Written by Cindy Nowack
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Finding and Landing A New Career FAST!
After a successful entrepreneurial career in the speaking and training world, Dave Sherman used his networking skills to land positions in the high tech and commercial real estate world without having any experience in either industry. He came to the Career Connectors meeting to share his five tips for finding and landing a new career.
Tip 1: Embrace your decision
When making a change, people ask themselves, Should I do this? My job’s not that bad. What are people going to say?
If it’s something you’re doing that’s good for you and your family, you don’t have to explain anything to anyone. Avoid indecision, explanations, validation, and negativity. Do what’s right for you, especially at 3:05 a.m. when you wake up with lingering doubts.
You need to believe in your decision 110%. Family, friends, and even complete strangers will be giving you negativity. It’s not their path. It’s your path. Keep your family members updated. Family members are often negative because they don’t know enough about what you’re doing. Talk to them about why you’re making this change and how it will benefit the family. Embrace your decision and don’t listen to the naysayers.
Tip 2: Peruse the job boards
Once upon a time, before the internet, job seekers opened the paper to the Help Wanted section and circled jobs. It’s not that way anymore. Now you open up your computer and you have a crystal ball when looking at the job boards. You can search for anything. This is the opportunity to do anything you want to do. Don’t limit yourself. Get out of the box. Pursue jobs that will make you happy.
Dave issued a challenge to those of us at the meeting – and those of you reading this recap. Spend the next few days looking up all the jobs you ever wanted. Look for jobs that are interesting, challenging, rewarding and fun. Take some time to figure out what will make you happy.
Tip 3 : Start meeting MORE PEOPLE
This tip moves you from looking for work to landing work. Now that you have checked out the job boards and figured out your next step, start meeting people that can help take you there. Attend meetings of local Chambers of Commerce, industry associations, business groups, networking groups, and career transition groups. You won’t be asking these people for a job though. You want to meet somebody who knows somebody who can help you. Here are a few suggestions when attending these types of meetings:
- Show up early – About 15 minutes before the meeting starts so you can get comfortable and start conversations with a few people.
- Bring business cards – You may not have a job, but you can list your name and contact information on the cards. There are inexpensive options online.
- ASK FOR HELP! – You want to let people know why you’re attending these meetings. These are the people who know the trends and contacts, but take a look at tips 4 and 5 to ease into how to ask for help.
Tip 4: When attending events, let go of the outcome
You won’t find a job at a networking event. But you may find someone who knows something or someone else that can help you. Start your conversations with commonalities – hometown, hobbies, school, favorites. Also, you want to be interested, not interesting. Ask questions. If it will be helpful, bring note cards of some conversation starters.
Tip 5: Know the four most important words – “Who do you know?”
You need to let people know what you want. Otherwise, they can’t help you. Tell everybody. Social media makes it easy. Post what you want on LinkedIn. Also, if Dave can help you, reach out to him. One audience member wants to be a private investigator, and Dave had a breakfast meeting scheduled with an owner of a security firm.
This is an exciting time of change for you. Take away the fear, and look at the excitement of what you’re doing. Follow Dave’s five tips, and you are on your way to finding and landing your new career.
HIRING COMPANIES
Arizona Department of Health Services
James Yale, Arizona State Hospital, Assistant Chief Nursing Officer
The Arizona State Hospital has three campuses housing primarily psychiatric patients near 24th Street and Van Buren. They use a recovery model to help inpatients transition back into society. There currently have 743 full-time state employees, 40 part-time, and 300 contractors.
The hospital is looking to hire licensed nurses and mental health technicians. Not all the jobs are medical though. They also have career opportunities for executive management, administrative staff, legal staff, project specialists, quality management, compliance and more. Go to azstatejobs.gov, click on Search for Jobs on the left side, click on Agency drop down box, and select Department of Health Services to see what positions are available.
Web.com
Kelly Moncada, Recruiter
Web.com is an online marketing company that provides websites, hosting, and helps companies manage their online presence and accelerate growth. They are currently hiring 30 inside sales reps per month with base salary plus uncapped commission, as well as other positions listed here, including Senior Digital Marketing Analyst, Associate Data Specialist and Digital Marketing outside sales rep. The call center is located near Scottsdale and McDowell.
RESOURCES
Goodwill of Central and Northern AZ
Troy Maskell, Employee and Community Relations
Goodwill of Central and Northern AZ has 19 job centers that help put people to work. They are expanding their model to reach the mid-level to executive job seekers. They collaborate with various community resources, and partner with more than 650 companies. You can visit a job center for help with your resume, LinkedIn profile, or interviewing skills.
Troy did a quick role play with an attendee asking “Why should I hire you?” The three important questions you should answer when asked that question are:
- What value can you bring to the organization?
- How are you going to save them time?
- How are you going to save them money?
Visit a Goodwill job center for help with interview skills and more.
CLOSING REMARKS
If you are looking for your new career or want to know more about your strengths, you can take the DISC assessment offered by Top Talent Consulting. As a Career Connectors member, you can take this behavioral assessment for free. Your detailed personal profile includes general characteristics, value to the organization, ideal environment, perceptions, descriptors, and much more. This is just one of the resources offered to Career Connectors members. Go to the website to find out more about taking the DISC assessment.
There is no meeting the week of July 2. The next meeting is Thursday, July 12 in Phoenix when Connie Kadansky will tell us that You are the Differentiator. Hiring companies that day will be Freedom Financial Network and State Farm.