Written by Susan Lamphiear
Here Comes the Sun (George Harrison, The Beatles), a reminder that there is hope for a new sunrise every day of our lives, whether we are gripped with fear or experiencing loss or grappling with any of life’s problems and glitches, and the song’s long been a favorite of mine. To me the song will always be a metaphor for hope. So I thought of the song when our keynote speaker’s intro mentioned hope’s importance during life’s trials, including job layoffs or job transition.
Keynote
“It’s all about hope,” says Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors. Hope is what gets you through the tough times.
Jessica and her husband Mark know about getting through tough times. They were both employed and “living the dream” in 2007 when Jessica was laid off from her job at Intel. She quickly opened a staffing company but that closed after two years, following the economic crisis of 2009.
When her husband was laid off during this same time period, in 2009, Jessica began helping other professional friends who also faced unemployment. The couple had an infant, a two-year-old and a 10-year old. (Her children and supportive husband are still what she’s most proud of.) A short sale of their home soon challenged them. But Jessica told Mark that she felt God had called her to help (Career Connectors started with helping a few people at church with their resumes), so he threw out his arms and said, “How can I argue with God?”
In 2010 Arizona hosted the U.S. Census and Jessica informed them she had about 250 people who might be interested. But when word got out they were hiring 3000 people, Jessica realized that this whole situation was about community, not just church, when people lined up around the church and TV news were there to interview her. Career Connectors was founded and since then the group has helped over 25,000 individuals and 300 companies in the metro Phoenix area, and Jessica was called to speak at the White House as a jobs expert.
Having become an expert in job search tactics, Jessica loves to share what she’s learned and to teach others how to think like a hiring manager to land the job.
Jessica learned at age 24, you have to make it easy for hiring managers to find you, and she practically made a second career referring friends for jobs and getting paid for it! Offering referrals tends to be a win/win situation. It gave her another income. But it also saved money for the company. And it helped find appropriate candidates, because if you refer someone, it’s going to be a worker who shows up and can do the job. You’re not going to refer someone who will make you look bad!
Hiring managers have a database of resumes—but that’s actually the last place they look to hire. Most people who have succeeded have been referred. Someone said, “Hey, I heard about this job you’d be perfect for…”
The Recruitment Life Cycle is very complex and hiring the right candidate is hard work. So it’s no surprise that employers always start with known internal resources.
- Internal Resource (known)
- Prior Work Relationship (known)
- Referred Resource (known – one off)
- Through Employee (known — one off)
- Want Ad/Online Posting (unknown/high-risk)
Here’s what we know for sure about the hiring process
- People do business primarily with people they know and like.
- Job listings tend to draw piles of applicants.
- The job you want likely will not be advertised.
Where are recruiters finding their best candidates?
- Recruiters are finding 60% of their candidates through referrals!
Are employers using social media to hire?
- Yes, they are! Their number one choice is LinkedIn. But be careful with social media. Sometimes offers are actually rescinded based on social media posts. You can have an opinion, but be respectful the way you express it, especially in a heated election year like we’ve just experienced. Of recruiters, 55% have reconsidered a candidate based on their social profile, with 61% of those second looks being negative.
Tips from Jessica
- Yes, go to the job boards. But it doesn’t stop there. Who do you know at the company? Find them on LinkedIn and connect.
- Stand out from the crowd. She uses the example of Anthony. He was resistant to getting out and networking as Jessica suggested. Finally, he committed to one month of calling people, meeting people, getting out of the house for 40 hours a week. He talked to anyone who would talk to him. At one point Anthony said, “I need a coffee budget.” But at the end of that one month, Anthony had two job offers and they were competing for him! Anthony admitted that what Jessica had told him worked.
- Don’t apply for a job if you don’t have most of the skills. It wastes the recruiter’s time and when they do see a job for you, they likely won’t contact you if they feel you’ve previously wasted their time.
- Don’t apply for an executive assistant job at the same time you apply for an executive job. Target the person you are. Don’t be open to ALL positions. Be that one person when you apply for a job.
- If you’re a creative problem solver, say this on your resume or in an interview. Creative problem solvers are valuable because they solve problems but not necessarily via a straight path.
- Don’t say you’re strong in TEAMWORK. That gets overlooked these days. Instead, use ACTION words like “implemented” or “created.” Use your strong ACTION words that show up when you take the DISC assessment free through Career Connectors’ website. Click here to go to the DISC page on the website.
- Think about the TYPES of companies you’re interested in. Jessica LOVED Intel. But today she couldn’t work there because she’s in a different place in her career.
Remember this: Companies are looking for three things, not just skills, though competence is, of course, a vital part of the equation.
- Competence includes knowledge and training, your experience, and your skills.
- Character includes traits like trustworthiness, loyalty, patience, kindness, courtesy, cooperation, respect, responsibility and commitment.
- Chemistry is demonstrated by your first impression, proper handshake (match theirs), introduction, eye contact, natural smile, and mirroring the initial response.
And be kind, Jessica reminds us. In your networking conversations, find topics not related to jobs. Sports, family, kids, vacations, and activities are all possibilities for discussions. Remember, it’s all about relationships because we all want to work with people we like.
Hiring Companies
Aetna
Le Nguyen, Talent Acquisition
Aetna, a Health Care Insurance Provider, employs 50,000. Proud of its values, the company recently launched efforts to increase minimum pay and provide more employees with affordable healthcare.
