Intel

5/2/2019 – Technology Panel

May 6, 2019 by Diane Forner

Jessica Pierce welcomed and explained the agenda, which was a bit different than typical Career Connectors meetings. Instead of one keynote speaker we were fortunate enough to have two panel discussions, which included seven technology market experts. Today’s event was sponsored by USAA.

Panel One: Talent Recruitment in Technology

Brad Harris, Software Developer at USAA
USAA is a mission driven company built by members of the military for the military. They are actively seeking talented individuals to fill over 1,000 jobs in AZ in the next 2 years. Openings include Data Analytics Audit Manager, Business Intelligence/ETL Engineer, Senior Risk Analyst, Java Software Engineer, Attorney, .NET Developer, and Customer Service Representative.

Melissa McCoy, Vice President for TechFinders
TechFinders is a well-established recruiting firm that has adapted well to the changes in technology, over their 20+ year history. This is a company that knows how to stay current.

Gil “GW” Williams, Lead Sales and Marketing Manager for Intel
Intel has evolved into a more data-centric company. They still work with PC’s and chips but they are much more than that. They are known to say any technology will run better with Intel. They are hiring process engineers, manufacturing techs/engineers, as well as a number of other positions.

Panel One: Q & A

Q: When you say “technology field” what does that mean?

A: The “technology field” is everywhere. Our world has gotten to the point where we need tech for just about everything. Tech is becoming a bigger part of our lives. If you have a website you are a tech company.

Q: What do you consider a job in the field?

A: There is a full range of job opportunities in the tech field, some of which include: developers, data engineers, project management, support, management, marketing, sales, HR analyst, and quality assurance, to name of few.

Q: How do you break into the tech field?

A: Be in the middle of everything. Spend as much time as you can networking. Consider having a direct link to your resume on your business cards. Use social media like LinkedIn to research people at the companies you’re interested in working. Learn about their culture. Go to events. Remember it takes time, be persistent. Ask many people eventually someone will say yes. Only 8% people that apply online will get hired according to the panel.

Q: What do you see as the future of tech in AZ?

A: Artificial intelligence (AI) will be huge in the next five to seven years. Cyber security will be very important because of foreign threats and hacking. The old saying, “information is power” rings true.

Panel Two: Career Pathways

Chukwudi Anya, Security Controls and Compliance Analyst at Freedom Financial Network.
Freedom Financial Network is the largest debt relief service provider in US. Open positions include Data Analyst, DevOps Engineer, Full Stack Engineer, Accounting Specialist, QA Coach, Software Engineer, Senior Scrum Master/Agile Coach and more.

Chad Johnson, Technology Manager for State Farm
State Farm provides financial services with over 83 million policies in the country. Openings include Software Developer, Java Developer, Data Scientist, Salesforce & Digital Analytics Analyst, Customer Service, and Business Analysts.

James Mitchell, Recruiting Manager for Deloitte
Deloitte is the largest consulting firm in the country. Deloitte has over 400 jobs to fill in Arizona including AWS Cloud Architect, Cyber Oracle Cloud EBS Security & Controls Consultant, Sr Linux Administrator, Cyber Risk Secure Software Enablement Consultant, UX Designer and many more.

Rob Loy, Head of Technology Education with GCU
GCU is an education provider with support for IT education, boot camps and degree programs.

Panel Two: Q & A

Q: What does tech mean for your business?

A: Technology means everything to business. It encompasses so many areas some of which include: support, operations, data support, compliance, risk security, planning and analyst.

Q: How would you get your foot in the door?

A: Remember to set yourself apart. Employers are interested in finding the right employee for the right position. Tap into your soft skills especially your willingness to learn.
There are many ways to get your foot in the door. One of which is to gain additional education by going back to school for degrees, certifications, and/or boot camps.
There are three things to keep in mind when wanting noticed: networking, networking, networking. LinkedIn is a great networking tool. Use it to connect with company leaders.

