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9 Ways To Connect With Your Job Interviewer

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9 Ways To Connect With Your Job Interviewer

Interviews can be stressful, even if you feel well prepared. Despite going over every question you can think of and watching yourself in the mirror, you may still find yourself worried that you haven’t done enough. You have a short window to impress the interviewer and prove you have what it takes. 

What can you do?

We’ve asked nine professionals to share their advice on how to handle connecting with an interviewer in a short period of time, so that you can walk into your next interview with confidence.


Review Their LinkedIn Profile

Personal connection is always the best, I believe. Before the interview, the candidate should review the interviewer’s LinkedIn profile. Check to see if you have anything in common. If so, bring that up in the interview as an ice-breaker. Also, make sure that you are molding your answers to reflect the values of the company. This can also be a great way to connect.

Dana Felix, HR Analyst


Start With a Good First Impression

An interviewer will make their decision on whether you are likable or not within the first 5 minutes of the interview. One thing they will consider is your overall presentation. Recruiters like someone who appears neat, composed, charming (without speaking!) and one who appears prepared. To achieve this, go into your with confidence. Wear a moderate smile, one that does not reveal your teeth. Greet the interviewer formally and sit upright, looking directly into their face without being too hard as it might appear rude. Finally, speak fluently and respond as accurately as possible without stuttering or referring back to your documents.

James Jason, Mitrade


Connect In a Blink

Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink makes the argument that people make judgements about others within a blink of an eye. No pressure, but candidates need to connect with an interviewer in that first blink. Sometimes, that first two seconds tells an interviewer more about that candidate than a 30-minute conversation. It’s just human nature. So how can you connect in two seconds? Calm the nerves prior to the first interaction. When it comes time to shine (or turn on Zoom video), be yourself, smile and make eye contact. Just connecting in a non-verbal way in the first two seconds helps pave the way for the rest of the interview. 

Brett Farmiloe, Markitors


Be Personable and Outgoing 

One of the best things you can do to connect in a short amount of time is be personable and outgoing as soon as you enter the interview. You might not necessarily have time to discuss things you have in common, but the interviewer will feel drawn to you because you gave off a positive persona. They will see that you are passionate and can have a conversation with anyone even if you are meeting for the first time. 

Henry Babich, Stomadent Dental Lab 


Body Language 

Body language is so important in interviews. Sit up straight, make eye contact and smile when you can to give off a good impression to your interviewer. In virtual interviews, use hand motions and try to look at the camera when speaking, allowing the interviewer to feel as if you are making eye contact with them. 

Jon Schneider, Recruiterie 


Make it a Two-Way Conversation

Do your best to not let the interview be one-sided. When it feels natural, ask the interviewer a question or two about their work or about the company to break up the rapid-fire of questions. Try to create a back and forth conversation to make the interview more comfortable for both parties involved.

Candi Luciano, Y Scouts


Ask Them About Themselves

Avoid talking about the weather or asking general questions such as “how are you?” Rather ask something contextual and specific such as “How have you been adjusting to being back in the office/working from home during the shelter-in-place?” This shows the interviewer that you see people beyond just their roles and your approach to work will likely be more relational rather than transactional. If it is a company that cares about culture then they will love this about you!

Philip Botha, Culture Advantage


Match the Interviewers Energy

Unless there has been no application vetting process whatsoever, interviewers already know plenty about who you are from your resume, background checks and social media investigations. Here are a few ways for candidates to connect quickly with their future job interviewer: You have about 90 seconds to make a great first impression so focus on non-verbal cues, match the interviewers energy (cadence, physical gestures, etc), ask measured questions to get them talking, find common bonds (often doing research before the interview on LinkedIn profiles, search “About” section on website, etc), captivate them with relevant personal stories and last but not least pretend you already have the job as you want them to visualize you on the job.

Mark Christensen, People & Partnerships


Interviewers Remember Personality

It sounds obvious but I personally always remember people who have shown some of their personality in their answers, rather than being robotically professional. The “worst” case scenario is that the interviewer won’t gel with your personality, but then the likelihood is that you wouldn’t be a good fit for that company, anyway — so it’s no loss.

