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Coder Camps

6/27/17 – Boosting Your Networking Confidence – Six Tips to Increase Your Comfort and Success

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Boosting Your Networking ConfidenceWritten by Michelle Soracco

Keynote Speaker

Dave Sherman
@DaveSpeaks1

Dave is a sales and marketing guru who tells it like it is. He has worked with a number of large well-known companies over the years, and has run his own business and written three best-selling books. He has also been laid off, so he knows the feeling as many of us do. Dave is one of my favorite Career Connectors speakers.

Boosting Your Networking Confidence – Six Tips to Increase Your Comfort and Success

1. Show up early. Be the first person there, or be at least 15 minutes early. Networking is less intimidating that way.
–Meet all of the players
–Time to relax and prepare
–Become an unofficial host – greet everyone at the door, even though you’re not part of the group!

2. Fear of rejection is all in your head. Repeat out loud to yourself several times (until you believe it) before the networking event: “These people want to talk to me.” The purpose of networking is…to network! Everyone is there for the same purpose, so don’t be afraid to jump in and talk to people. Don’t wait for people to approach you, and allow others to dictate your success at the event.

3. Know how to break the ice and what you’re going to say before you get to the event.
–Smile, relax and breathe. Smiling makes you warmer, friendlier, more approachable and smarter! Don’t be the grumpy person in the room.
–Have a good S.H.E. (smile, handshake, eye contact). Shake hands vertically; don’t use two hands like a politician, make a power play, crush the other person’s hand, shake like a dead fish, or be super dainty and offer only a few fingers. Give the person enough eye contact that you can tell eye color, but not so much that you’re staring a hole through their head because that’s creepy.
–Starting comfortable conversations is a powerful tool. Here are some ice breakers:
* What’s your favorite movie?
* What do you do?
* How are you doing today?
* Ever been to this event before?
* Nice earrings, tie, pin, etc.
* What an interesting name.
* What do you do in your spare time?

4. Be interested, not just interesting. Ask good questions, expand on the answers and don’t hijack the conversation. Also, don’t interrupt–bite the tip of your tongue if you have to.

5. Bring a partner, but don’t spend all of your time talking to them. Have the partner introduce you to people they know and vice versa.

6. Give. Help other people. Ask yourself how you can help people do better. One of Dave’s favorite quotes is: “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” –Zig Ziglar

Hiring Companies

Hacienda Healthcare
Kent Norris, HR Recruiter

Hacienda Healthcare is a non-profit organization that has been caring for mentally and physically disabled children and young adults in the Valley for 50 years. According to Kent, it takes a special kind of person do this kind of work, so they are always looking for RNs, LPNs, CNAs and caregivers. New nurses, pay attention: no nursing experience required, only your state license. This is a great way to gain experience. Other positions will be opened, pending board approval of the new budget, after July 1st. Apply here. Connect with Kent on LinkedIn, as he has many connections there and is willing to help you find work, even if it’s not at Hacienda.

Asurion
Tasha Ford, Talent Acquisition Consultant @AsurionCareers

Asurion replaces smartphones and tablets that have been damaged. The employees are considered superheroes who can solve smartphone problems faster than a speeding bullet. The culture is fast-paced and fun, with Marvel comics and video games and machines for everyone to use. To learn more about Asurion’s culture, click here.  They are always looking for Customer Support Technicians who have both IT expertise and are extroverts who can break down IT concepts for non-tech people.  Apply here.

MDI Group
Shannon Volk, Managing Director
Tim Jones, Client Manager @MDIGroup

MDI Group is an IT staffing agency that places candidates in companies of all sizes. In their branch office, they are looking for a Sr. IT Recruiter; for their clients, they are looking for SQL Developers, .net, Dev Ops Engineers, project managers and BI folks. If any of these positions sounds good, please contact Shannon via LinkedIn or click here.

Vanguard
Ralph Kimbrough, Senior Recruiter @VanguardCareers

Vanguard manages $4 trillion in assets, even though they’re a relatively new company. The average crew member stays for 9 years, and they’ve never laid off a single crew member! With a 37.5 hour work week, the ability to reinvent yourself, 4% matching and a 10% contribution to their crew members’ 401Ks, it’s not hard to see why. In addition, they have on-site dry-cleaning, 18-23 days PTO, among other benefits. See the company website for open positions and more information. It’s important to get your foot in the door and move up from there.

Dignity Health
Marcos Day, Recruiter @DignityHealth

Human kindness is what Dignity Health is all about–compassionate high level care that heals both the body and the spirit. Everything they do is in house, so the positions available aren’t just nurses and doctors, but electricians and construction work, among others, as they are building new towers at Chandler Hospital and Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Chandler’s new towers are scheduled to be fully built and staffed by early 2019. Right now, Dignity is looking for a Director of Cardiovascular – Cath lab. To apply online for positions, click here.

