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Goodwill of Central & Northern AZ

01/10/19 – New Year, New Career

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Written by Gary Matsuda

Keynote – New Year, New Career

Yikes! Another YEAR just went by and you still haven’t found what you are looking for? If you’ve watched the calendar turn another year while your career plans got stuck somewhere back in March, then Dave Sherman has some tips for you!

Dave was one of the first presenters at Career Connectors when the organization was just getting started and returned this week to kick off the new year, bringing a fresh focus and energy into your job search. He is now an entrepreneur, speaker and author of 3 bestselling books on networking and sales. Dave was once an employee who had never been fired, a ‘what, me worry’ type of guy, until he was laid off and went through a frustrating job hunt experience. His talk exudes a sense of urgency and gives clear reasons and encouragement to get up and start again.

Here is a summary of Dave’s tips on getting career change to happen:

Tip 1: Embrace your decision (of making a change)
Sometimes we find it easier to worry and put things off, rather than making a decision that’s actually good for us. It’s as if we prefer being terrified and keeping ourselves up at night instead of taking the first step toward making a change. When we feel overwhelmed, fear can take over and push aside logical thinking.

INDECISION – It’s easier to stick to a decision once it’s made. Make the first step a small one – a very small one if necessary, so that it’s easier to make a commitment.

EXPLANATIONS – Beware of explaining away indecision. Excuses can come from your own self-doubt or from those who say you can’t do something, that you don’t have enough training or experience. Stick to your decision on why you’re doing this, so you can take the next steps to explore new paths and take it as far as you can go.

VALIDATION – Get support from select friends and family who know you well and understand your challenge.

NEGATIVITY – If you know you’re making the right decision for yourself, avoid those who say or imply that you can’t do it. Spend more time where you’ll be encouraged. If you are on social media, spend more time on LinkedIn which is almost all positive.

Tip 2: Examine job boards
Dave is a dedicated movie buff. But he doesn’t go out just to see any movie. Like you, before committing a few dollars and a couple hours in front a screen, if a movie title attracts him, he’ll want to know the genre, what the critics are saying and if it’s now playing in a theater near him.

Same thing with your job search, you wouldn’t want to go for just any job posted out there. Get a sense for the needs and problems companies are trying to solve and how you might be able to provide help. To see what critics (current and former employees) are saying, you can go to Glassdoor.com. Dave prefers ZipRecruiter, but also check out job postings on Indeed, Ladders, Monster to get an idea of what’s out there to see what’s trending and what skills are in demand.

But you say: ‘Job boards? – been there done that, haven’t found anything’. Well try this trick for online job searches (or for any online search): flip your search keywords around to get slightly different results. Remember, use job boards as just one of your tools, not a cure-all. Not all jobs are listed on job boards and some can even be hidden from you through search engine algorithms.

Tip 3: Meet more people
If your trash goes out more than you do, then you have a problem. Plain and simple – you need to get out more! Technology has made it way too easy for us to be consumers of experiences and information in the comfort of our own home.

One great way to meet face to face with those who may be able to help you are thousands of networking groups, associations, industry groups and special interest organizations that may fit your interests. These can be: local chambers of commerce, career transition groups, niche focused casual meet up groups that exist for a specific reason – to grow business or promote a special interest. These could be opportunities for meeting the right person who can help guide you in the right direction.

Remember, the narrower your niche, the better you’ll meet the right people. Randomly trying to connect with anyone and with as many people as possible will dilute your energy and focus, so find a group that shares your interests and goals. You will more likely find people who will recognize your experience and skills. Getting out of house to meet new contacts can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. To make it part of your routine, Dave suggests that you allocate certain days to network. You might even take it a bit farther and schedule time to reach out to people for a few minutes every day.

As professionals, it sometimes goes against our nature to ask for help because it may give us the feeling of vulnerability. Ask for help but make sure you are not just looking out for yourself, but also be giving and thinking of what others need. Be the solution that companies are looking for.

Don’t say you’re out of a job, but that you’re exploring a new adventure, or looking for new options. Frame your situation differently and turn it around to positive.

Suggestions for working networking events:

1. Show up! Get there early before the meeting when everyone is fresh.

2. Bring a business card! A good quality card, not cheap looking. This helps to make it easy for them to remember you if they ask for a card.

3. Find commonality! Don’t get too serious and pull out your resume right away. Be ready to find a way to connect easily with someone new on a personal level. Be prepared to chat about your interests, family, movie, school, hometown, hobby, food, sports, (Dave often uses his personal likes of movies, wine and cigars).

4. Be likeable! Instead of trying to be interesting, be interested in others. Ask questions, but it must be genuine and not feel like an interrogation.

5. Ask: ‘Who do you know?’ ‘Do you know anyone who might know a contact or have connections at XYZ company?’ You might not get an immediate intro to the right job, so expect to go through several degrees of separation to find the right company/position.

