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Education Management Corporation

12/13/16 – How to Find a Great New Job in Half the Time

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Dave ShermanWritten by Marty Allison

Opening

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors

Jessica opened the event and let people know that due to accidents and delays on the freeways there would be more people attending the event who were running late.  She talked about an email that she received from someone who attended Career Connectors on Wednesday and based on a referral at that event, they are now employed!  Jessica also explained that the 2017 calendar of events has updated and in January there will be a presentation by a representative from LinkedIn Corporate.   Today’s keynote presentation will be recorded on Facebook Live on the Career Connectors Facebook page.  She noted that Dave Sherman does not sugar-coat things, because he has seen what works.

Keynote Speaker

Dave Sherman, Sales Trainer and Speaker

Dave went through his personal job history and joked that over the past four years he went from never being laid off or fired to having both of them happen to him.  While those experiences both stink, the situation does change.  Everyone who is in career transition will find a new job.  It is up to you WHEN that happens.  How badly do you want to be hired?  Crediting his mother for this advice, Dave noted that it is important to get out of your comfort zone.   He provided tips to help connect you with your next job at a faster rate.

Tip 1: GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE.

This promotes socialization.  Go to another location that has wifi and work from there.  This could be a coffee shop, bakery, library or anywhere that has internet that you can use for your career transition needs.  This routine “stops the voices” by getting you in a different environment.

Tip 2: HANG OUT WITH EMPLOYED PEOPLE.

While Career Connectors is an important resource, in order to get a job you want to go to places where people have jobs.  Maintain contact with people who are working.  Dave works at Mobile Mini and his company is hiring.  He loves his job and noted his willingness to help others who were seeking employment.

Tip 3: ATTEND MORE NETWORKING EVENTS.

The five weeks after Thanksgiving are the best time of the year for networking since there are social gatherings around the holidays.  Asking people about their holidays naturally opens up conversation.  Remember that even if you are not currently working, you still have a lot to offer.  Dave suggested attending two networking groups per week, with a breakfast meeting being a good way to start off your day.  Chambers of Commerce, Professional Associations, Business Groups and Networking Groups are all places that you can go for networking.  While in career transition, it is important to know what you are looking for.  Know not just job titles, but know three companies that you want to work for.

Tip 4: STOP LOOKING FOR A JOB.

Your focus while attending events should not be on finding a job, but on being likable to others.  Find some commonality with others instead of just telling them your resume and background.  Be genuine and be likable.  Be interested, not interesting.

Tip 5: WHO DO YOU KNOW?

The words “Who do you know” are the most important words.  Most people do want to help you as long as you don’t make it too difficult for them.  You need to more specifically know what you want so that other people are better equipped to help you reach that goal.  Networking is only effective if you know what you want.  Ask everyone!  Most people have been impacted by career transition, and if you know what you want… people are willing to help you.

Because he hopes that these tips get you to your employment goal, Dave closed out his presentation to an audience in career transition by saying “I hope I never see any of you ever again!”

Event Sponsor

Coder Camps, Jason Jones

Coder Camps is a sponsoring organization for Career Connectors.  Jason talked about the difference between Career Connectors and a typical job fair, commenting that job fairs don’t care for you the same as what he sees at Career Connectors.  Jason explained that web developers either stay relevant or job hunt.  98% of them work full time with only 2% experiencing unemployment.  Coder Camps help people stay relevant.  Once you complete your initial class, future classes are free.  Because coders typically need to look for new jobs every 2-3 years, Coder Camps has job placement assistance.  In January, classes in Java will roll out.

Hiring Companies

Arizona Office Technologies

Octavio Duarte, Corporate Recruiter

Arizona Office Technologies is a local company that has been in business for about 30 years.  They are a Xerox company with a goal of optimizing other businesses.  They seek ways to increase efficiency and save costs, so it is important to understand the company culture of their clients.  Octavio described that AOT values giving back to this local community, which includes involvement in community programs such as Christmas Angels and Toys for Tots.  Benefits include that a President’s Club (for all employees, not just sales) will have a trip to Mexico in April.   They seek energetic individuals for business to business sales roles.  In addition to current openings, Octavio anticipates that there will be an upcoming position for a Sale Trainer.

