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Career Search

5/6/21 – The Career Success Formula

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Written by Rachel Gersten

Career Success Formula

KEYNOTE

4 Stages of Optimal Job Seeking Success
Clara Chorley

Our speaker was Clara Chorley, a career coach and founder of Clarity Unlimited. Clara has worked in a number of industries and truly found her calling by helping others. She provides us with a blueprint for success by breaking down what each job seekers needs to do to find their next job opportunity. What makes this process even more special is we can all do this in 4 simple stages.

Stage 1: Clarify – This is the stage where you begin to ask questions of yourself. What is my job title? What is the company culture like? How do I narrow my focus in the job you want?

Stage 2: Verify – This the stage where you start to answer those questions you had in the clarify stage. Start looking at job descriptions and how it aligns with your goals. It’s also helpful to see if there are any gaps you may have with your skills.

Stage 3: Explore – This the stage where you start going to networking events, interviews. Do things that get you away from your computer and out talking to others.

Stage 4: Engage – This the final stage where you get a variety of things coming at you both good and bad. There may be an interview request as well as rejection emails. Emotions can be very high at this stage. It is crucial to keep moving forward despite the challenges involved.

Remember throughout these stages that maintaining endurance is a must.

Clara also has a tool designed to show individuals their personality traits and then ways to optimize the job search at clarityunlimited.com/bestself.

HIRING COMPANIES

APN Staffing, Nicholas Mazur
APN Staffing is a boutique staffing firm. They started in 1991 to meet the staffing needs for the auto industry. The company has since added staffing for the growing healthcare industry. They have placed about 200 people in full time positions and many more in short-term positions last year alone.

Current opportunities at APN Staffing are:
Director nursing
Parts manager
Executive Recruiter
Estimator

Microchip Technology, Kathy Allemang and Jennifer McCoy
Microchip Technology makes semi-conductors and has a reputation for their high-performance standards. The main headquarters is in Chandler, AZ with over 18,000 employees worldwide. There are many engineering related roles. Please visit the career site for more information on these positions as well as work in finance, marketing and legal. Microchip Technology is experiencing a booming business and needs a lot of great people.

Some of the opportunities at Microchip Technology include:
Project Manager
Technical Staff Engineer
Senior Engineer – Software
Product Marketing Manager

WealthWave, Jason Wiseman
WealthWave has a mission to educate people and eliminate financial illiteracy. If you are looking for an opportunity for a great side hustle job this is the place to be. Contact Jason at Jason.Wiseman@wealthwave.com.

CLOSING

Jessica Pierce wrapped up the meeting by reminding the group to visit the Career Connectors website at https://careerconnectors.org for additional information on upcoming meetings, support tools and event recaps. She went on to thank our Key Note Speaker, Clara Chorley, employers, all the amazing corporate sponsors and volunteers. The next meeting will be held on May 13th at 9am Arizona time. This meeting is the Semi-Annual Diversity Talks and will feature several of the top employers in the valley. Please remember to sign up online for our next meeting.

I will end this week’s blog with a quote, “Find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for it.” Let’s remember, this can be a fun process.

4/14/16 – Identifying the Best Career for You

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By Susan Lamphiear

Can’t decide what  you want and you’re a job seeker? You’re not alone, the experts say.  But this is a huge mistake when it comes to the job search and pretty much anything we do in life. How will you know when you arrive if you don’t know where you’re going? How many times have we heard that old adage? That’s because it’s so true, as our keynote speaker stressed today. Start by asking yourself what you want, what strengths match, and what you’re passionate about as you set out to find the work you love — your Dream Job.

Keynote

Looking back, from the time she was a young child in middle school, Keynote Speaker Lisa Phalen, certified coach and HR consultant,  recognizes  she was very good at helping people even then. Kids would call to her from lunch or ask to speak to her privately about their lives and their problems. It was a common thread. In high school, friends came to her continuously, asking for help—she would listen, ask questions and then her friends found solutions—she was coaching before she knew what it was.

Her parents moved around a lot, including Lisa’s senior year in high school. In preparation to attend college, she was asked by Arizona State University (ASU), since they’d moved to Arizona by then, what her major was, and when she didn’t know,  they asked her,” What attracts you?”  And for some unknown reason she blurted out, “HR.” While she liked all segments of HR, she always loved the coaching part. It was part of that lifelong feeling that people came to her for help. And she liked it.

Even though she waited to pursue her dream of a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology, she has used her core strength of helping people throughout her career.These days she is finally pursuing her degree in Oranizational Psychology.

Is it any wonder, then, that she wanted to encourage us to refine our job search to take advantage of what we love doing, not just what we’re good at. So many times we default into a career because we’re told we excel in an area. Lisa gives us permission and encouragement to realize our strengths but to make sure to factor in what we’re passionate about.

The focus of her presentation today included the steps to identify and find the best job for you — that Dream Job.

