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Event Recaps

9/16/20 – Resume MythBuster Panel

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Written by: Connie Huber SHRM-CP PHR

Resume Panel

We are all familiar with resumes. The goal of the resume has been to get an interview. Did you know resumes have been an employment practice for over 500 years? “While it is unclear who actually invented the resume, Leonardo Da Vinci is the first recorded person to use one. In 1482, Da Vinci wrote a letter to the Duke of Milan in an attempt to gain his patronage and support. Da Vinci’s letter listed his skills

KEYNOTE: Resume MythBuster Panel

Resume MythBuster panel had the privilege of having four of Phoenix’s finest resume experts including Brenda Cunningham (BC), Donna Tucker (DT), Martha Rockwell (MR) and Amanda Miller (AM) – all members of the Resume Writers Council of Arizona.

INTRODUCTION
QUESTION: Overview of you, your services and business. Biggest mistake you’ve seen on resume.
ANSWER:
BC: Brenda has received certifications in resume writing, coaching and established her confidence. Biggest resume error is where the resume lists everything. The document needs to be focused.
DT: Has participated by being on Board of National Resume Writers. Mistake has been where writer has written solely in paragraphs or bullets. Donna provided a comprehensive Job Search Guide here!
MR: Martha has over 20 years in sales and marketing. Martha loves what she does. Martha has come across resumes where there are job descriptions without any quantifiable results.
AM: Has been writing resumes since 1996. Her expertise is marketing, sales and project managers. Amanda describes herself as more of a generalist. A mistake she has seen is where the resume only has a name on it and missing all other relevant information,

QUESTION: Resume background and certification. What makes you an expert?
ANSWER:
BC: DT has the newest form of certification. Validation of skills by a larger community.
MR: A concern is getting and accepting the wrong information from those people who are not skilled or knowledgeable.
DT: The resume writer is going to know what words will be accepted by ATS.

MECHANICS/FORMAT
QUESTION: Most important things to have on a resume?
ANSWER:
AM: Most recruiters spend 6-10 seconds to read a resume. Be sure to include contact information, LinkedIn profile, and email address. There should be a short summary and value statement. There should also be an overview of experience. Be sure to avoid portraying
yourself as an old person. Include any degrees or certifications you have received.
MR: Job title on resume needs to be the same as the job you are applying for. A summary statement is helpful in your presentation to an employer.
DT: Give a summary or profile of what you can do. Avoid pronouns in your resume. Write in the first person. Talk about current or future job.
BC: Share the goals you have achieved in your roles. Font should be 10-12 while margins should be 1-1 ½“.

QUESTION: LENGTH OF RESUME
ANSWER:
MR: Resume should be 2 pages. If you have masters or extensive experience, the resume may go into 3 pages.

QUESTION: Number of years back should you go.
ANSWER:
BC:10-15 years
MR: Same.

CONTENT
QUESTION: Accomplishments-what they are, their importance, & how to incorporate. How someone with extensive work experience emphasizes soft skills.
ANSWER:
AM: Accomplishments are results you have achieved in performing your job. Your accomplishments should make you stand out from your peers and make you a highly desirable candidate. The resume should be sprinkled with accomplishments throughout the document. Ideally, there should be accomplishments for each role you have had and listed from the most impactful to the least.
Chronological resume is used more than a functional one. Functional should list 2-3 skills that the employer would like to see. Functional resumes are not good for Applicant Tracking Systems. In addition, functional documents do not parse information successfully.
DT: Accomplishments will demonstrate the candidate’s impact on company. Numbers give credibility to candidate. Accomplishments should be bulleted and listed in order of importance.
MR: Review job description of desired job. Tailor you resume to match the job. Your resume is your sales pitch.
DT: Can’t sell yourself for a job until you know the job description and company overview.

QUESTION: Number of resumes you need to apply for jobs.
ANSWER:
AM: Need only 1 resume with different versions. Your resume needs to be tailored to the open position.

QUESTION: How to handle employment gaps.
ANSWER:
DT: Share lack off work due to COVID. Indicate you were laid off. Add line to resume sharing what you have been doing since you have not worked. Volunteer your time and share details with hiring managers. Avoid focusing on negative. Give yourself time to breathe. Do those things you have been meaning to do.

QUESTION: Applicant tracking systems are awkward and plentiful.
ANSWER:
There are over 200 different applicant tracking systems. ATS reviews the resume for key words. DT: One of the best ways to get around ATS is to establish the desired skills for the job. Review your connections that work for the desire company. Use your connection as an entry to the company.
BC: Invest in yourself and career. Continue learning about you and your profession.

“The challenge in life, I have found, is to build a resume that doesn’t simply tell a story about what you want to be, but it’s a story about who you want to be.”-Oprah Winfrey

HIRING COMPANIES

MCKESSON
MARY MENARD, Human Resources Business Partner

Currently, McKesson is ranked 7th on the FORTUNE 500. McKesson is a global healthcare services and medical supply company dedicated to delivering better care. They support the entire healthcare system, including pharmacies, hospitals, health systems, biotech and life sciences companies, specialty care and oncology practices, physician offices, surgery centers, and long-term care and home health facilities. McKesson delivers pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and business services to each of these groups to create a world of better health. To learn more about the latest trends in healthcare, visit McKesson’s weekly blog, The Vitals: https://www.mckesson.com/blog.
During COVID employees are working from home. McKesson is one of Fortune’s most admired company and culture. Currently, there are several customer service positions available. Employees will find advancement and growth opportunities at McKesson. Please refer to McKesson’s career page for a listing of current openings.