Resources

Coder Camps
Jason Jones, Admissions @CoderCamps

Coder Camps is a 3- or 6-month boot camp to learn full stack web development. Many of their students have no prior experience in this industry, which is constantly growing and changing. Because the industry is constantly changing, coders need to constantly update their skills. So once you’ve taken the boot camp, you can come back and update your skills for free. They have upcoming events you can attend to see if coding is right for you, such as Campus Tours on July 11th from 2pm – 7pm and Demo Day on July 7th.

Closing

Jessica graciously thanked all of the day’s speakers, volunteers and job seekers for participating. She encouraged job seekers to take advantage of the many Career Connector services like having your resume reviewed, a free professional portrait and visit all of the hiring companies, whether they had jobs in your field or not. She also encouraged everyone to view the career blog, which is up and running and has a lot of good career advice.

5/15/17 – Overcoming Job Search Anxiety

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Overcoming Job Search AnxietyWritten by Susan Lamphiear

Ever had anxiety over having to change one of your many passwords that have become a part of life in our high tech lives? Ever worry about your kids, your spouse, and your bills?  Ever get nervous when the boss invites you into the office at the end of the day? Ever get anxious when you think you’ve lost data off your computer?  All reminders that anxiety, stress, worry, fear, have become part of our modern day life. So, is it any wonder that a job hunt or job transition provokes anxiety?

But there is hope for managing high anxiety which is often part of that job hunt.

Keynote

“I’ve been on four interviews only to hear nada, crickets, zilch feedback.” Keynote speaker Andy Gray admits he’s “been there.”

“One of the great conundrums of job hunting. You feel  lousy after a bad interview.” Then after a good interview you feel upbeat, even great, and start making plans.

“And then the rejection (or the no-contact) makes you feel lousy. So just in general, you feel lousy all the time.” You feel anxiety.

Andy Gray, who has been on both sides of the interview, is here to remind job searchers that even though anxiety is almost certainly a part of any career search or job transition, if we’ve worked at other careers, other jobs, then we’ve experienced our share of anxiety there, too.

Andy wants to give job searchers hope by offering tips on handling the anxiety and stress inherent in job searches and compares that anxiety to handling anxiety on the job—they’re similar and they are controllable. With over 35 years of experience working in marketing and communications, Andy’s expertise has helped him mentor and guide people seeking career change.

Andy broke into his current career in coaching and mentoring when he helped one of his sons who was just getting out of college to manage his job search. Andy helped his son with the process involved in landing a job.  Based on his own career experiences, and his background in marketing, Andy advises job candidates at all levels to think of themselves as their own product they’re marketing.

Think of your last job and how much time and effort you spent. Apply that same concept in your job search. Be prepared to write down your goals and strategies, not just think about them. There’s power in writing it down. When Andy learned famed Dallas football star Emmett Smith wrote down his goals in football every year, Andy started writing his goals every year, too.

Andy’s Advice to Manage Job Search Anxiety

The entire process of the job hunt strategy — including preparation, practice, positive attitude and respect for the job search —  will help reduce anxiety during the job search.

Preparation

Devote as much time and work as the projects you managed or participated in –projects that went well and that you were proud of. Didn’t these positive outcomes give you confidence?

  • Identify your purpose.
  • Write down your value. Andy wrote, “Senior executive who has directed, centralized and strengthened how customers are acquired and retained.”
  • What is your goal? Andy wrote,  “My goal is to present myself as someone who is accomplished and skilled in the Marketing discipline and as someone who is very experienced in structuring, organizing and demonstrating the value of marketing to companies.”
  • Write your introduction and background.
  • Write down your strategy.
  • Create your personal brand. Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. Personal branding is the ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others about you. You’re being judged every day in your job hunt, so you need to be in A game all the time, just as you would adopt that attitude in any paid job or project.
  • Prepare to talk about tangible experiences, strengths, and areas of improvement you desire (aka “weaknesses”), presenting areas desired for improvement in the best possible light.

Practice

  • Don’t just think about what you’re going to say, practice it, whether it’s online, with your cell phone, with a friend, or in front of a mirror.  Practice 30 and 60 second messages. Prepare for information meetings, not just interviews.
  • Practice dressing the part and practice stance, walk and sitting. Even on the phone, dress up! Videotape yourself.
  • Ask yourself how much work and time did you devote to projects you’ve managed? Replicate that effort in your job hunt.