Finding Your DREAM Job

Determine what your dream job really is

Research – job sites and job descriptions

Expertise —  build your expertise in your field of interest

Associations –join professional organizations

Mark your target (company)

Identifying a Career Match

  • Assessments
  • Know your bottom line
  • Funnel
  • Follow your heart
  • Assessment

Assessments

  • Career inventories – Strong Career Inventory, O-net Interest Profiler
  • Temperament Assessments – MBTI, DISC, True Colors, Kiersey*, Big Five Personality*, NERIS Explorer*
  • Strengths Assessments – Vaues Inventory*, Strengthsfinder, StandOut
  • Additional Assessments – TKI, Emotional Intelligence*, VARK Learning Style*

The Career Match Formula

  • Insights from assessments – What are your strengths?
  • Bottom line – Consider things like salary, benefits, travel, and culture.
  • Marketplace – What’s actually available in your area?

Know your Bottom Line

  • Consider things like salary, benefits, career development opportunities, flexibility, culture, work tools and resources.
  • Consider what you don’t want such as travel requirements, weekend or on call work, or excessive commutes

    The Career Match Funnel

  • No conditions
  • Qualifications
  • Work-life-balance
  • Location
  • Uniqueness

After you go through this process, step back and take stock and identify the best career for you which ideally will take into account your strengths and passions. Follow your heart.

Hiring Companies

SiteLock

Kathleen Klein, Corporate Recruiter

SiteLock, a website security company founded in 2008, and privately held by Unitedweb, has grown quickly  from 50 employees in 2014 to 200 employees today. A 24/7 business with international customers, it’s the number one provider of website security solutions; they protect about 10 million customers globally. Their mission? To protect every site on the Internet. Headquartered in Scottsdale, they have offices in Boston, MA and Jacksonville, FL. Products include malware detection, malware alert and removal tool, and credit card protection tools and more. Awards include fastest growing technology company in Arizona by the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 List and “Best Places to Work” by The Phoenix Business Journal. Company benefits include full medical, dental and vision, 15 days of PTO and 7 paid Holidays, company-paid life insurance, company-paid short and long term disability coverage, and free food—catered lunches every Friday. To gather more information or to apply, visit their website for opportunities including inside sales rep, technical support agent, and website security.

Adecco USA

Michelle Grinberg, Regional Account Director

Adecco USA, largest staffing company in the world, has presence in 60 countries and a 50-year history. Formerly clerical, Adecco USA now handles clerical and so much more including customer service, creative and marketing professionals, accounting and finance, light industrial, engineering and technology, IT, and medical and science. The company staffs for Fortune 500s along with medium and small local business clients and include temporary, temporary-to-hire, direct placement, master vendor, and more. Since 2005, Adecco has placed over 5,400 engineering and IT professionals with 264 companies in the Phoenix market. Each potential employee is assigned a recruiter. Other benefits include medical, 401K, short-term and long-term disability, and free online skills training. Training classes include management, leadership and IT. Currently located in Mesa, they are merging with Modis and will also have a location in Scottsdale or the Biltmore area. To apply, visit their website.

Revana/Teletech

Mary Ann Lopez, Recruiter

Revana/Teletech, a recognized leader, is a business process and sourcing company, employing over 1500 in their Tempe and Phoenix locations.  Some of their clients include  AT&T, Facebook, FedEx, Google, IBM, Oracle, Toshiba and Xerox. They need Inbound and Outbound Sales Associates, Sales Managers, Digital Account Executives (Google), Sr. Specialist,  Quality Assurance, Marketing-Statistician, and Data Analyst. The company offers opportunities to get a foot in the door and develop your career. They’ve won awards and recognition including the 2009 Stevie Award for Sales and Customer Service. Some of the benefits of working for the company include paid training, competitive base salary with commissions, career advancement, flexible work schedules medical and dental benefits after 30 days and more. The environment is casual. To apply, visit their website or stop by–in person– Mon – Fri between 9-3 p.m. and complete the entire employment process.

Resources

Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants

Rodger Brubacher, Director of Continuing Education

Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants offers certification programs for career and professional development including Project Management, Six Sigma, Medical Front Office Administrative Assistant & Billing/Coding Specialist, Microsoft Office Specialist, and Digital Marketing with Social Media. Also available are Cybersecurity Programs and Certifications. For the 12th straight year the school has received the Juniper Platinum Education Partner of the Year in the Americas. Classes are kept small at a ratio of six students to one instructor. The school has onsite state of the art facilities, with over 95% of their students passing the certification exams on the first sitting. Funding is available, so feel free to contact the school or go to their website for more information or to enroll.

Closing

Sandi Ashton, Vice President of the Board of Directors for Career Connectors, closed the formal part of the meeting before adjourning to breakout sessions. She reminded everyone in attendance at Career Connectors they are eligible to take– for free– the DISC assessment. During the breakouts attendees may obtain free professional head shots, coaching in LinkedIn, resume preparation guidance, and conversations with hiring companies. She thanked volunteers for their service and Highlands Church for providing the beautiful facility.

Next event for Career Connectors will be held in Gilbert on Tuesday, April 26, 2016, at 9 AM. How to Work a Job Fair will be presented by keynote speaker Andy Ridley.

