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Job Hunting Advice

9 Tips to Help You Move into a New Career

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What is one tip you have for someone looking to launch into a new career?

To help you launch into a new career, we asked career coaches and successful entrepreneurs this question for their best insights. From finding your transferable skills to talking to those who know you, there are several tips that may help you break into a new profession.

Here are nine tips to help you move into a new career:

  • Find Your Transferable Skills
  • Don’t “Fake it Until You Make it”
  • Turn “What I’ve Done” Into “What I can do for You”
  • Start Building Your Network Early
  • Write Down Your Then, Now, and Next
  • Research, Listen, and Network
  • Upskill to Prepare to Launch a New Career
  • Ask for Help
  • Talk to Those Who Know You

Find Your Transferable Skills

It doesn’t matter if you are going from a pastry chef to an astronaut, every job, every volunteer experience, every class taken, has provided you with a skill that you can bring to another sector of your life. Find those skills from your past experiences and highlight them on your resume and cover letter. If you are having trouble finding these transferable skills, try reviewing job posts you are interested in and see what skills are listed on the job posting that you have. A lot of the time a little creativity is all you need.

Bryor Mosley, Southern New Hampshire University

Don’t “Fake it Until You Make it”

One strategy that a lot of people employ when wading into a totally new area is to fake it until they make it. In other words, they pretend to know a lot more about the industry and role than they do in reality. In my opinion, this is a terrible technique for breaking into a new vertical and gaining the trust of new team members. It is a much smarter play to own your lack of expertise and show some humility, while at the same time expressing your passion to learn and gain experience.

People, especially managers, will respect you more for being humble and genuine than feigning expertise. Most people are smart enough to be able to see right through a phony. Plus, when you try the “fake it till you make it” approach, it just takes one tough question or misstatement to expose you. Don’t run the risk – just own your inexperience and be cool about it.

John Ross, Test Prep Insight

Turn “What I’ve Done” Into “What I can do for You”

A good starting point is your resume. Rewrite it as a skills-based document instead of a chronological listing of your previous experience. Consider a personal website where you introduce yourself with a YouTube video. Create short video case studies highlighting your problem-solving prowess that will help you succeed in your new profession.

Your goal is to reinforce the fact you have the skills to succeed in a new career and previous job titles aren’t significant. Finally, mentally prepare yourself to be looked at like you’re applying for your first “real” job because that’s how many prospective employers will see you.

Joshua Chin, Chronos

Start Building Your Network Early

Having a professional network in your new industry before you make the transition will give you access to more opportunities when you’re ready to make the switch, and your resume is likely to get more serious consideration from hiring managers if you’re referred or recommended by someone connected to the company. This is often a big hurdle for those switching careers since they don’t have experience in the industry, which can make it a challenge to compete with applicants who are already established in the field. You can kill two birds with one stone by attending workshops, conferences, trade fairs, or certification courses that help you gain the skills and knowledge you’ll need in the new industry while making connections with other professionals.

Archie Payne, Caltek Staffing

Write Down Your Then, Now, and Next

The space in time when you are on the brink of launching into a new career is incredibly special. It is a pivotal point where you have this rare view of where you’ve been, where you are now and can see a wide view of what could be next. You have both the benefit of hindsight (to learn from), the benefit of aversion (to understand what isn’t working), and the benefit of motivation (to understand what drives you and what you really value).
This window is temporary, and it’s unlikely that you’ll remember it all when you make a decision and are 1 year into your new career. 

So, write it all down. Write down answers to why you did what you’ve done already, what worked, what didn’t, and what you learned. Write down how you feel right now, what sensations arise for you when you think of change, and what feels important to do differently. Write down what you want to take with you for your next chapter and what outcomes you’d love to achieve. Take stock, and enjoy reflecting on your journey in a year!

Hannah Ray, TAKE Coaching Amsterdam

Research, Listen, and Network

Launching into a new career is an exciting endeavor! Some folks are prone to jumping headfirst into unknown territory while others refrain from making impulsive decisions. Know ‘why’ you’re desiring to pursue a new career. Map out questions you have pertaining to this transition and the type of work you expect to be performing in the future. Conduct your own research. Do not blindly rely upon third-party resources from people to companies painting a picture of your desired career. 

