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12/2/21 – LinkedIn Navigation = Career Success!

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What is the problem with my job search? Why is it so hard? Why are so many people making moves and I’m still not getting interviews or a new role?

Take Control of Your Job Search and Create Opportunities

Trevor on the cover of Forbes

Written by Julia Churan

Trevor Houston, host of Who Ya Know – Job Networking Show, was the keynote speaker for this event sharing techniques for job seekers to get noticed, create opportunities & take control of the financial impact of job loss. Trevor’s podcasts can be downloaded from Apple, Pandora, Spotify and other popular streaming sites. His approach was most recently featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine

Trevor cites that job searches today have been de-humanized!

No longer are the days of walking into a business and handing a real person a resume or saying “Hi – I’d like to apply for a job.” Job searches today are all about “click to apply,” applicant tracking “black holes,” phone interviews, recruiter ghostings, and searches for “purple squirrels.”

The result is fewer interviews for qualified candidates. The current process leads to an average of one interview per month. Experts say a job seeker should be prepared for the search to take one month for every $10K in salary expected. Therefore a person looking to make $100,000 will be searching for 10 months with only 10 interviews. Not only is this overwhelming, it is totally discouraging.

Getting Control Back

Trevor’s techniques are all about taking back control, increasing your activity, and getting noticed so you decrease search time. The goal is to go viral within a company but you may have to reach outside of your comfort zone to get there.

Don’t – send short text messages via LinkedIn Inmail! You are not unique to the recruiters that may be getting a hundred or more a day.

Do – make your LinkedIn activity personal. Check out the recruiter’s activity – are they active, do they post? Try an approach that has an 87% response rate — post a personalized “video comment” to their post by using some of his favorite tools.

Tools to Stand Out

Trevor holding speech bubble

Small Whiteboard – pick one of these up at a discount store or online retailer. Put your hiring target’s name or a nice message on it and post this in your message or as a post comment.

Video Messaging App – currently there is only one tool that is recognized by LinkedIn with integration – BombBomb. Trevor recommends exploring this in one of the many YouTube videos or instructional videos on their website before starting your 14 day trial. Practice creating small 30 sec or less personalized “raw” clips to test with your “accountability partner.” Think of these as video voice mail. “Thank you so much for your post on XYZ. I’d love to have a conversation about this. Here is a connection request and a link to my calendar. Let’s connect.”

Evergreen Videos – Small videos that aren’t personalized but congratulate an individual on a promotion, a new job, a work anniversary. You can use these over and over with your connections. These evergreens clips will also help get you noticed by connections of your network and help build an audience.

Embedded “Call to Actions” (CTA) – Respect the recipient’s time and avoid the hassle of going back and forth to set up a meeting. Use is a simple calendaring tool like Calendly to make setting up a virtual coffee meeting or real-life lunch as easy as the click of a button. You can sign up for a free version which should provide enough features for basic job seeker use and integrate with the most common calendaring systems like Outlook and Gmail

Auto Text Expander – this is a basic Google Chrome Extension that allows you to save snippets of text that you can include in your video link, calendar link, or other messaging to save time in posting responses or evergreen messages.

Email Signature – BombBomb has a feature that allows you to make an interactive email signature including your photo, contact info, link to schedule a meeting or phone call, or reply with a video. This will really take your emails to the next level of professionalism.

Trojan Horse – This means making a video message rather than just an email expressing your interest, clarifying any points from your meeting and calling for next steps. This is like the namesake virus, the “trojan horse” because after the recipient opens the email, they will be so wow’d by your unique form of communication, they will forward it to others who also spoke with you, other team members and on up the organization line. You’ll become internally famous for standing out.

Hiring Companies

Freedom Financial Network

Laurel Pendle was representing the Freedom Financial hiring team. She is newer to the FFN team but shared enthusiasm about her experiences with the culture and opportunities within the organization. FFN is a leader in the debt consolidation industry and has been named “Best Companies to Work For in AZ” for 10 years in a row. This San Mateo-based company now has 2600 employees and growing with offices in California and Tempe, AZ. Many of their employees are now remote or hybrid.

Diversity & Inclusion are important to their culture with employee resource groups, webinars, mentoring and development programs to support their growing staff. As Laurel shared, FFN Walks the Walk. They are currently hiring for approximately 85 roles in Tech, Marketing, Customer Services, and Sales. See the full list of postings at FFNJobs.com

They encourage seekers to connect with their recruiting professionals on LinkedIn:

Ian Ingersoll: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-ingersoll-b89871b4/
Maya Blake: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-blake-a21a2316a/
Melissa Whitlatch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissawhitlatch/
Rama Parandekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rama-p-53242b2/
Loretta O’Donnell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loretta-o-donnell-b401b41a/
Kevin Morris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-morris-43555a4b/
Lily Brezler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-brezler/

BCBSAZ

Due to technical difficulties, they were not able to join the event, but have many openings throughout the organization at https://jobs.azblue.com. Be sure to also follow them on LinkedIn.

Resources

Jessica Pierce, Founder, and CEO of Career Connectors, closed out the event by encouraging everyone to expand their networks by connecting with other attendees, speakers and former co-workers via LinkedIn.

Many thanks to the speakers, staff, and volunteers who make these events possible. Also, thanks to all who supported the organization through generous donations on Giving Day and throughout the year.

Be sure to take advantage of the many services available to job seekers through the website and various sponsors. Check out opportunities for assessments, coaches, professional photos, and future events on the Career Connector’s website. Also, be sure to read past blogs and highlights of other HR experts.