The Phoenix event will be held Wednesday, May 4, 2016, 9 AM and features the topic Get Hired by the Best—Advancing your Career with a Best Company featuring Jessica Pierce, Career Connectors Executive Director and Denise Gredler, President and Founder of BestCompaniesAZ.  This event will a panel feature discussion with 8 hiring companies: Charles Schwab, USAA, DISH, Synchrony Financial, Freedom Financial Network, Dignity Health, Arizona Federal  Credit Union and Vanguard.

Then the next Scottsdale event will be Thursday, May 12, 2016, at 9 AM in Scottsdale featuring keynote speaker Kirk Wilkinson speaking on the topic The Optimist’s Advantage.

For more details including exact locations, click here.

Parting Thoughts

Towards further inspiration, check out Scott Dinsmore’s TED talk–How to find the work you love. Just in case you missed the first mention. Yes. It’s that inspiring.

“There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you beome most truly alive.”

~ Oprah Winfrey

9/10/15 — Think Like a Hiring Manager and Land the Job

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Written by Susan Lamphiear

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt

For anyone who has ever faced a challenging job search, Roosevelt’s words probably take on new meaning. Something about a sudden or unwanted job search forces most people to call on emotional strength they never knew they had.

It sure helps along the way to know we’re not alone, though, and that others have overcome challenging career roadblocks. I’ve heard so many people through Career Connectors willing to share their career journeys, and it’s beyond encouraging to know there is a light at the end of that proverbial job-search tunnel. Our keynote speaker today gave valuable practical tactics for the job search, but just as important, she included inspirational examples.

Keynote

“Why can’t they just be nice and get back to me?” Many people faced with a job hunt these days have probably at least whispered these words. Jessica Pierce, Founder and Executive Director of Career Connectors, was talking recently with many people who said they needed help in landing interviews.

Jessica used the example of Anthony, who’d confessed to her he’d been putting in many hours on job boards, sending out hundreds of resumes, but he just wasn’t hearing anything back. Jessica suggested he reframe his brain. You can’t just send out resumes all day long. You have to get out of your house, have coffee, she told him. Network with people. Jessica had asked him, “Is what you’re doing working?” It was not, but that was about to change. Anthony told Jessica “I’ll trust you.”

Armed with Jessica’s advice that you can’t stop with the job boards, sending out hundreds of resumes, you must network and use LinkedIn, Anthony started getting out and meeting people. Fast forward a short time later and Anthony received multiple interviews, followed soon by three job offers– beyond what he ever though he could wish for. He found his job through someone who knew someone through LinkedIn.

Jessica asked how many attendees had hired employees and many in the group raised their hands. She said, “You know, then, about the recruiting cycle.”  Most employers don’t have the resources or the time and patience to go through the lengthy process. One exception is the State of Arizona that literally looks at each resume. However, that’s also why, even if you make the resume cut, it may be months rather than weeks before you hear back from someone. It takes time, money, and human resources to tackle hundreds of resumes. One woman Jessica knew had already taken another job by the time she heard back.

To think like a hiring manager, keep in mind competence is only part of the picture. Competence plus Character plus Chemistry equals a Cultural Match. Hiring managers are in a hurry to hire good people who are a match for the company.

Competence

  • Knowledge/Training
  • Experiences/Accomplishments
  • Skills/Expertise

Character

  • Document your traits by completing the DISC assessment
  • Use action words and research the company, highlighting your similar traits–including your values and behaviors.

Chemistry

Begin with a proper handshake. Then before the interview, research the employer, know your resume, and prepare and review interview notes. During the interview, dress to impress. Arrive 5-10 minutes early. Engage with everyone. After the interview, send a thank you note. Email is OK, but a personal note in the mail is better. Then connect on LinkedIn or other social media if you haven’t already. Always remember that people want to work with people they like.

NOTE: A whopping 55% of recruiters have reconsidered a candidate based on their social profile. And 61% of those re-considerations were negative. It’s not surprising, then, if hiring managers and recruiters look for easier and safer options. And, they don’t begin their process with the job boards.

When Jessica was looking to hire her Director of Programs recently, she started asking people she knew, telling them she absolutely had to have someone dependable, but if she posted it, she’d get hundreds of resumes. As she asked around, Sheila Coulam‘s name kept coming up, and that’s who she ultimately hired.

How Hiring Managers Find Employees

  1. Internal Resource (known)
  2. Prior work Relationship (known)
  3. Referred Resource (known-one off)
  4. Through Employee (known—one off)
  5. Want Ads

Where recruiters find the best candidates

  • Social Networks – 73%
  • Referrals – 63%
  • Corporate career site – 60%
  • Direct sourcing – 57%
  • Career site – 51%

Social networks recruiters use

  1. LinkedIn 94%
  2. Facebook 66%
  3. Twitter 52%
  4. Google 21%
  5. RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) Feed 20%
  6. You Tube 15%

Employers are starting to put more money into social networks, primarily LinkedIn. “You’ve got to be on LinkedIn,” Jessica says. Google search your name. Whatever you can see, the public probably sees (She’s in the process of looking at her teenage son’s social media profile because he’ll soon be applying for scholarships, and she knows the importance of an appropriate online presence.).

