Written by Debbie Webber
Record breaking news! Jessica opened the meeting with the fantastic announcement that Career Connectors has officially registered a cumulative 20,000 meeting attendees on the eve of its sixth anniversary. Since its launch in July 2009, Career Connectors has organized 281 events with over 300 featured employers. Their LinkedIn Group now exceeds 4,700 members with new additions daily. What a great achievement—congratulations Jessica! You can read all the information in the news release sent this morning.
Keynote
Dave Sherman has been an advocate and supporter of Career Connectors for six years. He is a professional speaker, marketing professional, corporate photographer and small business trainer. He loves Diet Mountain Dew, red wine and cigars. However he’s currently in day 8 of a cleanse and Jessica suggested that perhaps our interaction with him could “pick him up.” That wasn’t necessary even a little bit—Dave projected his straightforward and passionate message across to all of us just fine.
Dave started at his current position at AppointmentsPlus only a few weeks ago. His tenure is short because back on April 1, 2014 he was fired. And while he pursued his speaking and photography work for the year between being fired and finding his new position, he became well acquainted with the challenges and issues we’re all going through. He hadn’t been fired since 1975 when he worked at a Red Barn fast food joint, and it hurt.
What Did Dave Learn?
-Being fired SUCKS!
-Looking for a random job online also SUCKS!
-Frustrating, depressing and UGGH!
-Very few alternatives
-Stop complaining, whining or moaning
-HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT IT?
Dave then presented five tips to help us find a great job fast, and assured us that “this stuff works.”
Tip #1
GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!
And get out every day. Get up, shower and get dressed. This maintains your working routine. It also promotes socialization—you won’t find a job by yourself in front of your computer in your pajamas. And finally, it STOPS THE VOICES that are telling you you’ll never get another job, that you’re not good enough, and all the other nasty, untrue things our minds tell us when we’re alone.
So where should you go? Anywhere with an internet connection. And then do whatever you were doing at home in front of the computer to get a job. The important thing is to get out of the house and be around people.
Tip #2
ASK FOR HELP
And ask as many people as you can. This is hard for many people—you may be embarrassed about your job search, you may be a private person—there are many reasons why you may not want to “publicize” your job search. But you need to ask yourself HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT IT?
So who do you ask? Ask your friends and family, your inner circle, school/work connections, your network, and everybody else you are connected to on Facebook and LinkedIn. Only 30% of open positions are ever posted; the other 70% are filled through networking. And make it easy for people to help you. Know what you want and the companies you want to work for and tell them so they can help you. Order yourself some business cards and keep asking everyone you meet.
Tip #3
START ATTENDING MORE NETWORKING EVENTS!
Where should you go?
-Chambers of Commerce
-Associations—the “coolest one” according to Dave. There’s an
association with local chapters for every industry or interest.
Find yours and attend.
-Business Groups
-Networking Groups
-Career transition groups (like Career Connectors)
These activities will help you hang out with employed people who can help you find a job faster when you ask them for help. Some people aren’t comfortable attending these kinds of events, and that’s okay. You just have to ask yourself HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT IT?
Tip #4
When attending events, STOP LOOKING FOR A JOB!
You won’t find one at the event. What you will find are the people and contacts that WILL connect you with your next position. So how DO you network? Dave says the key is to build up your likeability and commonality, which is the definition of schmoozing. If you are one of three equally qualified candidates for a job, who do you think is going to get it? The one who has created the greatest likability and commonality with the hiring manager. Let them see who you are.
Dave’s definition of likeability includes
-Personality
-Sense of humor
-Warmth
-Conversation style
Commonality characteristics include
-Hometown?
-Hobbies
-School?
-Family, friends, favorites
-Find a link with them!
Getting to know a person during an interview triples your chance of success. Find a way to connect! This may be difficult for some, but HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT IT?
Tip #5
FOUR MOST IMPORTANT WORDS
This is the most important thing Dave told us in his presentation.
“WHO DO YOU KNOW?”
Ask everyone, use this all the time and don’t give up.
Really. Don’t give up.
Dave had one bonus tip—LinkedIn works, so learn everything you can about this social media tool and use everything you learn. People want to help you if you are clear about what you want.
Need more help?
Dave has put together a DVD kit that expands on this info, along with a powerful e-learning program that will help you become a great networker. His email is dave@daveshermanspeaks.com. Know what you want and where you want to work and he will respond with all the help he can find for you.
And remember—HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT IT?
Hiring Companies
State Farm
DeAnne Prigmore, Recruiter
State Farm’s mission is to help people, and that includes employees as well as customers. State Farm is currently building a Phoenix hub at Marina Heights along Tempe Town Lake and is hiring hundreds of people for operations-related positions (not the insurance agents we’re familiar with). State Farm offers fantastic benefits that include a pension and 401k to both full and part time employees. Immediate openings include positons in claims, sales, banking, marketing and IT, but there’s a continual update to these openings on their website. You must apply online, but each application is reviewed by a human being (!) before being classified among the open positions. Apply here.
HotFoot Recruiters
Steven Lindsey, Marketing Specialist
HotFoot Recruiters is an employment agency with full-spectrum recruiting from entry level to senior executives. Core industries served include aerospace, manufacturing and production, construction, engineering, alternative energy, power/utilities, IT and marketing/sales/call centers. HotFoot is constantly expanding into other industries, so check their website. They work with clients (employers) to find the perfect fit and never charge the applicant any fee. Current openings include CNC mill and lathe machinist, customer service rep, project managers, electronic technician, executive admin and door fabrication. Check out the complete list of openings and apply here.
Education Management Corporation
Ryanne Dean, Talent Acquisition Manager
EDMC is composed of The Art Institute, Argosy University, Western State College of Law (as part of Argosy), Brown Mackie College and South University. Student success is the strongest value at EDMC and the culture of education and success extends to the employees as well. Open positions include Administration Reps, Academic Counselors and Admission Managers. There are also many other positions available in other locations outside of Phoenix. You may find these open positions and apply here.
Next Event
Wednesday, May 6, 2015, 9:00 am, Phoenix
Image Matters: Elevate Your Image and Expand Your Influence
Tabitha Dumas
Hiring companies: City of Phoenix, Freedom Financial Network, TEKsystems and Education Management Corporation
Registering for upcoming events is quick and easy here!