Closing

Jessica Pierce concluded the meeting by thanking USAA for sponsoring the Panel, our wonderful host GCU for their support, as well as all our amazing corporate sponsors and volunteers. The next meeting will be held on May 9th, 9 am at the Scottsdale location.

On May 11th, USAA has an on-site Career Expo from 7:30 to 10:30 am. This will be held at USAA’s newly built campus at 25700 Norterra Pkwy, Phoenix, AZ 85085. Please remember to sign up online for these upcoming events.

Please check out the blog post from Heather Marcom at Freedom Financial Network on Re-careering.

03/27/18 – Put Your Strengths to Work – Find a Job That Fits

March 29, 2018 by Cindy Nowack

Written by Cindy Nowack

KEYNOTE

Put Your Strengths to Work – Find a Job That Fits

Stephanie Clergé

Stephanie Clergé knows how it feels to be in transition. Throughout her career, she has worked in large and small organizations including Cisco, Deloitte, BMO Harris Bank and Chandler Unified School District. She is now the Director of Training and Consulting at Kolbe Corp, an HR consulting firm specializing in increasing individual and collective performance.

Transition can change one’s sense of security, identity, friend base and more. This provides valuable lessons for the road ahead. Stephanie knew she wanted to find engagement at work and more satisfaction in her job. Her lessons for the road ahead are:

Know yourself
Plan your work
Work your plan

Know yourself – Ensure a strong foundation for career success

Those who know themselves and focus on their strengths are 6x as likely to be successful in their roles, and 3x more likely to say they have a high quality of life. Try this interesting exercise. Write your signature on a piece of paper with your dominant hand. How did that feel? Easy, natural, comfortable, fast and legible were some of the comments in the room. Now write your signature with your non-dominant hand. That signature felt hard, uncomfortable and slow, right? Finding your strengths should be like writing with your dominant hand. Do what comes naturally and gives you energy. Sometimes you have to look for talent in unexpected places, so be aware of your underlying patterns of thought, feeling and behaviors.

Plan your work – Preparing for the job search

Identify what task, team, manager, culture, industry, or other experience you loved. Also, take a look at your non-work and work-adjacent activities such as volunteering, clubs, organizations and hobbies. These activities can shine a light on what energizes you.

You also need to develop your tools for the job search. Is your resume easy to read and reflects how you can best contribute in a new organization? Stephanie says cover letters are not dead, but don’t write a cover letter just to write one. Write a cover letter for a specific job opening when you need to:

Captivate your audience
Control the message
Clarify a situation
Customize a response

Your LinkedIn profile should have a clear, concise headline and the summary should show a bit of your personality. Have well-written recommendations from the right people, and be part of relevant groups and companies. Take a critical look at your page from a recruiter’s lens. Does it tell your story?

Connect with your network too. You should be interested and interesting when connecting. Be able to clearly tell your work history story. You never know when you might connect with someone who can help you in your next step.

Your homework is to create at least one Strengths Statement. Pick a strength that really describes you. Think of a task that really energizes you. And then create a sentence with key elements of your talent contribution that you use to complete the task. For example, Stephanie says, “My strength is reviewing documentation (data processes, presentations) written to influence others and providing guidance to make it more compelling.” You should be able to clearly communicate your contributions to interviewers.

Work Your Plan

You want to have a plan that is SMART.

Specific
Measurable
Aligned
Realistic
Timely

Create daily and weekly steps to help you navigate this transition:

Review industry websites.
Follow up with former colleagues, managers for recommendations.
Attend one event a week.
Apply to ten positions a week – not quantity, but quality!
Call your accountability partner . They are on the journey with you and providing emotional support.

Every career span is different. Today people are in jobs about two years. You have the opportunity to reinvent yourself each time you transition. No road is easy, but your strengths help you do it with ease. Stephanie was kind enough to make her slides available on her website here.

There was time for a few questions:

Should you use Twitter to find a job?

Use Twitter if you’re good at it. You need to invest your time wisely. Also Google yourself to see what’s out there about you.

What is one key thing to share with a negative person who is stuck?