Job boards are still important, but you can’t let that alone be your source for finding a job. You must connect with people through relationships and social media as well. As far as the job boards, the number one is Indeed.com. It’s a crawler, meaning that Indeed.com scours other websites for jobs. Jobing.com is our local job board and a partner with Career Connectors. Career Builder and Simply Hired are two more possibilities.

In the beginning at Intel, Jessica tells us she was making $18 an hour, so she loved those referral bonuses and practically made a second career out of those $1000 referral bonuses. There are solid reasons for those referral bonuses. Statistics show that a person who is referred usually stays longer on the job. People like to work with people they like. “So be likable!” Jessica says.

So it’s ultimately what you do AFTER you apply that really counts.

Once you apply, find someone at that company and connect on LinkedIn or find someone who can introduce you to someone who works at the company you’re targeting. Recruiters are engaging with potential candidates through social media. It’s all about how you stand out compared with the other 200 people who are applying.

Vision without action is just a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world. ~Loren Eisley

When Jessica read the above quote, she admitted she’s by nature a non-planner but stressed its importance. At one point she gave everyone a few minutes to share with each other — an intended job action from their list — to do by the end of this week. Then she reminded everyone that there’s an 80 percent chance you’ll follow through with an action if you tell someone about it. It’s a commitment thing.

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats. ~B.C. Forbes.

Jessica knows what it’s like to suffer job loss.  The quote above, taken from a book by her friend Jerry Jerome*, comforted her during tough times.

She’d started her own staffing company in 2007 after being laid off from Intel, along with 10,000 other people. But then in 2009, she closed the doors to her staffing company due to the economic downturn at the very same time her husband was laid off from his corporate recruiting position. She launched Career Connectors despite her husband thinking she was crazy when she started volunteering to help people with their resumes even before she got another job. With an infant, and children ages two and ten, they finally sold their home and rented a house. But the week of Christmas 2009 they found a notice on the door of their rental– giving them ten days to find a new place to live.

Jessica is here to tell you that there is hope on the other side of extreme job loss. She knows because she’s been there. And back.

*Jerry Jerome donated his book, Instant Inspiration, for everyone in attendance, and books were handed out at the conclusion of Jessica’s presentation. The quotes Jessica used in her presentation she found in Jerry’s book. The quote I selected to open the blog came from his book as well.

Hiring Companies

City of Phoenix Workforce Connections

Kathy Thiessen, Senior Workforce Project Manager

The City of Phoenix Workforce Connections offers job seekers skills development, employment talent marketing and business services. Clients receive these services free, including help with online job bank registration, setting up email accounts, use of computers and equipment, referrals to community resources, public workshops, on-site events and job fairs, and youth services. Through assessment and conversations, the one-stop sites help job seekers identify transferable skills, determine your interests and work values, help with soft skills training, basic computer training and more.

Grants are available under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) with the goal of employment, transitioning back to the workforce as quickly as possible. The WIOA updated the 1998 Act and is the first legislative reform in 15 years, passed by a wide bipartisan majority in the Congress. SOAR is a program including personal and career awareness, soft skills for success in the workplace, and social media networking via LinkedIn. Its purpose is to strengthen Arizona’s economy by developing the workforce and matching employers with job seekers.

WIOA Services

  • Assess your  transferable skills, strengths, and areas needing improvement
  • Match skills/background to occupation/career.
  • Determine if training/certification is needed to increase your marketability.

Three One-Stop Career Centers are located in the Valley.

Among resources available at the One-Stop Centers include practice interviews and analyzing video tapes of yourself in order to be better prepared to market yourself for a job.

To check on exact locations and services available, visit their website.

Taser

Shelby Hagan, Recruiting Coordinator

Taser products in Scottsdale, with locations in Seattle and recently Amsterdam, include smart weapons (Tasers, electrical weapons), body-worn cameras and evidence solutions. The company prides itself on being innovative, including continually asking employees for their ideas. Taser’s culture includes the attitude that what you do matters and the importance of continual learning. Benefits include medical insurance, 401K, unlimited PTO, 12 weeks maternity leave, six weeks paternity leave and more. A variety of jobs are available and the list changes continually. “We have something for everyone,” they say. For more information about the company, or to apply, visit their website.

Aetna

Le Nguyen, Director, Recruiting Operations and Dani Sykes, Senior Recruiter

Aetna, a health care insurance provider, employs 50,000 people. In January of 2015 its CEO announced two important initiatives including increased pay for its minimum base hourly wage for its U.S. employees. The second initiative is the launch of an enhanced medical benefits program in 2016 to lower the out-of-pocket health care expenses for some of its U.S. employees.  The company is considered a leader in flex scheduling, including work schedules or telecommuting from home. Other benefits of Aetna include Paid Time Off (PTO)—three and one-half weeks vacation to start– six percent 401K match, annual bonuses and more. Currently, Aetna is in the process of acquiring Humana. Opportunities for careers include accounting, finance, human resources, customers support, marketing, sales and more. For the most current list of positions or to apply, visit their website.