Rosalind Smith, Mauve Group

12/1/16 – Think Like a Hiring Manager and Land the Job

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Jessica Pierce Think Like a Hiring ManagerWritten by Susan Lamphiear

Here Comes the Sun (George Harrison, The Beatles),  a reminder that there is hope for a new sunrise every day of our lives, whether we are gripped with fear or experiencing loss or grappling with any of life’s problems and glitches, and the song’s long been a favorite of mine.  To me the song will always be a metaphor for hope. So I thought of the song when our keynote speaker’s intro mentioned  hope’s importance during life’s trials, including job layoffs or job transition.

Keynote

“It’s all about hope,” says Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors. Hope is what gets you through the tough times.

Jessica and her husband Mark know about getting through tough times. They were both employed and “living the dream” in 2007 when Jessica was laid off from her job at Intel. She quickly opened a staffing company but that closed after two years, following the economic crisis of 2009.

When her husband was laid off during this same time period, in 2009, Jessica began helping other professional friends who also faced unemployment.  The couple had an infant, a two-year-old and a 10-year old. (Her children and supportive husband are still what she’s most proud of.)  A short sale of their home soon challenged them. But Jessica told Mark that she felt God had called her to help (Career Connectors started with helping a few people at church with their resumes), so he threw out his arms and said, “How can I argue with God?”

In 2010 Arizona hosted the U.S. Census and Jessica informed them she had about 250 people who might be interested. But when word got out they were hiring 3000 people, Jessica realized that this whole situation was about community, not just church, when people lined up around the church and TV news were there to interview her. Career Connectors was founded and since then the group has helped over 25,000 individuals and 300 companies in the metro Phoenix area, and Jessica was called to speak at the White House as a jobs expert.

Having become an expert in job search tactics, Jessica loves to share what she’s learned and to teach others how to think like a hiring manager to land the job.

Jessica learned at age 24,  you have to make it easy for hiring managers to find you, and she practically made a second career referring friends for jobs and getting paid for it! Offering referrals tends to be a win/win situation. It gave her another income. But it also saved money for the company. And it helped find appropriate candidates, because if you refer someone, it’s going to be a worker who shows up and can do the job. You’re not going to refer someone who will make you look bad!

Hiring managers have a database of resumes—but that’s actually the last place they look to hire. Most people who have succeeded have been referred. Someone said, “Hey, I heard about this job you’d be perfect for…”

The Recruitment Life Cycle is very complex and hiring the right candidate is hard work. So it’s no surprise that employers always start with known internal resources.

  • Internal Resource (known)
  • Prior Work Relationship (known)
  • Referred Resource (known – one off)
  • Through Employee (known —  one off)
  • Want Ad/Online Posting (unknown/high-risk)

Here’s what we know for sure about the hiring process

  • People do business primarily with people they know and like.
  • Job listings tend to draw piles of applicants.
  • The job you want likely will not be advertised.

Where are recruiters finding their best candidates?

  • Recruiters are finding 60% of their candidates through referrals!

Are employers using social media to hire?

  • Yes, they are! Their number one choice is LinkedIn. But be careful with social media. Sometimes offers are actually rescinded based on social media posts. You can have an opinion, but be respectful the way you express it, especially in a heated election year like we’ve just experienced. Of recruiters, 55% have reconsidered a candidate based on their social profile, with 61% of those second looks being negative.

Tips from Jessica

  1. Yes, go to the job boards. But it doesn’t stop there. Who do you know at the company? Find them on LinkedIn and connect.
  2. Stand out from the crowd. She uses the example of Anthony. He was resistant to getting out and networking as Jessica suggested. Finally, he committed to one month of calling people, meeting people, getting out of the house for 40 hours a week. He talked to anyone who would talk to him. At one point Anthony said, “I need a coffee budget.” But at the end of that one month, Anthony had two job offers and they were competing for him! Anthony admitted that what Jessica had told him worked.
  3. Don’t apply for a job if you don’t have most of the skills. It wastes the recruiter’s time and when they do see a job for you, they likely won’t contact you if they feel you’ve previously wasted their time.
  4. Don’t apply for an executive assistant job at the same time you apply for an executive job. Target the person you are. Don’t be open to ALL positions. Be that one person when you apply for a job.
  5. If you’re a creative problem solver, say this on your resume or in an interview. Creative problem solvers are valuable because they solve problems but not necessarily via a straight path.
  6. Don’t say you’re strong in TEAMWORK. That gets overlooked these days. Instead, use ACTION words like “implemented” or “created.”  Use your strong ACTION words that show up when you take the DISC assessment free through Career Connectors’ website. Click here to go to the DISC page on the website.
  7. Think about the TYPES of companies you’re interested in. Jessica LOVED Intel. But today she couldn’t work there because she’s in a different place in her career.