UHAUL
NIJA PARKER, Corporate Partner

U-Haul was founded in 1945. U-Haul trucks and trailers can be rented anywhere in the US and Canada. 32,000 employees are nationwide. The company has the largest truck fleet in the world; 20,000 independent dealers and over 1,900 company-owned centers.
Benefits include medical, dental, vision and prescription. The company also emphasizes the health of its employees with its Healthier U program.
Current openings include positions in every field; contact center, customer service and sales; corporate, accounting and project planners; field, retail sales and customer service agents; and IT, software infrastructure software engineer. For additional details visit U-Haul.


WEALTH WAVE
JASON WISEMAN, Senior Marketing Manager

Wealth Wave presents alternatives for those who are not sure if they wish to return to a corporate employee role with a steady paycheck. Wealth Wave gives you an opportunity to exploit your own business or side gig. At the same time if you are hesitant about going all in towards being an entrepreneur, this organization is flexible enough so they can help you transition into something part time. Wealth Wave’s mission is to eliminate financial illiteracy to keep people from making easily avoidable financial mistakes.
And speaking of confidence, Wealth Wave is a big believer of building your self-development, so you’ll learn much about yourself along the way, including examining what you really want out of life. Sounds like a confidence booster that’s hard to beat – being able to build a business plan around what you really want.
Wealth Wave serves all families. As many of the top firms steer their associates away from serving low- and middle-income families to focus on helping the rich get richer, Wealth Wave sees vast opportunity. Wealth Wave has built their entire company around the chance to provide to every family the same type of financial education, tools, services, and personal care available to the rich. They serve young families, old families, average families, all families. That’s who they are.
More information here.

CLOSING

Jessica Pierce, Founder & CEO, Career Connectors, closed the meeting by thanking the day’s speakers & the volunteers. The next Career Connectors meeting will be a virtual event on
October 7, 2020 ; “Kickstart Your Job Search” presented by Kevin Dumcum. For additional information on this event & future events, please visit the Event Schedule.

9/2/2020 – DISC: Understanding You and the Value You Bring

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Written by: Beth Redfield

DISC

Keynote

Marlene Lundy, Senior Partner, Magna Leadership Solutions

What is DISC?
Four Styles within Everyone
D: Dominance = How you handle Problems/Challenge
I: Influence = How you handle People/Contacts
S: Steadiness = How you handle Pace/Consistency
C: Compliance = How you handle Procedures/Constraints

Taking the DISC Assessment is complimentary through Career Connectors: CareerConnectors.org/disc/: Dedicate uninterrupted 15 minutes to complete and get report immediately.
Understanding Your Report to Enhance Your Cover Letters & Resume
DISC is “How” we Behave (Descriptive/Observable)
NOT “Why” we Behave (Analytical/Non-Observable)
General Characteristics:

  • General statements to provide a broad understanding of work style
  • Statements are separated into three paragraphs:
    • Major Talents
    • Deals with Problems/Challenges
    • Communication Style

Value to the Organization

  • Identifies the specific talents and behaviors brought to the job
  • One can identify their role in the organization
  • These statements can be included in resumes

Ideal Environment

  • Identifies the ideal work environment for respondent’s primary behavior style.
  • People with limited flexibility will find themselves uncomfortable working in any job not described
  • Identify specific duties and responsibilities that are enjoyed and also those that create frustration

Keys to Motivating – Driving Engagement

  • People are motivated by the things they “want”
  • Once the “want” is satisfied, it’s no longer a motivator
  • Ways to be motivated to perform at an optimum level

Keys to Managing – Driving Productivity

  • “Needs” which must be met in order to perform at an optimum level
    • Can be met by one’s self, while management must provide for others
    • Difficult for a person to be motivated when their basic management needs are not met
  • Use this as a tool in creating development plans

Areas for Improvement

  • Possible limitations without regard to a specific job
  • Elements that are hindering performance
  • Develop an action plan to eliminate or reduce this hindrance

Understanding Other Profiles to Prepare for Interviews

Compliance: Detail Oriented, Conventional, Exacting
Dominance: Driven, Ambitious, Strong-Willed
Steadiness: Loyal, Relaxed, Patient
Influence: Enthusiastic, Warm, Persuasive

Communication Tips

  • Brief description of typical people
  • Suggestions to improve communications
  • Adapting to the communication style desired by other people to become
  • more effective
  • Use as a “Cheat Sheet”

Identifying Profile Types – Body Language

C:

  • Voice: Monotone, precise, deliberate
  • Volume: Quiet volume
  • Body Language: Very few hand gestures, direct eye contact, controlled and composed

D:

