Written by Chris Layfield
Keynote
Paula Shoup, Coach, Facilitator, Consultant
Paula Shoup believes we can all rise stronger from adversity. The most resilient people in the room are able to reckon with adverse situations through raw story-telling including all the negative emotions. They control the critical voice inside their head, and they get curious about what they can learn and understand about themselves and others in the situation. They continue to make stories out of this reckoning process, and they seek out empathetic listeners. Resilient people own their history of vulnerability, and it becomes a sign of courage and strength.
How can you start down this road? When you have a “Fall” (an “oh shucks” moment), write down your story in raw form with all the negative emotion – don’t hold back from blame, judgment, anxiety, perfectionism, humiliation, nostalgia, guilt, etc. Create some space for creative reflection on the story by practicing slow breathing and keeping the critical voice inside your head in check for a while. Ask yourself what you can learn and understand about three parts of the story: the situation, the others in the situation, and yourself.
Watch out for traps that can get you stuck:
- Shame is a sure way to get stuck – instead of focusing on how you feel about your identity, focus your stories on how you feel about your behaviors in a given situation – you can change those
- Negative emotions are the most powerful and long-lasting emotions – you need to notice sources of positive emotions in a 3:1 ratio to the negative ones to achieve balance
- Imagining you don’t deserve to feel struggle because others have it worse than you stops the processing in its tracks – compassion and empathy are infinite, and you can find others willing to listen
- Don’t fall into the trap of thinking the inner critical voice inside your head is you – it is trying to protect you, but it is not you. Give it a name, notice the scripts it likes to repeat, and keep it in check, so you can process creatively
Hiring Companies
Allstate
Traci Whitley-Rose, Recruiter
Allstate has a regional office in Tempe with sales and marketing, product, corporate relations, claims, and IT professional opportunities. The company is looking for a variety of backgrounds; Traci says telling your whole story, both inside and outside work, helps recruiters tailor opportunities to you. Given the company’s national reach, there are also numerous flex/telecommuting opportunities.
Search jobs on Allstate’s career website.
Allstate is also looking to grant exclusive agencies to candidates with at least $100K in start-up capital, a track record of success, and an entrepreneurial drive. Each policy an agent writes generates residual income, and there are no fees since this is not a franchise. In addition to a wide product offering and national branding, Allstate provides a ton of local support including training and consulting for your agency’s sales and marketing, product management, and corporate relations. Even if you are not interested yourself, if you refer Traci someone who opens a business, Allstate will pay you a $10K referral bonus.
Varsity Tutors
Joanna Szewczyk, Regional Sales Director
Varsity Tutors just opened a location in Old Town Scottsdale (Camelback and Goldwater) on September 9. They are a young company with lots of funding, strong technology, fast career growth, and a great vision of online delivery for test prep books, subject-specific apps, and a tutoring interface. The culture is results-oriented with fun, and they are primarily hiring for sales, customer care, and training roles.
Check them out online.
Tech Finders / HR Finders
Kirsty Bach, Vice President
Staffing firms can create an advantage for candidates by getting to know them, presenting opportunities tailored specifically to their profile, and providing them behind-the-scenes, candid context that they may not hear through formal channels.
Tech Finders / HR Finders has been matching talent to roles since 1998. They are currently seeking roles across multiple disciplines:
- Tech: Database and Systems Administrators, Backend Principal Engineer, Java Developers, ERP Implementation Specialist, VP Sales and Marketing
- HR: Healthcare Recruiter, HR Manager, HR Generalist, Recruiter
- Finance: Sr. Accountant, Tax Supervisor, AP Specialist, Tax Compliance Specialist, Garnishment Specialist, Assistant Controller
Kristy also encouraged the group to consider contract roles as a stepping stone to permanent opportunities – contract roles open a lot of doors.
Get acquainted at www.aztechfinders.com.
Cenlar
Rebekah Long, Recruiter
Cenlar is a mortgage and loan-servicing provider with 2 Arizona Locations, both in Tempe (one at Warner and Kyrene and another at S. Hardy Drive). Open roles include an HR Generalist as well as agents and supervisors in customer care and collections. The company offers a full benefits package and encourages community involvement.
More information can be found at www.cenlar.com/careers.
Resources
Coder Camps
Coder Camps is a 12-week coding skills program to transition people into an industry that currently has a 2% unemployment rate. Learners can choose a full-time immersive course or a nights and weekends track; both have online and on-site options. If you aren’t sure you are ready to commit to the full course, start with “Coding From Scratch” for a $100 application fee; it gives learners a basic overview of HTML, Java, CSS and more.
Visit them at codercamps.com
Closing
Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors, announced that the Career Connectors plan for 2017 is in place. Career Connectors events can be a great next step for your to meet people, to get advice, and to connect with hope.
Veterans are invited to the Military Career Event on February 22 10am-1pm at North Phoenix Baptist Church Conference Center in Phoenix, AZ. This free networking and hiring event is open to all military- active, retired and reservists- as well as their spouses and significant others.
Additionally, Career Connectors is always looking for volunteers with photography, writing, and/or A/V skills.
