Written by Debbie Webber
Jessica Pierce opened the event by reading an inspirational note she’d received from a former Career Connectors attendee. This individual had been laid off after 32 years at the same company. After an eight month search, he landed a great job due to the information and assistance he’d received by attending Career Connectors. What a great way to start off the program!
Keynote
Our speaker today was Gloria Petersen. She is the Founder and President of Global Protocol, Inc., and author of a four part book series entitled The Art of Professional Connections. Her interactive presentation had us all standing and meeting others, and showed us that people make decisions first on what they see. In other words, the perception that you create.
Perception is what people see and feel about you. You must be in control of your own professional identity by controlling the first impressions and perceptions that you present. So how do you do this?
First, you need to acquire the interpersonal skills and presence needed to meet, greet and interact with people in a professional and confidence-inspiring manner.
Second, utilize your personal interaction skills from networking activities to a wide variety of business meetings and social events.
Third, learn strategies to get beyond any uncertainties or feelings of awkwardness that you may anticipate or process.
Ultimately, positive and lasting impressions are made by how graciously you transition from the greeting and conversation to the departure and follow up.
Knowing, practicing and engaging with the seven steps that Gloria has developed, you will perfect a confident greeting and interaction with those you meet in your job search.
Step #1 Check your appearance and stance. Present a self-assured persona.
Gloria had us stand up and put our hands behind our back and grasp our thumbs. This pulls your shoulders back and levels your chin. Keep this posture when you’ve released your hands and you’re on the way to projecting a confident, powerful posture that will make a great first impression.
Next, Gloria brought several men wearing a suits and ties to the front of the group. The white shirt and dark suit combo appeared most powerful due to the contrast of the clothing colors. In addition, Gloria told us that a tie brings attention to the most important part of your body during an interaction—your face. For women, a necklace or earrings do the same thing.
Step #2 Make eye contact and offer your introduction. Make yourself known.
Be the first to approach another person. Make eye contact with them during the time you are introducing yourself. At a subconscious level, people like the attention they’re given when another person truly sees them by looking them in the eye. You’ll have their attention.
Step #3 Repeat name(s) accurately. And repeat them again if not understood.
When the other person gives you their name, repeat it back to them so they feel acknowledged and know that you have absorbed their name. Don’t be afraid to ask for their name again if you didn’t hear or understand the pronunciation. It’s important for the other person to know that you really want to clearly know their name.
Step #4 Deliver a confident handshake. Pay attention to the recipient’s handshake.
Reach out to the person with a firm hand, and close for the handshake once the web between the thumb and index fingers of both of you touch. Practice having a firm handshake with a friend—eliminate the “limp fish” or “knuckle breaker” hand shakes .
Step #5 Engage in conversation. Make a comment, inquire, discover, ask.
This may be the hardest part for some people—engaging in small talk. As Gloria said, you are prepping a conversation that will determine any future interaction you have with this person. For job seekers, conversation starters can include asking them about their role or position with the company, or even what inspired them to choose their current career. Work to discover a commonality you may share with the person—nice weather, great company or even a similar pet.
Step #6 Keep the interaction tangible with a business card.
Once you’ve come this far into the introduction, you can then exchange business cards. Always ask before you offer yours and ask for theirs if they haven’t already offered. When you receive their card, take a moment to truly look at their name and other information they have offered you.
Step #7 Take your leave and plan your follow up. Remember to close with a handshake.
Finally, keep the door open in this short relationship. Plan how you’ll stay connected—perhaps offer a future phone call or meeting for coffee. And ALWAYS close the introduction with another handshake.
So remember, if you look confident, you’ll feel confident and then you’ll act confident. Acting confident will bring you the power you need to stand out to potential employers during your job search.
Hiring Companies
LifeLock
Tammie Ragan,Talent Acquisition Recruiter
LifeLock is the industry leader in early detection ID theft. With headquarters close to Tempe Town Lake, the organization is experiencing great growth. Because they’re growing, positions change on a daily basis. Current openings include entry level sales as well as corporate positions in finance, HR, marketing and business-to-business sales. All benefits start on day one of employment, and include 100% 401(k) match with immediate 100% vesting. Go here to apply.
Verizon Wireless
Darrin Ruof , HR Recruiter
Darrin had good results last time he presented at Career Connectors and was looking forward to finding more successful applicants today. Verizon’s credo of customers first, integrity, respect, performance excellence and accountability is very apparent to all the employees. Both upward and lateral movement is encouraged at Verizon, which gives employees exposure to multiple functions and increased opportunities. Available positions include solutions specialists in the retail sales side and customer service specialists at the Chandler call center. Apply online here. Darrin also encouraged those who were interested to contact him.
Charles Schwab
Shannon Grimes, Talent Attraction Manager
Founder Charles Schwab (Chuck) strove to bring Wall Street to Main Street. Today, that has morphed into championing every client’s goals with passion and integrity. Although headquartered in San Francisco, the Phoenix area has the largest number of employees. Opportunities in Phoenix include the Broker Trainee Program, Client Reporting Specialist and Relationship Specialists. Training and the attainment of broker credentials is completely paid for by Schwab. Even if these positions don’t appeal to you, Shannon urged us to get our resume into their system because recruiters will review resumes in their system first when new positions open up. Apply here.
Next event
Wednesday, April 1, Phoenix
Best the Bots! Discover the Strategies to Get Around the Robotics of the Applicant Tracking System
Justin Jones
Hiring Companies: City of Phoenix, US Bank, Adecco USA, Superior Home Services and Charles Schwab