Maintain Correct Attitude

  • Manage your own expectations
  • “You can’t control the process, but you can influence it.” Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap
  • Make a list of who and what you can influence
  • Use LinkedIn to your advantage
  • Shore up a required skill or learn new skills
  • Volunteer
  • Stay healthy

Respect the job search process

  • Nothing happens easily.  Plus consider the other side of the job hunt—the hiring manager. What you think isn’t necessarily what the other person thinks.
  • Be positive through research. Get to know more that just the company culture before applying. What’s their hiring process and interview questions, who will you be meeting, latest industry and regulatory trends, and the latest company trends and SWOTS (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, four elements of an organization, project, or business venture).
  • Do your homework, adopting the mantra to underestimate and over deliver.
  • Remember your resume will face a lot of competition.
  • 1000 individuals will see a job post.
  • 200 will begin the application process.
  • 100 will complete the application.
  • 75 of those 100 resumes will be screened out by either the TS or a recruiter. Tip: Many ATS systems may not be able to scan and read PDF files.
  • Only 200 seconds to receive the 1st resume after a position is posted, only 17% of recruiters read cover letters, 61% of recruiters reject resumes with typos, and unprofessional email addresses will be rejected 76% of the time.
  • Consider this: Deloitte, a top accounting firm, brags it only hires 3.5% of applicants. And Google gets over 1M applicants per year. During its robust hiring periods, they hire 4000 people 4/10 of 1%.

Remember, in life and in the job hunt, some days don’t go well. It happens. So, move on. But move on confident you know how better to handle anxiety of the hunt.

Hiring Companies

Waste Management

Sam Mobley, Talent Acquisition Advisor & Cesar Retamal, Director of Inside Sales

Waste Management, located at I-17 and Bell, employs 1500 people and boasts 25 million customers. Concerned with sustainability, the company is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America, providing services ranging from collection and disposal to recycling and renewable energy generation. The company maintains a low attrition rate and attracts qualified talent, including their leaders.  They strive to keep their existing customers while continuing to bringing in new business.

Career areas include transitioning military, programs for college grads, experienced professionals, front line operations, and internships. Specific openings include Inside Sales Rep, Account Manager, Collector and Customer Service Rep. Advantages of working at WM include laptop, cellphone, vehicle reimbursement, plus comprehensive health care benefits, 401K and more. To learn more about the company and specific positions available, and to apply, visit their website.

The Hartford

Ted Williams, Sr. Staffing Coordinator and Chet Joshi, Sr. Talent Acquisition Consultant

The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds.  Employing 18000 employees, the Phoenix site employs 500 people who handle personal lines operations, groups benefits operations, auto claims, property claims, workers compensation claims, general liability claims, auto bodily injury claims and commercial claims. Voted the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute for the ninth time, they’re also among the top 100 companies for remote work, at 35%; other awards include diversity innovation, best employer for healthy lifestyles, military ties best for vets and corporation of the year by Latinas & Power Leadership.

Service center job opportunities include customer payment associates, customer service consultants, and customer sales representatives. It’s not a call center but instead a very professional service center where the focus is not on how long you’re on the phone but instead the quality of the service. The company offers fulltime, part time and flex schedules. Benefits include comprehensive healthcare starting on day one, 19 PTO days per year plus 8 company paid holidays, health savings account, tuition reimbursement, wellness initiatives to decrease healthcare premiums, and life insurance. To learn more about The Hartford, visit their website.

NESCO Resource

Kelli Perkins, Area Manager

NESCO Resource, a temporary staffing company since 1956, has gradually grown from IT to service a wide range of industries through a branch network and national recruiting centers, and supports Engineering, IT, Administrative, Industrial, and Accounting & Finance specialties.

Winning a number of awards, its parent company NESCO, is a Fortune 1000 company. Ranked as one of the fastest growing US staffing firms, they have over 90 branch offices including Peoria and Tempe.

Current NESCO Hot Openings including professional, clerical and industrial. If you see an opportunity, call to speak with a recruiter and they will schedule an appointment. Keep your resume updated including volunteering but be prepared to customize. NESCO benefits include the chance to test out the culture of companies, health/welfare benefits and benefits specific to the assignment.

To apply call for an appointment, or visit their website.

State Farm

DeAnne Prigmore, Recruiter

State Farm, a stable insurance company in business for 95 years, has a mission to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. Not just about selling insurance,  the company offers jobs in many areas including immediate and ongoing opportunities of claim associate, CCC sales rep, CCC service rep, State Farm Bank, and Systems/IT. Experience, including legal, is needed in the area of claims, property, total loss and injury.

Benefits of working at the Tempe location include their Marina Heights facility — a two million square feet area, 8000 employees, with retail space including Starbucks, Matt’s Big Breakfast, Mountainside Fitness, Honor Health, Grab-n Go, with more on the way.

Job opportunities include accounting, administrative support, claims and investigation, customer service, facilities management and administrative services, legal, compliance and risk management, human resources, marketing, research and analytics, sales support, technology and sales experience, and underwriting and actuarial.

Feel free to visit the Tempe site which is open to the public. For more information or to apply, visit their website. You may also apply online to open positions, and you may apply using LinkedIn.

Resources

Coder Camps

Jason Jones, Senior Admissions Advisor

Coder Camps prepares individuals to become web developers. Coder Camps has campuses in Scottsdale and Seattle. It’s a fast-growing, understaffed field. They teach  full-stack web development and partner with their students to find work within the field. With training and five years’ experience a coder can earn $100,000.