  • Voice: Strong, clear, confident, fast-paced, forceful
  • Volume: Very Loud
  • Body Language: Uses direct eye contact, Points finger, leans toward you

S:

  • Voice: Low voice tone, warm detail-oriented methodical
  • Volume: Soft volume
  • Body Language: Small hand gestures, relaxed, non-emotional

I:

  • Voice: Animated, friendly, rambles
  • Explains, casual
  • Volume: Fairly loud
  • Body Language: Smiles a lot, uses expressive gestures

How to Determine Other People’s Profile, Especially in a Virtual World

Identify their most visible style by choosing the correct focus or pace:
Focus = Task or People
Pace = Faster or Slower

HIRING COMPANIES

Equality Health, Marci Rollo and Aimee Bennett
Vision: A world where everyone has equal access to quality health care and achieves optimum health
Mission: To ensure all people receive quality health care that improves and enriches their lives.
Holistic Approach: A technology-enabled, whole-health delivery model designed to consistently drive quality, efficiency and member satisfaction.
Job Opportunities:

  • Behavioral Health Therapist, LCSW
  • Care Management RN
  • Medical Director, Q Point
  • Provider Network Development Manager (Tucson)
  • Practice Performance Manager (Houston)
  • Quality (HEDIS) Improvement Specialist
  • Senior Accounting Analyst
  • Vice President, Platform as a Service

Visit their website to apply.

Early Warning, Cyndi Peterson Hash

  • FinTech owned by seven of the country’s largest banks
  • Almost 30 years old – Headquartered in Scottsdale with about 1,000 employees in the US
  • Our identity, authentication and payment solutions empower financial institutions to make confident decisions, enable digital payments and mitigate fraud.
  • Best known for the Zelle Network, a financial services network focused on transforming payment experiences.

Job Opportunities:

  • Systems Engineer
  • Risk Management Manager
  • DevOps Engineer
  • Application Security Architect
  • Director, Finance
  • Sr. Financial Analyst (IT)
  • Customer Success Analyst
  • Business Process Optimization Engineer
  • Cyberthreat Intelligence Analyst
  • Director, ePMO

Visit here to learn more and apply.

RESOURCES

BestCompaniesAZ: Altogether in one place you can find VERIFIED, trusted companies who have thousands of jobs (120,000 at last count!) open now. Check them out here if any listed hiring companies match your values. For employees who are going through difficult situations, this is a great resource.
Free DISC Assessment: We all like free, so at no cost to you find your behavior traits (which may help point to your values) and what kind of job will likely fit you through our online DISC assessment here.
For details about upcoming Career Connectors events, click here to visit the events page on the website for details about hiring companies and keynote topics!

8/26/20 – Panels: Insurance and Financial Services

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Written by Susan Lamphiear

Experts. Who among us hasn’t heard a discussion or two lately about experts? Should we take advice about the Pandemic from anonymous or questionable Facebook comments or seek out and listen to reputable scientists and medical professionals?

If you’re in job transition, Career Connectors has a reputation for providing professional and timely advice to individuals during challenging times of career change. Experts help guide you through not only the job search, but job search during Covid-19 and all the extra changes and challenges that have resulted. You have free access to professionals in a number of industries to help guide the way.

In typical fashion, Career Connectors pulled together professionals from the Insurance and Finance Industries to present pertinent, timely panel discussions about the job search, along with information about their companies and how they’re adapting during the Pandemic.

Keynote Panels

Hosted by Jessica Pierce, CEO/Founder of Career Connectors.

Insurance Panel

Q1 Please give us a brief overview of your company and your role.

  • Sandy: State Farm Insurance helps customers protect the things that matter the most, including cars and homes. With 58,000 employees, State Farm ranks 36 on the Fortune 500 list. In April, 2022, State Farm will celebrate their 100th Year anniversary. The company is literally a family company, often with several members of the same family working for State Farm. The company believes in philanthropy and offers each employee one day a year to volunteer, with the option of earning a second volunteer day. The company offers lots of career development opportunities.
  • Ryan: RLI Insurance, a public company on the New York Stock Exchange, was founded 50 years ago. The company offers products to underserved specialty industries. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, they employ 900 workers in 50 states, including Arizona.
  • John: Liberty Mutual, always evolving, can be described as a tech company who happens to do insurance. On the leading edge of the industry, Liberty uses drones along with other cutting edge technology. My role is retail brokerage in Phoenix and Tucson. Liberty operates throughout the United States and worldwide.

Q2 What’s your advice to prospective employees? What is your company looking for?

  • Sandy: A lot of people come in without knowing about the company. Networking is so important so make use of resources like Career Connectors or LinkedIn. No time to be humble–put key words in your resume.
  • Ryan: Research and know the company you’re communicating with. This goes a long way.
  • John: Show me who are. Let me see who you are in the interview.

Q3 What are myths and assumptions about the industry that changed when you started working at your company?

  • Sandy: State Farm offers lots of opportunities in a variety of areas.
  • Ryan: I’ve become aware of all the good the insurance industry does in a community. In the recent Hurricane Laura, for example, people don’t always realize what happens right after a catastrophe like that–the insurance companies are there right away to help.
  • John: People often think insurance is 80-90% sales. It’s more like 10% sales. All job families are available unlike other industries–and the industry is constantly growing.