Upcoming Events:

Our resident networking expert, Jessica Pierce, will finish off the year’s events with a virtual experience Tuesday, December 14th about “Land Your Perfect Job in 2022.” Hiring companies will include Sun Health, Freedom Financial Network, and The Entrepreneur’s Source. Get registered and continue to follow us for information about future career events both virtually and in-person. Stay tuned!

11/4/21 – Diversity Talks

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Diversity Talks November 2021

Written by Miles Tucker

BestCompaniesAZ and Career Connectors’ semi-annual Diversity Talks prompted many important conversations this fall. Eleven of the top ranked businesses with offices in Arizona met virtually to share how their organizations prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion for all their employees. Representatives shared the programs their companies have in place to welcome workers from all backgrounds, and attendees even had the chance to discuss job opportunities with these employers.

Panel 1

Laura McLeod, Head of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) at Axon
Rama Parandekar, Talent Program Management at Freedom Financial Network
Desmond Jackson, Team Manager of Managed Services at Workiva

Why is DEI important to Your Company?

Parandekar: We have diversity across the board in all divisions. Diversity is important to Freedom because of what we do and we believe all people help us build solutions for everyday Americans. We can’t do that unless we have the representation of people across all levels of society and all groups of community. Our customers tend to be everyday Americans, and when they call in a talk to someone like them, it really helps them connect. Inclusion is another important part of the climate because bringing diversity alone is not much. It is important to create an environment of inclusion and only then is it a safe environment that brings forward innovative ideas and leadership from this diverse talent. We have many ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) to help promote inclusion, promote community growth, spread the word, and create the leadership not only within our talent but to help these ERGs represent their communities.

McLeod: As the Head of JEDI at Axon this is something I eat, sleep, breathe every day. At Axon we really believe that in order to protect life and accelerate justice and realize our mission and our goals that starts with centering on not only diversity, equity and inclusion but also justice in everything we do. From our products and how we make them to the workplace culture we cultivate. Everyone at Axon, no matter the level or the role, has a responsibility and accountability and is a member of the JEDI team to build both an inclusive and equitable workforce and also an equitable, inclusive and just world. We’re really looking at empowering our employees to build for racial equity, diversity and inclusion through our behaviors, our systems, and our products. We actually added this as one of our strategic goals after all of the events that happened in 2020. We also look at ensuring that all of our employees have equal access to opportunity and success. We want to make sure we are building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve. Lastly, we look at fostering a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive and innovate from a standpoint of our Affinity Groups, which we believe are a core pathway for us to engage our employees in this work. Every employee is a member of the JEDI team and is responsible and held accountable for the work that they do in driving this work forward. We identify members and welcome allies to help lift their voices up and to be a business resource at the end of the day.

Jackson: What we understand is that in order to attract talent and grow our client base we must continue to look for ways to be as diverse and inclusive as possible while providing a sense of belonging as much as possible to people that want to join our company. What we realize is that it’s an everybody effort in order to make sure that we are extremely diverse. We have racial equality statements and solidarity statements which we use to drive some of the information that we put out.

Why are Employee Resource Groups Important to Your Company?

McLeod: We see our Affinity Resource Groups as core pathways for engaging our employees in our JEDI work. All of our affinity groups are based off of and centered around underserved communities and historically marginalized communities. By both discussing the needs that these communities have and crafting solutions both internally and externally these groups foster professional development for their members. We want to make sure our ERGs are also engaging and retaining our employees from a belonging perspective. When we think about professional development, that goes straight back to equity and how we make sure that we are creating equitable experiences for our employees of different identities and from underserved communities. ERGs ensure that they are able to get professional development tailored to their needs as well as have a space to ask the questions that they have to be able to center the needs they have in professional development. Currently we have six affinity groups and we’re going to have seven next year. Axon Allies for the LGBTQ + community, Axon Mosaic which is focused on the Black and African American community, Veterans at Axon, Women at Axon, Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, and Hola for Hispanic and Latin Americans.

Jackson: We’re fortunate enough to have seven ERGs within Workiva, and ours are centered a little bit differently. We have a group for veterans as well as for remote employees. ERGs for us create a sense of inclusion and belonging. It builds into the core values of the organization and helps to get new employees engaged in one of the seven ERGs if not more than one. Connected Nomads is for our work from home employees and is one of our most popular. Another popular one is our Women in Tech Group which is represented by lots of folks from our engineering team and research and development overall. We also have an Ethnic Diversity in Tech Group, Women in Sales, LGBTQ+ Community and Veterans in Tech.

Parandekar: ERGs within Freedom are very new. They came in a time when everyone has started working remotely. It was perfect timing for them to come together, be with folks like them, and build a community which definitely helps with mental and physical health. We have five ERGs: Freedom Heroes for veterans, Freedom Riders for African Americans, Freedom Unidos for Latinx/Hispanic and Freedom Pride for LGBTQ+ members. We start ERGs to create a safe environment for people who have a passion for their community to share common beliefs and interests. At the same time ERGs cross between different departments that come together which helps with getting exposure and visibility.

Panel 2

Michelle Menneke, Director of Talent Acquisition at Desert Financial Credit Union
Taeshima White, Site Lead at Robinhood
DaJuan Lucas, Diversity Recruiting Strategy Manager at Vanguard

What is the Importance of DEI at Your Company?