Education Management Corp

Mark Pierce, Manager of Talent Acquisition

Mark let the audience know about his work history and how that impacted his wife Jessica and their family.  When previously without employment, Mark was resistant to taking a certain open job position based on his prior income history.  Given changes in the economy, seeing benefit to earning an income instead of no income, and possibly sleeping on the couch until employed… (that last one disputed by wife Jessica as never being a genuine threat), he decided to accept that position and the choice to do so helped him position himself for his current role.  Mark spoke about Education Management Corp (EDMC) having an online presence with the Art Institutes, Argosy, and South University.  He recruits for other positions primarily at Argosy, but offered to be a resource if the recruiter that needs to view your resume is assigned to those online campus positions.  Benefits of employment include 1 day off which can be used to help a non-profit organization.  Mark noted excellent education benefits and is personally using the tuition benefit to obtain a Master’s degree in Counseling.

Charles Schwab

Salma McHorney, Sourcing Advisor

Investors have historically had barriers of: High Costs, Lack of Choice, and Lack of Transparency.  “Own your Tomorrow” is tied to the culture at Charles Schwab as they seek to close the gap between the power of investing and their clients.  The company is based in San Francisco, but has several operating centers.  Phoenix is the largest employee base for those operating centers.  Salma discussed that types of employment are typically either “Client Facing” or “Support Role” positions.  Most of the hot jobs in the Phoenix area are looking for candidates who have 1-2 years of financial or customer service experience.

Resources

Canyon State Institute

Laura Eckles, Academic Advisor

As an Academic Advisor, Laura talks to people about their career paths and about ways to get on a fast track to their next career.  Laura discussed the WIOA grant, which is funding for training.  She noted other funding sources, such as TAA for individuals who had a job that was relocated overseas.  Canyon State Institute offers classes on a schedule of day, evening and online sessions.

Closing

Jessica Pierce closed the event with some announcements.  For those interested in the WIOA grant, there were three schools on site at the event which accept that funding.  The Facebook Live recording of today’s presentation by Dave Sherman is posted on the Career Connectors Facebook page.  There are additional resources on the Career Connectors website, including the Career Blog section where 15 career experts post different career advice 1-2 times per week.  The DISC assessment is a free resource too.  Jessica thanked those who volunteer for Career Connectors and noted that there were over 85 volunteers contributing this year.  Having an updated LinkedIn page will be important for anyone attending the January 18, 2017 session in Phoenix where a representative from LinkedIn corporate will be presenting.  That presentation will be more beneficial if you already have an established LinkedIn page.  Your successful career transition is in prayer!

10/27/15–The Work Before the Work

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Written by Kevin Spear, MBA: @kevinhspear

Jessica Pierce opened the session and introduced Pamela Heward. She said that the great thing about Pam is that  she will help you connect a little differently. Pamela is the owner and founder of BoxFree Minds. She has assisted thousands in finding new careers. She has received great joy in helping others find their way through careers.

Keynote

Pamela Heward
@BoxFreeMinds
The Work Before the Work: Box Free Breakthrough for a New Career and Mind

Pamela began her recruiting career in the 1980s. After interviewing thousands of job seekers, she realized there were several mental blocks that kept individuals from realizing their work goals. She concluded many job seekers forgot what they were passionate about.

Pamela asked, “What is unique about you that wouldn’t be on your resume?” Or to put it another way, “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”

What is the “Work Before the Work?”

Pam challenged us to do the work before the work: preparation! The first step to preparation is to consider what makes you unique.

  • What excites you?
  • What are you passionate about?

Pamela warned us about using online sources to find what is unique about us. The problem with using the Internet for this is it doesn’t help you figure your passion. It just makes us feel like we don’t measure up to an ideal persona. Pamela reminded us about the voluminous job search articles that make us feel hopeless because all the tasks and exercises don’t work. The secret is they don’t work if you haven’t already figured out your passion!