Be honest. If that person is negative with you, it’s coming across to other people as well, including job interviewers. Find that source of inspiration and make it part of your journey. Stay balanced to get rid of negativity.

Do you have advice to follow up on online submissions?

Only follow up if it’s the perfect job. Otherwise don’t waste your time. Remember to always invest your time wisely.

HIRING COMPANIES

Intel

Gil “GW” Williams, Lead Talent Manager

Chances are your connected devices have an Intel processor in them. Intel is going from a PC to a data-centric company that relies on their people. This company hires “niche” applicants so be sure to do your homework on the company!

Intel is placing four big bets:

Autonomous driving
Virtual reality (VR)
5G
Artificial intelligence

In addition to the usual company benefits of stock purchase plan and 401K, employees receive a sabbatical. For every 7 years with the company, the employee gets 8 consecutive weeks off, or every 4 years with the company gets 4 weeks off.

Job openings can be found at www.intel.com/job.

Staff Logic

The scheduled representative was not available, but their current openings include:

Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
Banking and Financial sase
Software sales
Medical
Administrative
Marketing
Human Resources
Customer Service

Allstate

Tori Castlegrante, Agency Process Specialist

Taylor Mathusek, Recruiter

The company with Good Hands, Allstate has been in business more than 85 years. There are 1,500 regional company employees, and 700+ small business owners, with a local office in Tempe. Allstate insures 47 products, including auto, home, life and renter’s insurance.

Open Tempe positions include:

IT – 6

Finance and economics – 1

Human resources – 3

Product – 1

Claims – 2

Sales management – 1

To be an agency owner, you should have management/supervisory experience, be business-minded and like being your own boss. There are no franchise or royalty fees, so an agency owner is true small business ownership. There is a $6,000 referral bonus for candidates with supervisory/management experience so apply or recommend someone you know.

To learn more about Allstate careers, go to www.allstate.com/careers.

CLOSING

On Thursday, April 5, Abby Kohut will speak about “Networking for Introverts, Extroverts and In-Between Verts” at our new location at the Grand Canyon University Conference Center. Join us!

2/28/17 – Get Linkedin or Get Left Out!

March 2, 2017 by Michelle Soracco

Written by Michelle Soracco

Keynote Speaker

Ted Robison, Mr. Link-Me-In

Ted started his work life in nuclear engineering and jokingly says that he coaches now to atone for his nuclear-related sins. His journey to becoming a LinkedIn coach is a fascinating one; if you have a chance to talk with him, be sure to ask him about it. He’s a passionate and humorous individual, dedicated to coaching others about LinkedIn.

Get Linkedin or Get Left Out!

Do you want to get found by recruiters? Network with people in your industry? Find out information about the companies and people you’ll be interviewing with before the interview? LinkedIn can help you do all of this and more. Many recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn exclusively; if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, you’re missing opportunities.

Use a professional headshot as your photo for 14x more profile views. Your headline should have your current job title; consultant or volunteer is a viable title (here’s where I put in a plug for volunteering for Career Connectors!). Because LinkedIn uses keyword density, be sure to fill out your profile with as many keywords that pertain to your job search as you can. Your summary should contain skills (hard and soft), experience, expertise and major accomplishments, and style. Style includes: your brand/wow factor, what value you bring to the company and how you differentiate yourself (e.g. problem solver, customer advocate, walk-around manager, etc.).

You should belong to 30-50 groups on LinkedIn. Join groups and associations that are part of your target market, personal interests, professional associations, school alumni associations, or prior companies. Go to group meetings, which might require some perseverance.

The hidden job market comprises approximately 80% of all jobs. To tap into the hidden job market, create a list of target companies, build relationships at these companies and follow the companies on LinkedIn. One way to create a target company list is to use the Book of Lists from the Phoenix Business Journal.

To prepare for interviews, research the interviewers on LinkedIn. Knowing their hobbies, jobs and groups can help you connect with them during the interview. Research the company – product, services, competitors. Do informational interviews to determine if the culture is a good fit; do my values match with the company’s values? Know your value prior to the interview.