Remember this: Companies are looking for three things, not just skills, though competence is, of course, a vital part of the equation.

  1. Competence includes knowledge and training, your experience, and your skills.
  2. Character includes traits like trustworthiness, loyalty, patience, kindness, courtesy, cooperation, respect, responsibility and commitment.
  3. Chemistry is demonstrated by your first impression, proper handshake (match theirs), introduction, eye contact, natural smile, and mirroring the initial response.

And be kind, Jessica reminds us. In your networking conversations, find topics not related to jobs. Sports, family, kids, vacations, and activities are all possibilities for discussions. Remember, it’s all about relationships because we all want to work with people we like.

Hiring Companies

Aetna

Le Nguyen, Talent Acquisition

Aetna, a Health Care Insurance Provider, employs 50,000. Proud of its values, the company recently launched efforts to increase minimum pay and provide more employees with affordable healthcare.

Benefits of the company include paid time off (PTO), life insurance, short-term AND long-term disability, and employee work/life Assistance Program. Shared benefits include medical, dental and vision plans. Incentive programs include financial benefits like 401K and annual bonuses, wellness and incentive programs, tuition assistance and student loan repayment programs (new in 2017).A number of positions are available.

Aetna is a leader in flex scheduling and work-from-home. The company embraces diversity and has been named most admired company and rated highly by veterans as a place to work.

To apply go to their  website. Look early and often as a variety of  positions update daily ranging from customer service to marketing to project management.

MassMutual

Jessica McGrath, Recruiter

MassMutual, an Arizona financial services group, exists to help clients secure their future and protect loved ones.

The company seeks to hire three groups of people

  • Candidates from the area with a solid network of contacts, with MBA, JD, CPA or five years sales/entrepreneurial or related experience  who are changing careers
  • Career changers from the area with a network of contacts who are fully licensed—Life & Health, 6/7, 63/66
  • Career changers, fully licensed—Life & Health, 6/7, 63/66 with proven track record of success-$70,000 Annual Production looking to take practice to the next level but need help

Why Choose MassMutual?

  • If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired
  • Culture
  • Support and training
  • Impact on the community
  • Unlimited income

To apply, visit their website.

GlobalTranz

Amber Gaines, Corporate Recruiter

GlobalTranz is a privately held technology-enabled 3PL company specializing in freight management services, including Less-Than-Truck Load (LTL), Truckload (TL), Supply Chain Management, and Domestic Air/Expedited shipping. The company is a B2B company with over 25,000 customers. Any business in the U.S. who ships products in lots weighing over 150 pounds is a potential customer of GlobalTranz. Among awards they have been named among Fastest Growing Companies several times.

Benefits include choice of three medical plans, onsite Care Clinic, Dental and vision plan, $25,000 Company Paid Life Insurance, Employee Referral Bonus Program $500, internal development and advancement opportunities, Wellness Room and C.O.R.E — TruBlue, Go Team, Green Team. They’re very proud of their corporate culture, community service and Green team.

Current openings include Logistics Specialist, AR Analyst, AP Analyst, Carrier Rep (Broker), Cash Application Specialist, Inside Sales (Prescott Valley), Pricing Analyst, and Agent Support. To apply, visit their website. If you’re ready to take the next step in exploring a career with GlobalTranz, contact their corporate recruiter, Amber Gaines, TODAY.

Cenlar

Ann Pierce, Senior Recruiter

Cenlar is a premier loan servicing provider and wholesale bank. Their services date back to 1958 when Cenlar was formed from the acquisition of Centennial Savings and Loan Association by Larson Mortgage Company. Cenlar FSB was one of the first companies to pursue mortgage loan subservicing as a core business. The company supports three major/national charities: March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, Toys for Tots, and other local organizations including Habitat for Humanity.