Dave emphasizes to keep looking for what you want, everywhere and anywhere. People are willing to help, but if you show uncertainly on what you are looking for, it will be harder for them to relate to you and your situation. It’s up to you to make it easy for them to help, so give them an idea of what you can do, where you want to work and what value you bring. The more specific you are, the more likely you’ll be guided to the right people.

So, there you have it – time tested tips to find your new opportunity, but you must take action. It’s another new year, don’t think about it too much, do something now to get your career going!

Hiring Companies

Paychex
Jeff Shaw, Recruiter
Looking for a place to grow personally and professionally? This is a major provider of HR and Human Capital Management Solutions for small, medium and large organizations. Paychex has been rated for the 9th time as one of the most ethical companies by The Ethisphere Institute; and as Best Employer for Healthy Lifestyles for the 7th time by the National Business Group on Health.

However, the best benefit of working for Paychex may be that they offer Individual learning and growth. Need stability as well? They are in good financial condition – debt free and there have never been layoffs! Even if what Paychex offers doesn’t satisfy all your passions, if there is a cause that you’re really interested in, you might even get paid for volunteering! Paychex is now hiring for: Payroll service associates process, insurance, 401k advisor and coordinator, HR generalist support. The IT department is currently being bu

Resources

Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona
Ron Mack, Community Awareness Partner
Need help getting started? You might not know that Goodwill is not just a retail store but an organization that provides opportunities which serve community needs and help professional job seekers become self-sufficient and put people back to work. The Goodwill Career Center offers free career coaching, resume critiquing, job leads from employers, mock interviews, and digital skills training classes from beginning to advanced in 3 locations in Phoenix.

Grand Canyon University
Robert Loy, Head of Education of Non-degreed Technology Programs
Detail oriented? Like to put things in their right place? Good at recognizing patterns? Or like to teach? GCU is looking for instructors if you have master’s degree, they’re also hiring for corporate university positions. For those want to change careers and go back to school for IT, there is a 16 week Coding Bootcamp that almost guarantees successful employment! College credit for bootcamp. $11,500 to $20K.

Closing & Upcoming Events:

Greater Phoenix Healthcare Expo
January 31, 2019 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
University of Phoenix
4045 S Riverpoint Pkwy
Phoenix AZ 85040

Career Connectors Volunteer Events:
AZ Brainfood
Thursday, January 24, 2019
8:30 am to 10:30 am
325 E McKellips Road
Mesa AZ
If you are interested in participating, email:   Sheila@careerconnectors.org

Feed My Starving Children
February 1, 2019
8:30 pm-10:00 pm
1345 S Alma School Road
Mesa, AZ
To join, sign up at:  www.fmsc.org **must use Code:  WNWNZB

 

10/11/18 – Telling Your Story

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Written by: Connie Huber PHR SHRM-CP

Andrew Stanton, a filmmaker who co-wrote the “Toy Story” movies, says, “A great story comes from using what you know, capturing a truth from experiencing it and from expressing your values you feel deeply”. He suggests you allow the listener to make their own deduction about you from the story. That is, come out and say you’re collaborative, adaptable, or anything – you tell a story that convinces your listener you possess these traits. Stanton says a well-told tale grips, excites and engrosses.

Keynote

“Telling Your Story”– Cary Pfeffer

Even with the low unemployment rate, the job market is still a difficult one for job seekers. Cary shared with us how to make yourself stand out from fellow job seekers and how to leave a lasting impression with the interviewer. Cary reminded us it takes just a few moments to reveal a great deal about ourselves and an organization.

TELLING YOUR STORY EFFECTIVELY ONE-ON-ONE
Points to be effective include…..

  • What you know about the audience
  • Knowing your comfort zone
  • Being a good editor

SAY IT IN A SENTENCE
When you are asked to “tell us about yourself”, you need to….

  • Avoid mission “statement-itis” & avoid buzz words
  • Make sure there is a “people connection” to quickly gain the listener’s attention
  • Your message needs to be quickly understood and remembered

TELLING YOUR STORY EFFECTIVELY IN WRITING
Research has found that “most written communication is interpreted more negatively” than it is intended. Just like verbally sharing your story, you also need to know the audience and know your comfort zone; and be a good editor to share your story in writing.

KEY POINTS FOR SUCCESS

  • Consider how you want to start your message
  • Spend time on the subject line and greeting
  • Demonstrate your knowledge and need right away
  • Finish when possible in the email window
  • If needed include support material
  • Keep your introductory/cover letter to one page; reference a connection in your cover letter
  • Spend time on your story and make it unique
  • Make it meaningful and about the employer
  • Keep it brief!

FINAL NOTE
Consider the words you are using and whether they work for your story and if they connect with the employer.

TELLING YOUR STORY BEFORE AN AUDIENCE

  • Focus on what you are going to say as you begin your story; the goal is to capture the audience’s attention.
  • Less is more; get to your story early.
  • Consider how the audience hears you; remember your word choice, voice tone and body language.
  • Make the end of your message a memorable one; avoid making statements like “Guess this is the end!”
  • Think about how you will handle Q&A; allow the audience to think about the presentation before seeking questions.
  • Give thought to how you want to end the Q&A.