According to a LinkedIn survey, the three most important items to look for in a candidate during the hiring process are:
1. Motivation/hungriness (being part of a team)
2. Execution ability (adding value)
3. Culture fit

Call to Action:
* Build and strengthen your profile: keywords
* Create and search your target companies
* Join associations and groups
* Research in preparation for interviews
* Talk to the hiring manager if possible
* Many jobs aren’t posted
***If you do nothing else, network, network, network!***

Hiring Companies

Intel

Gil “GW” Williams, Lead Talent Manager, @JobsatIntel

Intel’s vision: if it is smart and connected, it is best with Intel. In the last 6-8 months, Intel has changed its entire strategy to a virtuous cycle of growth revolving around memory, the cloud and data center, FPGA and things and devices. Intel invested $7B to finish Fab 42, which will create 3000 – 10,000 local jobs, including subcontractors and support services. The majority of the roles are technically inclined, but not all of them. Do your research and fit everything in the job description before you apply. No spaghetti recruiting here.

Sonora Quest

Raquel Phelps, Recruiter, @SonoraQuestLabs

Sonora Quest is a joint venture between Banner Health and Quest Diagnostics with 3100 employees in Arizona. Using the 6 Sigma method, Sonora Quest’s goal is to provide the best patient care by partnering with physicians and focusing on preventative care. Their benefits are the same as Banner Health. Openings include CRM Systems Analyst, Desktop Engineer, Emergency Management Coordinator, Customer Systems Analyst Sr, Information Security Analyst Sr, Laboratory Manager, Operational Excellence Manager, Strategic Sourcing Director, Medical Lab Scientists and Phlebotomy Leadership.

Ajilon: Kristina Johnson, Staffing Manager, @ajilon

Accounting Principals: Michelle Inskeep, Staffing Manager @acctprincipals

Ajilon and Accounting Principals are not your typical temp agencies. Located in the east valley, these two branches are the second best branches in the US! Accounting and finance job seekers should talk to Accounting Principals; administrative, logistics and supply chain job seekers should talk to Ajilon. Parker and Lynch is the executive branch encompassing both. Accounting Principals is looking for a candidate with commercial collections experience ($42K-$45K/year), as well as vendor administrative support ($38K/year). Ajilon is looking for a professional inventory associate ($18-$20/hour), an account manager ($20-$22/hour), and a closing call center supervisor ($18-$20/hour).

Freedom Financial Network

John Hasna, Director of Talent Acquisition, @FreedomFamily

Freedom Financial Network is a debt consulting company that provides financial solutions and services to enable consumers to achieve financial freedom. Their 3 AZ locations have 1300 employees, and have hired 200 of the 1000 individuals they want to hire this year. They are in the process of building a new campus in Tempe and were recently named as a Phoenix Business Journal “Best Places to Work” Winner. Open positions in Tempe include Java Developers, Product Managers, Corporate Trainer, Compliance Manager, Business Intelligence Analyst, Negotiations Debt Settlement Specialist, Inside Sales Reps and Software Developer.

New Horizons Learning Center, @nhphoenix

Joe Rostowsky, Director of Site Operations

Career Connectors has partnered with New Horizons as their only WIOA-funded school. New Horizons is an international training organization that serves the needs of top companies to help individuals enhance their current skills and go to the next level in their career. They offer courses in IT, Office Mgmt, Healthcare Records and Management, Project/Production Mgmt Certifications. Classes are conducted live in a classroom, live online and self-paced online courses, depending on the student’s needs.

Closing

Jessica graciously thanked all of the day’s speakers, volunteers and job seekers for participating. She encouraged job seekers to take advantage of the many Career Connector services like having your resume reviewed, a free professional portrait and visit all of the other services and hiring companies. She also encouraged everyone to view the career blog, which is up and running and has a lot of good career advice.

Next event in Phoenix: “Use LinkedIn in 15 Minutes Per Day” on Wednesday, Mar 08, 2017 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, due to February being a short month. Register here.