Q4 Could you explain how potential employees get their foot in the door and what career paths are available?

  • Sandy: Customer service and claims jobs are entry level and offer a foot in the door. You learn a lot about the company by working in these areas. Getting a mentor helps in your career path, too. You don’t need an insurance degree but education and growth and development are available once you start work at State Farm. I changed careers within the company.
  • Ryan: Most job families are available including Software Developer. Employees are always learning. You can stay within one division towards career growth or move into a different division. Networking is important within the company. I’ve been in five different divisions in my career. Building relationships is very important.
  • John: Communicate with your boss. Often the company will pay for a degree or for advanced learning to help an employee grow. Let the company know where you want to go in your career and they’ll guide you.

Q5 How has the Covid-19, the Pandemic, changed things?

  • Sandy: Moving the company and technology to 7600 homes has been the biggest pivot or challenge. We used technology to do things we didn’t know we could do. We customized to help customers. And we’ve also passed savings on to customers–since there’s less driving there are fewer accidents.
  • Ryan: I agree with everything Sandy said. Also, interviews are unique. We were and still are still hiring. One challenge is convincing hiring managers to hire a new employee without ever meeting them in person. Onboarding becomes a second challenge; we must be very intentional–for example, who is part of the onboarding and who is the buddy whose task becomes helping the new employee?
  • John: Liberty focuses on the employee including enhanced compensation. Recently 95-98% of employees approved of the way the company has handled the transition during Covid-19. Product innovation has stepped up since people aren’t driving as much. Liberty is giving back premiums. Expense management becomes important as people go back out. We’re starting to see the “boomerang” employee–referring to people who left and are coming back–which is awesome for the insurance industry.

Q6 What do you think is the future of the insurance industry?

  • Sandy: There’s an even bigger need for technology. Technology sells insurance. I’ve seen talk lately of flying vehicles! Cyber threats and data risk and AI Artificial Intelligence are hot. The industry will help customers navigate the technology.
  • Ryan: Success will look different in the next 50 years. We can’t count on what got us here the past 50 years. Product innovation will be necessary–for example, pay by mile, as people reduce their driving. Right now we have more data than we know what to do with. It’s important to know how to utilize all this data. Lots of exciting quick-paced change despite all the negativity that goes with the Pandemic.
  • John: Our top four goals are global including de-escalation which will be moving out of the Pandemic and into the new normal and its best practices. The company is realizing more positives about expanding remote work, for example. It allows for more growth and opportunity.

Q7 How is the world of work changing? What’s your position on hiring seasoned employees over 50? What if these individuals want an entry level job–is that an acceptable culture?

  • Sandy: Yes! We want your experience as long as you move into a suitable role. Bring your experience. If you’re willing to start at entry level and find a fit, that’s great. We love experienced people. You already know how to be a professional.
  • Ryan: Yes to experience. We don’t know what we do not know. What are other companies and industries doing? We can learn from your experience.
  • John: Yes we like experience. Who are you today? Are you coachable? Do you have a vision of where you’d like to go?

Q8 What are the hot jobs in your company?

  • Sandy: We have openings for lots of tech reps–software developers like JAVA and more. Go to the website for a complete list. Bilingual Spanish is a big need currently. You must pass a difficult test in speaking, writing, and reading. We also need entry level claims and customer service.
  • Ryan: IT–I support this area in Illinois. We landed in Phoenix where we have access to more candidates with different experiences and higher quality. In Tempe we have a need for both short and long term positions.
  • John: We’re always looking for rock stars at math and also actuarial and spreadsheets strengths. These skills remain in high demand.

Financial Panel

Q1 Please tell us about your company, your role, and what you like best.

  • Jerrelle: Silicon Valley Bank is the number one leader in technology banking. LinkedIn is one of their first clients. I love the culture, cliche though it sounds; it’s like family. Clients include healthcare and premium wine. Lots of opportunity. We’re an especially awesome company if you have a passion for technology. The company is worldwide and innovative.
  • Erin: We’re a family of a few companies. Freedom Financial Network was founded in 2002 by two students who were friends. The company values balance of the heart and dollar. Including Phoenix and San Mateo, California, we have 2200 employees. We do personal loans and consolidation and are dipping our toes in the mortgage area. The best part to me is helping customers. The company offers paid time off to volunteer. The company lives and breathes our core values–they’re not just on a coffee cup.
  • Olivia: One of the world’s largest investment management companies, but Vanguard has a family feel. Client owned, the company has great opportunities including IT or tech or analytics. Service oriented, the three pillars are client, crew, and community. Our generous benefits are listed on the website.

Q2 What skills are you looking for?