Lucas: Like many other companies represented here today, when we think of DE&I it’s a journey. The best way to illustrate the journey that we’ve been on as an organization is really looking at it from a talent attraction standpoint. I am a part of a team of eight that specifically helps Vanguard increase representation of under-represented talent and we identify that as Black, Latinx, and Indigenous. We do that in technology, investment management, sales and other domains that are important to our business now and in the future. We also do this by partnering with HBCUs, Hispanic serving institutions, and corporate partners to broaden our exposure and awareness in these communities. Vanguard is looking to be a mutual partner with these organizations to alleviate inequity gaps.

Menneke: Our DEI program promotes the sharing of diverse perspectives which leads to more opportunity. It drives our culture of performance and it increases our ability to foster more financial inclusion in our community. We intentionally foster a diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility driven culture where employees with complementary strengths and working styles can come together to collaborate and drive business results together. We check in on our employees through surveys, events, round tables and ERGs as well.

White: A balanced talent pipeline is a huge part of our strategy. Partnering with hispanic serving institutions or historically black colleges and universities is a big piece of it. Women’s universities and looking into the right boot camps also helps get the right people into the right seats to be contributors to our culture. 54% of the overall university recruiting we do comes from these places to make sure we are getting the right talent in the right places. We want to make sure that we are bringing people in that find a sense of belonging, that we are furthering our mission in those communities, and that we are supporting the great work of our agents.

What do Career Pathways Look Like at Your Company?

White: We try to tailor the experience for each individual, the skillsets they bring to the table, and their ultimate career goals. Within each business line there are some pathways that are identified. I happen to belong to the customer experience family so if you’re not licensed you have an opportunity to come in, get your entry-level FINRA licenses sponsored and get paid time to do it. You’ll then be able to graduate and work in a licensed role and explore where you want to go from there. We make sure that you have the right resources to grow within our family and then once you are growing, we make sure that you have promotion opportunities and that you have a sense of belonging here. A big piece of that is the 10 ERGs that we have. Some of that will come from your manager and you’ll also find that in mentorships with someone that you find in an ERG. One mentorship program that we recently launched is within our Women in Tech ERG that makes sure that women who are coming in have an opportunity to throughout their experience here.

Menneke: We have traditional career paths that are intentional in developing and preparing for the next steps in careers for our employees. For example, a teller is groomed to learn and grow their skills in the accounts area so they can quickly develop and become an account representative. However this year, we are developing robust capabilities models so that there’s more focus on internal mobility across different lines of business.

Lucas: The vast majority of our crew members come in by our retail phone roles. This is a role where you will come in and we will pay for you to get your licenses. Many employees come in this way, but we have a very rotational culture. When they start, we pride ourselves on having leaders that are constantly asking you about your development. Asking where you would like to go, what you would like to do, and getting you in position to do that. What’s beautiful in that is sometimes you might come in on the phones talking directly to clients and a year later find that you are in HR, or maybe IT, or even deep on the investment side as a trader or portfolio implementation analyst. A lot of that comes from what you are asking and what you are requiring of your leader in terms of your development. People are always moving, shifting and trying new things. One of the things we pride ourselves on as an organization is allowing people to come in, find their niche or passion, and go from there. We do also have traditional tracks. We want everyone to find their place in our mission of serving our clients.

4/8/21 – Networking vs Sales is there a difference?

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Submitted by: Keron Bowen, CPCC

Dave Sherman

Networking vs Sales is there a difference? If you are like most job seekers or maybe not, getting out and networking can be overwhelming or feel a bit uncomfortable. Who do you talk to? How much do you share? Where do you go to meet the “right” people? It can also feel a bit “salesy” if you are not prepared to communicate what it is that you want for a prospective new career. For example communicating the type of work and role, industry, and even identifying potential key employers can make the difference between a successful interaction or not. Then there is the issue of how do you ask for what you want without it seeming like you are pushing for the “sale”? Let’s start by taking a look to Merriam Webster for guidance in defining the difference between networking and sales. Merriam defines networking as: the interaction with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one’s own career. That seems perfect in what we are attempting to do. Merriam defines Sales as: an exchange of a commodity for money; the action of selling something.

During Dave Sherman’s keynote session he goes into more detail about how networking does not have to be “salesy”; he points out some similarities, and highlights the difference that makes networking effective and productive.

Dave Sherman was one of the first presenters at Career Connectors when the organization was just getting started. He is an entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, coach, and author of 3 bestselling books on networking and sales. He is known as the “Networking Guy” and guru. Dave is high energy, exudes positivity, and inspires with his wit and authenticity “keeping it real” as he shares personal and professional experiences and his own journey when he found himself in career transitions. His talk exudes a sense of urgency and gives clear reasons and encouragement to get up and keep going. Dave shares that his favorite place is Career Connectors and helping people in career transition. He loves Diet Mountain Dew, good red wine, and cigars.

Today Dave joins us to share his tips and tools for networking, by first outlining the 6 step process for Sales:

  1. Rapport Building
  2. Discovery
  3. Build Value
  4. Presenting Price
  5. Ask for the Sale
  6. Overcome Objectives

Now for Networking he shares the same process but removes items #4 and #6.

4 Step Process for Networking:

  1. Rapport Building
  2. Discovery
  3. Build Value
  4. Ask for the Sale

The time to start selling is now and the product is YOU! Networking is the #1 way to find a job. By doing lots of networking it will help you in finding a job faster.