3/22/16 – Get the Job Fast: How to Find a Great New Job in Half the Time!

March 23, 2016 by Jim Tousek

Written by James Tousek

Career Connectors is all about networking your way to a new career. I love attending these events because first and foremost it forces me to get up, get dressed, and get out of the house. Maybe some of you can relate! I have mentioned in a previous blog that I am an introvert, so attending these events takes some courage for me. Once I am here though I forget I am an introvert because the staff, volunteers, and attendees make us all feel so welcome.

Welcome & Intro

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors, kicked off the event by inviting us to get up and meet 3 new people we have not met yet. Afterward, Jessica discussed Career Connectors’ core values, and mission including a success story of a participant who just accepted a great job in HR as a result of her networking through Career Connectors.

Keynote Speaker

Get the Job Fast: How to Find a Great New Job in Half the Time!
by Dave Sherman

It is all about networking, and our keynote speaker Dave Sherman shared his story of transition from a successful entrepreneur and businessman, to out looking for new opportunities after the Great Recession in 2007. Dave Sherman has been a professional trainer, speaker and best-selling author for the past 20+ years. Throughout his training and speaking career, the following words have been used to describe Dave: Empowering, Uplifting, Motivating, Entertaining, Invigorating, Passionate, Amazing, Hysterical, Fantastic, Dynamic, Genuine, Personable, and Authentic.

He is a subject matter expert in the following topics: networking, marketing, sales, public speaking and career transition. Dave gave his audience some “tough love” along with some indispensable tips which are both motivating and practical.

Tip #1 – Get Out of House

Stops the voices! (that internal critic)
Maintains a networking routine
Promotes socialization
Go to a coffee house, restaurant, library, (any where there is internet)

Tip#2 – Hang out with employed people

Hang out with people that have jobs, those are the people that have the most active connections that can help you find a new job.

Tip#3 – Join more networking events

Chambers of Commerce
Associations – Dave suggested if you cannot afford to attend association meetings, call them and let them know you are in transition and ask the Director if they will let you attend for free or at a discounted rate. Also, ask if they need help and volunteer – you just have to get in the room!
LinkedIn – spend at least 30 minutes a day on LinkedIn, send every 1st level connection an In-Mail: “Hi [Name], we are first level connected and I am reaching out to you to ask if you know [Hiring Manager Name] with [XYZ Company]. I just applied for the {position} there, and I was hoping you would be so kind as to send him/her an in-mail recommending me for an interview. Thank you in advance for your help!
Business Groups
Networking Groups
Career Transition Groups

Tip#4- STOP LOOKING FOR A JOB! (when attending events)

Be Genuine
Smile
Be likable
Be interested, not interesting….
Do not go to events “looking for a job” – instead be interested in others – make connections
Find commonality- ask a lot of questions – Hometown? Hobbies? School? Family, Friends?

Tip#5 – Four most important words – WHO DO YOU KNOW?

Ask everyone!
Be Specific – not, “I want to get into IT” , or, “I want to get into management” {too vague}
- I want to get into IT, specifically Network Administration at WellsFargo, who do you know there?
Use WHO DO YOU KNOW all the time
Don’t give up

Dave closed by saying he knows where we are, and he knows it’s hard. I appreciated his tough love at the beginning of the presentation when he said, “stop whining and stop complaining about the situation and get out of the house and do something about it!”

Hiring Companies

Intel
Gil “GW” Williams, Lead Talent Manager
@Intel

Intel, founded in 1968, created the world’s first microprocessor in 1971 and is now the world’s innovator in processing technology. Gil enlightened us on other industries we do not often think of where Intel has had an impact on our lives, such as check out scanners at retail stores, and technology at the airport. Intel offers a 4 week PAID sabbatical after 4 years of service, and exceptional medical, dental, vision, retirement benefits. Intel has a variety of openings, most of which are engineering related.

