job training, basic or remedial education, or training in literacy or English as a second language as well as job search and relocation allowances.

The Dundee cement-making plant phased out operations earlier this year, eliminating at least 160 jobs. The plant had operated for 50 years.

Officials said the closure was due to declining demand for the cement it produced, aggravated by imports and the effects of recession, particularly in the Midwest.

A federal certifying officer concluded that the plant workers, including on-site independent contractors, should be eligible for the assistance because increased imports of cement contributed to the plant closing.

Those eligible for assistance include all workers who became totally or partially separated from their jobs on or after May 22, 2008 through two years after the certification date, which was Oct. 28, 2009 as well as any sales or production workers laid off within two years after the certification date.

Information about the Trade Adjustment Act and how to receive benefits is available from the MichiganWorks! Service Center at 1531 N. Telegraph Rd. in Monroe. The telephone number is (734) 240-7950.

This is a first, come, first-served offer, limit 25 clients per clinic. The locations include Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor and Toledo.

More info:

• Company web site
• Detroit News story
• Fox 2 News report
• Michigan Job Search blog

I post information for unemployed people in southeast Michigan under the tag “layoff recovery plan.”

Now, keep in mind this is a hit and miss situation. Whether such an opportunity is available in YOUR neighborhood depends on whether a business, non-profit group or local government agency has decided to sponsor such a thing. These offers and programs also come and go on very short notice.

But there are freebies and discounts that jobless people in southeast Michigan do have access to, and I do post about them as I get the details. You’ll find them in the Monroe on a Budget archives under:

• Freebies (which can include freebies for other circumstances).
• Layoff recovery plan (notices specifically for those who are jobless).
• Unemployment (posts dealing with unemployment statistics and unemployment benefits)

Flat Rock Public Library, 25200 Gibraltar Rd., Flat Rock, Mich., will hold a resume class from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday Nov. 7.

This class will focus on resume do’s and don’t’s, four types of resumes, and tips for employment sites on the web.

The class is free but space is limited to 8 people. For information, call (734) 782-2430.

A free, non-credit course on construction is being offered to unemployed persons at Monroe County Community College, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd., Monroe, Mich.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s 10-Hour Construction Outreach Training will be held in Room 260 of the La-Z-Boy Center from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 28 and 29. The course is free to those providing proof of unemployment.

It’s designed to help students recognize and prevent hazards on construction sites by emphasizing hazard identification, avoidance, control and prevention.

The training also will include discussion of the OSHA Act, other types of OSHA standards, types of penalties, most cited violations, how to handle an onsite OSHA inspection, and corporate and site-specific safety plans.

Students who complete the course and pass the test will receive a 10-hour course completion card for Construction Safety & Health issued by the OSHA — a requirement for construction workers to be on a job site.

It is being offered through a partnership with Monroe County Michigan Works!, the college’s Office of Lifelong Learning.

To register or for more information, contact the Office of Lifelong Learning at (734) 384-4127.

The Northwest Ohio Veterans Job Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday Nov. 19 at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza / Amtrak Central Union Terminal, 415 Emerald Ave., Toledo, Ohio.

More than 60 employers and community organizations are participating.

All U.S. Armed Forces veterans and their spouses are invited to participate. This is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services as part of Ohio’s Hire a Veteran Campaign.

Those who attend are encouraged to bring resumes and ‘dress for success.’ This event is free and no reservations are required.

The fall and holiday craft and vendor show schedules for Monroe County, Mich., are arriving so fast at The Monroe Evening News I’m having a hard time keeping up with it all.

Here’s a bookmark to those listings now through Dec. 31 at the MonroeTalks calendar so you can watch for dates and sales that fit your schedules and merchandise.

Some of you have seen it. I did. The follow-up report makes it easy to assume that the posting of a video resume is what got her the job.

That’s a little too simplistic of an explanation.

First, the job was available and publicly announced. Someone told her about the job posting. Then, she had to interview with a hiring committee that was also considering other candidates.

She got the job because she could do it.

I know other people who have been looking for jobs in this economy. One friend sends e-mails out on a periodic basis that includes her resume and “please forward to anyone you think is appropriate.” Another friend makes sure his unemployed status is very well known on his facebook and twitter accounts. Another friend’s unemployed husband has quite a few stories to tell about the huge amount of candidates for every job he’s applying for.

Getting the word out through any means possible is critical in this recession. The jobs that open up in southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio are few and far between. Companies do think through very carefully what skill sets they need in order to get the work done. They can’t afford to take chances on someone who won’t be a good fit. Word of mouth can help you stay on top of those postings and let you be one of the first to respond.

If you are unemployed or job hunting, you do want to go to the job fairs, networking sessions, resume-writing workshops and video resume clinics. You do want to take training classes to update your skills. You do want to set up at least one social media account such as a blog or LinkedIn site with professional or industry content to aim at potential clients or workplaces. You do want your contacts on personal or hobby social media accounts to know you are job hunting even as you talk about other topics. You do want to be involved in volunteer work so people know your reputation in the community. You do want to keep up with news in your industry and join the Internet chats or participate in professional association meetings.

Most of all, you want as many people as possible to know that you are looking for a job, and in what field. That’s always been part of the game.

Ten years, ago I landed my current job because someone knew I was looking and showed me a classified ad.

But you have to remember that there are two hurdles to job hunting that no social media / networking / new technology can overcome:

• First, the job has to exist and be open for candidates. That’s a little bit out of your control.
• Second, you have to be the qualified candidate. You will have to convince the hiring committee on that situation, on your own merits.