Engage actively in this learning process by engaging in online and offline forums, network with people in those respective career paths, talk to headhunters representing roles in that respective career sector, weigh the pros & cons of this career choice, connect with institutions (academic & professional) that can share more information; etc.  Remember we live in a world where the majority of the population is in “sales mode”. It’s important that you exercise sensible judgment when making this important decision.

Sasha Laghonh, Sasha Talks

Upskill to Prepare to Launch a New Career

Upskilling offers a significant advantage in the modern labor market. Launching a new career is hard. The barrier to entry is often difficult to overcome and this is especially true for individuals who have spent a considerable amount of time in a career they would like to leave behind. These individuals could have plenty of experience but it may not be relevant to another industry.

Employers are mostly considered by this fact. Individuals should want to obtain new skills before they enter a new career for a better chance of success. Getting more formal education can be expensive, but other methods are available. Bootcamps are available for a variety of information economy skill sets such as marketing, coding, sales and graphic design. Upskilling presents a significant advantage for individuals who are looking to enter a new career.

Sean Doherty, Box Genie

Ask for Help

There’s going to be a lot to learn as you begin your journey into a new career. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a manager, coworker, or anyone else. Reach out to other professionals in your desired career on LinkedIn and other business networking platforms—be sure to briefly explain why you’re looking to make a transition and ask well thought out questions—it shows that you are proactive, resourceful, and an effective communicator.

Dan Gray, Kotn Supply

Talk to Those Who Know You

With many companies making layoffs right now, the time is perfect to launch into a new career. Daunting, scary, and something you’ve always wanted to do. The best ideas during times of RIF and redundancy have come out of layoffs. Explore what you are passionate about and where your knowledge is or what you want to learn about. Engage with that space. Contribute and learn. Ask questions and network. 

Talk to those who know you well. Family, friends, and colleagues from past and present. Ask them what your strengths are, and what you are great at. Don’t ask what they think about you – just what they feel your strongest self is. Know what you ‘want to be famous for’.  Follow it with energy and passion. The rest will follow.

Duncan Evemy, DE Talent Consulting

Terkel creates community-driven content featuring expert insights. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published. 

12 Creative Ways To Stand Out On LinkedIn

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What is your best tip for a creative way to stand out on LinkedIn?

To help you stand out on LinkedIn, we asked CEOs and social media managers this question for their best ideas. From correlating your banner picture to your profile picture to being your unique self, there are several creative tactics you can try to help you stand out on LinkedIn. 

Here are 12 creative ways to stand out on LinkedIn:

  • Correlate Your Banner Picture To Your Profile Picture
  • Complete The Summary Section
  • Keep Work History and Role Descriptions Easy To Follow
  • Ask for Recommendations
  • Promote Others’ Content
  • Add Industry Terminology
  • Post Regularly in The Feed To Boost Visibility
  • Tell a Unique Story in Your Bio
  • Use Visuals
  • Be Creative With a Concise and Commanding Headline
  • Create a Personal URL
  • Be Your Unique Self

Correlate Your Banner Picture To Your Profile Picture

Many people understand the importance of having a professional profile picture, however, when one clicks on their profile their banner picture generally does not correlate to the profile picture. This is often a missed opportunity to really get your LinkedIn profile recognized. Make sure the Banner Picture matches in terms of color schemes with your profile picture, to provide a unified overall feel. This really makes you stand out from the crowd.

Mogale Modisane, Power Tools Blog

Complete The Summary Section

I have noticed that many people skip the summary area, but it’s a terrific place for you to tell your own story, so don’t use it to simply list work responsibilities. Your summary should be brief and to the point, describing your previous experiences and present job responsibilities. Highlight specific accomplishments that you are proud of that indicate your abilities or progress toward your goals. It’s best to think of it as your elevator pitch. You just have 30 seconds to get your main points across. You may also show off your personality more on LinkedIn, so don’t be concerned about it being too official.