Staffmark
Wendy Kasrawi, Branch Manager
Jessica McGrath, Practice Director
@Staffmark

Staffmark is one of the largest staffing firms in the US. The company places 40,000+ temporary workers weekly. The average tenure of Staffmark’s top 20 clients is approximately 13 years. The Phoenix group has been in operation for 20+ years and has local expertise with direct and temporary hires. The team caters to professional services, call center, and administrative positions. Contract employees are offered a benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life and disability coverage; immediate entry to 401K; and holiday pay. Open positions are available for direct hire and contract positions. Direct hire opportunities include Recruiter-40k-45k plus commission; Financial Advisors; Research Associates-35k-40k; and Sales Assistant-30k. Contract positions are: Inside Sales-$18.75 per hour; Contract Recruiter-$40-$45 per hour and OSP Engineer-$16-$20 per hour. If you work for Staffmark as a contract worker, the company offers benefits.

State Farm
DeAnne Prigmore, Recruiter
@State Farm

The State Farm mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams. State Farm is building a 2 million square feet campus in Tempe by ASU and will house 8,000-10,000 employees. It will consist of four buildings and house varied retail outlets along with restaurants and fitness center. The organization has great benefit offerings including a pension plan and base salary plus commission. A sampling of open opportunities includes entry-level positions such as Claims Associate for Initial Loss Reporting, Express and Interpretation Representative, Customer Care Service and Sales Representative. Also, Bank Support Representative, Loan Representative, and Mortgage Loan Processor. Systems/IT opportunities include Data Scientist, Infra Analyst-Network, Object Oriented Software Development. To apply visit their website.

Freedom Financial Network
Nicole Durkin, HR Business Partner
@FreedomFamily

“We transform clients’ lives–help along the road to financial freedom.” Launched in 2002, their mission is “to provide financial solutions, services and education enabling consumers to resolve their debt and achieve financial freedom.” There are 980 employees and locations in San Mateo, CA and Phoenix, Arizona. Freedom Financial Network is growing! Benefits include medical, dental and vision along with vacation, paid holidays and four hours off on your birthday! Available positions include Account Executive (with no cold calling, the leads come in), Legal, Business Intelligence, Product Management and Technical. An extra perk is the Freedom Family Fund. Employees can pay $3 to wear jeans on Friday then the company pays $6 into a fund that goes right back to employees in their time of need.

For more information: freedomfinancialnetwork.com/jobs

Resources

Canyon State Institute
Sherri Carparelli, President & CEO

Canyon State Institute was started in April of 2004 as Data Entry Institute by Sheri Carparelli, who is the President/CEO of CSI. Sheri has over 35 years of employment services experience in the Phoenix area. CSI’s reputation is very strong within the business community, employer contacts made over the years and the associated membership organizations. The training is up-to-date and constantly changing to meet the needs of employers. They offer high demand certification training in the industries that require national certification for employment consideration.

CSI maintains small classes in a non-customary classroom setting. All of the instructors are certified with experience in their field of instruction. They offer hands-on training with 100% instructor-led programs.

Call 602-266-6630 for a tour of either of our two facilities, whether you reside closer to downtown Phoenix or in the East Valley.

Different programs include:
- Microsoft Office
- Medical Support Specialist
- Information Technology
- Project Management
- Human Resources
- Process Improvement
All courses lead you to taking and passing a certification exam.
All of their programs are high demand.
Includes career service center.
Funding available through:
- WIOA
- Veterans
- DES Vocational Rehabilitation

For more information: canyonstateedu.com

Closing

Jessica thanked everyone for attending today’s event, and mentioned we can get connected and join the conversation through LinkedIn Career Connectors, Facebook Career Connectors page, and twitter @careerconnected, as well as www.careerconnectors.org where you will find valuable resources like a FREE DISC behavioral assessment, event recaps, upcoming events, LinkedIn Basics, job boards, and much more.

Career Connectors is seeking volunteers in the following areas:

Photographers
Writers
A/V Support
LinkedIn Coaches

Go to www.careerconnectors.org/volunteers for more information.

5/2/2019 – Technology Panel