Mindshift #1: Let go of your assumptions

Too often, we believe we already know the outcome of an event and give up before we start. Pam asked us what if some of the assumptions we make weren’t the whole truth? There are so many assumptions or old wives tales that we accept as truth:

  • If you drop a coin from the top of the Empire State building, would it kill someone? (Rest easy! No.)
  • Can you really see the Great Wall from outer space? (not according to NASA)
  • Do dogs only sweat from their tongues? (No)

Let go of all of these assumptions! Do you have any of these?

  • Assumption 1: The most qualified person always gets the job.
  • Assumption #2: The best job search results come from recruiters, websites and job boards.
  • Assumption #3: You should search for a job based on just your skills, not your passion.
  • Assumption #4: In order to achieve your goals you have to make lots of big changes in your life.
What’s your White Banana Story?

Pam told us when she was in elementary school, her teachers were concerned she didn’t know her colors because she said bananas were white. They called in her mom. She explained to the administrators Pam loved bananas and that she observed the fruit of the banana is white when you peel it. Pam was making a correct observation, though it wasn’t the conventional answer.

  • What you interpret may be totally legitimate even though others don’t see it your way.
  • It’s how you frame it. Do you call yourself weird or unique?
  • How do you like to spend your time when no one pays you or no one pays attention to you?

The key is finding out how to do what you love and make money at it. Asking this kind of question will help you tremendously when you have job interviews. Pam reminded us companies hire people, not resumes!

Letting go of your assumptions is the first of eight mindsets Pam says we must change in order to change our career paths and lives. She is holding a workshop that covers all the eight mindshifts that will allow you to free your mind and get your career going again. The workshop is in Phoenix November 7, 2015.

For more information, you can visit her website at Box Free Minds.

Hiring Companies

Manpower
Jo Bryant, Recruiter
@ManpowerGroup

Jo works in the Chandler office and has helped over 1,000 people get back to work. Manpower connects people with the integrity of work. They specialize in all divisions of the workforce. Today, Manpower is keeping up with the technology of job search. Manpower has been named one of the most ethical companies in 2012 and 2014. In 2015, Fortune Magazine named them most admired company in the staffing industry.

Manpower began 66 years ago and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They have four different brands.

  • Manpower Group: Parent Company
  • Manpower: Staffing
  • Experis: Professional
  • Right Management

Manpower offers several benefits including

  • Insurance
  • Paid Holidays
  • Short Term Disability
  • 401K

There are several positions open right now, including seasonal work.

Go to manpowerjobs.com to create an account and attach your resume.

PS: You can attach multiple resumes to your account!

 Specialized Loan Servicing LLC, Gail Cunningham, Recruiter

“Talent is like a jewel, waiting for an opportunity to shine.”

Gail began as a contract employee then hired permanently at SLS six months ago. She noticed it is a growing company and is hiring from within and outside the company.

They are a third party mortgage servicing company. The company expanded to Tempe in 2012. In three months, the Tempe has grown 180 positions.

Some of the services they offer are:

  • Special Servicing
  • Real Estate Owned Asset Management and Disposition
  • Debt Recovery

Open Positions:

  • Part-time Customer Service in Call Center
    • flexible scheduling
  • Full-time Customer Service
  • Management: Customer Service
  • Collections
  • Escrow
  • Learning and development Positions

They offer:

  • 5-week Long Paid Training
  • On-site Training

State Farm
David Freedline, Recruiter
@StateFarm

State Farm is one of Career Connectors’ sponsors.

David just started with State Farm after being on active duty in the military. Even though he just started, his wife has served in State Farm for seventeen years and loved it.

State Farm’s mission is to help people manage risks, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams. This is also true on the employee side. State Farm is a place you can move to other jobs within the organization. Lots of career opportunities. Go to StateFarm.com and find all the jobs in the Phoenix area.

Many of the jobs are virtual, so you can look beyond the local area.

Benefits include:

  • Tuition assistance
  • Fully funded pension after five years for full and part time jobs.

Immediate openings:

  • Customer Service
  • Claim Associates
  • Interpretation representatives in several languages
  • Customer Care
  • IT Opportunities
  • Creative Services
  • Graphic Designer

They have operations in five locations in the valley, including the new campus in Tempe.