Gerrid Smith, Joy Organics

Keep Work History and Role Descriptions Easy To Follow

A strong resume is one that shows the strength of one’s career, such as how long you’ve stayed at companies, your list of duties for each job, etc. LinkedIn should work like a strong resume and a strong social media profile, showing strength of a resume in a clear format. Recruiters and potential bosses want to be able to look through at a glance and know who you are and how effective you’ll be. A messy profile suggests a messy work ethic, so keep it clean, and be concise when describing your roles to make them easy to follow.

Brett Estep, Insured Nomads

Ask for Recommendations

Ask your connections for recommendations to strengthen your profile. These recommendations from colleagues allow hiring managers to understand who you are as a worker, and your team members can vouch for you. It helps them determine if the skills and experience is a good fit for any open positions, and they’ll be eager to reach out and get in contact after seeing the messages. Team members can highlight your leadership or communication skills, for example. Not only does this strengthen your profile, but also leaders recruiters to your page and move forward with next steps.

Sara Adam Slywka, Nestig

Promote Others’ Content

Share your connections’ content while including a thoughtful response in the post to acknowledge what others are putting out into the world. Shifting the focus from ‘me’ to ‘we’ helps to open others up to more meaningful conversations; most people want to feel seen so tipping the proverbial hat publicly often has a greater impact than if solely sharing about oneself on Linkedin. Posts from your network about achievements, new roles, articles, interviews, and the like are simple examples of what is already being shown in your feed that you can easily reflect on and share, tagging the original poster or connections you feel the content may benefit. Social media is made for fostering connection, so taking the opportunity to spotlight others’ work and commentary helps validate their unique take while naturally allowing you to stand out as a supportive, engaged connection.

Tommy Chang, Homelister

Add Industry Terminology

Add industry terminology to your intro. According to LinkedIn data, listing industry information leads to up to 9% more profile views and can help you get discovered up to 38% more in recruiter searches. Making the best out of your LinkedIn is much easier when you know who you are trying to attract. Know your industry and know what types of jobs you want to attract. That way you can craft your header and about me section with Keywords that match your industry.

John Cheng, Baotris

Post Regularly in The Feed To Boost Visibility

Posting engaging content in the feed is a great way to gain exposure for your business or personal LinkedIn. If your posts are truly interesting, your connections will like and comment, which will increase the chances of your content being viewed by more users. Even if it just means sharing progress about a current or future project, every little bit helps.

Gerald Lombardo, The Word Counter

Tell a Unique Story in Your Bio

You really stand out from the crowd if you take advantage of your bio section and have fun with it. Tell a story that sets you apart from the others, that gives you a unique point of view of the work or of life, that shares your sense of humor or creativity. Your resume is already listed on LinkedIn, so make your bio be the place where your personality and uniqueness shine

Staci Brinkman, Sips by

Use Visuals

Why not use visuals? Honestly, when I’m drawn to a LinkedIn page it’s because there are compelling visuals. When someone adds photos to their work experience or summary section they’re creating a more in-depth and unique introduction for themselves. They automatically stand out with visual components because it adds another aspect to their profile. And, as a potential employer, I’m able to see how they might be a good fit for our team both energetically and skillset-wise. Take advantage of the visual component of LinkedIn to stand out, and don’t underestimate how powerful it is to combine images with the written word.

Tony Staehelin, Benable

Be Creative With a Concise and Commanding Headline

Take advantage of the headline. The headline’s right below the headshot and it’s the perfect way to draw in a potential employer. It’s what I immediately look at. To me, a headline is your chance to be creative, concise, and commanding. It tells me if you’d be a good member of our team, what your personality is like, and what skills you have – all in one little sentence. Don’t be afraid to use your headline to show off and attract attention, its whole point is to intrigue someone to read further… so have fun with it!