Employee benefits include 401K – match up to 4% of salary, comprehensive health benefits, vacation and sick/personal time off, 10 holidays per year, life insurance and optional supplemental life insurance, tuition reimbursement, and more. The company closes for every federal holiday.

Open positions include functional trainers, HR generalist, customer care associates, loan servicing default agents (collections), and customer care supervisors. . Bilinguals are encouraged to apply. Listings change frequently. To apply visit their website.

Resources

New Horizons

Joe Rostowsky, Director of site Operations

New Horizons, a computer learning center, offers training for those in job search or career transition, but also provides information on resources available in the community, and job placement at the conclusion of classes. Certifications are available for many areas, including Microsoft Word, which can give job candidates an extra edge when they apply for jobs. Classes include  CCNA Routing and Switching, Microsoft Office Specialist, Pharmacy Technician,  and many more.  The State-of-the-Art Training Facility offers small classes conducted in a variety of ways including traditional instructor led classrooms, online LIVE learning, and online ANYTIME learning. Funding is available for many job seekers, including for veterans. For more information about enrolling or funding, visit their website.

New! Career Connectors Advice Blog

NEW — Career Connectors Advice Blog — is now LIVE. Click on the link.

Closing

Sheila Coulam, Director of Operations for Career Connectors, opened and closed the formal part of the event and kept things running smoothly. Sheila discovered Career Connectors after being an electrical engineer at General Motors for 15 years and a stay-at-home Mom for 10 years. Looking to get back into the job market during a big recession, she volunteered so she could get back into “professional mode.” After doing web development for a while, the company wound down and she found her way back to Career Connectors and her current position. “Jessica pulls me out of analysis paralysis.”

Highlands Church provides our beautiful meeting facility. The church also continues their Highlands Hope  Initiative to assist individuals in career transition. Information gathered from individuals at the event allowed some participants to receive a gift card, based on income,  courtesy of Highlands.

Sheila thanked the church and volunteers for their service and introduced Breakout Sessions including the chance to meet with hiring companies, get help with resume preparation, talk with a LinkedIn specialist, and have a free professional head shot taken.

Next meetings in December this year include the Phoenix meeting Wednesday, December 7, 2016, 9:00 AM. And Tuesday, December 13, 20016, 9:00 AM in Gilbert. For details of the meetings, including directions, speakers, and registration, click here.

2017 Event information COMING SOON!!

 

 

 

Business Cards, Evernote & LinkedIn, Oh My!

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Written by Kevin Spear

Professionally edited by Kitty Carlisle

Business CardsBusiness cards and LinkedIn are important tools in a job search. Business cards are vital for giving a tangible reminder of your visit. LinkedIn is your virtual resume and the primary way recruiters search for talent. If you use Evernote, you have a way to make them work together for you.

Evernote’s camera feature has come a long way. It recognizes when you are taking a picture of a business card. It will find the contact information in the card. But what is even more powerful is it will use that information to find your new contact on LinkedIn and give you the option to connect with them. You can even send your information to your new contact.

This feature should work on Android as well as iOS phones and tablets. For more information, Evernote has good documentation.

In order to enable this feature, you can do the following on you iOS device.

  1. Tap on your settings in the top left
  2. Tap on General
  3. Tap on Camera
  4. Tap on Business Cards
  5. At the top is the LinkedIn logo. If you are not connected, tap “Connect.”
  6. Enter your LinkedIn email and password. Now you should be connected.
  7. Go back and tap on “My contact info.” Check and edit your information. You will be able to send your information to the person’s email address on the business card.

Now you are ready to use Evernote to keep your scanned business cards. When you receive a card at an event, you can do the following:

  1. Set the business card on a contrasting background. A white card should be on a dark background so the camera can find the edges of the card
  2. Take a picture of the business card. The app should recognize the card as such.
  3. If the card is two-sided, you can take a picture of both sides.
  4. The app should recognize the text and fill in contact fields. Always check the text to be sure the app accurately converted the text. There is also a chance text will be added to the wrong fields.
  5. The app will let you know if it finds a match on LinkedIn. It is based on the email address the person has entered on LinkedIn.