Let’s break it down:

Rapport Building:
Here is where you want to increase your likeability and commonality with the individuals you meet. Finding a common interest or experience goes a long way in assisting you in connecting with your intended audience. Ways to accomplish this is by:

  1. Be Friendly: Put a smile on your face and be pleasant. First impressions go a long way and having a warm and welcoming demeanor can be a good first step to making that connection that will make a difference in your job search.
  2. Be Transparent: Let people see who you really are and be consistent. If you are outgoing and gregarious trying to be reserved may not come across as your authentic self and vice-versa being over gregarious when you are reserved will most likely not come across as being transparent either.
  3. Be Authentic: Be truthful. People want to know that this is the person they are talking to and it builds trust. People like to network with people who they know, like, and trust.
  4. Be interested, not just interesting: This is KEY. During networking take the time to get to know and learn more about the people you are talking to. What they want, who they are, their interests and not just the work stuff but what they enjoy personally. You never know through casual conversation you may find you have more in common than you thought and begin to build a foundation for your network for that next job.
  5. Discovery: Ask questions and be curious. Listen for the response and then ask more questions. What they need, what are they looking for, how they might be able to help you, and how you can help them. The key here is to be present. Maintain focus on what the person is saying and not think about the next great question you want to ask. Let it naturally unfold, you just might be surprised as to what you learn and discover. Do not interrupt or change the subject no matter how tempting it might be. A good rule of thumb here is: Talk less, Listen more, and Ask more questions = increased likeability. You are demonstrating that you are interested in the person you are speaking with and value what they have to say. A quote from Zig Ziegler: “If you help enough people get what they want out of life they will help you get what you want out of life.”
  6. Build Value: This is your time to talk about you. Share with people what your current reality is. “I am currently in career transition and looking for my next employment adventure”. Tell as many people as possible you are in transition. You never know that one person you least expected may be the person to put you in touch with your next awesome opportunity.
  7. Create an Elevator Speech: This is where you create a short “sound bite” that conveys what you are looking for. Be as specific as possible. For example: “I would like to get into Banking and I would like to work at Chase or B of A.” You have to tell people what you are looking for and identify as least 3 companies you want to work for. Then listen and ask if they know of anyone they can connect you with. The elevator speech is important to have prepared before you begin networking unless you are just going to the event to meet people. Remember not to ramble, do not share a resume, and stay positive! Humor is always a good equalizer to use in these situations too.
  8. Ask for the Sale: This is where you promote yourself without being salesy. What do you want from them? The 4 key words when networking are: “Who do you know that does this……” Keep in mind the 6 Degrees of separation. The individual you are talking with may not be able to help you but they may know someone they can put you in contact with who can put you in contact, etc. Ask if they would be willing to have a 15 min. info meeting to gather more information. If you don’t ask …you don’t get. It has been shown that if you do not ask for help it will take 2-3 times longer to get that job.

Important to remember: Know what you are looking for. Know what you want. Know the companies you would like to work for. Follow up with the people you speak with and be grateful, gracious, and appreciative.

In closing, do everything in your power to continue to work through this. Start networking, meet people, build and create friendships/relationships, talk about things that are not work related to develop commonality. Build rapport through: likeability and commonality be interested not just interesting, ask lots of questions and listen, build value. Know what you are looking for; it does not have to be the exact role. Finally, ask who do you know, can you make an introduction, and can we have 15 min for a brief meeting to share more information.

Final comments regarding networking in this virtual world we are in. Dave suggests using Zoom meetings. There are many special interest and hobby groups available; such as movies buffs, book groups, wine lovers groups, Facebook groups, the list goes on. If you are comfortable getting into the community, Volunteer opportunities are becoming more available. Get out of the house at least 1-2 times a week, create connections, join networking groups such as BNI, go to some of the meetings and introduce yourself and be prepared with your elevator speech. Check out the Phoenix Networking website for other opportunities and groups.

Hiring Companies

Community Medical Services
Megan Kennedy, Recruiter

Community Medical Services is on a growth trajectory and scheduled to open 10 additional clinics in the Phoenix area in 2021. Currently they have openings in both the Clinics and Corporate Center which is located in Scottsdale, AZ. Founded in 1980’s Community Medical Services is a group of Outpatient substance abuse and opioid abuse disorders clinics. They currently have 23 locations in AZ, in addition to the other locations nationwide. Services include a variety of approaches including medication, counseling, and outreach. The Corporate office is open 5:30a to 1:30p and the clinics are open 24/7. They are a growing and stable corporation with a full array of benefits and a culture that is fun and engaging. Candidates do not have to have healthcare or behavioral health experience to be considered. They currently have both clinical and non-clinical roles available in Glendale, Phoenix, and Scottsdale. The application process is multi-step that includes: Application, phone interview with Megan, Video interview with Clinic Manager or hiring manager if at corporate, a tour of the facility (optional), offer or interview feedback as to why candidate was not selected. Onboarding takes place every 2 weeks. Next new employee orientation is scheduled for April 19, 2021 and May 3, 2021. Because they are a national company they follow the national guidelines for COVID-19 Precautions and pay practices. To explore open opportunities go to the website: https://communitymedicalservices.org then go to career opportunities. Submit your application online.