Karim Hachem, Sunshine79

Create a Personal URL

Create a personal URL! A lot of people don’t think about it when they are editing their profile, but your URL is the first thing a recruiter sees on your LinkedIn when you attach it to your CV. A personal URL with your name on it instead of a series of random letters and numbers is a quick and easy way to seem more professional. It also tells people you care about details. A personal URL is easier to share, recognize and find. If you are in a creative industry you can even add some flare to it. It’s really easy and it has a ton of advantages.

Soji James, 1AND1 Life

Be Your Unique Self

Be yourself. It’s easier said than done. How can we stand out if everyone is trying to stand out? Aren’t we all the same? The straightforward answer is: Nope. You are unique. There hasn’t been anyone quite like you and there won’t ever be anyone quite like you, so use it for your advantage. Have you ever asked yourself, “How can I be successful even though [fill in the blank]?” Even though I’m a woman, even though I’m younger than others, or even though I am queer? I’ll treat you to a little secret. 

Let’s flip this question and replace your “even though” with a juicy “because”: “How can I be successful because [fill in the blank]?” Because I’m not a native English speaker, because I am Asian, or because I’m new to this industry? All of a sudden your story becomes your superpower and your authenticity becomes the fuel of your brand.
Find your “even-thoughs”. Flip them to a juicy “because”. Watch your personal brand unfold, as unique and powerful as you are.

Manuel Schlothauer, HeyManuel.com

Terkel creates community-driven content featuring expert insights. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published. 

How To Write A Red Hot Resume

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Landing your dream role begins with writing an irresistible resume, although for some job seekers this can be easier said than done. Writing a resume can take hours, even a couple of days, and a lot of brain power to “sell yourself” to prospective employers.

At Career Connectors our mission is to help you successfully achieve the role you’ve been dreaming of, so we have broken down the overwhelming task of writing your resume into an easy to follow step-by-step process. Let’s get started! 

STEP 1: Prepare 

Resume writing can be a overwhelming and mentally draining task, so set yourself up for success by collecting all the information you need before you sit down to write. 

Create a checklist using the following points and tick each off as you gather the relevant information:

  • Previous job titles, including the date you started and left your role 
  • List of major accomplishments achieved within your positions
  • Your education history
  • Any training you have completed 
  • Any certificates you have achieved 
  • A list of the key skills you have gained from previous roles 
  • Volunteering work 

STEP 2: Design

While the information you provide is what will ultimately land you your dream role, a well designed resume helps you process through quickly as a top level candidate.

Stand out from the competition with an easy to read resume design:

  • Include plenty of white space on the page to avoid overwhelming the reader
  • Swap sentences for bullet points where necessary, such as beneath each role 
  • Format your resume chronologically with your most recent work history at the top of the page.
  • Choose one easy to read font for your cover letter and resume, such as Arial or Times New Roman.
  • Use font size and type intentionally. Make your name and section titles stand out by using bold and larger text. 

STEP 3: Execute

Now it’s time to get to work. 

We recommend keeping the information you share relevant, short and to the point. Your potential employer does not need to know about the retail job you had at 15 if you are applying for a tech role. Most resumes have about 1-2 pages of content. 

Starting from the top of the page, a job-winning resume will include the following:

  1. Heading: Your name, email address, contact number 
  2. Profile: Dedicate this section to what you have to offer the role in relation to what the hiring manager is looking for, this should be specific to each application.
  3. Qualifications: Skills, abilities, experience qualifications related to the role you are applying for.
  4. Work experience: Work history, including your job title, where you worked, the date you started and ended each role. Stating your accomplishments are essential in this section – do not list just responsibilities, list what you did with those responsibilities. Each sentence should provide a brief synopsis of your strongest accomplishments in the position.
  5. Volunteer experience (optional) If you have volunteer work that relates to the role you are applying for, include it beneath work experience. 
  6. Education history: List your highest education accomplishment first, with the name of the school, degree and graduation date.
  7. Certifications, Awards and Accomplishments: If you have achieved any certifications, awards and accomplishments that are relevant to the role you are applying for, list them beneath education history.

STEP 6: Edit

This is a valuable step that can mean the difference between a basic resume and a job-winning resume. 

