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Express Employment

7/15/21: DISC: Understand the Value You Bring

July 26, 2021 by Sheila

Written by Gary Matsuda

You may have a hunch about your strengths and weaknesses but if you ask friends and relatives to give you their honest evaluation, you might get something along the lines of, ‘I love you just the way you are’. Nor are you likely to get feedback if you didn’t get the job offer other than you “weren’t a good fit”. So how can you get a true assessment of your value and areas of improvement? It seems no one else knows you like you do.
Except for DISC. This 21 question test taken in just a few minutes with about 80% accuracy, can provide an appraisal of what you bring to (or take away from) others. Good to know before you apply for jobs and prepare for interviews!

DISC Understanding Your Value


KEYNOTE


As a career planning application, DISC measures behaviors that are descriptive and observable, rather than your ‘why’ or what motivates you. The DISC profile report can be quite overwhelming at first, so Career Connectors brought in leadership expert, Marleen Lundy, Senior Partner, Magna Leadership Solutions. She breaks down how DISC can enhance what you know about yourself, what situations to avoid, and how to improve your professional image and connections. Not only will you know yourself better, but it will help identify others DISC profiles so you’ll know how to speak their language. What a way to create better relationships, build your network more easily, and get what you want!
D.I.S.C. stands for 4 personality styles:

  • Dominance: How you handle problems, are you driven, ambitious, strong willed.
  • Influence: How you handle people by being, enthusiastic, warm, persuasive.
  • Steadiness: How you handle pace, do you think fast, act fast. Are you loyal, relaxed, patient.
  • Compliance: How you handle procedures/ constraints, do you follow rules. Are you detail oriented, conventional, exacting.

The DISC profile report will summarize the general characteristics of your work style into:

  • Major talents.
  • How you deal with problems/challenges.
  • Your communication style.

Value to the Organization
DISC identifies what talents or behaviors you bring to the job, so you’ll want everyone to see this on your cover letter or resume! This section will specifically describe what you offer and how you could fit into an organization. Some statements in these results can actually be copied into your resume or cover letter. Easy!

Ideal Environment
No matter how strong your talents are, they’ll be of little use in the wrong place. DISC will also indicate the Ideal Environment that fits your work style. Here’s where you should consider if the work culture will be favorable or unfavorable to your behavioral preferences. During a phone screen or interview, the type of work environment that’s described could give you clues if the organization suits you. If there seem to be too many limitations on your naturally in-born behaviors, it could mean the job or the culture are not right for you.
Also, the results identify specific duties that you enjoy and those that cause frustration. Inquiring about job responsibilities can be the basis for questions that you can ask during an interview. Of course, we all need have to have flexibility and adapt to different people and situations, but at least you have warning if an organization is too far out of your comfort zone.

Keys to Motivating (you)

This describes how your productivity is driven by external wants. Generally, these motivators are short term, once they are met, they are no longer motivators. But there could be several wants that motivate you (For instance, wanting to be the best at what you do, checking off your to-do list).
Keys to Managing
Shows how you prefer to be managed so that you perform at an optimal level. These needs are more permanent within you and should exist in the way you are managed, or the working relationship will be strained. This information about you can be used to create your development plan so that your manager knows how to bring out the best in you.

Areas of Improvement
It’s easy for others to notice where we fall short, but the trick is finding someone who can tell us objectively and still be friends. Your DISC profile will objectively point out your possible limitations and what behaviors could hinder your performance. Don’t be surprised if this section shows a long list of possible shortcomings, everyone needs to improve. Break it down so that you’ll work on just one or two at a time. This is where you can get the most out of DISC since a concrete plan can be developed and put into action to reduce this barrier to performance.

Communication Tips
Also included in your DISC report are tips on how you can relate better to other DISC profiles which is especially useful during a phone screen or interview. It will specifically tell you what to say so that someone with a different profile will understand you. So, if you want to mirror the other person’s actions while you are on a call or interview, this is great to have as a reference guide.

But check this out: see if you can identify DISC profiles in TV show and movie characters. Films and shows will try and include every personality type in their show so that you can relate to (and be hooked) to their programming. This can be a quick and easy exercise to help you develop observation skills to read other people profiles without knowing their DISC test results.

Identify others by Body language
Communication is 78% body language and inflection. Therefore, to make it easier to build relationships, you should make it easier for others to read you too. That is if they can see you, so be sure to turn your camera on for virtual meetings (unless there’s good reason you want to remain hidden).