As with any feature, it may take some experimenting and testing to make it work for you. But when you take the time to learn this new feature, you can save several steps in gathering and recording your contact information.

7/14/2016 — LinkedIn’s Power of Connection

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LinkedIn Power of ConnectionWritten by Susan Lamphiear

Just as you wouldn’t even dream of applying for jobs without a resume or a proper suit of interview clothing, or your most updated  hairdo or eye glasses, then why would you start your job hunt without maximum use of LinkedIn? These days all the experts tell us it’s a given.

And as our keynote speaker and LinkedIn guru stressed today, nearly all employers will seek and find your online presence, starting with LinkedIn. So, be there or be square, or continue to wear your nerd eye glasses and bouffant hairdo.

Keynote

When Kevin Dumcum left a successful marketing career in 2009 for his current work with Arizona@Work, Maricopa County, LinkedIn helped him with that transition. In fact, he was already connected with people from his team by the time he arrived at the new job. Among other evidences of his expertise, Kevin teaches LinkedIn classes and came today to share LinkedIn Tips.

LinkedIn continues to be more and more important to employers, so for anyone in career transition, and anyone seeking to build their network and develop their career, LinkedIn is a must. Assume that your next position isn’t going to be your last position. With that in mind, LinkedIn is not just for the job hunt. It’s a tool to help you in your continuing career.

If you have any doubt about the importance of your involvement on LinkedIn, check out the numbers. If your total connections equal 470, and each of your connections is connected to 470 people, the total size of your network is, drum roll,  220,900.

LinkedIn TIPS from Kevin

  • Be careful what you post on social media because employers do check you out. Anything offensive or even political you may want to avoid or delete. As Thumper in Bambi said, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”
  • Alongside your profile you can turn off notifications. This means when you make a change to your profile, it won’t be broadcast to everyone. Kevin suggests leaving this feature off unless you receive a new job or a promotion. Then, leave it on long enough to receive all the congratulations, and then turn it off again.
  • Kevin has switched his blog link from LinkedIn to his wordpress site. He now posts his blog on LinkedIn first and after that he redirects a link to his website. He recommends this if you have a blog.
  • Make sure you have a professional head shot as part of your profile. No disembodied arms. No spouses since the employer is hiring you, not a couple. Some people want to avoid a head shot because “I’m not 25 years old any longer.”  If you’re in the running for the job, the employer will meet you anyway. If they’re going to discriminate, you might as well know. Besides, people want to know who you are. And if you meet someone during networking, new connections can more easily identify you on LinkedIn.
  • Your profile headline defaults to your most recent job. But you can change that to a headline that better describes what you do. Take a look at what other people have for their headline and design your own.
  • Customize your URL. Simplify it to match your name as much as possible.
  • Check out Skillful.com — especially if are underemployed or lack a college degree (like 70% of the American population).
  • Don’t connect with everyone. But strategically build your numbers to 50 and then to 500. After 500, LinkedIn doesn’t post the number, but there’s something validating about having at least 500 connections. LinkedIn used to tell us not to connect with someone we don’t know. But, now that LinkedIn realizes how people are really using the feature, you can strategically select people you would like to know. He recommends never selecting “I don’t know John Doe.” But he’s never seen LinkedIn telling anyone whether you selected “friend’ or “did business with” the person you want to meet.  Oh, and always personalize your invitation to connect.
  • Ways to connect include joining LinkedIn Groups to create a commonality, sending a Get Introduced request to mutual connection, crafting a carefully worded request, pointing out some commonalities from their profile, or going Old School by picking up the phone and calling a mutual connection, asking to be introduced.
  • Avoid one of the biggest mistakes people make by taking full advantage of the space you have for your summary. You can use up to 2000 characters,  which is 300 words. What jazzes you up? Why should anyone care? It’s not an essay, though. Look at other people’s summaries. Don’t copy them, but study them and write your own. Use Tagcrawd.com to see what words pop up when you cut and paste a sample summary. Then carefully craft your own summary.
  • In your profile summary it’s quite appropriate to use first person “I” because it reads better. Just don’t use first person “I” on your resume.
  • Remember that you can re-order your skills and endorsements, calling attention to your most important skills first.
  • If you think endorsements and recommendations are not important, think again. LinkedIn places high value on the number and type of endorsements and recommendations you have. The best way to get endorsements and recommendations is to offer to give them. Aim to build your numbers.
  • Consider adding videos to your profile.
  • Rule of thumb on LinkedIn is to go back as far as possible in your job history. But with your resume just go back 10 years.
  • Groups. Join strategically but then be involved. If you post on a group it gets posted to your timeline and that’s a great way to show what you know.

