Pink Slip Mixers in Orange County | Edwin Duterte

Several hundred people turned out in Newport Beach Wednesday August 5, 2009 for the latest Orange County meeting of Pink Slip Mixers, a grassroots group billed by its organizer as "the anti-job fair."

Edwin Duterte, the unemployed San Jose banker who started the group, describes it as a grassroots, pay-it-forward effort. He preaches the new testament of social networking mixed with the old-school, hand-shake kind.

"Everyone should share resources and help everybody out, because we're trying to create community," he said.

The event, at Core restaurant, was a mix of jitters and Twitter, people milling around central stations set up by industries — technology, human resources, medical, etc. A live Twitter feed on a big-screen TV offered contact info for those seeking jobs. Career counseling took the form of speed dating, with experts offering advice on interviewing, resumes and unemployment benefits in two-minute sessions.

Sally Agresti, of Lakewood, was laid off from her administrative assistant job in May. She came to the event with a friend she met at a recent job fair in Costa Mesa. She called the event a "mixed bag," but said it helped her learn about career development.

"In my age bracket, you have to be ... resilient, is a good word," said the 54-year-old. "Nowadays, you have to try all avenues and not hang on to the past. I'm trying to be proactive every day."

Noah Lopez, of Los Angeles, was singled out by Duterte as one of the group's success stories. Lopez recently got a job at Revolution Foods as an account manager, educating school kids about healthy eating.

A former recruiter, Lopez was out of a job for six months, during which time he polished his Linkedin profile, attended Pink Slip Mixers and networked with his contacts.

"I'm a big believer in paying it forward and that's what this event is all about," Lopez said, adding that he counsels people to refrain from drinking while at the mixers because "your new boss could be here."

Jay Stubner, a producer at Advanced Web TV in Newport Beach, was one of the recruiters. He was looking for part- or full-time sales people in the L.A., Orange County and San Diego areas.

"There are a lot of people out of work," he said. "I'm finding a lot of people who say, 'I want to make another $3,000 a month.'"

The event also seemed aimed at self-esteem-made-simple, well-intentioned but a little wacky. Rodd Amos, a former Los Angeles broadcaster, was the emcee who kicked off the evening by telling people to welcome each other to the event.

"Tell them welcome to this place! Shake another hand! Give them a big smile. It's going to be OK," he said. "Now that's an ice breaker!"

Ronnie Guyer, who was representing Assembyman Van Tran, R-Costa Mesa, told the job seekers that it was important to "love yourself."

"This is just one step for the rest of your life. It is a new thing. It is reaching out heart-to-heart," he said. "The rest of your life begins lovingly."

For more information about the upcoming events, go to http://PinkSlipMixers.com. or tweet to @pinkslipped.

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