  • Jerrelle: We’re looking for expertise in IT or client facing or analyst. One of the main things we’re looking for is innovation. Also, the entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for technology, science or math. A passion for numbers, a passion to learn. Technology skills are in high demand. The company will teach you the finance part.
  • Erin: I echo what Jerrelle said. We’re a smaller company but have lots of roles. Entry level, right out of school or no degree and the company will train you. We’re looking for true leaders who put in a little extra something. People who are critical thinkers who think outside the box and love helping people.
  • Olivia: We’re looking for individuals with a teamwork mindset who are interested in learning and have a desire to be the point person to help others. Many career development opportunities are available. We look for employees who will be proactive to find out what avenues interest you towards your career path. I had a background in nonprofit but started out entry level in client relationships and progressed from there.

Q3 What do you like and why do you stay?

  • Jerrelle: I love a challenge and the focus on diversity–many populations in this field are underrepresented. There’s an opportunity to build relationships. I consider myself a professional friend maker. As a recruiter, I look for someone whose interest can be channeled into one of our divisions. An example might be someone who majored in biology. We have a life sciences group. A client might be interested in working or talking with someone with a similar interest in science. With technology, you can bring your expertise. This industry is not just about numbers but about building relationships.
  • Erin: One thing is constant–CHANGE. I personally love change. That came in handy because with Covid-19 created the need to go with the flow and be flexible as things change. Most roles require this flexibility. My story began as a supervisor but I helped build QA and I moved into a different area of the business. A BA in psychology, once I tried HR management I found my passion. The company provides lots of support from their leaders. The company has passion for career development. No experience in finance is needed.
  • Olivia: Often call centers get a bad rap–but I’m steering people away from that mindset. I enjoy client facing and enjoy feeling the impact the job has on clients. I also love the opportunity to pursue and learn in different areas. Relationship is a big part of the industry and something I really didn’t know before I joined.

Q4 How do potential employees get their foot in the door and do you have a career path for them?

  • Jerrelle: Ways to get a foot in the door include client services and operations and relationship management. Find someone from the company because they love to talk. Let them know you’re interested. Recent grads have access to the associate development program.
  • Erin: Customer service is a good way to get a foot in the door. Also, don’t forget about networking and LinkedIn. I started as a supervisor helping build QA and moved into a different area of the business.
  • Olivia: Networking is huge. The client relations associate is a good starting place. The company also hires insurance sales. Customer service is another area to start. A license is not required but once with the company you can expand your horizons.

Q5 What are some of the hot jobs in your company?

  • Jerrelle: We need a Senior Cloud Security Engineer in Tempe. Also Vice President to support our credit card team, Senior Manager of Operations, and People Management. And please check out our website.
  • Erin: Freedom has need for inside sales, debt relief, lending, and customer service, especially bilingual. Also the areas of operation risk, auditor and customer service in lending and loan services. For more hot jobs visit our website.
  • Olivia: Customer service to high level clients and client relationship associates are good entry level jobs. Also check out our website for other opportunities.

Resources

US Health Advisors

Joe Bourcier, Joe the Health Insurance Pro

US Health Advisors partners with Career Connectors.

US Health Advisors offers flexible health insurance coverage for individuals including Medicare supplements and can be competitive for anyone on COBRA insurance. For small businesses under two people, our company is often able to offer better coverage including creative ways to customize coverage for individual employees instead of one blanket policy.

By the time Joe meets with clients, he has done research first, which allows them to offer from one to three top plans that might work best for the customer. Many businesses need coverage and he’s able to cover 30 states in the US. The company works with several professional businesses including realtors, plumbers, doctors, dentists, and lawyers as well as individuals.

US Health Advisors works with America’s self-employed, small business owners, or individuals to help them access affordable benefits and services.

Joe can be reached via Facebook or LinkedIn so feel free to reach out to him with questions. He’s a free resource to all attendees or anyone who needs information.

Closing

CEO/Founder of Career Connectors Jessica Pierce thanked the volunteers and hiring companies, invited attendees to sign up for regular notifications, to take the DISC assessment free, and to use the resources outlined on the website.

Career Connectors, now being offered online, means they can serve even more people, so Jessica urges attendees to share this information with other people who may benefit from the free events and resources. The schedule may change later in September but for now visit the website for days and times for the online events.

DID YOU KNOW?
So far this year, Career Connectors has served more than 3,000 people in career transition. We are passionate about helping more, and need your help.

  • Can you spare just $5? How about $42? $42 is what it costs to help one person per month (90% of your donations go directly to serving people needing a new position- and is tax-deductable) Visit this page to make a donation!
  • Do you know someone who’s landed a new job after participating in our programs? We’d love to talk to them! Please email us at contact@careerconnectors.org or go send them to this page to tell us their story!

8/19/20 – Interviewing with Confidence

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Written by Gary Matsuda

Interviewing With Confidence Carmen Payne

You’re hoping for a career change, but the world’s wheels keep falling off during a worldwide pandemic and recession. To help get you back in the driver’s seat (with the wheels) is Carmen Payne,
an Executive, Personal and Professional Development Coach.
Now you got an interview scheduled, congrats! You should have enough time to prepare everything from the technology set up, your introduction and possible answers to common interview questions, so don’t wing it! Carmen breaks down some of the major factors to make sure that you nail the interview.