When it comes to editing, we recommend the following two strategies:

Proofread your own work: Cut out long sentences and unnecessary words, and fix spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Make sure all previous jobs use past tense and your current role uses present tense. A hiring manager won’t be impressed by your valuable qualifications if they have trouble reading your resume. 

Seek helpful feedback: Ask a resume expert to review your resume and offer feedback on how you can improve it. Everyone has a strong opinion on resumes so make sure you are getting guidance from the right people – those that can help your resume get through the applicant tracking system!

Once you have a strong resume foundation, you can change specific words that align with the different companies you are applying for. You can also cut out irrelevant jobs and skills that are not related to the specific role you are applying for. Now that the hard work is done it will be alot easier to keep your resume up to date as you gain more skills and qualifications and work experience. 

Once you have completed your job-winning resume, come along to one of our bi-monthly events for job seekers! This is an engaging and interactive experience where you can network with hiring companies, interview with prospective employers, and learn powerful techniques for landing your dream role from industry experts. 
Learn about our upcoming events here: https://careerconnectors.org/event-schedule

12/14/21 – The Perfect Job in 2022

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Career Connector’s CEO and founder, Jessica Pierce delivers a riveting presentation – “The Perfect Job in 2022”.

Written by Sherri Kerr

The year of 2021 has become a candidates’ job market due to the great resignation! “The term “The Great Resignation” was coined in 2019 by Anthony C. Klotz, a professor at Texas A&M University. He predicted workers would start to resign in masses following the pandemic due to burnout and working remotely would trigger a shift in people’s identities and workplace expectations. The year 2021 has caused 4 million people to leave their jobs monthly, 55% of American Workers plan to Look for a New Job, only 20% of the Global Workforce Is Engaged, and Americans want to Continue Working Remotely. Americans desire to continue to working remotely and do not see the need to go into a traditional office. Four Million people are leaving their jobs per month due to unhappiness at work. Workers want to find a company that is a good match for them and desire to work remotely so they can live anywhere and work. The remote workforce is not going to chance and the good news to this there are openings that companies need to fill.

This shift has created new jobs opportunities and it’s important to comprehend how employers can find You! Jessica outlines six keys to help job seekers to unlock employer’s hiring doors. These keys include: hiring process, marketing/networking, competence, character, chemistry, and culture match.

Hiring Process

Looking for a job requires a new mind set. This new mindset jumps into the hiring manager brain and swims in their recruitment thought process. In past, job seekers would use job boards, see a job that fits, apply for the position, and hear nothing from the company. This new looking for a job mindset is not a linear process. In fact, this process is more circular. Jessica encourages job seekers to think like a hiring manager. The hiring process is a recruitment life cycle: identification and understanding, sourcing, screening, initial interview, final interview, feedback, short listing, verification, officer, joining formalities.

Marketing/Network

Connections! What can you do to make connections? The recruiter needs to fill a position with a person that fits the company’s culture, has the right character, chemistry, and competence. The recruiters have to go through many steps to find the right candidate. The job seekers need to connect with the company of interest and begin to NETWORK. The whole purpose of networking is to find a new friend. It is important to also think, “who do I know?” It’s important to reach out to friends and family and tell them you are looking for a job and the type of job you desire. Ask your friends and family – “who do they know?” Companies find great people by first looking internally as they are “known” people. Jessica encourages jobseekers to ask for meetings with friends or to touch base with former colleagues. The next steps recruiter and hiring managers take are to reach out to prior work relationships. They will seek internal referrals from the employees they know. The final step recruiters make are researching online job postings which are a higher risk. Unfortunately, most job seekers start at the bottom by using the online postings. Yet, the recruiter could already have multiple candidates from their known network.