Coders are so needed that it’s also been impossible to keep up with the need for trainers for these camps. Currently 223,000 coder jobs are available that go unfilled because there are not enough people trained for this field. You need little or no training in coding to attend a boot camp. Currently, there’s also a huge push for women in this technological field so $2000 scholarships are available for women.  A 12-week coder camp completion also means free ongoing training for life.

For more information or to apply, go to their website.

Closing

Executive Director of Career Connectors Jessica Pierce closed the formal part of the meeting. She thanked volunteers and the beautiful facility, Highlands Church, for hosting the event. Attendees were invited to fill out forms to apply for gift cards, available based on income, courtesy of Highlands, for individuals in career transition. Jessica reminded everyone that they are all eligible to take the DISC assessment free through the Career Connectors website. During breakout sessions, all in attendance have a chance to obtain assistance in LinkedIn and resume writing; to have a professional head shot taken; and to speak with hiring company representatives.

Please note: Because of church scheduling, the next Scottsdale event of Career Connectors will be held on the third Thursday of June – June 22, 2017 — rather than the second Thursday. Keynote speaker will be Jean Briese, speaking on the topic of Discover and Unleash Your SuperPower.

For details about times, dates and topics for upcoming events, click here.

Parting Thought:  Check out on You Tube So Much Anxiety by Standup comedian Aparna Nancheria.

 

4/5/17 – Simple Secrets to Stand out in Interviews and Networking

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Simple Ways to Stand OutWritten by: Connie Huber PHR SHRM-CP

As job seekers, many of us know there are job boards that will tell the individual how many other candidates have applied for the same job posting. There are those that will even share with you where your experience falls among your competitors.
In a recent CareerBuilder survey, the results noted nearly 1-in-4 human resources managers said they receive an average of more than 75 resumes for each open position while 42% receive more than 50 resumes. Other findings shared that 38% of human resources managers spend 1-2 minutes reviewing a new application and 17% spend less than 1 minute. 51% of human resources managers use an applicant tracking system to screen and manage their resumes.
Naturally, these statistics reinforce the need for each of us to stand out among our competition.

Keynote

Paul Barton, @PaulBartonABC

Job seekers have heard again and again the need for the candidate to stand out from their competition. We need to be unique, different, and special! Our goal is to convince a prospective employer that we are the perfect match to fill their opening. Paul shared with the group his thoughts on how to stand out in interviews and networking.

HANDSHAKES
• Handshakes are an important gesture for a favorable connection with the person you are meeting.
• Square up with the other individual.
• Extend your hand at a 45-degree angle.
• Take your time and handshake the other person’s hand 3 times.
• Mimic the strength of the other professional’s grasp.

INTRODUCING YOURSELF: YOUR FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
1. THE PRESENT: Most interviews begin with the question, “Tell me about yourself?” You need to respond briefly and share a positive statement describing who you are. This should be limited to one sentence. Be sure to practice your response.
2. THE PAST: Your responses should highlight your accomplishments from your prior experience. Use accomplishments that are relevant to the job you are interviewing for.
3. THE FUTURE (OUTCOME): Stand out by sharing a positive future outcome. An example would be “I am looking forward to getting back to doing what I do best”.

EXCHANGING BUSINESS CARDS
• Receive a card from the other person by looking at the card; commenting on it; and placing it in an area of respect such as your suit pocket or card holder.
• Ask for a business card when you have been talking to another professional. You can break off a conversation politely by asking for a business card.
• When attending a networking event, you are most successful when you are presenting, giving and receiving business cards.

STORYTELLING
• Stories are a powerful way to communicate.
• Prior to the interview establish those stories or accomplishments you want to share at the interview.
• Practice your stories and ask for feedback prior to the interview.

STORYTELLING FORMULA
1. INTRO: Set the stage for success. Practice how you are going to respond to “Tell me about yourself”.
2. PROBLEM/CONFLICT: One common interview question is “Tell me about a time….”. This is your opportunity to share how you resolved a challenge in your past.
3. SOLUTION: Stay interesting and share how you successfully handled a past challenge.
4. OUTCOME: Your results/outcomes need to stand out. Focus your efforts in being results-oriented and positive. The outcome should be a success or learning experience for you. Be sure to try and share a story that relates to the job you are interviewing for.

“It’s your difference that sets you apart not your similarity, stand out!”— Bernard Kelvin Clive

Hiring Companies

AZ Dept. of Administration
Sheri Banner, Recruitment Manager

The Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) was established to support the operation of state government. ADOA provides medical and other health benefits for state employees, processing claims for injured employees, maintaining office buildings, purchasing goods and services, and providing information technology and telecommunication services.

Sheri noted that interested candidates should review job openings at the state of Arizona website. When applying for a specific job be sure your resume contains appropriate verbiage to be successful with ATS.