KEYNOTE

Relax, the interviewer is not likely trying to trip you up. They generally want you to succeed and demonstrate your best, authentic self (If they are relying on trick questions to screen candidates, you might not want to work there anyway). However, if you are not going into the meeting prepared, well that’s you doing it to yourself! But Carmen’s interview prep techniques can take the pain out of preparation and help improve your confidence and credibility.

A few of the most dreaded interview questions that seem to stress us out to no end are:

  • What is your greatest weakness or greatest strength?
  • Describe a time when…
  • Give or share an example of/when…
  • How did you handle _ situation?
  • Tell me about your last /current job or _ employer.

Your responses to these challenging questions should exude confidence right from the start. Come across with a well-rehearsed short story and you’ll make it easy for you tell and for the interviewer to remember your answer. No one sentence answers allowed. Elaborate. Show them you know your experience and abilities will apply to the job. To help you do this, Carmen has her clients use the commonly used, easy-to-follow ‘STAR’ technique.

Tell Your Story as a ‘STAR’

S – Situation, background. This is the environment, location, time that sets up the context for your answer. Don’t dwell too much here, spend just enough time to set up the scene for the interviewer. You’ll want to lead them to the next step on your involvement in the problem.

T – Task or Target, specifics of what’s required, when, where, and what you were responsible for.

A – Action, what you did, skills used, behaviors, characteristics. Don’t draw attention away from you by mentioning what the team, boss or coworker did. The focus is on you.

R – Result, outcome, what happened. End your example on the positive including achievements, lessons learned, goals, milestones met or relationships created or saved (Ta da! Nailed it!).

Don’t worry, there could be overlap in each of these categories and parts of your answer might not fit exactly in this specific order. Just use this as a template and adapt to your unique story. The goal is to engage the listener and make your accomplishments clear and easy to remember.

This STAR technique is flexible enough to help you answer almost all behavioral questions, like this:

“Describe a time when you had to work with a tough customer and what was the result?”

Example answer:

“I understand the customer has their own goals to meet, their own job to do. Last year when I was leading a project our clients requested new requirements and our team was caught by surprise. It was very frustrating to work hard only to have much of it tossed aside by new requirements. I contacted the customer to find out more and discovered the changes resulted from factors beyond anyone’s control. After explaining the reasons to the team, they became more accommodating and empathetic to the customer and were able to deliver something that was still useful to the customer. The client was appreciative for our flexibility in getting something delivered on time and saving part of their business.”

Always practice before hand and refine your story to provide clarity. Also, during the meeting, the interviewer can always ask if something needs clarification. Tell a story in this format and you may get the listener to think, “I like what I’m hearing, tell me more!”.

You can’t hide behind the screen

Just because you’re on a video call and your image is smaller than life, don’t think your flaws might be hidden behind the computer screen. Since the interviewer doesn’t have a three dimensional in-person perspective, they’ll be even more focused on what’s happening on their 8” x 5” flat image of you. Although they’ll listen to every word you say, most communication is non-verbal and your body language can be 55% of communication. Any non-verbal clues as to who you are, what you’re thinking and feeling might be picked up so you still have the ability to communicate a story that either sounds energetic or appears apathetic or passive. So, look alive!

Carmen says it takes just the first few seconds of your first impression to weigh on the final judgement of you and that will happen long before you get to talk about your experience. Sooo…

Prepare Your Introduction:

  1. Breath, relax your shoulders and if possible warm up your vocal cords by speaking a few test phrases out loud before the meeting.
  2. Greeting e.g. “Good morning, (repeat their name correctly)”
  3. My name is _, very nice to meet you.
  4. When things are back to normal and it’s in-person meeting, shake their hand.
    Other non-verbal tips for video
    Don’t be a talking head! Set yourself far enough away from the camera so that your upper body and posture is visible. This also allows use of your hands to convey non-verbal communication. It’s been proven that when your hands are visible, trust is much more likely to be communicated.
    This can be a hard habit to break but the eyes have it. Imagine talking with someone who is constantly looking at their feet. That’s the possible impression your giving if during a video conference you constantly look at your computer screen. Look at the camera. Although it may take practice since it will feel unnatural to you, you’ll appear more natural to the interviewer when you do this.

Before the interview be sure to check your connectivity and login details, that your camera works, mute notifications and close all unnecessary apps to free up memory.

Video interviewing has been here for a long time and will be around as an option for the foreseeable future so putting effort into this will not only serve you well for job interviews but on the job as well when you are making an impact with clients!

HIRING COMPANIES

WealthWave
Jason Wiseman, Sr. Marketing Director
If you aren’t sure about returning as a corporate employee with a steady paycheck, here’s an opportunity to exploit your strengths through your own business or side gig. At the same time if you are hesitant about going all in towards being an entrepreneur, this organization is flexible enough so they can help you transition into something part time. Their mission is to eliminate financial illiteracy to keep people from making easily avoidable financial mistakes.

And speaking of confidence, Wealthwave is a big believer of building your self-development so you’ll learn much about yourself along the way, including examining what you really want out of life. Sounds like a confidence booster that’s hard to beat – being able to build a business plan around what you really want.

More information here and here.

