Written by Chris Layfield
Opening
Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors encouraged everyone to stay engaged with CareerConnectors:
- Join the LinkedIn Group Discussion, and check the event recap
- Consider volunteering – looking for photographers, audio/visual, and bloggers
- Take the DISC assessment online anytime, and get your business portraits at one of the events
She also announced a new sponsor for Career Connectors: Coder Camps is a 12-week coding skills program to transition people into an industry that currently has a 2% unemployment rate. 95% of incoming learners finish the program, and 75% are employed within 90 days. Coder Camps offers financing, and their “coder for life” program enables graduates to come back to take any other courses for free.
Keynote
Greg Harnyak, job search expert, author, and leader
Your Marketing Plan is the MOST important tool in implementing and conducting a successful job search. Job search is a competitive activity based on fundamental marketing/sales principles. In addition to giving you a competitive edge, a Marketing Plan brings order out of chaos, provides structure and direction, affects your attitude and feelings in a positive manner, and decreases time of search. Most of the world is not doing this, so you’ll stand out.
How do you create an effective Marketing Plan? Here are some high-level guidelines:
- Create your personal Job Search Balance Sheet
- Identify the assets you bring to the table: Use your resume, past performance reviews, and feedback from colleagues to generate a list of your skills and experience
- Make a parallel list of your liabilities: Your liabilities can include salary expectations, age, geographic area limitations, gaps in education or credentials, extended unemployment or job hopping, single company experience, and any personal traits/characteristics/attitudes that may raise concerns (e.g. low energy level, introversion, passive attitude, etc.). Once you have a complete and honest list, you can determine if you can/want to mitigate any of them.
- Develop Positioning Statements and Target Markets/Companies: Positioning Statements articulate specific job function(s) and industry(ies) you want to position yourself for. Positioning Statements are what makes sense based on your Assets and Liabilities. Clarify whether your search is national, regional, or local and limited by commuting time; your target markets and companies exist within those boundaries, and there are usually fewer than you think there are. Source specific companies from online, from the Book of Lists, the library, etc. to give you grounding and focus for networking
- Generate interviews by advertising your search: Create your 2-minute summary, develop short Situation-Action-Result statements for key points on your resume, get active in industry groups, send out letters seeking information and network!
Hiring Companies
Christine Beck standing in for Michelle Eliseo, Lead Recruitment Specialist
Abrazo Health is a network of Arizona community hospitals that are part of the national Tenet Healthcare network. Abrazo Health is defined by their values, and spends 53% of net revenue on a competitive benefits package. PTO is banked, and you can use it however you want – take a holiday off or work the holiday to take time off later. Highlighted positions include Directors of Nursing and Quality & Risk management, Nursing Managers, and Managers of Medical Staff Services and Clinical Documentation. Abrazo has every position available on its website – create a profile at Abrazohealth.com/careers.
Kathleen Klein, Corporate Recruiter
Nextiva is a leading cloud communications provider, serving over 100,000 small/medium businesses, mid-market/enterprise companies, government, and educational institutions. They are headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ. Nextiva’s motto is “Amazing Service” to anyone that interacts with the company, from customers to candidates. They are one of the Phoenix Business Journal’s best places to work. On top of a casual and upbeat place to work, the benefits package is extensive.
Check out Nextiva – they are hiring for a number of positions in Sales, Operations, and Development/Product Management.
Mary Ann Lopez, Recruiter
Revana provides outsourced sales and marketing solutions for business-to-business and business-to-consumer clients. There are over 1,500 employees in the Tempe and Phoenix locations that handle inbound and outbound solutions to increase revenue for clients. Benefits are competitive; after 6 months on the job, Revana allows employees to rotate to build exposure to different roles and business lines. Revana is looking for staff to support Facebook in the next several weeks.
You can apply at www.Revanajobs.com, or complete all steps on-site Mon-Fri between 9am and 3pm at 16404 North Black Canyon Highway, Suite 100, in Phoenix.
Curtis Crawford, Talent Attraction Specialist
Schwab serves the investment and asset management needs of individuals, advisors, and employers. Schwab has centers near the Biltmore and in Chandler. Schwab’s culture is strengths-based, meritocratic, and volunteer-oriented; Schwab encourages work/life balance and financial fitness with on-site advisors. The average tenure of Schwab associates is 8 years.
Check on-line for open client-facing and support positions. You can create a profile, upload your resume, and complete an application at tiny.cc/CareerConnectors. Hot jobs in Phoenix right now include the Broker Training Program, Relationship Specialist, and Estate Services Professionals (for processing deceased investor estates).
Resources
AZ@Work, City of Phoenix
Waleed Alani, Employment Specialist
There are over 53,000 job openings in October, up about 3000 from September. Check out the variety of Phoenix’s job search resources at www.arizonaatwork.com/phoenix.
- There are events focusing on move interview training, understanding LinkedIn, and how to create winning resumes.
- You can create a profile and post your resume on the statewide job database
- Access state-funded skills development packages, including WIOA grants for training
In addition to the DISC assessment, go to www.maricopa.kuder.com to take a kuder assessment to isolate your career interests and to build confidence in your skills
Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants
Rodger Brubacher, Director of Continuing Education
Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants is a professional certification training school in Tempe with programs that can be funded through WIOA, TAA, and GI Bill grants. Programs include:
- Project Management and Six Sigma
- Medical Administration and Coding
- Digital Marketing and Social Media
- IT/Networking/Cybersecurity
Class sizes are small (typically 6:1), 97% of students pass on the first try, and the school provides an interview coach. Look them up at www.DWWTC.com.