American Home Shield
Jamie Kurec, Talent Acquisition

American Home Shield and OneGuard are part of the ServiceMaster family. The organization is the founder and leader in home warranties since 1971. It is committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences and service that customers are proud to recommend and to building the best place to work and invest. AHS is growing! Their Phoenix location is increasing form 150 to 400 employees. Janet noted there are a number of reasons to work at American Home Shield including its culture, growth, stability and perks.
Current openings are Customer Service, Dispatch, Authorizer, Consumer Telesales, Real Estate Associates and Appliance Associate. If interested and more information, visit American Home Shield website.

Vanguard
Renee Brown, Senior Recruiter

Vanguard’s rich heritage is powerfully evoked by its logo, the image of a ship.
The company is named for a distinguished 18th-century vessel. Meaning “in the forefront,” the name has proven quite fitting as they have grown to become a leader in serving investors.
From its start in 1975, Vanguard has stood out as a very different kind of investment firm. Vanguard was founded on a simple but revolutionary idea—that a mutual fund company should not have outside owners. Founder John C. Bogle structured Vanguard as a client-owned mutual fund company with no outside owners seeking profits.
Vanguard has 16 locations worldwide with more than 14,000 crew members. The Scottsdale location has 3,000 employees. Positions are entry level to management and include openings such as client relationship specialist, processing associate, retirement plan service representative, and financial advisor and team leader roles. Most jobs require a license. Benefits begin on day 1 and are robust including some unique offerings such as pet insurance, cell phone discounts, car services and dining. Great efforts are taken to assure that employees have a work life balance. To learn more about employment opportunities at Vanguard go to its website.

Resources

AZ@Work, City of Phoenix
Rob Stenson, Supervisor, Business Center

Rob reminded the group of the purpose of Arizona@Work, “to provide resources that link qualified workers to quality employers”. There are a number of Job Centers located around the valley. Those centers offer job search and workforce development; and business services.
Rob highlighted the different skill development packages offered by the City of Phoenix. Those include Seminars available to the public; Level 1 Package-Skills Match the Job Market; and Level 2 Package-Research Pathways to Higher Wages. Seminars include: Arizona Job Connection (AJC), How to Create a Winning Resume, Perfecting Your Interviewing Skills, Mock Interview Lab, Understanding LinkedIn, Leveraging LinkedIn, 21st Century Job Search Seminar, and Job Clubs. The 3-day sessions are focused on ways to jumpstart your job search. Topics discussed are Social Skills, Creating and Implementing a Job Search Plan, Interviewing, and Long Term Career Management. The 3-hour session emphasizes Employability. Rob reminded us of the two sources for potential job opportunities including the AZ Job Connection or Maricopa Career Planning System. If interested in a job with the state of Arizona or City of Phoenix please go to Arizona at Work.
Phoenix Public Library has a number of E-Resources available. With your Phoenix Public Library Card you can attend nearly 500 online classes, adult learning center, video resume, learning languages and career guidance center.

Coder Camps
Jason Jones, Admissions Representative

Coder Camps prepares students for a career in software development with immersive coding bootcamps, online instruction, and career placement support. Graduates are equipped with a practical knowledge of full-stack software development, interview skills and a portfolio demonstrating their abilities. Coder Camps’ accelerated learning programs are offered full-time, part-time, online and classroom. The school is the only code camp to offer graduates lifetime access to all courses, a community of developers, and career services for free.

Closing

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director, 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, April 13, 2017 and features Michael Seaver as speaker for the topic “Developing and Living Your Personal Brand”. For additional information on this event and future events, please visit the website.

2/1/17 – Exposing the Hidden Job Market

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Absolutely Abby KohutWritten by: Connie Huber PHR SHRM-CP

As job seekers, we use many sources to help us to find our new position. The job search is frustrating and disappointing to say the least. Our interest is peaked whenever we learn there is a source that will guide us to success. One source that we hear over and over again but know little about is the “hidden job market”. The “hidden job market” is a very stubborn statistic in the world of job seeking, or more specifically, networking. The “hidden job market” is comprised of 80% of those jobs that are never advertised.

Keynote Speaker

Exposing the Hidden Job Market
Abby Kohut, @Absolutely_Abby

Abby challenged us by asking how we would go about hiring a nanny. For all of us, our children are very dear to our hearts and we take every effort in making sure our children are protected. In filling a position, employers want to find the perfect candidate that will be an asset to their organization.

WHY NOT POST THE POSITION?
There are a number or reasons why employers would not elect to post the position. Those factors include:
• Trust Factor
• Cost of Advertising
• Deluge of Resumes
• Tipping Off the Competition
• Position is Confidential

STEPS FOR FILLING A JOB
In filling a position, there are several steps and considerations in determining how to fill a job.
• Consider present employees-anyone qualified and/or interested.
• Consider past employees.
• Employee recommendations.
• Search Applicant Tracking System, Monster or LinkedIn.
• Post internally.
• Post the job.