FINAL POINTS
The most overlooked skill in communication is listening.  Smile!

“Storytelling is about connecting with other people and helping people to see what you see”. – Michael Margolis

HIRING COMPANIES

Vixxo
Heather Kitsko, Talent Acquisition Manager

Vixxo is a technology driven asset and facilities management company that services clients such as Starbucks, Target and Michaels. There are 700 associates across the US and Canada. Vixxo has been an INC 500 Fastest Growing Private Company for 8 years straight. The company’s culture is a team of doers that create innovative solutions for their customers in a fast-paced environment. They believe that their employee diversity is their strength. Some open positions include: Data Architect; Decision Support Analyst; Director, Data Governance; Director, Reporting Strategy; HR Coordinator; Senior Accountant; Service Coordinator; Sr. Director, Supply Management; Talent Acquisition Coordinator; VP Project Management Officer. For more information, go to www.vixxo.com/careers.

Headfarmer
Jessica Corral, Partner

Headfarmer’s mission is “to serve our community and its families by helping professionals connect and grow”. There are several things that set Headfarmer apart from its competition, including their proactive approach to cultivate an exclusive network, build meaningful relationships, an extensive due diligence process and purpose driven approaches that will enhance lives and enrich organizations. The organization handles both direct hire and temporary solutions in the Accounting & Finance and Technology arenas. A sampling of Accounting & Finance opportunities include clerical & entry level accounting, staff/senior accountant/tax, Accounting Manager/Assistant Controller, Controller/ Director/C-level, audit, and corporate financial planning & analysis. Technology possibilities are Help Desk Support Technician, Architects & Developers, Business Intelligence, DevOps Engineers, IT Manager/Director/C-level, and Cyber Security. Go to their website for a complete listing.

Farmers
Surrie Atkins, Recruiter

Farmers, one of the largest and most respected insurance brands in the USA. It was founded in 1928 in Los Angeles. Farmers is a leading insurer of small and medium-sized businesses and operates a large Life-insurance company as well as a rapidly growing financial services company (Farmers Financial Solutions). Certified as a Great Place to work in 2017, the company fosters a casual work environment and community outreach programs. Open positions include Inbound Sales and Customer Service. For current job opportunities and to apply, visit their website.

RESOURCES

Goodwill of Central & Northern AZ
Tonia Oliver, Quality Assurance Analyst

Goodwill’s mission is “through the goodwill of others, Goodwill creates the pathway to a better future for all by helping those who desire self-sufficiency”. Goodwill’s long-term goal is to eliminate unemployment. The organization offers a number of Career Centers in the area. Onsite offerings include Career Advisors, employment support, mock-interviews/resume assistance, Goodwill Management System and numerous resources, and hiring events for hundreds of local hiring companies. Goodwill maintains numerous community partnerships with such organizations as Career Connectors, to better meet the needs of the job seeker. As partners, these organizations target the professional job seeker, provide awareness at events and ongoing support during job search. Go to Goodwill for employment events, talent sourcing and job boards

Grand Canyon University
Rob Loy, Head of Education of Non-Degree Technology Programs

In today’s job market, 58% of all new jobs are in STEM. Computing jobs are the #1 source of new wages in the United States. To help you get the necessary skills to compete in this job market, GCU is now pleased to be offering Immersive Java Boot Camp. The camp includes more than 600 hours of project-based collaborative instruction, accelerated path to employment, competitive pricing for an on-site experience, and transferable college credits.

CLOSING

De Anne Russell, Career Connectors Board Member, closed the meeting by thanking Highlands Church & the volunteers. The next Career Connectors meeting will be in Glendale on Thursday, October 18, 2018 & features Travis Hardin, as speaker for the topic “Your Focus Determines Your Expansion.” For additional information on this event & future events, please visit the Event Schedule.

09/06/18 – Salary Negotiation – Make More Money

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Jack MilliganWritten by Kalpita Mahapatra

Jessica Pierce, the brainchild of Career Connectors, commenced the event by introducing the re-branded logo of the company and sharing her heartwarming story and motivation for starting Career Connectors in 2009. As a matter of fact, she volunteered to help job seekers write their resumes in the local church and the number of people seeking help grew phenomenally from fewer numbers to 250 candidates within three months. Frank Schab, CEO of the branding agency Six Degrees and member of the Board of Directors of Career Connectors, created the new brand.

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

Jack Milligan, SPHR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP

Jack, a founding partner of Leathers, Milligan & Associates (LMA), a Human Capital Consulting firm, is a seasoned HR expert and honorable recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award and the Professional Excellence Award by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). He has encapsulated a wealth of information about career transitions and his real-time experiences in working with people during employment offers in his book titled “Make More Money” which is available for purchase on Amazon (don’t forget to use Smile.Amazon!).

Through this highly informative and convincing session, Jack encourages us to not settle for what is offered and to practice the art of salary negotiation. He walks us through the salary negotiation process by analyzing the method inside out.