U-HAUL
Jaime Zell-Behymer, Senior Recruiter
U-Haul has also been known as a ‘Do it yourself’ business: moving it yourself, that is. Although with these career opportunities, you’re not doing it alone. Across the country or across town, work with a supportive team to help those who are getting their moving done, college students moving into dorms, moving into a new home, or relocating for a new job.

There are plenty of career opportunities with 7 different companies in one, in every field, full and part time, WFH and in office. Work with a supportive team with a full range of benefits and offerings for your health and safety. Open positions include Customer Service Reps, Sales Reps, General Manager, U-Box Drivers, Senior System Administrators, Quality Assurance Agent, and Software Developer. For more information and to apply, visit UHAULJOBS.com.

RESOURCES

BestCompaniesAZ
Altogether in one place you can find VERIFIED, trusted companies who have thousands of jobs (120,000 at last count!) open now. Check them out here if any listed hiring companies match your values. For employees who are going through difficult situations, this is a great resource:
https://bestcompaniesaz.com/covid-19-resources/

Free DISC Assessment
We all like free, so at no cost to you find your behavior traits (which may help point to your values) and what kind of job will likely fit you through our online DISC assessment at:
https://careerconnectors.org/DISC/

For details about upcoming Career Connectors events, click here to visit the events section on the website for details about hiring companies and keynote topics!

08/12/20 – Beyond the Elevator Speech

by

Written By Susan Lamphiear

Boyond The Elevator Pitch

Introduction

You’ve likely heard comedians and other commentators trying to make sense of the current Pandemic, along with other pressing societal issues that cannot wait for the medical crisis to end. Comedians have wondered, “Has God given us all a timeout to go to our rooms and think about it?”

Regardless of how you view the cause or timing of these current crises, many experts, including psychologists, urge all of us to make the best of this time to think and prepare.

The rug pulled out from under us, we’re all being urged to take stock of our lives. And to consider doing things that will help us individually emerge from this unusual time as better citizens of the world, better friends, better children, better spouses, better parents, better neighbors, better siblings, better employers and better employees.

Even without a Pandemic, the notion of personal transformation rings particularly relevant for those in job transition. How can everyone come out of this captivity stronger and surer of what they have to offer the world, including the work place? How can anyone in a job search better prepare for the job transition?

Keynote

Having faced his own challenges, keynote speaker Gregory Gaines, former corporate executive, has transitioned into business and leadership coaching. Gregory runs GKG Marketing Services. A SCORE mentor, Gregory volunteers with Career Connectors and brings passion to his work with individuals who strive to improve their job search by focusing on personal branding.

What changes will you make?

Gregory reminds job seekers this historic Pandemic season offers an opportunity for anyone in career transition to reassess what they really want from a career. Many people he meets, Gregory explains, don’t really like the term “branding” and feel uncomfortable talking about themselves. This is why Gregory reminds attendees to look at “branding” as a way we communicate our value to other people.

Whether staying in the same field, changing industries or changing job function, anyone in transition needs to be able to communicate transitional skills, experience, accomplishments and gather information (find a person who’s hiring).

Ask yourself: “What VALUE do I bring to the new career field, career function or new industry?“

Gregory explains he didn’t do everything right in 2007-2008 as he transitioned into his role of consultant and business and leadership coach. He once met with a CEO about consulting who caught him off guard when he asked Gregory, “Tell me about your own super power.” Gregory hadn’t really thought about it and was unprepared in the moment.

Be prepared to articulate your Accomplishments.

  • Describe your past successes (an indicator of future performance).
  • Articulate Achievements versus Responsibilities.
  • Describe your benefits or business impact.
  • Define your added value to an employer.

Format your accomplishments as action verbs.

  • What was the Problem?
  • What Action did you take?
  • What were the Results?

Be prepared to discuss your accomplishments in context of your impact on people, processes and products. List your accomplishments in order of business importance.

Prepare your own Power Stories to engage your listener or audience emotionally. Always remember, when you’re networking, your goal is to generate the response, “Tell me more.”

Validate your value with people who know you before you go out into the world to market yourself. Ask friends or former co-workers or bosses who worked with you a series of questions.

  1. What adjectives would you use to describe me?
  2. What’s the feeling you get when you work with me?
  3. What do you consider to be my greatest strengths?
  4. What’s the one word or phrase that describes my contributions and/or what you’ve come to expect from me?

When Gregory decided to conduct this survey with his friends and coworkers, he was rather stunned at the feedback. He’d expected to confirm what he knew were his strengths of revenue generating and innovation. Instead, he received the following feedback which was hard to hear.

  • You’re too serious.
  • You don’t say hello and often don’t even look up when we pass in the hallway.
  • You’re not very social.
  • You don’t smile very often.
  • You never smile.

Gregory urged the attendees to learn from his mistake. He realized he needed to reassess the qualities that would make him a good fit and what people might be looking for in the marketplace.

Messaging Summary

  • Develop your value proposition.
  • Understand your skills.
  • Know your accomplishments.
  • Prepare your power stories.
  • Create a strong brand message.

