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10/25/16 – 5 Steps to Creating a Bombshell Personal Brand

Oct 28, 2016

Written by Marty Allison

 

Opening

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors

Jessica welcomed everyone to the event at Central Christian Church in Gilbert, AZ.  She provided the Twitter information of @CareerConnected to connect with Career Connectors via Twitter.  She noted that there were some layoffs in the Phoenix area over the past few weeks so she hoped that any attendees impacted by those circumstances could connect with resources.  Jessica announced that Coder Camps of Scottsdale is sponsoring Career Connectors events for the rest of the year.

 

Keynote Speaker

Dayna Mathews, Career & Personal Branding Strategist

Dayna opened up by comparing who she was in 2010 with who she is today in 2016.  Six years ago, she was a new college graduate relocating from a Minnesota town of 315 people to the Phoenix metro area.  Her job put her in situations outside of her comfort zone where she would need to talk about herself.  A divorce got her out of the wrong relationship and things are very different today (beyond the recent name change to Dayna Ciarfalia).

Behind the change for Dayna was hard work, determination and PURPOSEFUL action.  LinkedIn and other social media helped her become successful.  When her job took her outside of her comfort zone, she learned skills in how to network, which helped her with her later career.

Choose 3 words that say how you want others to see you.

When it comes to personal branding, it is incredibly important to be AUTHENTIC.  You don’t need to be anyone other than who you are (and you don’t need to present yourself as perfect).  You should be the same in-person and online.  You need to DECIDE what you want to be known for, what problems you want to solve.  Once you make this decision, then others are better able to support you.  PUBLISH & PROMOTE YOURSELF, realizing “I deserve to promote myself.”  People cannot give you credit if you don’t promote yourself.  A good tip is to write a relevant article for you industry on LinkedIn.  Stay CONSISTENT.  Find a way to add value to the experience of others in your field on a regular basis, such as through a monthly article, which builds your credibility.

Your personal brand applies to several areas.

  • LinkedIn – Tell your story, build credibility, tell what you do best, and tell the reader any action that you want them to take.
  • Resume – Easy on the eyes with clean formatting, alignment, one single font, minimal bold.  Write a personally branded profile section at the top and it is okay to add a pop of color.  Speak to your accomplishments.
  • Appearance – Dress to stand out, not to blend in.  Always look your best, with an updated wardrobe that fits and has consistency.  (Is there something branded about your look… would you be known for something with your purse, shoes, socks?)

Have a strategy.  VISUALIZE where you want to be.  Imagine the outcome.  Don’t ‘wing it’ or everyone will see a different version of you.  Be purposeful and intentional.  When job-searching, spend time networking with people, not job boards.

 

Hiring Companies

CVS

Krista Lynch, Talent Acquisition Partner

Krista shared that CVS Health helps people on their path to better health, which is something that she sees in every part of the organization.  This includes several different workforce initiatives, such as community education and training, as well as, summer youth hiring initiatives.  Locally, there are call center opportunities in Chandler and Phoenix and corporate opportunities in Scottsdale.  Within the next 12-18 months additional opportunities will become available, especially in finance with higher consideration given for those with health care experience.

DISH

Melissa Boillot, HR Manager

Melissa was at her first Career Connectors event and received a warm welcome.  She explained that DISH is looking for people who take calculated risks, are energetic, intelligent and need to achieve.  The core values in the DISH culture are Pride, Adventure and Winning.  When faced with a challenge, the answer in finding a way to move forward is not ‘no,’ but ‘how.’  This mindset has lead to Sling TV as a product targeting cord-cutting television viewers.  The company has several opportunities in Arizona, with its headquarters in Colorado.

Freedom Financial Network

JD Hasna, Director of Talent Acquisition

JD received a warm welcome for being at his first Career Connectors event since moving to Phoenix this past summer.  He provided background information on Freedom Financial starting after one of the founders was negotiating a way to return $3000 worth of Day Trading software that he would not use.  After negotiating a way to escape that debt, there was an inspiration to assist other people in need of negotiating their way out of similar financial challenges.  A typical client with Freedom Financial Network has $58,000 as annual income with $38,000 in debt.  There are currently three locations in Arizona, hiring approximately 110 employees per month as they continue to grow.

 

Resources

Coder Camps 

Jason Jones

It was shared that Coder Camps will be sponsoring Career Connector events for the next few months.  Jason spoke prior to the keynote presentation, sharing information about Coder Camps.  The organization began about 3 years ago in Houston, Texas and has grown to include a campus in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Coder Camps offer 12-week long boot camps on becoming a web developer, with courses running each weekday from 8:30 AM through 5:30 PM as one of the formats to complete the program.  Once a camp is successfully completed, graduates may attend any future courses free of charge.  Jason shared the success of the program, with 76% of graduates being employed within 90 days of graduating.