As Jessica puts it wonderfully, Jack is also called “Mr. HR” in Arizona.

According to Jack, most people do not negotiate their salary; of all the people who could negotiate, 75% of them do not negotiate; out of the remaining 25% who do negotiate, only 10% do it the right way because they are gravitated towards a particular behavior called “Requestive Channeled Negotiation” (RCN) behavior.

He underscores the importance of asking and mentions that most people generally do not ask because:

• They are just happy to have an offer
• They do not think they have leverage
• Gender differences
• Generational differences

Jack suggests three legitimate behavioral channels of salary negotiation:

1) Ultimatum: Excessive both in amount and attitude and has over 70% failure rate. Might work for a candidate who is passive, well rewarded, and well situated.
2) Demand: Sincerer in amount and attitude and has about 30% failure rate. States a specific amount, leaves negotiation choice up to employer, and walks away if the demand is not met.
3) Requestive: Most attractive and successful method. Implies flexibility, creates much better negotiable environment, makes positive impression, and requires a response. Of those who try, 91% are successful in getting something tangible and the remaining 9% at least get peace of mind.

RCN does not work for all types of jobs. There are two types of jobs: Rated and Ranged.

Rated: Rated jobs are non-negotiable, have fixed hourly, weekly, or monthly rates.
Ranged: Ranged jobs are absolutely negotiable, are salaried jobs, and typically come with the range.

How to negotiate your salary once you get the offer:

1) Key: Do not accept the offer. Validate your interest in it.
2) Get some time: Employers do not handle ambiguity very well. You do not need a lot of time. You just need some time.
3) Come up with your NISL (Negotiating Items Short List): Base cash compensation is always on the NISL list and usually should be one of the last items on the list.
4) Call them back: Re-validate your interest through Requestive Channeled Negotiation (RCN). When you ask a question, you get an answer or they will say NO. 91% get something tangible after re-validating the offer.

To sum up, following are nuggets of wisdom from Jack that are worth pondering and implementing in our next salary negotiation:

• The reality is “All jobs are temporary jobs”. Realizing this early in the process will put us in the mindset of negotiation.
• Practice patience (for it is all about patience), courage, and planning to get better at negotiation.
• Do not accept that offer on the spot and do not hesitate to ask questions. Always ask appropriately.
• When you ask questions, you will hear either Yes or No. 91% of those who tried RCN got some tangible results.

HIRING COMPANIES

UPS

Sarah Dalley, HR Specialist

UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of transportation and logistics services. The company is not only committed to more for its employees and customers but also committed to more for the communities and currently aims at reaching 20 million volunteer hours by 2020. UPS is currently hiring for permanent and part-time Package Handlers, and part-time Supervisors. For more information about the open positions, visit their website.

Waste Management

Matt Rocco, Senior Talent Advisor, Sales

Waste Management is a future-minded American waste management and environmental services company with focus on sustainability and community. It is highly ranked for diversity, for being world’s one of the most ethical companies to work for, and as the best workplace for women. The company is currently hiring for positions such as Inside Sales Manager – Phoenix Sales Center, HR Manager, Inbound Account Manager – retention, and Credit and Collections Agent. For more information about the open positions, visit their website.

Aramark

Victor Carbajal, HR Specialist

Aramark is a huge global corporation headquartered in Philadelphia that provides food services, facilities, and uniform services to hospitals, universities, school districts, and other businesses, and routinely serves high-profile events such as Olympic games and FIFA world cup. Arizona State University (ASU) is the largest account Aramark has. The company is recognized as World’s most admired companies and as one of the Best employers for Healthy Lifestyles. The company is currently hiring for positions such as Finance Manager – Refreshment Services, Cashier – ASU – Board Operations, Facilities Director, and Regional Field Marketing Director. Visit their website to learn more about current job opportunities.

Farmers

Surrie Atkins, Recruiter

Farmers, one of the largest and most respected insurance brands in the USA, is a leading insurer of small and medium-sized businesses and operates a large Life-insurance company as well as a rapidly growing financial services company (Farmers Financial Solutions). Certified Great Place to work, 2017, the company fosters a casual work environment and community outreach programs. Currently, there are 150 open positions in North Phoenix. Some of the open positions are Claims Adjuster, Customer Service Associate, and Service Operations Supervisor. For more information on current job opportunities, visit their website.

RESOURCES

Goodwill of Central & Northern Arizona

Ronald Mack, Business and Community Development Partner

Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona is a non-profit organization whose goal is to eliminate unemployment. Goodwill works with about 600 employers throughout the valley and offers candidates services such as resume writing, mock-interviewing, and career coaching for free. The organization helps candidates find employment ranging from entry-level to mid to high level. Goodwill is shifting gears from providing employment help to offering training through its career centers and sub-locations such as libraries.