Dave gave us two tips:

  • They don’t use screening software to nix applicants! So it is important a resume you submit to them is tailored to a human eye.
  • For their careers site, If you copy and paste your resume within the application, you will go further than most.

Education Management Corp
Mark Pierce, Manager of Talent Acquisition

Before he began, Mark had us all gather to take a massive selfie photo. Don’t you wish you were with us?

Mark has experienced layoffs and career transitions like us. He gave this advice:

  • Get your top 20 companies list
  • Get connected at Career Connectors
  • Add people on LinkedIn.
    • That said, your job search will be less effective if it is just behind a computer
  • Just dressing up and going Career Connectors is half the battle

Education Management Corporation (EDMC) is the parent company of four education institutions:

  • The Art Institutes
  • Argosy University
  • Brown Mackie College
  • South University
  • Western State College of Law

They’re located in Phoenix as well as Pittsburgh.

Their focus is education that builds careers and transforms the lives of those who teach, learn, and work here. They are big on internal growth development and employee development.

Great benefits include:

  • Free Education
  • 12 Paid Holidays, 16 PTO days
  • Community Service: Good works committee
  • Employee Assistance Program

Some current job openings:

  • Admissions Representative
  • Academic Counselor
  • Admissions Manager

They are hiring across the country, including Hawaii!

Resources

Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants
Rodger Brubacher,Director of Continuing Education @DWWTC

DWWTC is a professional certification school. They include disciplines such as:

  • Cybersecurity Programs and Certifications
  • Information Technology
  • Professional Development Programs and Certifications
  • Project Management (PMP)

Roger announced the Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategist certification is now approved for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Grants (WIOA).

Their Phoenix location is in Tempe.

Some of their benefits include:

  • They have instructor led as well as online training
  • Low instructor to student ratio
  • Over 95% of their students pass their certification exams on the first sitting.

 Closing

Jessica Pierce closed the session with the reminder Career Connectors has volunteer Opportunities. We are looking for:

  • Audio/Visual Support
  • Bloggers
  • LinkedIn Coaches
  • Photographers
  • Writers

For more information, you can go here.

LinkedIn Workshop

Ted Robison is hosting/teaching this event Wednesday, November 18, 1’00-5:00 PM at the City of Phoenix Business Services Center. There is an early bird rate of $39 until November 1. Then the price is $49.

You can register at Eventbrite or Career Connectors.

Next Career Connectors Events:

November and December dates are different.  Due to the Holidays, the Gilbert events will be in the second week of November and December.

The next Career Connectors event is Wednesday, November 4 at North Phoenix Baptist Church. Kindra Hall will be speaking on the power of strategic storytelling.

You will find more information on upcoming dates here.

1-27-2015 The Optimist’s Advantage

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Written by Debbie Webber

Keynote

If you were anywhere in the East Valley on January 27, you might have noticed a positive change in your life outlook. You can thank Career Connectors speaker Kirk Wilkinson for this uplift. Mr. Wilkinson is a ‎strategic alliance manager, professional speaker, author, coach and world-renowned expert in personal development and leadership.  He spoke to us about The Optimist’s Advantage.

Kirk started by asking us to congratulate ourselves for coming and told us that one of the best things we can do to grow our career prospects is to work on our attitude. Specifically, we can gain a competitive advantage with an optimistic attitude. Optimism will help you handle your job search and excel in interviews.

So—how do you become more optimistic? Kirk reminded us all about the book Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  In the story, people absolutely loved Willie Wonka chocolate. One day, in order to find a successor, Willie placed golden tickets in five chocolate bars. These golden tickets would open the door to a factory tour and more for the recipients. People in the story became so crazy to get a golden ticket that they began ripping open packages of chocolate bars simply to find a ticket, and tossing the chocolate aside. The wonderful chocolate had lost its savor to them because they became so desperate to find a ticket and so upset when they did not find one. Life can lose its savor during a job search. Everything becomes harder.

But just how much of our optimism and happiness can we “control?” Kirk showed research that indicates only 10% of our happiness is due to our circumstances. Our genetics, background and programming (experiences) account for 50% of our happiness. The remaining 40% is reliant entirely upon what we can control and change. So if we focus on the 40% we CAN change and begin to handle life differently.