LPL Financial

Jian Boldi, Financial Advisor

Jian shared 10 Tips for Your Finances During Career Transition.

  1. Understand your unemployment benefits. (Apply at AZ DES)
  2. Do not forget to keep paying taxes.
  3. Deduct job-hunting expenses. (professional resume writing, relocating 50 miles for a similar position)
  4. Go back to school to advance skills or learn something new.
  5. Become underemployed.  (Possibly in a different field from prior work experience)
  6. Budget, Budget, Budget.  (Jian has budget worksheets he offered to share)
  7. If age 55 or older, there is an option where you can take penalty free money from your IRA.
  8. Purchase health insurance with your IRA funds. (COBRA can be very costly)
  9. Consider reversing a contribution made to your IRA.
  10. Ask for help.

New Horizons of Phoenix

Joe Rostowsky, Director of Site Operations

New Horizons and other educational resources at Career Connectors are in place to help job seekers.  Joe spoke about his own career path moving from IT to training to sales involving four consecutive layoffs.  He discussed the WIOA grant being Federal funding set aside for learning opportunities of unemployed and underemployed individuals.  It is common that people are not aware of WIOA as a funding opportunity, so Joe challenged everyone to find out about this and explain this to at least one other person.

 

Closing

Jessica Pierce closed the event with some important reminders.  First, the DISC assessment is available as a resource.  Second, for those who had a professional photograph taken, the photos will be posted online here.  Also, for anyone still in need of the 2014-2015 edition of the Phoenix Business Journal Book of Lists, the quantity available is nearly gone.   Finally, due to the holidays in November and December, Career Connector meetings around the holidays will be rescheduled.  The next event in Gilbert will be on Tuesday November 8 instead of the 4th Tuesday of the month.

Marty Allison on Linkedin
Marty Allison

Filed Under: Event Recaps Tagged With: personal branding, career transition, Dayna Mathews, Job Search, LinkedIn, networking

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I just wanted to let you know that there’s a reason why I haven’t come to any recent Career Connectors events. It’s because I found a job! This past week, I started working as a data scientist for a technology startup in the financial services space that’s based in downtown Phoenix. It’s an ideal opportunity for me to break into the data science industry with an exciting company. I wanted to thank you and your staff for putting together all of your fantastic networking events and bringing … Read more
Chris M.
A good friend told me of her success using Career Connectors networking.  She landed an interview and later, a job in her field, after attending one networking event.  So, when it was my turn, I had to check it out. I was starting to get the blues about being unemployed but the speaker lifted me out of the dumps and put my life back in perspective. So many people were there to help and offer support!   Just by networking that day, I was given a job lead that has led to two interviews and a… Read more
Mary B.
Career Connectors has given me the courage to move forward and the mindset to move out of this moment. I have gained encouragement, opportunity, and a stronger skill-set in each meeting I have attended. This interaction has given me the vision to see my God given talents, the realization of how much I still have to offer, and the ability to put value in my career, instead of only seeing value by a job.
Anonymous
I want to follow up with you about the position I had hoped to get. I got it! And thanks to Jack Milligan’s Salary Negotiation talk, for the first time I didn’t feel like an idiot when I accepted a job. No one else offers that kind of information.  Thank you for all you do. I appreciate your efforts to bless others.  May you and yours be blessed every day. Thank you for everything,
Cheryl
After one year of unemployment, I have been employed with an excellent company at a job which is perfect fit for my experience and desires for many months, through the efforts of the devoted volunteers at Career Connectors. I and my family are eternally grateful. Sincere thanks!
Jeff A.
I originally found Career Connectors during a large quarterly networking event and started attending meetings in May/June with a girlfriend who was also laid off. I appreciated all the information, resources, encouragement and genuine support I felt from everyone at Career Connectors. What you are doing is an amazing service for  those of us who find ourselves “displaced” in these tough economic times. The benefit you are providing is not only for those “transitioning” — but also for lo… Read more
Candice T.
I would like to share that I landed a contract position for 6 months with possible conversion to a permanent position on the team after those contract periods complete. I work on a team as an Instructional Designer and the team is virtual, which means I am able to work from home 100% of the time! I am very excited for the future of my career! I wanted to share that I sadly won’t be seeing you at Career Connector events for the next 6 months at the very least, and we’ll see how my performance … Read more
Bill T.
I am profoundly grateful for all of the support Career Connectors has provided during my recent job search – from the exceptional speakers to the participating employers, LinkedIn experts (Ted Robison is amazing with his individualized approach), resume experts, photographers, and of course the great opportunity to network! I felt like I had an army of support with me every single day. I appreciate all the time and effort invested by many and am particularly grateful for Jessica! You have a fi… Read more
Cindy G.
Career Connectors is dedicated to bring the job seeker to reputable employers in the valley. I appreciate their professionalism and their consistency to continue to provide great leads.
Leslie B.
Great lead for follow up with a couple of employers.
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