Search Tools

  • Resume & Cover Letters
  • Marketing Bio (with target companies)
  • Email Address/networking
  • LinkedIn profile, social media presence (relevant to your target market)
  • Video Bio

Elevator Pitch Do’s and Don’ts

DO

  • Be Relaxed, Natural, Conversational.
  • Maintain eye contact.
  • Summarize who you are and what you do.
  • Keep it simple.
  • Create a call to action (ASK).

DON’T

  • Speak fast or rushed.
  • Ramble.
  • Use jargon.
  • Be unprepared.

Additional Elevator Speech Tips from Gregory

  • Every word counts. An elevator speech is generally 30-45 seconds. So Gregory suggests not leading with your name, though it might be good to end with your name. Instead, he prefers to hear about achievements and be handed a business card.
  • When someone approaches him, at his worst, he’s apt to remember one thing. At best, three things.
  • Do not waste words talking about years of experience unless you’re just starting out. He’d rather be told your achievements–how you’ve already shown your value.
  • Briefly tell the person you’re speaking with what you’ve done. The person is more apt to be receptive if you then follow up with, “If you’d like to discuss this further, could we set up a brief meeting?”
  • Remember when you speak to someone in networking, the response you hope to generate is, “Tell me more.” The elevator speech should generate questions and interest, not bore the person.
  • As an “ASK,” instead of leaving everything up to the other other person, consider saying, “How about if I call you to continue the discussion?”
  • As inadequate listeners we often wait for a pause so we can start talking, and we do this at the expense of listening well. Practice really listening.
  • Ask for coaching and advice, not help.

In Networking, be positive and confident, focus on relationship building, remember to ask how you can help, and schedule a follow-up when possible.

TIPS to keep in mind

  • Use social media for targets.
  • Pick relevant “Key words.”
  • Express genuine interest.
  • Ask for “Coaching and Advice.”
  • Start an accountability group.
  • Remember Content is King.
  • Be Visible, Be Heard.
  • Who knows you?

Final Thoughts

Remember Crisis & Refreshed Branding = Opportunity.

Are you prepared?

Hiring Companies

CarMax

Richard Buscher, Regional VP & General Manager

CarMax, the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, operates 210 stores in 41 states, and appears on the 2020 Fortune 500 List. With 25,000 associates nationwide, Fortune 100 lists them as one of the Best Companies to Work for 16 years in a row.

Values the company holds dear include Do the Right Thing, Put People First, Win Together, and Go For Greatness. Founded in 1993, 95% of their purchasers say they’d recommend CarMax to family and friends.

CarMax has received 48 AWARDS for Business Excellence in just seven years ranging from 2012 through 2019.

The company is community driven and is particularly proud of being military friendly. They’re also proud of the Kaboom volunteer program where they either build safe playgrounds for children or rebuild unsafe ones. So far they’ve worked on 60 playgrounds.

In Tempe, AZ, their Customer Experience Center opened in December, 2019, with the Grand Opening celebrated in January 2020. At that time the company was looking to hire over 170 new associates within the first few months.

Current openings include Customer Experience Consultants and Customer Experience Assistants. No sales or automotive experience is necessary, just a desire to deliver exemplary customer service.

To obtain more details about the company, to browse their benefits, and to apply, visit their website.

US Health Advisors

Joe Bourcier, Joe the Health Insurance Pro

US Health Group which includes US Health Advisors has been honored with Gold Stevie Company of the Year Award, 2020 American Business Awards, sponsored by the Stevie Awards. US Health Advisors was recently purchased in October, 2019, by United Healthcare.

US Health Advisors partners with Career Connectors.

US Health Advisors offers flexible health insurance coverage for individuals including Medicare supplements and can be competitive for anyone on COBRA insurance. For small businesses under 20 people, they’re often able to offer better coverage including creative ways to customize coverage for individual employees instead of one blanket policy.

By the time Joe meets with clients, he and/or the company has done research first, which allows them to offer from one to three top plans that might work best for the customer. Many businesses need coverage and he’s able to cover 30 states in the US. The company works with realtors, plumbers, doctors, dentists, and lawyers, to name a few.

A career with US Health Advisors means interacting directly with America’s self-employed workers, small business owners, or individuals to help them access affordable benefits and services.

Joe can be reached via Facebook or LinkedIn so feel free to reach out to him with questions. He’s a free resource to all attendees or anyone who needs information. Or visit the company website for more information on careers with US Health Advisors.

Resources and Closing

CEO/Founder of Career Connectors Jessica Pierce thanked the volunteers and hiring companies, invited attendees to sign up for regular notifications, to take the DISC assessment free, and to use the resources outlined on the website.

Career Connectors, now being offered online, means they can now serve even more people, so Jessica urges attendees to share this information with other people who may benefit from the free events and resources. For the remainder of August, the meetings will continue being held weekly on Wednesdays. The schedule may change in September. See the website for details.

Remember, the August 26 event will include a panel of eight hiring companies. Also, the September 2 event features a discussion of the DISC assessment. If you haven’t taken the DISC assessment yet, you may want to take it free online on the Career Connectors website before September 2 to get maximum benefit from the presentation.

Go ahead. It’s OK to smile or grin even during the Pandemic. You Tube: The Elevator Speech