Here’s what to look for when attempting to identify someone’s profile:

Dominance

  • Voice: Does their speaking sound strong, clear, confident, fast-paced, forceful.
  • Volume: Turned up to 11!
  • Body Language: Direct eye contact, points finger, leans towards you.

Influence

  • Voice: Animated, friendly, rambles, explains, casual.
  • Volume: Fairly loud.
  • Body Language: Smiles a lot, uses expressive gestures.

Steadiness

  • Voice: Low voice tone, warm detail-oriented, methodical.
  • Volume: Soft volume.
  • Body Language: Small hand gestures, relaxed, non-emotional.

Compliance

  • Voice: Monotone, precise, deliberate.
  • Volume: Quiet.
  • Body Language: Very few hand gestures, minimal but direct eye contact, controlled and composed.

Identify Others Communication Types
These communication style indicators can be clues to determining someone else’s likely DISC profile. Not only will these sharpen your listening and observation skills, but if you can match how the other person prefers how to be communicated with, the other person may become more relaxed with you and you will be more liked.

Dominance

  • Jumps right into conversation without saying hello or using a common greeting.
  • Brief, forceful and gone.
  • Puts entire message in email subject line.

Influence

  • Entertains when talking.
  • Holds long conversations.
  • Emails are log and overuses exclamation points, underlines, and emoticons.

Steadiness

  • Asks “How are you?” and sincerely wants to know.
  • Projects genuine warmth.
  • Patient and good listener.
  • Writes to stay on touch.

Compliance

  • Prefers formal names (Pay attention how they pronounce their name and nail it.).
  • Emails are sent to clarify or explain.
  • Uses attachments as supporting data.

There is a wealth of useful information in the DISC report to help your resume and cover letter be a stand-out, how to communicate and present yourself during professional interviews and improve other personal interactions. And you can get it FREE with Career Connectors!
For more insight on how you can use your DISC profile and more of Marleen’s career services (Career Connectors get a %15 discount) contact: Marleen Lundy for more information.

HIRING COMPANIES


Arizona Department of Economic Security
Nancy Stanford, Recruiting Manager

Everyone needs genuine help now and then and if you’re sympathetic and want to make direct impact on your neighbors who need a temporary boost, consider the opportunities with AZ DES!
There are meaningful opportunities that will make you rethink that working for the government isn’t purposeful and these include:

  • Adult Protective Services Investigator
  • Direct Care worker
  • Case manager
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Financial Analyst
  • HR Generalist
  • Mainframe programmer
  • Legal assistant
  • Administrative Law Judges
  • And many more! Postings change daily
  • Get hired and you’ll be eligible for the Arizona State benefits that are rarely matched in the private sector.

Apply thorough AZ State Job Board: www.azstatejobs.gov

Express Employment Professionals
Daria Orozco, Owner

You wouldn’t think of a staffing company as a career choice, but here you are.
Express Employment Pros gives you a personalized approach to job seeking and provides:

  • Training, skills assessment
  • Career choice (over 200 positions open in many industries)
  • Time to evaluate position
  • Benefits to cover you while you are temping
  • Market you to their client companies
  • Wage negotiations, resume and interview advice

Although this is a staffing company, it has various employment options. You don’t have to stay employed with Express Pros forever, but you can if you want to.

Internally they are hiring for:

  • Outside Sales/Business Developer
  • Front Office Coordinator
  • Employment Specialist
  • Professional Recruiter
  • Franchise Manager

Express valley-wide is hiring for over 200 positions, including:

  • Accounting Analyst
  • Procurement Specialist
  • Scheduler
  • Customer Service
  • Bilingual HR Assistant
  • Bilingual Cashier

WealthWave
Jason Wiseman, Sr. Marketing Director

If you aren’t sure about returning as a corporate employee with a steady paycheck, here’s an opportunity to exploit your strengths through your own business or side gig. At the same time if you are hesitant about going all in towards being an entrepreneur, this organization is flexible enough so they can help you transition into something part time.

Their mission is to educate on financial matters so people are prevented from making easy avoidable financial mistakes, through their program, ‘How Money Works’. If you want to help those who are frustrated with investments, consider this business opportunity. You can jump in with both feet or dip your toes in first and start part time.