Benefits of the company include paid time off (PTO), life insurance, short-term AND long-term disability, and employee work/life Assistance Program. Shared benefits include medical, dental and vision plans. Incentive programs include financial benefits like 401K and annual bonuses, wellness and incentive programs, tuition assistance and student loan repayment programs (new in 2017).A number of positions are available.
Aetna is a leader in flex scheduling and work-from-home. The company embraces diversity and has been named most admired company and rated highly by veterans as a place to work.
To apply go to their website. Look early and often as a variety of positions update daily ranging from customer service to marketing to project management.
MassMutual
Jessica McGrath, Recruiter
MassMutual, an Arizona financial services group, exists to help clients secure their future and protect loved ones.
The company seeks to hire three groups of people
- Candidates from the area with a solid network of contacts, with MBA, JD, CPA or five years sales/entrepreneurial or related experience who are changing careers
- Career changers from the area with a network of contacts who are fully licensed—Life & Health, 6/7, 63/66
- Career changers, fully licensed—Life & Health, 6/7, 63/66 with proven track record of success-$70,000 Annual Production looking to take practice to the next level but need help
Why Choose MassMutual?
- If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired
- Culture
- Support and training
- Impact on the community
- Unlimited income
To apply, visit their website.
GlobalTranz
Amber Gaines, Corporate Recruiter
GlobalTranz is a privately held technology-enabled 3PL company specializing in freight management services, including Less-Than-Truck Load (LTL), Truckload (TL), Supply Chain Management, and Domestic Air/Expedited shipping. The company is a B2B company with over 25,000 customers. Any business in the U.S. who ships products in lots weighing over 150 pounds is a potential customer of GlobalTranz. Among awards they have been named among Fastest Growing Companies several times.
Benefits include choice of three medical plans, onsite Care Clinic, Dental and vision plan, $25,000 Company Paid Life Insurance, Employee Referral Bonus Program $500, internal development and advancement opportunities, Wellness Room and C.O.R.E — TruBlue, Go Team, Green Team. They’re very proud of their corporate culture, community service and Green team.
Current openings include Logistics Specialist, AR Analyst, AP Analyst, Carrier Rep (Broker), Cash Application Specialist, Inside Sales (Prescott Valley), Pricing Analyst, and Agent Support. To apply, visit their website. If you’re ready to take the next step in exploring a career with GlobalTranz, contact their corporate recruiter, Amber Gaines, TODAY.
Cenlar
Ann Pierce, Senior Recruiter
Cenlar is a premier loan servicing provider and wholesale bank. Their services date back to 1958 when Cenlar was formed from the acquisition of Centennial Savings and Loan Association by Larson Mortgage Company. Cenlar FSB was one of the first companies to pursue mortgage loan subservicing as a core business. The company supports three major/national charities: March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, Toys for Tots, and other local organizations including Habitat for Humanity.
Employee benefits include 401K – match up to 4% of salary, comprehensive health benefits, vacation and sick/personal time off, 10 holidays per year, life insurance and optional supplemental life insurance, tuition reimbursement, and more. The company closes for every federal holiday.
Open positions include functional trainers, HR generalist, customer care associates, loan servicing default agents (collections), and customer care supervisors. . Bilinguals are encouraged to apply. Listings change frequently. To apply visit their website.
Resources
New Horizons
Joe Rostowsky, Director of site Operations
New Horizons, a computer learning center, offers training for those in job search or career transition, but also provides information on resources available in the community, and job placement at the conclusion of classes. Certifications are available for many areas, including Microsoft Word, which can give job candidates an extra edge when they apply for jobs. Classes include CCNA Routing and Switching, Microsoft Office Specialist, Pharmacy Technician, and many more. The State-of-the-Art Training Facility offers small classes conducted in a variety of ways including traditional instructor led classrooms, online LIVE learning, and online ANYTIME learning. Funding is available for many job seekers, including for veterans. For more information about enrolling or funding, visit their website.
New! Career Connectors Advice Blog
NEW — Career Connectors Advice Blog — is now LIVE. Click on the link.
Closing
Sheila Coulam, Director of Operations for Career Connectors, opened and closed the formal part of the event and kept things running smoothly. Sheila discovered Career Connectors after being an electrical engineer at General Motors for 15 years and a stay-at-home Mom for 10 years. Looking to get back into the job market during a big recession, she volunteered so she could get back into “professional mode.” After doing web development for a while, the company wound down and she found her way back to Career Connectors and her current position. “Jessica pulls me out of analysis paralysis.”
Highlands Church provides our beautiful meeting facility. The church also continues their Highlands Hope Initiative to assist individuals in career transition. Information gathered from individuals at the event allowed some participants to receive a gift card, based on income, courtesy of Highlands.
Sheila thanked the church and volunteers for their service and introduced Breakout Sessions including the chance to meet with hiring companies, get help with resume preparation, talk with a LinkedIn specialist, and have a free professional head shot taken.
Next meetings in December this year include the Phoenix meeting Wednesday, December 7, 2016, 9:00 AM. And Tuesday, December 13, 20016, 9:00 AM in Gilbert. For details of the meetings, including directions, speakers, and registration, click here.
2017 Event information COMING SOON!!
