Unemployed Professionals to Auction Off Their Talents

Six months ago, advertising executive Steve Arnold would not have been so forthcoming about the fact that he was out of a job.

But, on Oct. 24, Arnold and about 40 other unemployed professionals from San Diego will advertise their situations in a decidely public fashion during a unique auction to be held at the Scripps Memorial Hospital’s Schaetzel Center for Education.

The unemployed managers, lawyers, accountants and salespeople and chief executives will offer their skills to the highest corporate bidders during a highly publicized auction that will be conducted by former PM Magazine hostess Pat Brown and 91X radio DJ Jeff Prescott.

“The stigma of being unemployed has vanished,” Arnold said, because industry after industry has been pushing thousands of Americans out onto the streets. “Being unemployed is not something to be embarrassed about,” said Arnold, who is seeking an advertising management job. “The only thing that embarrasses me is not having enough money.”

Local employers will be invited to “hire” the professionals, all of whom are members of the Professional Networking Group, a volunteer organization sponsored by the state Economic Development Department.

PNG’s members are professionals who generally have been unemployed for several months. The state-sponsored organization is designed to help professionals find jobs, through networking and by refining members’ job-seeking skills. Four local chapters now have about 450 members and new members face a monthlong wait until space opens.

PNG’s members have two goals for the auction:

* They hope to raise funds that the PNG can use to help market the organization’s members to potential employers. Because state regulations prohibit the organization from raising funds, the auction is being sponsored by the San Diego Employer Advisory Board, a group of local human resources experts who advise the state on employment matters.

* PNG’s members also hope to gain valuable access to employers who might subsequently hire them or steer them to a firm in need of help. Professionals who have agreed to auction themselves off include lawyers, engineers, advertising and public relations executives, computer science experts and business executives.

“This event gives employers a chance to be the ‘good guys’ and support an organization that needs support,” said Diane Dixon, auction chairwoman and a consultant who lost her job eight months ago. “And it could give some (unemployed) people a chance to get into an organization and show what they can do.”

If media interest is any indication, the auction will be successful. Most local television stations have agreed to cover the auction, and PNG members hope to gain national exposure through the Cable News Network.

For information about the upcoming auction, contact the PNG at 265-4309.