Hawaiian Airlines
Matthew Chimbos, Managing Director of IT

Hawaiian Airlines is 92 years old making it one of the oldest airline carriers in the business and the second oldest in the world. They are a strong company with 61 planes and 32 destinations. One unique feature about Hawaiian Airlines is that every flight originates and ends in Hawaii. They are in the process of expanding their routes. They currently have openings in their Tech Center in Tempe, AZ. and plan to hire 50+ IT positions by July 2021. They have both remote and office work available. Matthew shared that Hawaiian Airlines has a comprehensive benefits package and unlimited pass travel flights for you and your family. This includes you, your parents, and your children. In addition to pass travel to those you choose i.e. friends and additional family members. Current positions include but are not limited to: IT, Operations, Analyst, Revenue Management, and Loyalty. Please check their career page for a complete listing. If interested in a positon please apply and then reach out to Matthew Climbos via LinkedIn and mention Career Connectors and the position you are interested in he will do his best to answer any questions you may have and put you in touch with a hiring manager.

Logicalis- Architects of Change
Caleb Below, Sr. Talent Acquisition Specialist

Logicalis provides customer IT solutions. They are partnered with Cisco, IBM, HPE, Net App, VMware, Microsoft and AWS, to name a few. They currently have openings in Tempe, AZ. Service Desk Technician, Account Executive: for this position send resume to Caleb Below via LinkedIn. Additional positions include Sr. Program Manager Service Now, and Principal Architect Data Center; to name a few. Please visit the company career site for a complete list of opportunities. Apply on the company career site and put Career Connectors as your source.

Freedom Financial Network
Melissa Whitlatch, Sr. Recruiter

Freedom Financial Network is a financial services company that has been rated as a Best Place to work in Phoenix 17 times. If you have a passion for helping others in their financial planning needs they would like to talk to you. They currently have 150 positions open. Examples of some of these positions include but are not limited to: Customer Service and Sales and Shared Services to name a few. They provide a comprehensive benefits package. If interested please apply on line at www.FreedomFinancialNetwork.com. Message Melissa after you apply to let her know that you are interested.

The Entrepreneur Source
Anna Schulman Brambilla, Career Ownership Coach

The Entrepreneur Source specializes in matching prospective business owners with franchise opportunities. They provide a proven business system that allows you to be in business for yourself but not by yourself. Entrepreneur Source does all the marketing, legal, strategic planning so that you can focus on the work you want. All the startup work is done for you. They provide guidance from the franchise offers, establishment, and brand recognition. Connect with Anna on LinkedIn to learn more and to schedule a free informational meeting to learn more about franchise opportunities. Franchise investment can range from anywhere from $75K to $250K. They also have opportunities from $75K and below.

https://anabrambilla.youcanbook.me/.com
Website: https://abramilla.esourcecoach.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annabramilla

Closing

CEO/Founder of Career Connectors Jessica Pierce closed the formal part of the online meeting. She reminded all in attendance of the many resources available online including career advice, webinars of the online events since the Pandemic started, urging everyone to please visit the website where you can take the DISC assessment for free, receive free head shots courtesy of Gordon Murray Flash Photo and other free resources.
Jessica thanked the 125 Career Connectors volunteers and anyone who’s donated to Career Connectors. Bloggers are needed who attend events, take notes, and work with Sheila to get the recaps posted on the Career Connectors Website. Click for the Events Schedule for more information about special events.
Jessica turned it over to Director of Operations for Career Connectors Sheila Coulam to explain the Breakout Rooms process where attendees are welcome to meet in smaller online groups to chat with the keynote speaker, hiring companies, resume experts, and LinkedIn coaches.
Next event:
Thursday April 22, 2021 from 9a to noon on Zoom.

Featured Topic: “How to use LinkedIn in 15 min/day” presented by Brenda Cunningham.

  • Featured employers:
  • Terros Health
  • Mobile Mini
  • Liberty Mutual
  • WealthWave

2/25/21 – Interviewing With Confidence

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Written by: Sherri Jacob

Interviewing with Confidence

Managing your Career and job search has changed a great deal during the pandemic. To help manage your career as an investment Carmen Payne,
an Executive, Personal and Professional Development Coach, offers multiple tools and solid coaching/advice to help you navigate the virtual employment setting.

Keynote

Carmen highlights the need to plan your 2021 career as there are great jobs available on the market. The new year is the perfect time to reflect on the last 12 months and to start fresh with new goals and career objectives. Here are three action steps to help you:

  1. Reflect on the prior 12 months: take stock of accomplishments and failures.
  2. Plan slow to move fast: Carefully build a career strategy and plan to reach your goal. Carmen quoted Naomi Caietti, author Transform your Project Leadership: “Your career is an investment and you need to treat it that way.”
  3. Act Now: Focus on how to achieve a growth mindset and move past obstacles by turning them into opportunities.

Carmen shared with the audience several effective tools that will help to ensure a successful job search – check these out to help you on your journey.

Pre-Interview Checklist

  • Ask what safety protocols/procedures are in place
  • If in person, wear a mask and bring your own hand sanitizer
  • If in person – do not shake their hand!
  • If you are not comfortable going to an in-person interview, ask if it can be done over the phone or via video conference

The audience and Carmen suggested that you could utilize the not shaking hands as an ice breaker activity as the interview begins. Some suggestions included offer to elbow bump or do a virtual wave.

Prepare for “That” Interview Question

Many employers utilize behavioral interview questions – these usually begin with phrases like:

  • what is your greatest strength/weakness
  • tell me about a time when…
  • describe a time when…
  • give an example of…
  • tell me about your last employer…

Introduce yourself

  1. Breath and relax your shoulders
  2. Greeting – “Good morning and repeat the interviewers name”
  3. My name is ….., very nice to meet you
  4. Don’t shake hands

When responding to the strength/weakness question, consider starting with your weakness and ending with a strength. This will allow you to end on a positive note. You should also be strategic when responding to these questions; don’t highlight a weakness that is a related to key job requirements and highlight strengths that are. Carmen recommends the use of a S.W.O.T. tool to prepare responses to behavioral questions. S.W.O.T stands for Strengths Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Here is a sample with thought starter questions to help with this exercise.