Speak to:
Jason Wiseman, Sr. Marketing Director
480.861.6111
Jason.Wiseman@wealthwave.com
https://wealthwave.com/jasonwiseman
https://howmoneyworks.com/jasonwiseman

Filed Under: Event Recaps Tagged With: WealthWave, AZ DES, Express Employment, DISC

9/7/16 – Get LinkedIn or Get Left Out

September 13, 2016 by Sheila

Get LinkedIn or Get Left OutWritten by: Connie Huber PHR SHRM-CP

DO YOU LOVE LINKEDIN?

If you are not a LinkedIn advocate, perhaps the recent article, “9 Reasons to Love LinkedIn” by William Arruda will convince you why you should love LinkedIn. ROI research recently conducted a study where 95% of the respondents said LinkedIn is the most important social network account.
According to Arruda, there are 9 reasons why you should love LinkedIn.
1. It’s big. LinkedIn is the largest professional network of over 400+ global members.
2. It shows up first. Your LinkedIn profile is likely to show up at the top of Google search results.
3. It helps you stay in touch. LinkedIn allows you to easily keep in touch with former colleagues and friends.
4. It provides Google Juice. Your LinkedIn links & directs people to your website and others that are important to you.
5. It’s comprehensive. LinkedIn is a one-stop resource for managing all your contacts.
6. It lets others speak for you. Personal branding is essential in sharing what a great professional you are. LinkedIn lets you validate your brand through other professionals’ endorsements and recommendations.
7. It’s always available. LinkedIn’s new version is mobile and available 24/7.
8. It’s exclusively focused on business. LinkedIn is a proven entity for those professionals focused on their career.
9. It helps you keep the saw sharp. LinkedIn provides access to luminaries and their latest thinking. A number of groups and their conversations will increase your knowledge. You also can find mentors, staff and find people to coach and mentor outside your company and even outside your industry.

Keynote

“Get LinkedIn or Get Left Out”

Ted Robison

Did you know your resume is your obituary? When Ted first made the comment I was taken back. But when you think about it for a moment your resume truly is a review of your past accomplishments and professional roles. LinkedIn gives a more current summary of who you are as a professional, your interests and branding.

LINKEDIN FUNDAMENTALS

 Why should you be on LinkedIn?
• Connectivity, raising your brand & visibility
• To be found!
 Networking tool for professionals
• 450+ million subscribers
 Power of Networking-Approximately 87% of jobseekers find their new job through networking.
• Engage with people. “Connections are good but relationships are gold”.
 How many connections should I have? Most people have 70 or less. The more connections you have the better off you are in finding a job. Strive to have more than 500.
• Who should be in your network? It should be someone you know including prior employment, family or friends.
 Based on 3 degrees of separation. Your goal is to get your resume to the hiring manager.

WHY SHOULD I BE ON LINKEDIN?
 Find jobs, people, groups & associations, target companies
 Most recruiters & hiring managers use LinkedIn exclusively
 Create your own unique URL like www.linkedin.com/in/tedrobison
 Have a good profile. Privacy, do not use your home address or phone number on LinkedIn or resume. Keep in mind you will be searched by others.

PERSONAL BRAND & IMAGE PROMOTION IN YOUR PROFILE
 Keywords & SEO-How do people find me?
 Picture- It is mandatory to have a current professional photo.
 Headline: Job Title Plus-Tag line. Headline/Tag line should avoid saying unemployed. Say such things as “open to new opportunities” or “innovating wellness into people’s lives.”
 Summary: Style is most important. S.E.E.S. includes skills both hard and soft; experience; expertise & style. Do not include a resume.
• Style -> Value Proposition -> Differentiation.
 Skills & Experience: Endorsements, try to get 8 altogether. Include 2 bosses, 2 peers, 2 customers, & 2 subordinates.

GROUPS & ASSOCIATIONS
 How many groups & associations should I have? 30-50
 3 reasons to join a Group or Association.
• Target Market-Personal Interests-Professional Association
 How can groups help me raise my brand & image?
• Participate in discussions, demonstrate & promote yourself as a subject expert.
 Build your own group.
• Used for “job title” keyword.
• Raise your visibility.

HIDDEN JOB MARKET – TARGET COMPANIES
 Hidden Job Market – 80%
 Create a Target Company List (30-50)
 Build Relationships at Target Companies.
 Follow Target Companies.
 Phoenix Business Journal – Book of Lists

PREPARING FOR INTERVIEWS
 Research Interviewers – Helps you connect.
• Know their hobbies, jobs, groups & interests.
 Research Company
• Product, Services, Competitors.
• Perform Informational Interviews.
(How do I fit, culture, core values?)
 Know your Value Propositions.
• Give reasons to hire you vs. just experience & skills.