Kirk gave us five ways to restore and increase our optimism and happiness, even when we don’t have the golden ticket.

1. Learn to Give Yourself More Credit

Imagine that the pieces that make up your inner happiness are shaped like a pyramid. Self-confidence is at the very top of the pyramid. Self-esteem is the middle piece of the pyramid; this is what you get from what you do. The foundation of the pyramid (and so the most important) is your self-worth. This is who you are. Note that what you do is NOT who you are! Separating self-esteem from self-worth is a step toward more optimism. Most of us don’t like to boast about ourselves. We’ve all seen someone who comes across as arrogant, and our fear of being seen this way causes us to retreat. And when we retreat we fall too far to the other end of the continuum and don’t appreciate our own strengths.  We begin to see ourselves as inadequate.

When you lose a job, you may wonder if what you do isn’t good enough. You feel incompetent. But always remember that just because you feel incompetent, YOU ARE NOT INADEQUATE. We all make mistakes. It’s okay to feel incompetent but DO NOT let those feelings make you feel inadequate. Who you are and how you feel about yourself are most important to your self-worth. Don’t let a someone else’s judgment about what you do spoil your optimism about yourself.

2.  Change Your Inner Vocabulary – or – Don’t Believe Everything You Think!

One of the exercises Kirk asks his clients to do is name four positive adjectives about themselves. This can be a difficult exercise for many people. Once they’ve come up with four positive adjectives, he then asks for 100 more. The vocabulary you use in your mind about yourself is very important. Learn new words to describe yourself in your head. Learn to argue with yourself when you use a negative adjective. Next time you put yourself down, think the words “That’s not true” and follow up with your list of your positive adjectives. When you begin to control your thoughts about yourself in this way, you will develop a new inner language.

And while you’re changing your inner language about yourself, change it about other people too. Stop judging both yourself and others. You’ll set yourself up for greater optimism and happiness.

3. No “F” Word

Strike the “f” word “failure” from your vocabulary. Popcorn magnate Orville Redenbacher tried over 10,000 times to get exactly the right recipe for his popcorn. When asked about all these “failures,” he responded that he had never failed, he just learned what not to do. Like Orville, you NEVER fail; you simply learn what not to do. You may make mistakes or go the wrong direction, but you never fail. Changing your mindset about this changes you. Your outlook becomes more positive and optimistic.

4.  “Everything Happens for a Reason…”

When people make this comment it is most likely because they’re making conversation about something that is unexplainable. They have nothing else to say. But guess what? From now on YOU get to choose the reason. Choose a reason that is personal, significant and meaningful. Own it! Owning the reason why something happens changes a trial to a blessing. When things are unexplainable we tend to blame ourselves. But when there’s a reason you have the control to change it.

5.  Put Yourself in the Best Light

This is the external version of Number 2 (Changing Your Inner Vocabulary). Take things that have happened to you and put them in the best light possible. Kirk used a great example of a past client who was uncomfortable meeting new people because of his job. He sprayed weeds at power plants around the Valley. Kirk worked with him to define what he ACTUALLY did. It’s vitally important that all fire hazards are kept away from power generation plants. This man didn’t just kill weeds; he was a Fire Safety Engineer for SRP.

Don’t minimize what you do. Don’t lie, but it’s okay to embellish. On paper you may be unemployed, but when asked you can tell an interviewer that you are a much better candidate now because you….volunteered, took classes, built a network…Whatever it was, put it in a good light. This opens the door for a potential employer to see the real you and hire you for who you are as well as what you know.

Take the negative experiences you’ve had and put them in the best light possible. Thinking about them differently will change how you feel about the issue and yourself. And when you feel more optimistic, you’ll change how others see you too.

Take all five of these steps and make this the best time of your life. Take action. Do just one thing today that will increase your optimism and happiness. Optimism gives you an advantage both in life and your job search.

(Coming soon–check out Kirk’s free Happiness Factor app (with free videos, audios and eBooks). Text “happiness” to 878787.)