Verizon Wireless

Darrin Ruof, HR Recruiter

Verizon Wireless is a national wireless provider, a technology leader with fast connections. Lots of phone support is available to its customers. Verizon cares about the community including one of their projects called Hopeline, a program which help victims of domestic violence. Benefits of working at Verizon include the opportunity to advance, health benefits starting on the first day of employment, and tuition assistance, up to $8000 per year. They have openings now including their call center, with jobs starting at an hourly rate, but most employees earn sales commissions starting at $1300 on up. For further information about positions, or to apply, go to their website or reach out through social media.

Education Management Corporation (EDMC)

Kelly Moncada, Talent Acquisition Specialist

Education Management Corporation is one of the largest and most diverse providers of proprietary post-secondary education in the United States. The corporation includes five schools:  The Art Institutes, Argosy University, Brown Mackie College, South University, and Western State College of Law. Their top value and top priority involves providing education that builds careers.  Opportunities for advancement abound and 96% of the admissions management team members are promoted from within. The company expanded from 100 employees to over 3000 in five years. Among other benefits, the company provides employees tuition benefits to any of their schools after only 90 days on the job, as well as paid time off, 401K and 401K Roth participation, life and health insurance, and more. For more information on open positions, or to apply, visit their website.

Closing

Sheila Coulam, Director of Programs at Career Connectors, closed the meeting, thanking Highlands Church for providing the beautiful facility for hosting the monthly events. She reminded everyone of the free DISC assessment available through the website.  Also, concluding the formal part of the event, attendees were all welcome to talk to hiring managers or get help with free professional head shots, resume writing and LinkedIn assistance.

Career Connectors next meets Tuesday, September 22, 2015, 9:00 AM, in Gilbert, featuring keynote speaker Carl Forkner: Social Media: Your Job Search Secret Weapon. Next up will be Wednesday, October 7, 2015, 9:00 AM, in Phoenix. Keynote speaker Ted Robison will speak on the topic of Get LinkedIn or Get Left Out. The next Scottsdale event will be Thursday, October 15, 215, 9:00 AM in Scottsdale, featuring keynote Dave Sherman on the topic of Get the Job Fast – How to Find a Great New Job in Half the Time.

For more information including specific locations and registration, click here.

2/05/15 – Job Hunting 2015 Style

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Written by Connie Huber, PHR

KEYNOTE

Dayna Matthews’ mission “is to help driven, on-a-mission, not stopping until they reach success women (& sometimes men) find and create amazing careers through the power of self-assessment and reflection, effective personal branding strategies, and social media.” Dayna’s vision is “to create a brighter, happier, and more fulfilled professional–level workforce, one client at time.”

Dayna moved from a small town in Minnesota of 315 residents to Phoenix in 2010. For the past 4.5 years Dayna has been working with people to create ‘kick-ass careers’. Her experience began in Duluth, Minnesota working for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development creating and implementing job-readiness programs for youth and disabilities. When Dayna first moved to Phoenix, she had a brief career in selling insurance. She went on to work for a small non-profit as a Career Advisor for low-income, inner city Phoenix youth. After 6 months. Dayna was scooped up by a small company in Tempe to work as contract Career Counselor with the State of Arizona Vocational Rehabilitation program. After about a year and a half, Dayna moved on to Glendale Community College to work as the only Program Advisor in Career Services. Dayna’s employment experience allowed her to establish “her true love, coaching women (& sometimes men); helping them realize how to reach their personal career and life goals”. Dayna can be reached at:  http://www.daynamariecoaching.com; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daynamathews; Twitter: @KickAssCareer.

Job Hunting 2015
Today the 2015 job search strategies to secure employment have changed drastically! Currently, the workforce and seeking employment strategies have evolved into an entirely different beast with the advancement of technology! And…. as many of us have discovered maintaining a job with the same employer for your entire career is a thing of past. As a professional in today’s workforce, a job has become a temporary commodity rather than a permanent one resulting in the worker having to look continuously for employment. I was thrilled to learn from Dayna just how to attack my search using “Job Hunting 2015 Style”.

Dayna initially challenged the group by asking “How many know exactly the strategy to get your next job?” I had heard and learned a lot of good tips along the way but formalizing them into a strategy was nonexistent.  Dayna’s perspective of winning ways to securing employment in the 2015 workforce follows:

It Starts With YOU
No one can decide for us what we want to do in our professional life and struggle in establishing our job/career. We need to be asking ourselves such questions as……..
• What do you really want in a job/career?
• What are your skills/expertise and strengths?
• What are your deal breakers?
• Where do you want to work?
• Be sure to consider both employers and location.
• What are your personal priorities?
Dayna reminded us that many of us are afraid to ask what we want and at the same time we are afraid we will get what we want. While unemployed, seize the moment to dream what you really want. When you decide on what you want, Dayna suggested writing it down. Most often when we write things down they are embedded in our brain and through the law of attraction come to fruition.

Assess
In addition to your self-assessment, Dayna encouraged us to assess….current market trends; research on employers and careers; ask some industry peeps about their employers and jobs; learn what employers want in the perfect candidate such as skills, experience, education and certifications; and GOOGLE IT whether it is about the employer, industry, job or any other information. Proven resources to conduct our research including “vault (Vault.com), glassdoor (glassdoor.com), LinkedIn (LinkedIn.com), careeronestop (Acinet.org), o*net online (onetonline.org) and of course GOOGLE.

