Career Connectors

Connecting professionals in career transition with hiring companies and quality resources

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Marty Allison

12/13/16 – How to Find a Great New Job in Half the Time

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Dave ShermanWritten by Marty Allison

Opening

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors

Jessica opened the event and let people know that due to accidents and delays on the freeways there would be more people attending the event who were running late.  She talked about an email that she received from someone who attended Career Connectors on Wednesday and based on a referral at that event, they are now employed!  Jessica also explained that the 2017 calendar of events has updated and in January there will be a presentation by a representative from LinkedIn Corporate.   Today’s keynote presentation will be recorded on Facebook Live on the Career Connectors Facebook page.  She noted that Dave Sherman does not sugar-coat things, because he has seen what works.

Keynote Speaker

Dave Sherman, Sales Trainer and Speaker

Dave went through his personal job history and joked that over the past four years he went from never being laid off or fired to having both of them happen to him.  While those experiences both stink, the situation does change.  Everyone who is in career transition will find a new job.  It is up to you WHEN that happens.  How badly do you want to be hired?  Crediting his mother for this advice, Dave noted that it is important to get out of your comfort zone.   He provided tips to help connect you with your next job at a faster rate.

Tip 1: GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE.

This promotes socialization.  Go to another location that has wifi and work from there.  This could be a coffee shop, bakery, library or anywhere that has internet that you can use for your career transition needs.  This routine “stops the voices” by getting you in a different environment.

Tip 2: HANG OUT WITH EMPLOYED PEOPLE.

While Career Connectors is an important resource, in order to get a job you want to go to places where people have jobs.  Maintain contact with people who are working.  Dave works at Mobile Mini and his company is hiring.  He loves his job and noted his willingness to help others who were seeking employment.

Tip 3: ATTEND MORE NETWORKING EVENTS.

The five weeks after Thanksgiving are the best time of the year for networking since there are social gatherings around the holidays.  Asking people about their holidays naturally opens up conversation.  Remember that even if you are not currently working, you still have a lot to offer.  Dave suggested attending two networking groups per week, with a breakfast meeting being a good way to start off your day.  Chambers of Commerce, Professional Associations, Business Groups and Networking Groups are all places that you can go for networking.  While in career transition, it is important to know what you are looking for.  Know not just job titles, but know three companies that you want to work for.

Tip 4: STOP LOOKING FOR A JOB.

Your focus while attending events should not be on finding a job, but on being likable to others.  Find some commonality with others instead of just telling them your resume and background.  Be genuine and be likable.  Be interested, not interesting.

Tip 5: WHO DO YOU KNOW?

The words “Who do you know” are the most important words.  Most people do want to help you as long as you don’t make it too difficult for them.  You need to more specifically know what you want so that other people are better equipped to help you reach that goal.  Networking is only effective if you know what you want.  Ask everyone!  Most people have been impacted by career transition, and if you know what you want… people are willing to help you.

Because he hopes that these tips get you to your employment goal, Dave closed out his presentation to an audience in career transition by saying “I hope I never see any of you ever again!”

Event Sponsor

Coder Camps, Jason Jones

Coder Camps is a sponsoring organization for Career Connectors.  Jason talked about the difference between Career Connectors and a typical job fair, commenting that job fairs don’t care for you the same as what he sees at Career Connectors.  Jason explained that web developers either stay relevant or job hunt.  98% of them work full time with only 2% experiencing unemployment.  Coder Camps help people stay relevant.  Once you complete your initial class, future classes are free.  Because coders typically need to look for new jobs every 2-3 years, Coder Camps has job placement assistance.  In January, classes in Java will roll out.

Hiring Companies

Arizona Office Technologies

Octavio Duarte, Corporate Recruiter

Arizona Office Technologies is a local company that has been in business for about 30 years.  They are a Xerox company with a goal of optimizing other businesses.  They seek ways to increase efficiency and save costs, so it is important to understand the company culture of their clients.  Octavio described that AOT values giving back to this local community, which includes involvement in community programs such as Christmas Angels and Toys for Tots.  Benefits include that a President’s Club (for all employees, not just sales) will have a trip to Mexico in April.   They seek energetic individuals for business to business sales roles.  In addition to current openings, Octavio anticipates that there will be an upcoming position for a Sale Trainer.