A SMORGASBORD OF IDEAS
Abby’s goal was to wet our appetite in ways to discover hidden opportunities.
ALLOW FOR SERENDIPITY

THE NEVER ENDING INTERVIEW
• During your job search, you should tell everyone you meet that you are looking for a job. Be sure to let those individuals know what you do.
• Church, Alumni Groups, the gym, Associations, fraternities, friends, family, co-workers and neighbors are all great resources for you to connect and inform of your job search goals.
• Other contacts that have led to a job offer have been while getting a haircut, washing your car, the exterminator and a neighbor while taking out the trash.

“I AM BETWEEN SUCCESSES!”
When people ask us what we do, we quickly reply, “I am unemployed!” Abby encouraged us to reframe our response to “I am between successes!” Doing so places the job searcher in a more positive light and makes you a more desirable candidate.

SOLVE PROBLEMS FOR COMPANIES WHO DON’T KNOW THAT THEY HAVE THEM.
Abby shared the story of a women who had shopped at a major drugstore chain and never had an employee share with her the company’s savings and rewards program. The customer who was very talented in marketing proceeded to reach out to the company’s CEO and shared her ideas on how to present the program to customers. In return, the customer was flown to the corporate office to personally share her ideas with the CEO. By the end of her visit the company had created a job for her and extended the offer to the woman.

DELIVER A PRESENTATION
Take time and establish how to save money for a company. Determine a value proposition and what you do better than someone else. Put your ideas into a presentation and deliver to one of the following:
• Association/Organization
• Chamber of Commerce
• Alumni Event
• SHRM Event
Your audience can open potential opportunities to you to perform contract or full-time employment.

TAKE/TEACH A CLASS
This activity offers a wealth of networking opportunities. You will meet fellow professionals in your field. The company usually pays for expensive classes. You could very well connect with someone who could give you an invaluable lead or introduction.

INTERESTING HOBBIES
• Beekeeping
• Stamp Collecting
• Ballroom Dancing
• Plane Spotting
• Needlepoint
• Ping Pong
Your hobbies can introduce you to hidden opportunities.

FILL THE TIME GAPS
Employers view employment gaps in a negative light. Seek out ways to make your time productive and offer the possibility of hidden jobs. Some ideas are:
• Take or teach a class.
• Volunteer
• Take care of children or family.
On your resume be sure to note the reason for the time gap.

HIGHLIGHT YOUR INTERESTS
Be sure to highlight your interests on your resume. The person reading your resume may share similar passions or it may peak his/her rationale in meeting you.

USE LINKEDIN EFFECTIVELY TO OPEN DOORS
LinkedIn sends notifications to you informing you of your network’s birthdays, new jobs and work anniversaries. Seize the moment to send a congratulatory note and invite the professional to a cup of coffee. Wait a week after you receive the reminder so your request does not get missed in all the other comments.

HOBNOB WITH THE C-SUITE…..CEO, CFO, COO
The best venues for these connections are the following.
• Paid Seminars/Events
• Conferences
• Church
• Golf Course
• Volunteer
• Buy Stock….Doing so will get you an invitation to the shareholders meeting.
You may get a price reduction in seminars/events and conferences by asking if there is a discount if you are unemployed.

SUGGESTIONS TO CAPTURE RECRUITERS’ ATTENTION
Abby shared some unique ways to get noticed.
• TESTIMONIALS
Ask your friends and co-workers both current and past if they are willing to give a testimonial on how great you are as a professional. Offer free pizza and film their thoughts on you. Place the session on YouTube and attach it to your LinkedIn profile.
You can also film your own video and highlight the top 10 reasons why an employer should hire you.
• FACEBOOK AD
You can place an ad on Facebook to get a potential employer to notice you. The best way to do so is to place the ad directly on the desired employer’s Facebook page. Place ads one at a time.
• BILLBOARD
Buy space on a billboard and feature your skills and desired job. One job seeker had 4 job offers in 4 months.
• GOOGLE AD
You can buy an ad on Google for $6. If interested in learning more, google “The Google Job Experiment” to read more about one job seekers success.
• CHOCOLATE RESUME
Make your resume unique. Yes, there has been a job seeker who made a chocolate resume! For more details google “chocolate resume”.

Best wishes in discovering the hidden job market!

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Michael Jordan

Hiring Companies

Arizona Department of Economic Security
Katherine Arnsbarger, Senior Recruiter

DES works with families, community organizations, advocates and state federal partners to realize its vision that every child, adult and family in the state of Arizona will be safe and economically stable. DES helps Arizonians reach their potential through temporary assistance for those in need, and care for the vulnerable. The agency’s culture is highlighted by teamwork, respect, integrity, accountability and diversity. There are six divisions at DES including Aging and Adult Services, Early Intervention Services, Benefits and Medical Eligibility, Child Support Services, Employment and Rehabilitation Services and Developmental Disabilities. The benefits are robust and focus attention on Career Development. Career fields are many and include Dental Care, Administrative, Graphics and Design, Health Care, Human Resources, Procurement, Security and Safety, and Warehouse. There are currently multiple opportunities and openings. If interested in learning more and applying, go to this website.