As Kevin reminded us, a whopping 90% of employers review a candidate’s online profile, and 70% have based a hiring decision on what they find, or don’t find, online. You really need to pay attention to your LinkedIn tool. You really have no choice in today’s job market.

Hiring Companies

Aetna

Le Nguyen, Talent Acquisition

Aetna is a health care insurance provider, marketing company, consulting organization and information technology enterprise, which employs 50,000 people. The company has won numerous awards for workplace equality, flex jobs and jobs for veterans. Aetna takes pride in its family values. In 2015 Aetna announced plans to improve wages and medical benefits for thousands of their workers. In 2015 the minimum base hourly wage for U.S. employees was raised to $16. Then in 2016 they’ve launched enhanced medical benefits to lower out-of-pocket health care expenses for some of its U.S. employees. Company paid benefits include paid time off (PTO) and holidays, life insurance, disability and more. Current job opportunities include customer service rep, IT project manager, national nurse educator, financial associate and more. To see a complete listing and to apply,  visit their site.

AMEX

Caitlin King, Lead Recruiter and Sara Flynn, Recruitment Relationship Manager

AMEX, American Express, provides customers with products, services and experiences to enrich their lives and make businesses successful. A trusted company for over 160 years, it’s won, among other awards, the J.D. Power Awards for eight consecutive years, as well as Fortune Magazine 100 Best Places To Work. Featured Career Areas include customer care, marketing, finance, risk and information management, technology, digital commerce, consulting, virtual career opportunities and more. Current Phoenix openings include engineer, collections analyst, staff architect, project manager, business analyst, travel counselor/customer service, and many more. Benefits include health, dental, vision and life insurance; AD&D insurance and disability coverage; healthy living benefits, family leave, onsite gym and cafe, and more. For additional information, or to apply, visit their career site.

Education Management Corporation (EDMC)

Kelly Moncada, Talent Acquisition

Education Management Corporation (EDMC) is one of the largest and most diverse providers of proprietary post-secondary education in the United States with over 40 years of history in 110 locations, including 122,990 students. Schools include The Art Institutes, Argosy University (which includes Western State College of Law in California), Brown Mackie College, and South University. Benefits include EDMC Tuition, Paid Time Off, 12 paid holidays, 16 PTO days, 401K and 401K Roth participation, community service policy, life insurance and more. Student success is their first priority in providing an education that builds careers, integrity, innovation, and excellence. Open positions include admissions representatives in Chandler/Phoenix, academic counselors and more, including Argosy Ground. For more information and to apply visit their site.

Freedom Financial Network

Linda Luman,VP HR

Freedom Financial Network helps clients transform their lives by helping them towards financial freedom. The company launched in 2002 by Stanford Classmates Bradford Stroh & Andrew Housser because they had so many college buddies with lots of debt. It started out with an online business and 14 years later they have three locations including two in Phoenix and one in San Mateo, CA. Some of their clients don’t even know how they got into financial difficulties. But the company employs 300 negotiators who work on behalf of their clients to help them become debt free in anywhere from two to four years. Company benefits include medical, dental, vision, 401K, life and LT disability, vacation, paid holidays, paid time for volunteer activities, employee discounts and recognition and four hours off on your birthday. Top career opportunity with the company includes Account Executive. For more information or to apply, visit their website.