Simply using LinkedIn to network with people works. Make sure your LinkedIn page is full of key words and phrases. If you are not on LinkedIn, Jessica encourages the attendees to join. This leads to the next point – Social Media. LinkedIn is the number one source companies to recruit and find solid candidates. Companies will Google your name to find information on their candidates. It is important not to post anything related to illegal drugs, alcohol, guns, or political opinions on your social media because companies possible could use that against you. Therefore, make others aware not to take certain pictures. Social media is a tool to use in looking for a job. Besides networking and social media online job boards are helpful. Indeed, crawls and scans multiple job boards. As you find jobs of interest on Indeed, go to the company’s website to find out more information on the company. These job boards give a job seeker an idea of what positions are out there. Staffing firms and niche staffing firms for example engineering are excellent resources.

Competence

Do you have what it takes? Do you have the qualifications and experience? Employers seek candidates with the right qualification, experience, education, certification, and training. Think of the job you are actively purposing, or you plan to apply. Jessica recommends printing the job description and print your resume. Then read the job description and highlight the main things what the person is looking for in a candidate. What are the main qualifications from the job description? Then make sure your resume addresses each of the main qualifications and your transferable skills. It’s important for the words from the job description to match on your resume because this is how your resume gets through an applicant tracking system (ATS). The ATS scours for the key words. Also make sure key words and accomplishments are on LinkedIn. What do you need to do to up level your game? You can volunteer for any organization you want and that will allow your skills to be developed.

Character

Research! What is the company’s culture? It is very important to the company, what are the values, what does their social media state? Do your research through your network. Find out about their culture and find out if they won awards and these are culture indicators you can address with the company. Think about the key traits you are looking for? You want to work for a company that matches your behavior traits. Besides investigating the company’s character and values, an applicant can take the DISC assessment. The DISC assessment helps a job seeker update the resume and helps identify natural gifts and talents. The DISC assessment can be found on the Career Connector’s website and is free. The terms from the DISC assessment can be added onto your resume, used on covered letters, or during an interview. Jessica stresses the importance of picking a company that honors who you are and what you are about.

Chemistry

It’s important to have a STELLER first impression. In person a firm handshake or fist bump with COVID, smiling, and be kind to everyone because they are part of the interview process. Mirror the interview’s initial response. Connect with the employer on LinkedIn. After the interview write a Thank You card or email.

Interviews

Qualifications – have your resume on hand to help jog your memory during an interview. An In-person interview arrive five – seven minutes early. A Zoom Interview it’s okay to be a little early too – one or two minutes. Answer questions with fact based experience, if an employer hires you, they feel like you can do the job. This I how I’ve done this type of work before.

Behavioral Interviews – “Tell me about your time you had to have a difficult conversation with someone.” Be ready to answer these types of questions as the employee is wanting to know if you can handle conflict and what do you do.

If the position is a remote position make it a point that you have a designated work space to work. Employers will want to know that information.

References – talk to a few former managers, colleagues, subordinates, and personal and ask if these individuals will be a reference for you. Let them know if you know the company will call them for a reference. You can help them be prepared.

Do you have a connection with the people that are interviewing you – connect with them on LinkedIn.

Culture Match

Competence, Character, and Chemistry

Today we are saying goodby to Sheila Coulam who has faithfully served as the Career Connectors Director of Operations for 7 years – she will be sorely missed!

Hiring Companies

Sun Health
Erin McKee, Talent Acquisition Manager

Sun Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving the community for 55 years. Founded in 1966 as Sun City Community Hospital to bring critical healthcare resources to the West Valley.

Mission: We champion superior health and wellbeing through philanthropy, inspired living and wellness programs.
Vision: We envision a world where people live longer, healthier, more purposeful lives.
Core Purpose: To empower people to enjoy living longer.
Vibrant Values:
• Big-hearted
• Thorough
• Invested

Not your typical employee benefits:
• Benefits for part-time employees
• Paid training programs
• Education Opportunities & Scholarships
• Employee Health and Wellbeing Programs
• Discounts-The Employee Network
• Career and Leadership Development
• Volunteer through S.H.I.N.E. (Sun Health Involvement Never Ends)
• Annual recognition events- Years of Service and Vibrant Living
• Employee Referral Bonus program