SWOT Analysis

Customize your response to the job/career you are applying for. The job description, your resume, company information are good resources to help you create customized responses.

Carmen recommends the STAR tool to formulate responses to behavioral questions. Create multiple STAR responses that correspond to your resume and practice. If your interview is virtual, you can have your STAR responses printed for easy reference.

STARs explained

Body Language – Communication

Only 7% of our communication is through the spoken word, and in a virtual environment focus on our Body Language becomes even more important.

Non Verbal Communication composition

Carmen recommends
• Standing for the interview – this allows you to breath easily
• Assume a posture of confidence – this will be reflected in your conversation
• Pay attention to your face – it isn’t always what you say, but how you say it
• Watch your hands – while it is OK to talk with your hands be sure they don’t become a distraction. Keep your hands neutral to assure the interview he/she has your full attention.
• Maintain appropriate eye contact
• Mirror the body language of the interviewer –or conversely see if the interviewer mirrors yours.

Video Interview Checklist

  • Download the video conference tool being used (Skype, Zoom etc.)
  • Keep your login credentials handy
  • Make sure your device can support the platform being used
  • Just like you need to practice for the interview, test your technology. Practice with a friend. Learn your way around the software.
  • Make sure you have an excellent WiFi/Internet connection – consider using an ethernet cable for the interview
  • Ensure you are in a quite area with no distractions
  • Have your STARs and notes at hand
  • Lighting – natural lighting is the best. Light source should be in front not behind you.
  • Position your camera high – think selfie
  • When you get the interview details and link – test prior to the interview

The key to a successful job search is to prepare and practice. These tools will help you to plan for success. Carmen ended her talk with this thought:

Be kind always

Hiring Companies

Hacienda Healthcare
Kent Norris, HR Manager

Hacienda HealthCare is the leading provider of specialized medical care and social services for Arizona’s infants, children and young adults who are medically fragile or chronically ill, including those with developmental disabilities. Hacienda HealthCare traces its roots to 1967 when Ilene Butler founded it in Phoenix as “Hacienda de los Angeles.” It operated as a single facility serving only three children. Under the corporate umbrella, Hacienda has greatly expanded and now offers over 40 programs and services through four separate not for profit entities: Hacienda Inc., Hacienda Skilled Nursing Facility, Los Niños Hospital and Hacienda Children’s Hospital. Hacienda Healthcare currently provides services to over 2550 people every year throughout the state.

Currently hiring — Rn’s, LPN’s, CAN’s, Caregivers, Behavioral Specialists, Group Home Managers, LPN Medical Group Home Managers, Speech Language Pathologists and many more.
Apply Here: http://haciendainc.org/jobs/ or reach out to Ken

Cable One/Sparklight
Vanessa Corona, Sr. Talent Acquisition Specialist

Cable One, Inc. (NYSE: CABO) is a leading broadband communications provider.
• Serving more than 950,000 residential and business customers in 21 states.
• The Cable One family of brands includes Sparklight®, Fidelity, Clearwave, and ValuNet Fiber.
• We provide consumers with a wide array of connectivity and entertainment services.

Current openings include: Public Relations Manager, Digital Marketing Specialist, SharePoint Developer, Senior Web Developer (Full Stack), NOC Analyst, Accountant II, Sr. Revenue Accountant, Revenue Accounting Manager, Accounts Payable Representative and Internship Opportunities
View all openings and apply here: cableone.careers.

Freedom Financial Network
Heather Marcom, Senior Director, Talent Acquisition

Two decades ago, Freedom Financial Network was born out of an idea to give struggling consumers an affordable and responsible way to get out debt. What was true then, and remains true today, is that there are many ways for a consumer to get into debt, but very few ways for them to get out of it. Freedom’s promise to consumers has remained steadfast throughout time – to provide financial products and services that put the consumer first and help everyday Americans improve their financial situation.
Heather highlighted these positions: Sales Representatives- Program Enrollment, Sales Representatives- Lending Products, Spanish Speaking Sales- Lending Products, Customer Service Representatives, Mortgage Underwriters Software Engineers- Java, Node, PHP, Sr. Python Developer, Accounting Specialist, Lifecycle Marketing Specialist, Talent Acquisition Manager, InfoSec, Test Engineering.

View all openings and apply here: FFNJOBS.com.

8/26/20 – Panels: Insurance and Financial Services

by

Written by Susan Lamphiear

Experts. Who among us hasn’t heard a discussion or two lately about experts? Should we take advice about the Pandemic from anonymous or questionable Facebook comments or seek out and listen to reputable scientists and medical professionals?

If you’re in job transition, Career Connectors has a reputation for providing professional and timely advice to individuals during challenging times of career change. Experts help guide you through not only the job search, but job search during Covid-19 and all the extra changes and challenges that have resulted. You have free access to professionals in a number of industries to help guide the way.

In typical fashion, Career Connectors pulled together professionals from the Insurance and Finance Industries to present pertinent, timely panel discussions about the job search, along with information about their companies and how they’re adapting during the Pandemic.

Keynote Panels

Hosted by Jessica Pierce, CEO/Founder of Career Connectors.

Insurance Panel

Q1 Please give us a brief overview of your company and your role.