Hiring Companies

American Traffic Solutions

Alicia Bowen, HR Generalist

American Traffic Solutions is the largest photo enforcement provider in North America. ATS red light safety cameras save an estimated 13 lives each month, and red light cameras lowered fatalities by 24%. The ATS culture is a fast based, cohesive teamwork environment, based on five core values of accountability, excellence, integrity, respect and teamwork. Positions are open at various levels in accounting, IT, software development and field services. Contact Alicia here  and apply online here.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Connie Johnson, Recruiting Specialist

Norwegian Cruise Line has a 47-year history of breaking cruising boundaries, and has now introduced Freestyle Cruising which gives guests more freedom and flexibility. Their fleet consists of 13 ships, with 2 more coming online this year. The Mesa operations provide inbound customer service and passenger services. The company offers generous benefits, and is currently hiring for customer service representatives and personal vacation planners. You may contact Connie here with questions. You must set up a profile to apply for current positions on the website here.

U.S. Census Bureau

Lani Kessler and Margie Watkins, Recruiters

The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring hundreds in Maricopa County for the 2015 Census Test. The Bureau will be testing new procedures and methods in 2015 to significantly improve the upcoming Census 2020. The jobs include field survey technicians, census office managers, clerks, crew leaders and enumerators. The Census Bureau is hiring full time and part time for various shifts. All positions come with competitive pay. Applicants must first complete a 29-question test and will be placed in positions beginning in March. You must call the Denver office at 1-877-474-5226 to schedule an appointment. The tests are conducted in Central Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler and Wickenburg.

Education Management Corporation

Mark Pierce, Manager of Talent Acquisition

EDMC is composed of The Art Institute, Argosy University, Western State College of Law (as part of Argosy), Brown Mackie College and South University. Student success is the strongest value at EDMC and the culture of education and success extends to the employees as well. Mark noted open online positions include Administration Reps, Academic Counselors and Finance Counselors. Open positions(out of state) at Argosy Ground include Director of Admissions, Dental Hygiene Instructor and Dean, Graduate School of Business and Management. You may contact Mark with questions, and apply here.

Next Event

Phoenix/Wednesday, February 4 /Activate Your Job Search, Kevin Dumcum

Hiring Companies include Applied Business Communications, Goodwill of Central Arizona and Education Management Corp.

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.

12/9/14 – 3 Steps to Effectively Brand Yourself in Job Seach

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Written by Debbie Webber

Sandi Ashton greeted those of us at the Gilbert Career Connectors event. She asked all of us to stand up and introduce ourselves to a person we did not know—and in homage to the holiday—asked us to relate our best holiday memory to that person. That set off a dull roar and when we finally quieted down, Sandi told us about one of her favorite Career Connectors holiday memory. In December 2009 both her and her husband were unemployed and had come to a Career Connectors event. Another attendee  connected her husband to an individual that landed his next positon. Don’t ever give up—Sandi and her husband found hope here.

Keynote

Dayna Mathews is a career coach that helps people through the job search process, but more importantly, helps people find out what they want. She’s also a self-proclaimed “Linked-In Junkie” and came today to present Branding in the Job Search.

Personal branding is what sets you apart, what makes you unique, it’s your essence. As it relates to job search, it defines what you bring to a company and why they need you. Sounds great, but how do you nail down your personal brand and then communicate it? Dayan defined a three step process to help us.

First, Build Your Foundation—Assess Yourself

What do I have to offer?

What do I want to be known for?

What do I want to be known as?

Choose three words.

Dayna “warned” us this would be a reflective process, and her first request proved this. She asked all of us to choose six adjectives that described who we were and what we’re good at. After we had a few minutes of reflection to write down our six adjectives, she then asked us pick the top three from our list.  Specifically, what do we want people to remember about us–what we are “known for” or “known as.”

These three adjectives will change as your life goes on, you’re always going to be building and re-building your foundation. If you struggle with defining these adjectives about yourself, reach out to five people who know you well and ask them for three words they would use to describe you. This is a helpful process even if you’re confident of your three adjectives.

Second, Design Your Strategy – What Is Your Goal?

Start with your resume.

Go where your audience is online.

Be intentional.