Grand Canyon University (GCU)

Kyle Richardson, University Counselor

In the job market today, 58% of all new jobs are in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics), and computing jobs are the #1 source of new wages in the United States. To help job seekers acquire the necessary skills to compete in this job market, GCU offers an Immersive Java Boot Camp program. In 16 weeks, the program offers more than 600 hours of project-based collaborative instruction on computer programming and skills in a small group setting (8-10 students). The courses completed within the boot camp are part of GCU’s existing and regionally accredited programs. These courses are transferable to a GCU bachelor’s program, or eligible for transfer at the discretion of other regionally accredited U.S. institutions.

CLOSING REMARKS

Jessica graciously thanked the event host GCU, our keynote speaker, representatives of all hiring companies, attendees, and volunteers for their time and participation. She also expressed her thoughtful appreciation for Denise Gredler, her special friend who played a remarkable role in her entrepreneurial journey. Denise is also the Founder and CEO of BestCompaniesAZ, the company dedicated to building and promoting great employer brands in Arizona.

08/28/18 – I Want a New Job, Now What?

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Written by Nicole Langston

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

I Want a New Job, Now What?

Sierra Collister

Sierra Collister is a local Gilbert resident with 15 years of progressive sales and marketing experience, specializing in building multi-million dollar brand strategies for consumer products on Amazon.com. Her broad experience in the business world includes management roles for diverse organizations including large publicly traded companies and small family owned businesses. In her career, Sierra has survived (and thrived) financial restructuring, re-organizations, layoffs and more. Sound familiar?

SIGNS IT’S TIME TO LOOK FOR A NEW JOB:

Whether you are in between jobs, in a bad job, or were passed over for a promotion. (That bites!)

  1. Maybe things are not going well with your boss, your coworkers.
  2. Maybe it’s not a good culture fit for you.
  3. Maybe you are depressed about work, when you aren’t there or even when you are there. If there are times that you wake up and feel like you have a brick sitting on your chest, then that is a sign.
  4. Maybe your company has had multiple rounds of layoffs, and you are going down.
  5. Maybe your job has advanced/changed in skills, but you aren’t getting the compensation aligned for that level of experience.
  6. Maybe your skills are not being utilized and you are bored.
  7. Maybe your stress has become unmanageable and it is spilling into your personal life.
  8. Maybe you have lost your work/life balance entirely.
  9. Maybe you have a unique reason not included here, maybe your personal life goals have changed.

“Nothing happens, until the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change. – Arthur Burt”

LET’S GET STARTED

Sierra is excited to help provide tools to find your next role. Even if you aren’t currently active on social media, there are many tools that are needed for your professional search.

What does your social network say about you?

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Sierra uses the last 3 channels for personal branding or personal life. LinkedIn is non negotiable, you have to be on it, as it is your digital resume. Personally she doesn’t connect with coworkers on the last 3 either, but that is her preference.

  • 60% of hiring employers use social networking sites to research job candidates.
  • 2 in 5 employers said they are less likely to interview job candidates if they are unable to find information about the person online.
  • She highly recommends Googling yourself! That is the first thing an employer will do.
  • Work on branding yourself positively and professionally.
  • Clean up and work on your name profile results. If you happen to have one bad review, then get active on social media to move that negative rank/presence down and the new activity to drive positive up.
  • 50% of hiring managers who screen candidates via social networks said they’ve found information that caused them not to hire a person.
  • Hiring managers will google you!

Social media photos – the Biggest Offenders:

  • Inappropriate drinking or drug use
  • Bigoted comments
  • Bad mouthing previous employers

Keep in mind your audience.  Your LinkedIn profile picture should be a professional headshot.  Get one here today! Sierra recommends updating every 3-5 years as long as image still looks like you.

SELF-ASSESSMENT

  • Elevator speech
    • Script it out until it feels natural. Focus on your top 3 skills or super powers.
    • She always ends with an open ended question for the interviewer. It gets them to answer/reply.

“Hi, my name is Sierra, but some people call me the Queen of Amazon.com. That’s because I work with companies to …. At your company, how do you handle your business on Amazon.com?

  • What do you want to do with your career? (next one)
  • Career Assessment – CC includes some resources for free to attendees (DISC Assessment)
  • Career Coaches – CC includes coaches onsite at events (LinkedIn, Resume, Social Media, Financial)
  • Clean up and update/optimize your LinkedIn profile!
    • Recommendations – give and get recommendations on profile
      • Usually a client/vendor/partner is best, never your boss, only a coworker if you know they will be discreet
    • Skills
    • Endorsements

*Again the CC coaches can help you with these items.

ITS ALL ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS!

  • Who do you know? Who can you reach out to? Who are former mentors? Who is on your short list from these?
    • Current and/or former business associates
    • Peers
    • Past Companies
    • Friends
  • Who are your targeted companies? Develop your own hit list of approximately 5 to focus on
  • What networking events will you attend to target that?
  • Reconnect with people
    • networkingphoenix.com – There are so many different types of groups you can find to connect with.
    • LinkedIn groups – can be very helpful. You can target your industry, your job focus, and more. You can build your lead pipeline from it.
    • Church groups
    • Next door (neighbors/friends, etc.)
    • Facebook groups

Find out who you know from the above that can help you.