FINAL COMMENTS
 If someone says you’re overqualified, Absolutely Abby encourages you to say “I am absolutely qualified” & then share why you are qualified.
 According to a recent LinkedIn Survey, the top three things a recruiter looks for in a candidate are motivation, execution ability & cultural fit.
 Ted encourages you to view Ted Trembath’s LinkedIn profile for an outstanding LinkedIn profile.

“What really matters in the networked age? Relationships. Relationships help you find opportunities, resources, make decisions more effectively, and manage a long-term investment and a lifetime career.”-Reid Hoffman, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, LinkedIn

HIRING COMPANIES

Cox Communications
Amanda Jane Borowski, Talent Acquisition Manager
Sandi Elliot, Regional Sales Manager

Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company and is the third largest cable provider in the nation. With more than 6 million total residential and commercial customer relationships, over 22,000 employees and a firm commitment to education, the Cox team is widely regarded industry leader. Cox has earned multiple distinctions in customer satisfaction, diversity practices and company strategy.
Cox benefits become available as of day 1 and are very robust including the offering of a pension program. Cox Communications’ success is built on its dedication to a set of core values. Examples of typical positions include Account Executives, Senior Sales Engineer, Retail Sales Associate, Customer Service Representative, and Sales Manager. Cox has an employee population of 3400 employees in Phoenix.
If interested in opportunities with Cox go to the website. Select External Candidates and review postings to discover desired job. Be sure your resume reflects the job you are seeking and review openings on a frequent basis!

Maricopa County
Loretta Price, HR Staffing Consultant

Maricopa County’s mission is to provide regional leadership and fiscally responsible, necessary public services so that residents can enjoy living in a healthy and safe community. Maricopa was established on February 17, 1871 and has an employee population of 13,000. If interested in Maricopa County, begin by searching open positions at Jobs.maricopa.gov.
There is a mandatory requirement to complete an application to move forward in expressing your interest. In addition, you will need to meet the minimum qualifications of the job to be considered and establish an account before completing an application.

Enterprise Holdings
Casey Miller, Talent Acquisition Manager

Enterprise was founded in 1957, operates in 80+ countries, 90,000 employees and growing, and revenues of over $19 billion. Some of the reasons you may want to consider a job with Enterprise include promotion from within, performance-based promotions and pay, on-going training, unlimited opportunity, full benefits and values focused.
Available positions are Management Training Program, Car Sales Account Executive, Account Fleet Executives, Staff Accountant, Customer Service and Sales. Enterprise has multiple openings including 100 immediate part time drivers. If interested, apply online.
Express Employment
Daria Buss, Owner

Express Employment has openings for administrative, commercial and professional job opportunities and works with the top companies in our community to help you find the perfect fit. You become eligible for medical benefits on your first day of employment. Benefits also include dental, vision, short-term disability, life insurance and holiday & vacation pay. Employees are offered flexibility in employment with part-time, full-time or contract work. In addition, training & development is a key perk working at Express.
Express is locally owned & operated; and is the largest privately held staffing company. Current openings: Accounting Assistant, Customer Account Advisor, Dispatcher, Scheduler, and Bilingual Office Assistant. Express also has some exciting internal opportunities including Outside Sales/Business Developer, Bilingual Front Office Coordinator and Part-time Contract Recruiter. Interested applicants should visit the website.

Resources

City of Phoenix
Waleed Alani, Employment Specialist

Waleed shared with the group the latest unemployment statistics and noted there is currently a healthy job market. At the moment, there are approximately 71, 179 available jobs in the Phoenix area. Indications note fall 2016 will continue to offer a robust number of employment opportunities. Openings include retail, hotel management, project management and nurses. Some of the top skills being requested are bilingual, quality assurance, IT networking, quality control and IT networking project management. A sampling of hiring employers include Banner Health, Honor Health, CVS Health, Dignity Health, Pizza Hut, United Healthcare, Bank of America, Well Fargo and Oracle. Waleed shared there are a lot of small businesses in the Scottsdale area. For more details go to Mag Mapping or ims.azmag.gov to see a full list of employers hiring.
Waleed 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. For more details on the Skills Development Packages, reach out to Waleed at waleed.alani@phoenix.gov.
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.

Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants
Rodger Brubacher, Director of Continuing Education

Dynamic Worldwide will prepare you with an edge in this competitive job market. DWWTC offers programs and certificates in professional development, cyber security programs, advanced cyber security programs and information technology. DWWTC was awarded the 2015 Juniper Platinum Education Partner of the Year for its award winning instruction. The facilities are state of the art and maintain a low student to instructor ratio. Instruction is available on multiple platforms. DWWTC is licensed by the State Board for Private Postsecondary Education; certified through Arizona@Work; and approved for Grant Programs. For more information, please visit the website.

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, September 15, 2016 and features Brenda Cunningham as speaker for the topic “Crush the Pink Slip: Get Back to Work in 60 Days”. For additional information on this event and future events, please visit the event page.

Filed Under: Event Recaps Tagged With: Cox Communications, Maricopa County, Enterprise Holdings, Express Employment, DWWTC, LinkedIn, Ted Robison

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A good friend told me of her success using Career Connectors networking.  She landed an interview and later, a job in her field, after attending one networking event.  So, when it was my turn, I had to check it out. I was starting to get the blues about being unemployed but the speaker lifted me out of the dumps and put my life back in perspective. So many people were there to help and offer support!   Just by networking that day, I was given a job lead that has led to two interviews and a… Read more
Mary B.
I took advantage of Career Connectors when I found myself unexpectedly out of work and back in AZ.  The ease in using their website to locate meetings and identify subject matter at their weekly meetings kept me informed and engaged.  Their meetings are interesting and provide relevant and useful information toward getting into the right job.  They say that a network event is what you make of it … with Career Connectors they create the events and provide the resources you need to land your next … Read more
Jennifer V.
Good news. I have landed. Thank you for your support throughout my job search journey. You and your organization has lots to offer besides the positive energy, uplifting of self confidence and immense networking opportunities. I am very appreciative of the efforts and time put forward by you and your team.
Kirtida A.
Career Connectors made the pivotal difference in my search for employment after a layoff lasting a full year. Their dedication to providing a consistent, local and no-cost program and venue to search, network and learn, ultimately provided not only an excellent fit in a new job, but also the ability to regain dignity and the ability to achieve financial independence once again. I am forever grateful to all of the volunteers that produced a program so vitally important to our family
Anonymous
Career Connectors offered me a one-stop-shopping capability for all of the coaching, resources and connections I needed to perfect my job searching skills.  The package of services, and support I found while attending these workshops over the past 7 months was unique to, and more productive than any other networking venues I attended. I am thrilled to share that I’ve landed with B/E Aerospace in Tucson.  I recommend to all Job Seekers to find out what works for you, and exploit it for best r… Read more
Aidan F.
I just wanted to reach out to you and say Thank you to you, Career Connectors and the whole Team! So let me explain why, while I’ve known of Career Connectors for many years, I never thought that I would need employment services or guidance before. On September 19th 2019 I found myself being let go from my job. I later the next day saw the Career Connectors event at Central Christian Church Gilbert Campus coming up on Facebook and signed up for it. While attending my first Career Connectors even… Read more
Brian P.
Thank you for all you do! I’ve been nine loooong months looking for a full-time position and Career Connectors was a real life-line. I was pretty discouraged by the time I found your organization on-line and first visited. The speaker provided some great information but most importantly, encouragement and hope. The panel discussion on resumes was incredibly helpful! Last month I had the opportunity to sit with Brenda and she suggested I really pare back all but the last 10 years of experience an… Read more
Robin C.
I’ve attended a few of your events in Gilbert and Scottsdale since returning to AZ and being an active job seeker. I’m happy to report that I’ve been offered a job! I’m over the moon about the offer and couldn’t be more grateful after a long, three month search (that definitely felt much longer…. 🙂 ). I want to thank you for your programs. You have excellent speakers who always energized me when I was needing it most. And your resume reviewer was great. She was a tough cookie with a red pen y… Read more
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It was amazing, you guys did a great job! I found several potential companies!
Irene
I just wanted to let you know that there’s a reason why I haven’t come to any recent Career Connectors events. It’s because I found a job! This past week, I started working as a data scientist for a technology startup in the financial services space that’s based in downtown Phoenix. It’s an ideal opportunity for me to break into the data science industry with an exciting company. I wanted to thank you and your staff for putting together all of your fantastic networking events and bringing … Read more
Chris M.
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