Decide
Dayna indicated that until you decide what you want to do you will fail in moving forward. As a job seeker, you need to decide what you really want to do for a living. Consider 1-3 options. Make the decision you will achieve your goals. Develop a strategy how you are going to obtain what you truly want to do. Without directions, you will get lost, spin your wheels and end up nowhere.

“Belief is everything. Don’t stop believing!!!” If you don’t believe yourself and your career, others will not believe in you as well. Say to yourself and write it down that “I will be employed at _______ (company) doing _______ (job) by June 1, 2015.

Create Your Game Plan
In creating your game plan, Dayna suggested giving your plan a name and assigning a date for obtaining your goal. Other steps include ….asking yourself:
• “If I want ______(job), where do I start
• Each game plan is unique to you.
• Break your goal into pieces.
• Write down the steps to each piece.
• Remember clarity is key.

Game Plan Suggestions
Some of Dayna’s suggestions are…
Make sure you’re well-branded online and on paper (LinkedIn).
• Be what your target companies want!
• Assess your network-family, friends, and colleagues.
• Make an easy -to-remember ask of your network such as “do you know of anyone at company xyz or have your worked for company xyz?”
• Make new connections and help others.
• Never give up!!!!!

People Are Opportunities!

When looking for the perfect job for you, what you’re really looking for is the right person.
Who will it be?

Tools & Resources to Use

Dayna provided a number of great tools and resources to use in our job search.
• LinkedIn: One of the main reason to be on LinkedIn is for recruiters and potential employers to locate the job seeker. Other pluses is to breathe life into your network and increase it.
• Meetup & Networking Phoenix: Both are great for networking! Think of networking in terms of making friends. Give yourself a goal in attending events such as making 2-3 new friends. Get to know your new friend. Ask questions such as “What projects are you working on?”
• Twitter: Is becoming a valid recruiting tool. Again give yourself a goal, reach out to two people per day.
• LocalWork.com: Has events for job seekers to connect with employers. Jobs are posted on the LocalWork website.
• The Muse: Is the ultimate career destination from New York City. The site offers job opportunities, expert advice, a peek behind the scenes into companies and career paths. It is helpful for experienced job seekers and those who are just starting out in their career.
• Maricopa Workforce Connection: In the event, you need to update your skills, this resoure is very beneficial.
• GOOGLE: Is known for providing answers for just about anything you want to know.
• Glassdoor: Allows you to research companies and learn what current and past employees have to say about a company.
• Career One Stop: Job seekers search for employers in a specific location, contacts, address and jobs at a particular company.
• Best Companies AZ: Identifies, develops and promotes great workplaces. The site posts open positions and maintains a resume bank.
• You Tube: Houses videos with varied subject matter including news, sports, personal videos, movies, music, TV programs and just about everything.

Follow & Work The Plan
Once you’ve written down your plan, follow it. Give yourself scheduled tasks each day. To assure your success use a calendar, make a to-do list, and set reminder alarms. Aim to accomplish ONE BIG task and at least 3 small ones each and every day. At the end of the day, create tomorrow’s list.

Try, Try Again
“Things may come to those who wait. But only the things left by those who hustle.” Abraham Lincoln
There will be many disappointments during your but you need to persist in your job search.

But if the game plan is not working……rework it and try again!
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ……Albert Einstein

Faith & Positivity

The moment you doubt your ability to get the job you want is the moment you lose your chance to find it. Choose to believe that you will be led to the RIGHT job meant for you. You need to stay positive, especially when networking. No one likes a negative Nancy or Ned!

2015 Job Search Don’ts

• Don’t use the same resume for every job.
• Don’t apply for a job immediately when you see it.
• Don’t send your resume to random recruiters asking for help.
• Don’t write generic cover letters. Don’t bring your resume with you to networking events.
• Don’t tell sob stories when meeting new people. Don’t send mass messages on LinkedIn.
• Don’t complain about the job search process. It is what it is.
• Don’t beat yourself up and don’t give up. When receiving news that you didn’t get the job, remember that the job wasn’t meant for you.

And when the time is right…..You will KILL it!

Meaning….. “You will meet the right person who gets your resume on the right desk that is seen by the right person who offers you the interview at the right time, loves you, and then offers you THE JOB.”

 

HIRING COMPANIES

City of Phoenix – Phoenix Workforce Connections

Roberta Jeffers, Business Solutions Manager

Roberta shared employment statistics for Arizona’s December 2015. In addition, she noted the gain/loss by sector for 2014, employment highlights for Arizona, and Phoenix’s Metropolitan Ten Year Projections (2012-2022). The results were very positive and offered an optimistic future for job seekers. Briefly, some of those statistics are ……
As of December, AZ employment rate dropping to 6.7% (US rate 5.6%). AZ gained 7,000 nonfarm jobs. Six of the eleven major sectors added jobs.
2014 AZ Highlights noted Arizona added 63,000 nonfarm jobs over the year average gain of 2.1%. Private sector added 60,100 jobs. Government added 3,200 jobs. Eight major sectors added jobs and three lost jobs.
Phoenix Metropolitan Ten Year Projections (2012-2022) indicate 24.8% change over the next ten years.
For open positions and further details apply here https://wwwazjobconnection.gov/ada/.