  • Speak positive
  • Be positive – always go in with a positive outlook. Even if you don’t get what you need that day, you may help someone else. That is all positive!
  • Spread positive vibes

PREPARATION

  • Use a “human voice” in your resume instead of a robotic zombie voice
    • The CC Resume writer coaches here can help
  • Stop writing “cover letters” and start writing “pain” letters. Approach the cover letter as what you can do to help them with their company/job needs

Get ready for the interviews

  • Sierra likes to provide a copy of the job description, a copy of the resume and get input on ways to align/improve
  • Your portfolio (this is optional and may not apply to all jobs) – remove all sensitive information (names of companies, financial figures etc) your successes, achievements, work etc.
    • Bring your 30/60/90 day plan to the interview
    • Maybe you can help develop a process for them
    • Maybe you can bring in XX amount of clients
    • Maybe you can bring in XX amount of revenue
    • Print on nice resume paper
    • Bring prepared questions to ask
    • Bring common interests
    • Research!

ATTRIBUTES

Before the employer asks their questions, ask them the top 3 attributes someone needs to be successful in this role.  Then when you are asked questions, you can include the needed skills in your response.  Do the same thing for each person you interview with, as they will each have their own ideas.

REMEMBER ME

Find something personal that will make you stand out from the crowd, so you can leave a memorable impression with the interviewer.

GETTING READY

  • Where do you need help?
    • If you are getting an initial screening but not in person, then maybe you need help with your interviewing skills
    • If you aren’t getting phone screening requests, then maybe you need to focus on your resume (CC Resume Writers can help you)

“What is the #1 reason people lost jobs or didn’t get promoted within their organizations?”  Failure to stay current in their field.

GETTING RESULTS – MOOCs

MOOC = Massive open online courses

Harvard business reviewed surveyed 52K people around the world

72% said their online classes helped them professionally

43% improved candidacy for new job

26% of respondents cited the classes as a reason they found a new job

19% changed to a new career

  • Take courses, add them to your resume or LinkedIn profile, if relevant
    • Once you take the course, post something on LinkedIn, share the link to the course
    • Shows you are a lifelong learner
  • There are many sites that offer online courses

IS THE JOB RIGHT FOR YOU?

When you get a job offer, you need to evaluate and make sure it is a good fit.  You will be spending 40 hours + and want to be happy in your job.

BEING SENSATIONAL AT YOUR NEW JOB

  1. Behave as if you are still being interviewed
  2. See your manager as a person you help, not a person who tells you what to do
  3. Build relationships based on performance, not conversation
  4. Go the extra mile early and often
  5. Spot the high performers and mimic them
  6. Find a way to stand out
  7. Create your own Project
  8. Find people to help
  9. Never forget why you were hired
  10. Watch and learn

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of ruts and start searching for different ways of truer answers.” – M. Scott Peck, American psychiatrist and author of “The Road Less Traveled”

Q&A session:

Q:  What does it look like to grow relationships in your network?

A:  Social media is helpful, reach out to those in your network that you haven’t connected with in a while. Have conversations to stay in touch; renew those contacts; even if they don’t have a job for you, ask they keep you in mind; if not maybe you can help them with someone in your network. Maybe even consider adding a calendar, 2x a year reaching out to them personally to stay in mind. Maybe you share a family photo, send Christmas card, etc.

Carl Forkner (Coach) added a LinkedIn recommendation idea; for those of you that have paper recommendations, you can scan them and attach them to your profiles as well. Many of us have pre-social media recommendations.

Q:  What does she mean by cleaning up/optimizing your social media profiles?

A:  Sierra clarified that means making sure the your results are all positive.

Carl Forkner (Coach) added that while you should keep your Facebook profile private, but you can create a public business page instead that can be found on the web. Good tool to utilize.

HIRING COMPANIES

Republic Services
Shannon Taylor, Director Talent Acquisition

Shannon leads the talent acquisition strategy and process, recruitment technology, and vendor relationships nationally. Shannon is a partner to the business and translates the human capital initiatives into commercial and operational excellence.

Republic Services motto is “We’ll handle it from here.”

They look for candidates who are citizens of the earth.

The red star that you see on their trucks, represents their 5 Rs which are their 5 company values.

Who are we seeking? Java Developer, eCommerce Analyst, Analyst Operations Effectiveness, Billing Coordinators, Senior Analyst Digital Marketing, Manager Financial Support, Systems Engineer, IT Risk & Compliance Analyst, Corporate Accountant, Quality Assurance Manager, GIS Developer and more.  Go here to apply.  Staff are eligible after 6 months to apply to other roles in house.

Liberty Mutual
Justin Oviatt, Sr Branch Manager

Liberty Mutual is a Fortune 100 company with 50K+ employees in 30 countries and 5 continents. As a point of reference, they are larger than: Starbucks, McDonalds, Facebook, Nike, and American Express.