Education Management Corp

Mark Pierce, Manager of Talent Acquisition

Mark let the audience know about his work history and how that impacted his wife Jessica and their family.  When previously without employment, Mark was resistant to taking a certain open job position based on his prior income history.  Given changes in the economy, seeing benefit to earning an income instead of no income, and possibly sleeping on the couch until employed… (that last one disputed by wife Jessica as never being a genuine threat), he decided to accept that position and the choice to do so helped him position himself for his current role.  Mark spoke about Education Management Corp (EDMC) having an online presence with the Art Institutes, Argosy, and South University.  He recruits for other positions primarily at Argosy, but offered to be a resource if the recruiter that needs to view your resume is assigned to those online campus positions.  Benefits of employment include 1 day off which can be used to help a non-profit organization.  Mark noted excellent education benefits and is personally using the tuition benefit to obtain a Master’s degree in Counseling.

Charles Schwab

Salma McHorney, Sourcing Advisor

Investors have historically had barriers of: High Costs, Lack of Choice, and Lack of Transparency.  “Own your Tomorrow” is tied to the culture at Charles Schwab as they seek to close the gap between the power of investing and their clients.  The company is based in San Francisco, but has several operating centers.  Phoenix is the largest employee base for those operating centers.  Salma discussed that types of employment are typically either “Client Facing” or “Support Role” positions.  Most of the hot jobs in the Phoenix area are looking for candidates who have 1-2 years of financial or customer service experience.

Resources

Canyon State Institute

Laura Eckles, Academic Advisor

As an Academic Advisor, Laura talks to people about their career paths and about ways to get on a fast track to their next career.  Laura discussed the WIOA grant, which is funding for training.  She noted other funding sources, such as TAA for individuals who had a job that was relocated overseas.  Canyon State Institute offers classes on a schedule of day, evening and online sessions.

Closing

Jessica Pierce closed the event with some announcements.  For those interested in the WIOA grant, there were three schools on site at the event which accept that funding.  The Facebook Live recording of today’s presentation by Dave Sherman is posted on the Career Connectors Facebook page.  There are additional resources on the Career Connectors website, including the Career Blog section where 15 career experts post different career advice 1-2 times per week.  The DISC assessment is a free resource too.  Jessica thanked those who volunteer for Career Connectors and noted that there were over 85 volunteers contributing this year.  Having an updated LinkedIn page will be important for anyone attending the January 18, 2017 session in Phoenix where a representative from LinkedIn corporate will be presenting.  That presentation will be more beneficial if you already have an established LinkedIn page.  Your successful career transition is in prayer!

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

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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.

9/27/16 – The Work Before the Work: Box Free Breakthroughs for a New Career and Mind

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Written by Marty Allison

Opening

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors

Jessica welcomed everyone to this event at Central Christian Church in Gilbert, AZ.  Jessica encouraged attendees to meet someone new.  She shared a story of being contacted by someone about three weeks ago who had never been to Career Connectors and was desperate for employment.  It was important for that person to “take the next step.”  Today’s keynote speaker was one resource for that individual.  Career Connectors has a vision to connect real people with real careers.  This same person who identified as feeling discouraged a short while ago will be starting a new job next week.  Jessica encouraged everyone to take the next step and hopes that others in the room or in their network can be a resource.

 

Keynote Speaker

Pamela Heward, owner and founder of Box Free Minds

Pam elaborated on the experience of the individual that was mentioned by Jessica in the opening.  She discussed the job application process.  The ‘Work Before the Work’ is identifying limiting beliefs that are obstacles to success.

“White Banana” Story – When Pam was a kindergartner, her mother was told that there was a concern with Pam because she said that bananas are white instead of yellow.  However, once you peel a banana to eat it… it does look white.  Pam’s answer was not wrong, her perspective makes her unique.  Identify 2-3 things about you which are unique, but NOT something you list on your resume.

When seeking employment, many people will say that they want a certain wage or a job within a certain distance from their home.  Consider these questions when seeking a job: What excites you?  How do you like to spend your time when no one pays you or pays attention to you?

Mindshift –  There are assumptions that we may have had, even since childhood, which ultimately turn out to not be truth.  A mindshift is needed to let go of these assumptions.

Assumption #1: Hiring managers look at your resume and online application when considering you for a position.

Mindshift #1: Hiring managers look at your overall online persona.  This includes any visible online profile such as LinkedIn.  It is not limited to the items you submit to them.