Trinity Services Group
Nancy Lee-Stanford, Talent Acquisition/Recruiter Arizona

Trinity Services is the leading food, commissary and technology provider to the corrections industry. The organization serves anywhere from 200-1,000 inmates three times a day. Trinity is currently hiring Food Service Directors, Asst. Food Service Directors, Unit Manager and more. Benefits are many and include training opportunities. New employees become fully vested after 30 days of employment. Employees have the ability to grow and develop professionally. To learn more about Trinity and employment possibilities, visit the career page at Trinity Services Group.

Ashton Tiffany
Tom Carr, HR Director

Ashton Tiffany has been in Phoenix since 1995. The organization is about fun and professional culture, operational excellence, financial strength and outstanding reputation. Ashton Tiffany are risk management consultants and help organizations reduce risk and reduce the cost of it. For the ninth year running, Ashton Tiffany was named one of Phoenix’s “Best Places to Work” by the Phoenix Business Journal. Current opportunities include Senior Accountant, Internal Auditor, Senior Benefits Consultant, Front Desk Receptionist, Property Claims Adjuster, Multi-lines Claims Adjuster and School Bus Driver Trainer. Joining Ashton Tiffany will provide you with numerous benefits and an award winning culture. Desired skills include attitude and aptitude. For more details visit their website.

Vanguard
Renee Brown, Senior Recruiter

Vanguard’s rich heritage is powerfully evoked by its logo, the image of a ship. The company is named for a distinguished 18th-century vessel. Meaning “in the forefront,” the name has proven quite fitting as they have grown to become a leader in serving investors. From its start in 1975, Vanguard has stood out as a very different kind of investment firm. Vanguard was founded on a simple but revolutionary idea—that a mutual fund company should not have outside owners. Founder John C. Bogle structured Vanguard as a client-owned mutual fund company with no outside owners seeking profits. Vanguard has 16 locations worldwide with more than 14,000 crew members. The Scottsdale location has 3,000 employees. Positions are entry level to management and include openings such as client relationship specialist, processing associate, retirement plan service representative, financial advisor and team leader roles. Most jobs require a license. Benefits begin on day 1 and are robust including some unique offerings such as pet insurance, cell phone discounts, car services and dining. Great efforts are taken to ensure that employees have a work life balance. To learn more about employment opportunities at Vanguard go the careers page.

Resources

City of Phoenix
Rob Stenson, Supervisor, Business & Workforce Development Center

Rob reminded the group of the purpose of Arizona@Work, “provide resources that link qualified workers to quality employers”. There are a number of Job Centers located around the valley. Those centers offer job search and workforce development; and business services. Rob highlighted the different skill development packages offered by the City of Phoenix. Those include Seminars available to the public; Level 1 Package-Skills Match the Job Market; and Level 2 Package-Research Pathways to Higher Wages. Seminars include: Arizona Job Connection (AJC), How to Create a Winning Resume, Perfecting Your Interviewing Skills, Mock Interview Lab, Understanding LinkedIn, Leveraging LinkedIn, 21st Century Job Search Seminar, and Job Clubs. The 3-day sessions are focused on ways to jumpstart your job search. Topics discussed are Social Skills, Creating and Implementing a Job Search Plan, Interviewing, and Long Term Career Management. The 3-hour session emphasizes Employability. Rob reminded us of the two sources for potential job opportunities including the AZ Job Connection or Maricopa Career Planning System. Phoenix Public Library has a number of E-Resources available. With your Phoenix Public Library Card you can attend nearly 500 online classes, adult learning center, video resume, learning languages and career guidance center.

Coder Camps
Jason Jones, Admission Representative

Coder Camps prepares students for a career in software development with immersive coding bootcamps, online instruction, and career placement support. Graduates are equipped with a practical knowledge of full-stack software development, interview skills and a portfolio demonstrating their abilities. Coder Camps’ accelerated learning programs are offered full-time, part-time and online. The school is the only code camp to offer graduates lifetime access to all courses, a community of developers, and career services for free.

Closing

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director, 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 9, 2017 and features Andy Ridley as speaker for the topic “How to Work a Job Fair” For additional information on this event and future events, please visit the event page.

1/12/17 – Rise Strong from Adversity

by

internalGPS Paula ShoupWritten by Chris Layfield

Keynote

Paula Shoup, Coach, Facilitator, Consultant

Paula Shoup believes we can all rise stronger from adversity.  The most resilient people in the room are able to reckon with adverse situations through raw story-telling including all the negative emotions.  They control the critical voice inside their head, and they get curious about what they can learn and understand about themselves and others in the situation.  They continue to make stories out of this reckoning process, and they seek out empathetic listeners.  Resilient people own their history of vulnerability, and it becomes a sign of courage and strength.