They have 2 campaigns they do annually:

  • Give with Liberty
    Employees can take their money and donate to any charity they want. Liberty Mutual will match .50 to the dollar. It comes directly from the paychecks. They donated $52M globally in 2016.
  • Serve with Liberty
    Employees can take a day to donate their time to a company that they partner with. (Goodwill is one of them).

They are growing themselves and are currently #6 but want move to the #3 top life insurance company. Industry and how we live our lives continues to change daily. Liberty tries to get ahead of that and be innovative. Currently Liberty Mutual utilizes mobile claims and drones for evaluating disaster relief.

Available positions in Arizona:

  • Field Service reps
  • Inbound sales and service reps
  • Inbound claim positions

RESOURCES

Goodwill of Central and Northern AZ (GCNA)
Bobby Ghisolfo, Director of Mission Services

Bobby is the Director of Mission Services for Goodwill of Central and Northern AZ. Bobby and his team collaborate with over 700 employers in the Phoenix metro marketing to understand the expectations and standards they are looking for in prospective job seekers.

Bobby asked audience “What happened to the economy 10 years ago?” The recession. He was let go and looking for work. He applied to 125 jobs at the time. How many interviews do we think that he got? Answer = 0 not a single one. He found out that his resume was really bad.

Bobby stared with Goodwill in 2015. He had negative impression of Goodwill prior to starting with them. Goodwill does a lot to help job seekers, which is why they partner with CC. Goodwill does have career advisors, resume and interview coaches as well. Goodwill will do a phone interview and mock interview with candidates to help them prepare. Goodwill works with many companies/employers.

Goodwill’s new platform will be going public in the next 2-3 months.  Visit it virtually instead of onsite at mycareeradvisor.com

Woz U
John Bernard, Director of Business Development

How many of you have heard of Woz U?  How many have heard of Steve Wozniak?

One of the owners, has made their money. Now their focus is to give back to community. Help and teach development so people can grow. If you are tired of what you have been doing, if you have had a lot of interviews and nothing has come up, maybe it is time to consider doing something else. Yes, there is a cost involved to take the classes, but you don’t have to pay it back until you land in a new job.

CLOSING

Recaps: if you missed any of the information today you can always go to our website and see the recap  www.careerconnectors.org/recap

Photos: we don’t email you your photos. In a few days we will post them. www.careerconnectors.org/photos

Sheila concluded the meeting by thanking our wonderful host Central Christian Church – Gilbert for their support, as well as, all our amazing corporate sponsors and volunteers.

VOLUNTEERS: We can’t make these events happen without our volunteers. Many of our volunteers are in transition and we always welcome additional help.

NEXT EVENT: The next event will be held on Thursday, September 6, 2018 at our Phoenix location (GCU) Grand Canyon University. Topic: Salary Negotiation – Make More Money.

07/26/18 – Think Like a Hiring Manager and Land the Job

by

Think Like a Hiring ManagerWritten by Cindy Nowack

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Think Like a Hiring Manager and Land the Job
Jessica Pierce

Jessica Pierce has learned a thing or two about what hiring managers look for when finding quality candidates. She owned her own staffing company, and is now the Founder and Executive Director of Career Connectors, a non-profit organization that connects professionals in career transition with hiring professionals and quality resources. Career Connectors has grown from 25 people meeting for the first time for resume review and interview prep to the powerhouse non-profit it is today, serving more than 31,000 people and 750 companies in the metro Phoenix area. So when Jessica took the stage, everyone in the audience paid attention to what she had to say.

Most people wonder why didn’t they get the call back for a job opening. They had the qualifications and experience, but it’s more than just that. If you think like a hiring manager, they are looking for quality candidates they know will do well in that position. If you apply online, you are just an email address, not a person. Think about ways to set yourself apart from the other applicants. You need to customize yourself.

Employers and their hiring managers prefer hiring people they know. Companies with a referral bonus give certain candidates a prescreened option if an employee refers them. The retention rates of referred employees are higher than others, so this saves the company time and money.

Social media is also an essential tool across industries for finding qualified candidates. Top recruiters are 60% more engaged with LinkedIn recruiting tools than the average recruiters. Know these three key words for connecting with the right people on LinkedIn at your target companies:

  • Recruiter
  • Talent acquisition
  • HR

You should be connecting with the recruitment teams at your target companies, so they can get to know you. This is a step in setting yourself apart from the other job applicants. When looking for candidates, recruiters will tend to pull from their own networking pool first to fill the position.

Jessica also promotes networking as an important component in landing your next job. Don’t get stuck behind your desk, applying for jobs online all day. You need to show up and meet people. Jessica used Anthony as an example.

Anthony had been looking for his next position for months with no luck. Jessica got his commitment to actively network for four weeks. After the 4 weeks, Anthony felt like it was working, so he continued making these connections through networking. At the end of only 6 weeks, he had two job offers!

Jessica refers to the 3 Cs of Hiring:
Competence + Character + Chemistry = Culture Match.