Applied Business Communications
Chris Bisgrove, Vice President

Applied Business Communications (ABcom) is an established leader in the low voltage industry. Locations are in Arizona, California, Georgia, Minnesota, North Dakota, Utah and Washington. ABcom teams are trained to the highest level in the industry and assure customers that ABcom installations are designed and built to the highest standards in the k. What sets ABcom above their competitors is the quality of service and staff credentials.
Current positions include Sales/Account Executives, Project Managers, CAD Designers, Technicians and VP of Operations-Minneapolis. Apply here www.abcomllc.com

Goodwill of Central AZ
Caitlin King, Recruiting Manager

Goodwill of Central Arizona was founded in 1947 and is one of the 168 regionally independent Goodwills. The organization is an award winner for Best Places to Work. In 2014, 74,881 job seekers were served and 44,689 job seekers were placed. Goodwill’s mission is to put people to work. The focus of the organization is PRIDE (passion, respect, integrity, dedication, and excellence). The organization is committed to turning donations into dollars that fund programs to help individuals prepare for and find work, revitalizing individuals and Arizona communities. There are 17 Goodwill Career centers in the Phoenix area. Goodwill partners with nearly 600 local employers.

Career opportunities include retail operations (University of Pride Program, Retail Hourly Positions, Logistics and Operations), commercial maintenance, (Janitorial, Floor Care, & Landscaping Services); Workforce Development (Career Centers, Training Services, Business Solutions), Corporate Services (Human Resources, Finance/Accounting, IT, and Real Estate and Facilities. Goodwill offers competitive pay and benefits. Apply here https://jobs.goodwillaz.org and complete an application. To follow up on your application contact 602-535-4100 ext. 5.

Education Management Corporation
Ryanne Dean, Talent Acquisition Manager

EDMC is one of the largest and most diverse providers of proprietary post-secondary education in the US. There are four differentiated education systems including The Art Institute, Argosy University, Brown Mackie College, and South. EDMC targets nearly every segment of the market. The culture proudly demonstrates one of continuous development. One of the unique benefits for the organization is its tuition benefit. The tuition benefit is available for the employee and the employee’s family members at any of EDMC’s campuses or online programs.
Some of the Online Open Positions include Admissions Representative, Academic Counselor, Academic Advising Supervisor. And Finance Counselor. Argosy Ground Open Positions are represented by Campus President; Director Admissions; Part-Time Business Graduate Chair; Dean, Graduate School of Business & Management; Dental Hygiene Instructor; and Admissions Counselor. If interested please see the EDMC website for a full list of openings and apply at www.edmc.edu/careers/.

RESOURCES

Canyon State Institute
John Dvorak, Community Relations Manger shared specifics on Career Certifications and highlighted some of the programs offered at Canyon State. Some of the programs were Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), Medical Support Specialist (CEHRS), PMI Project Management (CAPM and PMP), CCNA, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security, ASQ Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and SHRM Professional in Human Resources. John touched on the financial options offered for students. For additional information on programs, funding and a tour, please visit their website. www.canyonstatedu.com

 

Closing
Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors, closed the meeting by thanking North Phoenix Baptist Church and the volunteers. The next Career Connectors meeting will be in Scottsdale on Thursday, February 12th and features Sandi Ashton as speaker for the topic “DISCovering Your Unique Value”. For additional information on this event and future events, please visit the website.

01-15-15 What’s Your Why?

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By Susan Lamphiear

Do you have any CAVE dwellers at your company?  (CAVE: Consistently Against Virtually Everything.) The Q12 Gallup Survey calls them disengaged workers. Our keynote speaker today referenced the term in a recent You Tube speech. And he stressed results of the Gallup poll in his presentation today.

All these disengaged workers, about 15-20% of Americans and 13% worldwide, are still hovering out there in the work place. Yikes. One stat even suggests 71% of workers are either disengaged or actively undermining all the other workers. This sounds like a huge problem.

Keynote

Keynote speaker Brian Mohr is convinced, after getting an inside view of many companies over the years, that the lack of magic in the work place (you can either feel it or not when you walk in the doors of a company) all comes back to passion. Is each employee passionate about the company and the company’s purpose? (Some would ask, based on the data, if employers or employees even know what the company purpose is.)

Brian’s Mentor: Thoughts on life’s challenges and the secret of life

During his presentation, Brian introduced his mentor, Dr. Jason Kolber, who has been an important influence on both Brian’s professional and personal life. Jason gave an overview of the rhythms of life we all go through, referencing examples from his own personal experiences. Stages he highlighted included 1. Nothing works 2. You’ll be happy when… 3. Feeling stuck 4.Taking my power back, referencing the triumphant Rocky in the popular movie. He concluded his portion of the presentation with a story about the gods and the secret of life.  As the story goes, the gods discussed where to put the secret of life. Should they put the secret on the mountain? No, because someone would find it. Should they place it under the sea? No, again. Too easy to find.  Finally, they decided to place the secret of life inside people. “They’ll never look there.”