How can you start down this road?  When you have a “Fall” (an “oh shucks” moment), write down your story in raw form with all the negative emotion – don’t hold back from blame, judgment, anxiety, perfectionism, humiliation, nostalgia, guilt, etc.  Create some space for creative reflection on the story by practicing slow breathing and keeping the critical voice inside your head in check for a while.  Ask yourself what you can learn and understand about three parts of the story: the situation, the others in the situation, and yourself.

Watch out for traps that can get you stuck:

  • Shame is a sure way to get stuck – instead of focusing on how you feel about your identity, focus your stories on how you feel about your behaviors in a given situation – you can change those
  • Negative emotions are the most powerful and long-lasting emotions – you need to notice sources of positive emotions in a 3:1 ratio to the negative ones to achieve balance
  • Imagining you don’t deserve to feel struggle because others have it worse than you stops the processing in its tracks – compassion and empathy are infinite, and you can find others willing to listen
  • Don’t fall into the trap of thinking the inner critical voice inside your head is you – it is trying to protect you, but it is not you.  Give it a name, notice the scripts it likes to repeat, and keep it in check, so you can process creatively

Hiring Companies

Allstate

Traci Whitley-Rose, Recruiter

Allstate has a regional office in Tempe with sales and marketing, product, corporate relations, claims, and IT professional opportunities.  The company is looking for a variety of backgrounds; Traci says telling your whole story, both inside and outside work, helps recruiters tailor opportunities to you.  Given the company’s national reach, there are also numerous flex/telecommuting opportunities.

Search jobs on Allstate’s career website.

Allstate is also looking to grant exclusive agencies to candidates with at least $100K in start-up capital, a track record of success, and an entrepreneurial drive.  Each policy an agent writes generates residual income, and there are no fees since this is not a franchise.  In addition to a wide product offering and national branding, Allstate provides a ton of local support including  training and consulting for your agency’s sales and marketing, product management, and corporate relations.  Even if you are not interested yourself, if you refer Traci someone who opens a business, Allstate will pay you a $10K referral bonus.

Varsity Tutors

Joanna Szewczyk, Regional Sales Director

Varsity Tutors just opened a location in Old Town Scottsdale (Camelback and Goldwater) on September 9.  They are a young company with lots of funding, strong technology, fast career growth, and a great vision of online delivery for test prep books, subject-specific apps, and a tutoring interface.  The culture is results-oriented with fun, and they are primarily hiring for sales, customer care, and training roles.

Check them out online.

Tech Finders / HR Finders

Kirsty Bach, Vice President

Staffing firms can create an advantage for candidates by getting to know them, presenting opportunities tailored specifically to their profile, and providing them behind-the-scenes, candid context that they may not hear through formal channels.

Tech Finders / HR Finders has been matching talent to roles since 1998.  They are currently seeking roles across multiple disciplines:

  • Tech: Database and Systems Administrators, Backend Principal Engineer, Java Developers, ERP Implementation Specialist, VP Sales and Marketing
  • HR: Healthcare Recruiter, HR Manager, HR Generalist, Recruiter
  • Finance: Sr. Accountant, Tax Supervisor, AP Specialist, Tax Compliance Specialist, Garnishment Specialist, Assistant Controller

Kristy also encouraged the group to consider contract roles as a stepping stone to permanent opportunities – contract roles open a lot of doors.

Get acquainted at www.aztechfinders.com.

Cenlar

Rebekah Long, Recruiter

Cenlar is a mortgage and loan-servicing provider with 2 Arizona Locations, both in Tempe (one at Warner and Kyrene and another at S. Hardy Drive).  Open roles include an HR Generalist as well as agents and supervisors in customer care and collections.  The company offers a full benefits package and encourages community involvement.

More information can be found at www.cenlar.com/careers.

Resources

Coder Camps

Tom Fisher 

Coder Camps is a 12-week coding skills program to transition people into an industry that currently has a 2% unemployment rate.  Learners can choose a full-time immersive course or a nights and weekends track; both have online and on-site options.  If you aren’t sure you are ready to commit to the full course, start with “Coding From Scratch” for a $100 application fee; it gives learners a basic overview of HTML, Java, CSS and more.

Visit them at codercamps.com

Closing

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors, announced that the Career Connectors plan for 2017 is in place.  Career Connectors events can be a great next step for your to meet people, to get advice, and to connect with hope.

Veterans are invited to the Military Career Event on February 22 10am-1pm at North Phoenix Baptist  Church Conference Center in Phoenix, AZ.  This free networking and hiring event is open to all military- active, retired and reservists- as well as their spouses and significant others.

Additionally, Career Connectors is always looking for volunteers with photography, writing, and/or A/V skills.