You will want to connect with others as your first step to getting hired. The audience took a few minutes to list three things each of us can do to connect with others. A networking event, career fair, even coffee with a friend can build those connections. Take a few minutes now to write down three connection points to help you build your own connections.

The next step is competence. Think about your skills, knowledge, experiences, and accomplishments that can show your competency for job openings. Take a few minutes now to write down three of your competencies.

Character traits are also important in customizing yourself. If you need help with identifying your characteristics, Career Connectors offers a DISC assessment online at no charge to job seekers. Based on your answers to a series of questions, the assessment will provide an evaluation of your behaviors and traits. Take a few minutes now to write down three of your own character traits.

The third “C” is chemistry. First impressions are important, and most people know within the first few minutes whether there is a connection. When you meet the hiring manager face to face for your interview, the handshake is an important step in making the connection. Jessica says match the other person’s pressure with 2-3 pumps and let go. No lingering! She had each of us try our handshake with others in the room. Practice this with your family or friends so you are prepared with a good handshake.

Remember these steps before, during and after your interview to help set yourself apart from the others.

Before the interview:
Research the employer
Know your resume
Prepare and review your interview notes

During the interview:
Dress to impress
Arrive 5-10 minutes early
Engage with everyone

After the interview:
Send thank you notes
Connect on LinkedIn/Social Media

If you would like additional help knowing the winning strategies of networking for a job, Jessica recommends Molly Wendell and Executives Network. Molly has been dubbed “The Job Whisperer.” Her networking techniques are effective and proven to work.

You now have a few nuggets of information that can help you think like hiring managers, and hopefully create that culture match with you and your new employer. Hiring managers want to find the culture match for their company, but you also need to know if the company is a good culture match for you as well. Use Jessica’s 3 Cs of Hiring to help you find the culture match that works for both of you.

RESOURCES

Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona
Denise Coulson, Area Leader for the Business and Community Development

Goodwill has 22 career centers in central and northern Arizona with 3 career advisors at each location. They offer help with your resume, mock interviews, and more than 1,000 positions posted to their internal job board. All of these resources are at no cost to you. Stop in one of the career centers Monday – Thursday, 9am-3pm, and Friday, 9am-1pm.

Goodwill offers donation drives across the state to support schools. They can bring a van to your location, and pay 10 cents for every pound donated. Then, Goodwill puts 90 cents of every dollar back into its workforce development.

Denise and her colleagues at Goodwill are committed to the company mission of ending unemployment by providing sustainable employment opportunities and building stronger communities.

HIRING COMPANIES

Paychex
Jeff Shaw, Recruiter

Paychex was founded in 1971 with their headquarters in Rochester, NY. Their location in Phoenix is close to the I-17 and Bell Road. Paychex is a provider of human resources solutions and human capital management. The company has many accolades, including number 5 on the “50 Best Companies to Sell For.”

Their company culture promotes a positive and professional work environment, a work life balance, career pathing and promotions, and community involvement.

Current openings include:

  • Payroll specialists and dedicated service representatives
  • 401K and S125 advisors and coordinators (Retirement Services)
  • Online service advisors
  • Sales
  • HR generalists
  • Agency advisors

Avesis
James Gonzales, Talent Acquisition Recruiter

Established in 1978, Avesis is a dental, vision and hearing insurance company that has recently acquired Guardian. Avesis covers more than 8.5 million members.

Their current openings are:

  • Customer service representative (pays $15.25/hour; class starting in September)
  • Data entry specialists
  • Data entry team lead
  • Vision claims processor
  • Vision utilization management processor

Farmers Insurance
Surrie Atkins, Recruiter

Founded in 1928, Farmers Insurance is one of the largest and most respected insurance brands in the United States. Farmers is a leading insurer of small- and medium-sized businesses, and also operates a rapidly growing financial services company.

There are currently two locations in Phoenix, but all employees will be based at the I-17 and Pinnacle Peak location within the next few years. Farmers is looking to grow in the Phoenix market, hiring 300-400 new employees who have a passion for helping others and putting the customer first.

Two positions that Farmers is currently hiring are:
Customer service: taking inbound calls from policy holders or field agents. This role needs decision-making and problem-solving skills, in addition to excellent communication and computer skills.

Inbound sales: providing customer service and product knowledge for internal and external customers. This role pays a base salary plus commission, and must pass a licensing exam.

To apply, go to www.farmersinsurance.com/careers.

CLOSING REMARKS

As Jessica Pierce mentioned in her presentation, the DISC assessment can be a valuable tool for identifying your character traits, the words that describe who you are. You can take those descriptors to match against job descriptions that interest you. The DISC assessment is offered by Career Connectors at no charge. Click on careerconnectors.org/disc/.

The next event is in Gilbert on Tuesday, July 31 when Ted Robison presents “Get LinkedIn or Get Left Out.” On Thursday, August 9, Bridgett McGowen-Hawkins presents “From Transition to Triumph: Mentally Regrouping In the Midst of Career Change” in Phoenix. You won’t want to miss either of these amazing speakers and their relevant topics for your job search.