Resources

Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants (DWTC)

Rodger Brubacher, Director for Continuing Education

Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants (DWTC) prepares students to take national exams which make them more competitive in the job market. Programs and certifications include Project Management, Six Sigma, Medical Front Office, Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), and its newest program, Digital Marketing with Social Media. The award-winning school was recognized in 2015 as the 2015 Juniper Platinum Education Partner of the Year in the Americas, this being the 12th straight year to receive this honor. The state-of-the art facilities include modern computers, dual monitor student stations for each student, plus network, patented real-ILT, Smart Board, and personalized training. Classes are presented in multiple modalities including instructor-led, hybrid instructor-led, plus online training, corporate onsite training and remote training (virtual classroom attendance). Usual student to instructor ratios are 6:1. To learn more about the school and funding available, visit their website.

Closing

Executive Director of Career Connectors Jessica Pierce closed the formal part of the meeting before the breakout sessions. Those in attendance were encouraged to stay for the the breakout sessions in order to talk with hiring managers, receive free resume and LinkedIn instruction, and receive free professional head shots by a volunteer professional photographer. Volunteers were thanked along with host of the event, Highlands Church.  Click here to take the DISC assessment free through the Career Connectors site.

The very next Career Connectors event takes place Tuesday, July 26, 2016, 9:00 AM in Gilbert, featuring salary negotiation expert Jack Milligan.

For details, including times, addresses and registration, for the next events in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Gilbert, click here.

 

5/12/16 – The Optimist’s Advantage

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Written by Susan Lamphiear

Making meaning out of life’s problems and tragedies brings to mind John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted.  Walsh certainly didn’t set out to be known for helping find missing children and prosecuting the perpetrators, but it happened because he was forced into a club no one would ever want to join—parent of a murdered child.

I recently found myself watching a show where both John Walsh and his adult son, Callahan, were being interviewed, and realized his son participates in his parents’ life mission — to help families of missing and exploited children.

While, hopefully, none of us will ever face in a whole  lifetime, the pain of this family’s loss of a child in such a violent way, we all face problems and heartbreaks of our own in the course of living.  It’s just life. What has amazed me over the years is the positive energy often generated from what started out as a negative event. I’ve been in awe.

Our speaker today calls on all of us to channel optimism as we face life in all its beauty and its heartaches, whether it is job loss or one of the other of life’s surprises or detours.

Keynote

Kirk Wilkinson, world-renowned for his expertise in leadership and personal development, but no stranger to life’s ups and downs, remains an optimist in the face of the early trauma of abandonment by his mother. Kirk has faced job loss and two bouts with cancer, too.

Kirk emphasizes that research indicates people who can somehow learn to be optimistic find more happiness, thrive, and even live longer!

 Kirk’s Tips  for Gaining the Advantages of the Optimist in Your Career  (and the rest of life)

  • Give yourself more credit. He wants us to take the word “failure” out of our dictionary. Famous for his delightful popcorn, Orville Redenbacher failed many times according to some standards. Or, did he just find countless strains of popcorn that didn’t work? Research indicates that only 10% of our happiness depends on circumstances. A whopping 40% is programming.  If your family was negative, you’re more apt to have that tendency. And 50% lies in circumstances we can control.
  • Dream big.  Don’t settle for less—just handle your dreams differently. Ask small questions, solve small problems, take small steps.  For example, in the job hunt, consider the following actions. 1. Get up in the a.m. 2. Take time to define the job—in 30 words or less. 3. Spend a shorter time each day on the job search—do other things—take a walk or tend to other things which define you as a human being.  Remember, you are not your job! Kirk has found that between jobs he’s managed to really enjoy life. Really.
  • Eliminate the Drama. Learn to underreact. If you “freak out,”  people may not  tell you the truth. If you freak out, you also don’t think as clearly—for example—his son’s car broke down on the roadside just as Kirk was getting ready to get his precious, vital amount of needed sleep—so he decided to underreact…and he suddenly remembered he had roadside assistance. He didn’t need to get dressed and drive to rescue his son after all.
  • Re-tell the stories you tell yourself. Everything happens for a REASON—BUT YOU get to choose the reason—YOU get to tell the story so that you are hero of your own story—so you don’t have to be a victim. Tell your story in a way that makes meaning of your challenges or tragedies.

