
Written by Jim McBride
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Career Organizer Toolkit
Dr. Carl Forkner – Research Psychologist, Community Advocate
Where do I start? It can be a daunting question when entering into career transition in pursuit of your next big career adventure. Getting organized, setting schedules and defining your goals are just some of the tips provided by keynote speaker Dr. Carl Forkner.
Dr. Forkner, a research psychologist and champion for numerous local non-profits including East Valley Disabled Veterans, reached into his Career Organizer Toolkit and shared tips for planning and successfully executing your transition.
Tip #1 – Before the Beginning
As rudimentary as it sounds, a good supply of paper, pencils, pens, notebooks, folders and highlighters will help with the organization of your search activity. Pursuing your next job is now your current full-time job so create a comfortable space in your home which will be dedicated to your search efforts.
Solid, actionable to-do lists will help track your tasks. Be clear and concise with your specific action steps by logging the start dates and completed-by deadlines. List who can help you achieve each action item, such as a specific network contact or a career transition resource. Just ask and you’ll find lots of people willing to help.
Preparing for and conducting a career search takes lots time and includes many activities. Use a planner to help visualize how these activities will fit into your week. Prioritize your action items and create a weekly schedule. Leave at least one full day for yourself and consider volunteering, which is an excellent way to network and get noticed by employers.
Tip #2 – Refining your Preparation
When identifying your best career options, Dr. Forkner suggests keeping an open mind. Sometimes the best opportunities are unexpected. List your personal characteristics and match them with jobs that share those personality traits. Take a deep dive into the jobs that catch your interest the most and thoroughly investigate those companies. Identify and prioritize your skills. You may not realize that your skills are likely transferable to other industries.
Use LinkedIn to conduct the research. Connect with current and former employees at those companies. Have conversations with your connections. You’ll gain valuable insights.
Utilize the internet to learn industry and occupational information. Get acquainted with industries that are gaining momentum in the market as well those in decline. Salary information is available on Salary.com and Glass Door.
Tip #3 – After You’ve Prepared
Now that you’re organized and prepared, you’re ready for an active career search. Explore employment leads, target 3 – 5 companies of interest, submit and track submitted resumes, manage and track your references.
Although job fairs tend to be geared toward entry level positions, they can be excellent networking events. Learn which companies will be attending and search their higher-level job postings before the event. Initiate conversations with the job fair recruiters and share your interest in learning more about their organization.
Get organized. Get started. Get hired!
RESOURCES
LPL Financial
Jian Boldi – Financial Tips for Career Transition
Nobody wants to worry about financial well-being while immersed in a career transition. But knowing your options and keeping an eye on household expenses is top of mind for most people when in between jobs. Jian, a professional personal financial planner and Career Connectors volunteer shared a list of 10 Financial Tips for Career Transition.
- Understand your unemployment benefits. Go to the DES website (Dept of Economic Security) to apply for benefits. If you were declined for benefits, you may be able to appeal.
- Do not forget to keep paying taxes. You are still obligated if you are collecting unemployment benefits.
- Job-hunting expenses, such as mileage to/from an interview and relocation expenses (if moving over 50 miles) are tax deductible.
- An option – Go back to school, get a certificate to advance your skills
- Become under-employed by taking a stepping stone position. For example, take a job as a manager and work your way back up to a director role.
- Budget. Budget. BUDGET. Track expenses from your primary account(s). Understand where your money is going and why.
- If you are 55 or older, you can take penalty-free money from your IRA using (72t).
- As an alternative to COBRA, purchase your healthcare insurance with your IRA funds.
- Consider reversing a contribution (this year) made to your IRA. Replace it when you start your new job (this year).
- Ask for help. There are plenty of resources and volunteers.
HIRING COMPANIES
Deanne Desautels, President/CEO
Since 1999, Deanne has grown AFP into one of Arizona’s award-winning top 10 Staffing and Executive Recruiting Firms for the past seven years. AFP has been ranked the #1 Permanent Placement firm in Ranking Arizona for the last five years.
Open Positions
Government – AZ and City of Phoenix
Customer service
Accounting
Project management
Consulting
Warehouse Light Industrial
Call center operations, team leader, training manager
Mortgage collections
Underwriting
Property management
Marketing / Sales coordinator
Admin Assistant
Satoria Dixon, HR Recruiter
Pearl is a social enterprise that gives hiring priority to skilled and talented people. The niche workforce includes: veterans, disabled veterans, disabled persons, military spouses, people in geographically-challenged areas and have barriers to employment. Currently staffing a contact center operation in support of the 2020 census survey.
Open Positions
WFO Labor Hours Specialist
Operations Managers
WFO Site Specialists
Trainers
Supervisors
Customer Service Reps (f/t and p/t)
Toni LaMack, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
At Benchmark, headquartered in Tempe, the mission is to be the solutions provider of choice for high tech OEM customers, anticipating their needs and rapidly delivering comprehensive value-creation solutions during the entire Product Life Cycle by providing:
• Innovative Design Engineering Services
• Optimized Global Supply Chain & Logistics Solutions
• World-Class Manufacturing and After-market Support
Open Positions
RF Test Engineers
RF Design Engineers
Machine Operators
Test Operators
Assemblers
Configuration Analyst/Trainer
CLOSING
Jessica recapped today’s available resources and encouraged everyone to attend the next Career Connectors session on Thursday June 20th in Phoenix at GCU. The topic is “Readiness Redefined,” presented by Trevor Stokes. Stay tuned for email updates.