Purpose

At one point in his career, Brian began to journal, trying to figure out what he should be doing. As he wrote, the words just poured out and he decided that ultimately he wanted to have a positive impact on other people. He decided that giving to a cause greater than self is probably the greatest purpose any of us can aspire to. He’d personally like to be a beacon to every interaction he ever makes.

Having a purpose can be hard to describe. These days, he avoids asking his children, ages 8 and 10, what they want to BE when they grow up. Instead, he asks them, “What do you want to be a PART of when you grow up?”

Bananas in the tailpipe as a metaphor for employees undermining efforts

As for that 70-some percent of the workforce who are, as Brian puts it,  somewhere between bananas in tailpipes (movie Beverly Hills Cop) and sleepwalking , what’s the solution?

The Q12 Gallup Survey results place workers into three categories.

  • Engaged—passionate,  feeling profound connection with the company
  • Not engaged—checked out, sleep walking
  • Disengaged—emotionally detached, sometimes to the point of undermining the efforts of others

After many years, the disengaged worker stats remain unchanged, despite new processes and other attempts to change this. It continues to hurt profits and negatively impacts retention of employees.

Answer to the dilemma of the disengaged workforce

Brian’s convinced the answer to this disengagement problem involves creating a passionate workforce, but the responsibility rests on both the employee and the employer.  The employer must create the atmosphere where workers feel dedicated to the purpose of the company. Employees must do their research and find these purpose-driven companies and settle for no less than a match.

On a bright note, Brian says the job market is strong. Jobs are out there. But companies are struggling to find the talented workers the jobs require, even as employees are struggling to find the companies they can be passionate about.

It’s up to the employer to create an atmosphere where the devoted, passionate employee can thrive. But the employee must be focused and do their research to find companies compatible with their own life purpose. To find these employers means networking, engaging, meeting people, in addition to Internet research and interviewing people at the company.

Once again, we’re reminded that technology can be a magnificent tool, but the bottom line is people meeting real live people and making connections. Businesses are overwhelmed with the volume of resumes passing through their systems. Job candidates must proactively look for companies whose purposes align with their own.  It’s a lot of work, but the payoff is that meaningful job you’re passionate about.

(For an analysis of the Gallup Survey, and to see the 12 Q12 Gallup questions, visit this link.)

Hiring Companies

Northcentral University

Khristine Anderson & Becky Neal, Talent Acquisition Specialists

Northcentral University, an online University voted one of the best places to work, maintains a 100% doctoral faculty. The largest percent of their students are graduate or doctoral students, so they are quite suited to help working professionals. Current positions at the university include their academic team, along with positions in accounting and finances, information technology, and training and learning development. For more information about the university, and to apply for positions, visit their website.

Nextiva

Amanda Dziuk, Corporate Recruiter

Nextiva, part of United Web, was named  the fastest growing tech company in Phoenix by  Deloitte’s 2014 Technology Fast 500 Ranking. The cloud-based company offers a variety of telecommunications products. A number of positions are available including sales, support, and upper level management. No positions are outsourced. Benefits include 15 days PTO, medical insurance, company paid life insurance, short and long term disability, 401K, and free catered lunch every Friday. For more information and to apply, visit their website.

US Census Bureau

Marjorie Watkins and Starla Curley, Recruiters

The US Census Bureau has selected Maricopa County as one of its test sites in preparation for the 2020 census. Locally the Census Bureau will be hiring approximately 1000 people, including field services workers and supervisors. Candidates may take both the supervisory and non-supervisory tests. For information on taking the required test and applying, call 1-800-361-6891.

Revana

Octavio Duarte, Talent Acquisition Specialist

Revana is a professional inside sales organization which outsources sales and marketing solutions for some of industry’s leading clients, including Google, Verizon, FedEx and Toshiba. Octavio stressed that Revana is not a staffing company but a company with fulltime workers and benefits. Benefits of working in their call center include paid training, competitive salaries, and career development. The company has a current need for inbound/outbound sales reps and sales managers. They’re also still looking for a fluent French speaker for their customer service department. The company has locations in Tempe and North Phoenix. To apply, visit their website.

Resources

Canyon State Institute

Steve Carparelli, Acting Director

Canyon State Institute is a training company and a partner with Career Connectors. The school offers training in several areas of certification including vocational rehab, SHRM and more, all of which are nationally based. The training can be completed in anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks and funding is available. For information on funding or applying, visit their website.

Closing

Executive Director of Career Connectors, Jessica Pierce, closed the formal part of the meeting by reminding everyone they are invited to take for free the DISC assessment, usually $99. Attendees were also invited to speak directly to hiring companies, get expert advice on resume writing and using LinkedIn, and pose for free professional business portraits.

The next event for Career Connectors is scheduled for Thursday, January 27, 2015, at 9: AM in Gilbert and features a keynote presentation by Kirk Wilkinson: The Optimist’s Advantage.

The next Scottsdale event meets Thursday, February 12, 2015 and features Sandi Ashton’s presentation: DISCovering Your Unique Value.

For more information on these events, including addresses and directions, click here.