Pam noted that for your online presence, a professional photograph is much better to use than cropping a photograph taken socially  (Career Connectors offers professional headshots at no cost on-site at each event!).

Assumption #2: Your past accomplishments are what are most important when being considered for a position.

Mindshift #2: It is important to consider “What can I do for this company?”  How do you fit in with the vision and goals of this company?

Assumption #3: To successfully get a job, I am going on job boards, LinkedIn and online applications.

Mindshift #3: Time Blocking is a better approach.

Time Blocking – Spend no more than 3 hours per day on the computer for job search.  In the time beyond that, do the following instead:

  1. Schedule at least 3 coffee/lunch meetings per week.  Using Career Connectors or other networks, go out and talk with people.
  2. Get involved with people who have similar interests.  Identify any groups or clubs which share one of your interests.  A site such as MeetUp can help with this.  Trust built in a format like this could lead to a job referral.
  3. Read at least 15 pages per day that inspire you.  An alternative can be to listen to an audio book.

Pam’s challenge to you is the following homework:

  1. Identify your list of 2-3 unique attributes about yourself.
  2. Commit to Time Blocking (For at least the next 3-5 days).
  3. Take one thing that you have been avoiding, and do that first every day.

Think differently and know what sets you apart from the rest.

 

Hiring Companies

Asurion

Tasha Ford, Talent Acquisition Consultant

There was a video about the importance of technology and that when technology is not working, we miss out on life. After the video, Tasha provided an example of a parent trying to connect with their child overseas and how important it is to have the technology in the phone work correctly. Asurion is growing, with over 17,000 employees and 280 million users. Employees in Arizona are being relocated to Orlando, Florida, which is creating the need to hire people in Arizona. Tasha explained some of the benefits package, which included pet insurance.

Chase

Ashley Hilscher, Recruiting Senior Specialist

Ashley thanked everyone for the warm welcome.  There was a handout of ‘Hot Jobs’ with Chase in the Phoenix metro area given to attendees.  While there are branch locations throughout the valley, there are operations centers at Chase Towers in downtown Phoenix, near the Sky Harbor Airport and in Tempe which are hiring.  Ashley discussed the positions with Chase and noted that the key to networking is not just what you take away, but what you bring to the table for other people.

Clique Hiring Solutions

LT Ladino Bryson, Senior Managing Partner

LT noted that she has owned Clique Hiring Solutions for about 1 1/2 years, with 18 people now on her staff (and hiring).  Her advice was to only show the last ten years of relevant work on a resume in instances where there may be past employment unrelated to a new position that someone is seeking.  She explained that a ‘staffing agency’ and a ‘recruiting firm’ are different from each other.  A recruiter is not just there to fill a job position, but will seek to find the right match.  A candidate has the job of being memorable and seeing what they bring to the table for an employer.  Her team will then be able to advocate for you like an agent would advocate for an athlete.

Edward Jones

Tahara Coleman, Recruiting Manager

Tahara noted that she is the contact for operations positions.  Her colleague, Inez Browning, the other half of the “Dream Team,” is the contact for IT positions.  Since Edward Jones was founded in 1922, to date they have never laid off a single person.  She discussed the company culture being one where everybody is in a cubicle as opposed to some people having offices.  Also it is possible to interview for as many positions as you want at Edward Jones, so there is a potential to receive multiple job offers.  She said that if a position requires licensing, typically there is a 90 day window to obtain this and there is support.

Tahara encouraged everyone to not be discouraged by rejection letters.  She gave an example of someone who received 12 rejection letters but is starting their job on Monday.

 

Resources

Canyon State Institute 

Steve Carparelli, Vice President

Steve discussed Canyon State Institute’s partnership with Career Connectors being a way to provide guidance without cost to you.  He discussed the WIOA grant, which is available throughout Arizona.  Canyon State Institute not only helps you with certification, but also provides job placement after you have completed your program.  Steve noted that other educational resources such as New Horizons and Dynamic, who were both also on-site today, are great options because one school may offer something not available at another.

 

Closing

Jessica Pierce referred everyone to both sides of their handouts for additional information.  Resources include the DISC assessment, her Thursday morning email and instructions on how to view professional portraits taken at a Career Connectors event.

Upcoming events include an event in Phoenix on Wednesday, October 5 unlike any event in the past.  This will have six different staffing agencies available to attendees, and the event will use a panel discussion format.