When he was eight years old, his Mother abandoned him and his siblings without warning.  What could an eight-year-old possibly have done to have made his mother leave the family?—the answer—NOTHING—he wasn’t responsible.  So in the  retelling of his story—he avoids being the victim. Don’t let painful things that happen to you take away your optimism, either,  like it did in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,  where people were so caught up in winning the golden  ticket, they not only stopped savoring the chocolate, they even stopped eating it!

Remember, you can retell your story if you find just ONE positive thing. Because after all, who doesn’t want to be happier and live longer? All you have to do is be optimistic in the face of life’s inevitable ups and downs.

Hiring Companies

Paychex

Andrea Olson and Essence Royal, Recruiters

Paychex has grown to over 13,000 employees in 100+ locations, providing a wide range of services including HR outsourcing, workers’ compensation, and Health and Benefits.  With over 600,00 clients, the company is the proud recipient of many awards.  These include being listed as one of “100 Best Companies to Work For” from Fortune, and “100 Best Places to Work in IT” from Computerworld.  With these accolades and an impressive array of benefits, Paychex offers some exciting opportunities ranging from Senior Management and Information Technology to Corporate Marketing, Sales and Customer Service/Operations.  The company website offers insight into the company’s culture, values, open positions, and even advice on interviewing with Paychex.

VincentBenjamin

Michelle Rogers, Practice Lead

VincentBenjamin is a fast growing staffing firm specializing in IT, Accounting and Finance contract and permanent placements.  Michelle shared some great tips for anyone wanting to present themselves professionally: use a professional email address and leave out any photos on your resume.  76% of resumes are discarded for an unprofessional email address! She also advised us to scan our own social media presence, since recruiters will too.

VincentBenjamin focuses on all levels of positions including CIOs, CFOs, Customer Service for clients, as well as internal sales and recruiter openings.  More detail can be found online.

State Farm

DeAnne Prigmore, Recruiter

DeAnne shared State Farm’s mission of helping people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams.  State Farm is in the process of building the Marina Heights facility, which will sit on approximately 20 acres and feature retail and restaurant space and a 10-acre lakeside plaza.  Immediate openings include Data Scientist, Infra Analyst, Software Developer, Security Analyst, Bank Supervisor, Loan Processor, Customer Service and Sales Reps, Claim Associate, and Nurse Reviewer-Medical Resource.  Read more about their Phoenix operations here.

Resources

Rohn Financial Strategies, Inc.

Thomas Rohn and Jamey Pugh

Thomas Rohn and Jamey Pugh offered suggestions for managing financial stress during career transition.  Tom quoted renowned sport psychologist Michael Gervais, most well known for his work with the Seattle Seahawks.  According to Gervasis, his approach emphasizes the root causes of an athlete’s anxiety.  By learning to control their anxieties, the athlete can be in the present moment and that increases their ability to perform at the highest levels.

Jamey presented five tips for calming that financial “lion” in the room, as Gervais refers to anxiety.

  • Have a spending plan. Take a look at expenses you can eliminate or reduce, such as health clubs, cable TV and kids’ activities.
  • Inventory your resources. Take stock of your assets, cash, funds and liabilities.
  • Watch your debt (credit cards). It’s probably a good idea to pay cash and put the credit cards away for the time being.
  • Protect yourself from loss. Don’t cancel insurance but consider cutting back wherever you can.
  • Develop plan “B” in case the job search extends longer than you’d thought.

Rohn Financial Strategies offers a one-hour consultation, budget forms, 401(k) rollovers and financial planning. Reach them through their website.

Canyon State Institute

Sheri Carparelli, President and CEO

Canyon State Institute offers only high-demand certifications based on labor market projections.  Classes are small (limited to 6 people for most programs) and short term (4-16 weeks).  Graduates are encouraged to audit the next set of classes while studying to pass the national exam, and are offered job placement assistance.  The Career Advisor’s employment director has over 30 years of staffing services experience in Phoenix.

Programs offered include Microsoft Office, Medical Support Specialist, Information Technology, Project Management, Human Resources, and Process Improvement.  Funding is available through WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), Veterans programs, DES Vocational Rehabilitation, TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance), and educational line of credit.  For additional information or to schedule a tour, contact Sheri or visit the website.

Closing

Jessica thanked everyone for attending today’s event, as well as our host facility, Highlands Church.