So just what do you want? What is your goal? Dayna says this is the hardest question to answer. To prove her point, she asked those of us in the room to raise our hand if we had a well-defined goal. Only two people responded that they knew what they wanted and had defined it in their goals.

You can’t get to what you want if you haven’t defined it. Don’t just use what you’ve already done in your past: figure out what you want from your future. This can be scary if a new thing is what you really want and it’s nothing like what you’ve always done. There are various assessments available to help you figure out your goals. The DISC Assessment is a good one to start with and is offered for free by Career Connectors. Other assessments include Gallup’s StrengthsFinder and Myers Briggs.

While in job search, your audience consists of recruiters, human resources professionals at the companies you’re interested in AND leaders in your field on LinkedIn.

And what’s important to them? Certainly your experience and education. But more than that, your audience is interested in who you are BEYOND those resume categories. What is your personality behind all your experiences? Who you are, what you do and why you do it is important. This is your brand. These personality characteristics should come to the forefront of your online presence through keywords. The keywords you choose to logically pepper throughout your LinkedIn title and summary define your brand and help others connect with you. The three words you defined in the first step should also be included in your keywords.

Next, figure out where others in your industry are hanging out. Dayna noted that over 50% of recruiters use Twitter to advertise positions they are trying to fill. So you should be there too. Tweet about your industry, what problems you see and your recommended solutions. Follow the recruiters and leaders in your industry on Twitter and LinkedIn. Google+ and Instagram are becoming more popular to job search every day, so you should investigate these platforms also.

Third, Create Brand Visibility and Get Yourself Online

Engage, engage, engage.

Network, network, network.

Blog, share updates, join discussions.

Consistency is key.

Now that you’ve defined your brand and your profile you need to engage with people online. You must be active. Work to be memorable and consistent in your messages.

Your goal in this step is to keep yourself top of mind with your audience. When a recruiter is looking for someone in your industry, you should pop up in the search.

NOTE: It can be overwhelming to consistently track and update your online presence, so choose the top two platforms that makes the most sense for you. (Hint—LinkedIn should definitely be one of them!)

Stay intentional as you update and participate with your audiences. Stay true to your personality. It’s all about what you’ve done and what you’re up to now. Get comfortable with self-promotion—it is the current realty of job search.

Make a decision about who you are. Define your brand and put it out there. Practice how you promote yourself online and be consistent. Create visibility by participating in group discussions and blogs. Get discovered and make yourself memorable.

Your next position will come from somebody you’ll already know. This happens faster when you put yourself out there with intention and clarity.

 Hiring Companies

State Farm 

DeAnne Prigmore, Recruiter

State Farm is the #1 auto and homeowner insurer in the U.S., and is growing like crazy  here in the Phoenix area. DeAnne recruits for the operations side of the company, not the agent side that we’re all more familiar with. Current positions range from entry-level to intermediate and other opportunities such as banking, marketing and PR. Specific job titles include Claims Associates, Sales Representative, Tech Analyst and Data Specialist. Apply here.

HotFoot Recruiters 

Roy Palomo , Recruiting Director – Owner

HotFoot Recruiters opened in 2009, focusing the Manufacturing, Engineering and IT industries. They now serve a wider variety of industries, filling positions from senior and C-level position to production associates and call-center representatives. Roy mentioned they are currently recruiting for a large number of social marketing positions. Other openings include machinist, jr., accountant, construction project manager and aerospace engineer. Hotfoot specializes in finding the perfect fit, and spends time supporting candidates and potential candidates in their job search. Apply here.

Education Management Corporation 

Ryanne Dean, Manager of Talent Acquisition

EMC is composed of The Art Institute, Argosy University, Western State College of Law (as part of Argosy), Brown Mackie College and South University. Student success is the strongest value at EMC and the culture of education and success extends to the employees as well. Ruanne noted open online positions include Administration Reps and  Academic Counselors. Open positions(out of state) at Argosy Ground include Admissions Reps, Director of Clinical Training, Asst. VP of Academic Affairs and Full Time Faculty members. Apply here.

Next Event

Wednesday, January 7, 2015, Phoenix: The Bounce Back, Sherri Thomas