  • Sandy: State Farm Insurance helps customers protect the things that matter the most, including cars and homes. With 58,000 employees, State Farm ranks 36 on the Fortune 500 list. In April, 2022, State Farm will celebrate their 100th Year anniversary. The company is literally a family company, often with several members of the same family working for State Farm. The company believes in philanthropy and offers each employee one day a year to volunteer, with the option of earning a second volunteer day. The company offers lots of career development opportunities.
  • Ryan: RLI Insurance, a public company on the New York Stock Exchange, was founded 50 years ago. The company offers products to underserved specialty industries. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, they employ 900 workers in 50 states, including Arizona.
  • John: Liberty Mutual, always evolving, can be described as a tech company who happens to do insurance. On the leading edge of the industry, Liberty uses drones along with other cutting edge technology. My role is retail brokerage in Phoenix and Tucson. Liberty operates throughout the United States and worldwide.

Q2 What’s your advice to prospective employees? What is your company looking for?

  • Sandy: A lot of people come in without knowing about the company. Networking is so important so make use of resources like Career Connectors or LinkedIn. No time to be humble–put key words in your resume.
  • Ryan: Research and know the company you’re communicating with. This goes a long way.
  • John: Show me who are. Let me see who you are in the interview.

Q3 What are myths and assumptions about the industry that changed when you started working at your company?

  • Sandy: State Farm offers lots of opportunities in a variety of areas.
  • Ryan: I’ve become aware of all the good the insurance industry does in a community. In the recent Hurricane Laura, for example, people don’t always realize what happens right after a catastrophe like that–the insurance companies are there right away to help.
  • John: People often think insurance is 80-90% sales. It’s more like 10% sales. All job families are available unlike other industries–and the industry is constantly growing.

Q4 Could you explain how potential employees get their foot in the door and what career paths are available?

  • Sandy: Customer service and claims jobs are entry level and offer a foot in the door. You learn a lot about the company by working in these areas. Getting a mentor helps in your career path, too. You don’t need an insurance degree but education and growth and development are available once you start work at State Farm. I changed careers within the company.
  • Ryan: Most job families are available including Software Developer. Employees are always learning. You can stay within one division towards career growth or move into a different division. Networking is important within the company. I’ve been in five different divisions in my career. Building relationships is very important.
  • John: Communicate with your boss. Often the company will pay for a degree or for advanced learning to help an employee grow. Let the company know where you want to go in your career and they’ll guide you.

Q5 How has the Covid-19, the Pandemic, changed things?

  • Sandy: Moving the company and technology to 7600 homes has been the biggest pivot or challenge. We used technology to do things we didn’t know we could do. We customized to help customers. And we’ve also passed savings on to customers–since there’s less driving there are fewer accidents.
  • Ryan: I agree with everything Sandy said. Also, interviews are unique. We were and still are still hiring. One challenge is convincing hiring managers to hire a new employee without ever meeting them in person. Onboarding becomes a second challenge; we must be very intentional–for example, who is part of the onboarding and who is the buddy whose task becomes helping the new employee?
  • John: Liberty focuses on the employee including enhanced compensation. Recently 95-98% of employees approved of the way the company has handled the transition during Covid-19. Product innovation has stepped up since people aren’t driving as much. Liberty is giving back premiums. Expense management becomes important as people go back out. We’re starting to see the “boomerang” employee–referring to people who left and are coming back–which is awesome for the insurance industry.

Q6 What do you think is the future of the insurance industry?

  • Sandy: There’s an even bigger need for technology. Technology sells insurance. I’ve seen talk lately of flying vehicles! Cyber threats and data risk and AI Artificial Intelligence are hot. The industry will help customers navigate the technology.
  • Ryan: Success will look different in the next 50 years. We can’t count on what got us here the past 50 years. Product innovation will be necessary–for example, pay by mile, as people reduce their driving. Right now we have more data than we know what to do with. It’s important to know how to utilize all this data. Lots of exciting quick-paced change despite all the negativity that goes with the Pandemic.
  • John: Our top four goals are global including de-escalation which will be moving out of the Pandemic and into the new normal and its best practices. The company is realizing more positives about expanding remote work, for example. It allows for more growth and opportunity.

Q7 How is the world of work changing? What’s your position on hiring seasoned employees over 50? What if these individuals want an entry level job–is that an acceptable culture?

  • Sandy: Yes! We want your experience as long as you move into a suitable role. Bring your experience. If you’re willing to start at entry level and find a fit, that’s great. We love experienced people. You already know how to be a professional.
  • Ryan: Yes to experience. We don’t know what we do not know. What are other companies and industries doing? We can learn from your experience.
  • John: Yes we like experience. Who are you today? Are you coachable? Do you have a vision of where you’d like to go?

Q8 What are the hot jobs in your company?

  • Sandy: We have openings for lots of tech reps–software developers like JAVA and more. Go to the website for a complete list. Bilingual Spanish is a big need currently. You must pass a difficult test in speaking, writing, and reading. We also need entry level claims and customer service.
  • Ryan: IT–I support this area in Illinois. We landed in Phoenix where we have access to more candidates with different experiences and higher quality. In Tempe we have a need for both short and long term positions.
  • John: We’re always looking for rock stars at math and also actuarial and spreadsheets strengths. These skills remain in high demand.

Financial Panel

Q1 Please tell us about your company, your role, and what you like best.

  • Jerrelle: Silicon Valley Bank is the number one leader in technology banking. LinkedIn is one of their first clients. I love the culture, cliche though it sounds; it’s like family. Clients include healthcare and premium wine. Lots of opportunity. We’re an especially awesome company if you have a passion for technology. The company is worldwide and innovative.
  • Erin: We’re a family of a few companies. Freedom Financial Network was founded in 2002 by two students who were friends. The company values balance of the heart and dollar. Including Phoenix and San Mateo, California, we have 2200 employees. We do personal loans and consolidation and are dipping our toes in the mortgage area. The best part to me is helping customers. The company offers paid time off to volunteer. The company lives and breathes our core values–they’re not just on a coffee cup.
  • Olivia: One of the world’s largest investment management companies, but Vanguard has a family feel. Client owned, the company has great opportunities including IT or tech or analytics. Service oriented, the three pillars are client, crew, and community. Our generous benefits are listed on the website.

Q2 What skills are you looking for?

  • Jerrelle: We’re looking for expertise in IT or client facing or analyst. One of the main things we’re looking for is innovation. Also, the entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for technology, science or math. A passion for numbers, a passion to learn. Technology skills are in high demand. The company will teach you the finance part.
  • Erin: I echo what Jerrelle said. We’re a smaller company but have lots of roles. Entry level, right out of school or no degree and the company will train you. We’re looking for true leaders who put in a little extra something. People who are critical thinkers who think outside the box and love helping people.
  • Olivia: We’re looking for individuals with a teamwork mindset who are interested in learning and have a desire to be the point person to help others. Many career development opportunities are available. We look for employees who will be proactive to find out what avenues interest you towards your career path. I had a background in nonprofit but started out entry level in client relationships and progressed from there.

Q3 What do you like and why do you stay?

  • Jerrelle: I love a challenge and the focus on diversity–many populations in this field are underrepresented. There’s an opportunity to build relationships. I consider myself a professional friend maker. As a recruiter, I look for someone whose interest can be channeled into one of our divisions. An example might be someone who majored in biology. We have a life sciences group. A client might be interested in working or talking with someone with a similar interest in science. With technology, you can bring your expertise. This industry is not just about numbers but about building relationships.
  • Erin: One thing is constant–CHANGE. I personally love change. That came in handy because with Covid-19 created the need to go with the flow and be flexible as things change. Most roles require this flexibility. My story began as a supervisor but I helped build QA and I moved into a different area of the business. A BA in psychology, once I tried HR management I found my passion. The company provides lots of support from their leaders. The company has passion for career development. No experience in finance is needed.
  • Olivia: Often call centers get a bad rap–but I’m steering people away from that mindset. I enjoy client facing and enjoy feeling the impact the job has on clients. I also love the opportunity to pursue and learn in different areas. Relationship is a big part of the industry and something I really didn’t know before I joined.

Q4 How do potential employees get their foot in the door and do you have a career path for them?

  • Jerrelle: Ways to get a foot in the door include client services and operations and relationship management. Find someone from the company because they love to talk. Let them know you’re interested. Recent grads have access to the associate development program.
  • Erin: Customer service is a good way to get a foot in the door. Also, don’t forget about networking and LinkedIn. I started as a supervisor helping build QA and moved into a different area of the business.
  • Olivia: Networking is huge. The client relations associate is a good starting place. The company also hires insurance sales. Customer service is another area to start. A license is not required but once with the company you can expand your horizons.

Q5 What are some of the hot jobs in your company?

  • Jerrelle: We need a Senior Cloud Security Engineer in Tempe. Also Vice President to support our credit card team, Senior Manager of Operations, and People Management. And please check out our website.
  • Erin: Freedom has need for inside sales, debt relief, lending, and customer service, especially bilingual. Also the areas of operation risk, auditor and customer service in lending and loan services. For more hot jobs visit our website.
  • Olivia: Customer service to high level clients and client relationship associates are good entry level jobs. Also check out our website for other opportunities.

Resources

US Health Advisors

Joe Bourcier, Joe the Health Insurance Pro

US Health Advisors partners with Career Connectors.

US Health Advisors offers flexible health insurance coverage for individuals including Medicare supplements and can be competitive for anyone on COBRA insurance. For small businesses under two people, our company is often able to offer better coverage including creative ways to customize coverage for individual employees instead of one blanket policy.

By the time Joe meets with clients, he has done research first, which allows them to offer from one to three top plans that might work best for the customer. Many businesses need coverage and he’s able to cover 30 states in the US. The company works with several professional businesses including realtors, plumbers, doctors, dentists, and lawyers as well as individuals.

US Health Advisors works with America’s self-employed, small business owners, or individuals to help them access affordable benefits and services.

Joe can be reached via Facebook or LinkedIn so feel free to reach out to him with questions. He’s a free resource to all attendees or anyone who needs information.

Closing

CEO/Founder of Career Connectors Jessica Pierce thanked the volunteers and hiring companies, invited attendees to sign up for regular notifications, to take the DISC assessment free, and to use the resources outlined on the website.

Career Connectors, now being offered online, means they can serve even more people, so Jessica urges attendees to share this information with other people who may benefit from the free events and resources. The schedule may change later in September but for now visit the website for days and times for the online events.

DID YOU KNOW?
So far this year, Career Connectors has served more than 3,000 people in career transition. We are passionate about helping more, and need your help.

  • Can you spare just $5? How about $42? $42 is what it costs to help one person per month (90% of your donations go directly to serving people needing a new position- and is tax-deductable) Visit this page to make a donation!
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