How to Apply: https://www.sunhealth.org/careers

Open Positions

Salaried:
• Finance
• Senior Accountant
• Life Enrichment
• Director of Life Enrichment
• Nursing
• Director of Nursing, Director of Quality Management, RN Weekend Supervisor
• Real Estate & Construction
• Senior Director of Environmental Services

Hourly:
• Administrative (Hourly)
• Staffing Coordinator, Operations Clerk, Sales Assistant, Marketing Coordinator, Corporate Receptionist
• Dining
• Cooks, Lead Cook, Kitchen Stewards, Café Attendant, Servers, Lead Servers, Dining Room Supervisor
• Environmental Services
• Housekeepers, Floor Care Specialists, Maintenance Techs, Housekeeping Supervisor,
• Nursing
• Assistant Caregivers, Certified Caregivers, C.N.A.s, L.P.N.s

Follow us on social media!
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• TikTok
• YouTube

Legal Zoom
Joe Lawrence, Technical & University Recruiter

And we’re here to democratize law.

We’re for the many. The many people determined to succeed, the goals that motivate them, the loved ones who inspire them.

We’re for technology that makes it easy, attorneys and tax experts who make it seem effortless, and trusted partners who make the next hurdle feel like less of a leap.

We’re for opening doors, opening a second location, and opening eyes to what’s possible. We’re for empowering people to take the first step and every step after. We’re for making sure everybody gets a fair shot.

For the many people who want to start a business properly, for the many families who depend on them, for the many ideas they need to protect, we’re LegalZoom. And we’re here to make it all official.

Our Values:
• People First: We’re all about people—both inside and outside the company—and we’re committed to their continued wellness and success.
• Unstoppable: We think big and work tirelessly to deliver the best experience for customers—and the best environment for employees.
• Purpose-driven: We’re united by our mission to democratize law, and we strive to improve people’s lives in everything we do.
• Simplicity: This is a complex industry, and we’ve made it easier for customers and employees to get work done while facing fewer roadblocks.

Strength in diversity:
Our employee network groups are at the heart of how we foster diversity, equity, and inclusion. Having a workforce that is welcoming to all can only mean better products, better service, and better ideas to best serve our customers and community. This is why—starting from our hiring practices, all the way to how we forge partnerships with other companies—we are fully committed to celebrating our differences, hearing every voice, and honoring all cultures. Because as much as tech is what drives our business, being human is what fuels it.

Position Open:

Inside Sales Representatives
Our Sales Representative role is the customer’s initial point of contact with LegalZoom, taking a consultative approach to the customer relationship by gaining a deep understanding of the customer’s business needs to pair services and strategy for long-term success.
• $19/ hour + Bonuses
• 100% Remote
• Extensive Medical/Dental/Vision (includes mental & fertility coverage!)
• 401k
• Profit-Sharing Opportunity
• Wellness Credit (for eligible expenses such as gym equipment, fitness classes, marathons, etc.)
• Paid Family Leave
• Vacation – 15 Days (13 Days + 2 Floating)
• 10 Paid Holidays

Freedom Financial Network
Lindsey Ardale, Employment Branding and Recruiting Marketing Lead

Our Core Values:
CARE (for everyone)
We show compassion and contribute to the well-being and growth of those around us. We only pursue products that improve the financial lives of our clients.

GET BETTER (every day)
We innovate, iterate, and improve each day. We are creative, take thoughtful risks, and ultimately learn and recover from failures.

ACT WITH INTEGRITY(every time)
We take the right action even when it is hard and even when no one is watching. We treat our employees, clients, and communities the way they wish to be treated.

COLLABORATE (with everybody)
We strive to work together toward a common purpose by proactively sharing information and inviting participation. We recognize the perspective of various groups and embrace healthy, constructive debate.

There Are Benefits To Working With Us:
Balance at Work
• Vacation time
• Paid sick time
• Monthly appreciation lunch
• Employee discounts
• Employee recognition program
• Café on-site
• Company sponsored volunteer events
• Holiday party

Stay Healthy
• Medical & Dental benefits after 30 days
• LTD and life insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Legal Plan
• New parent leave up to 12 weeks
• Employee mental health resources

Financial Health
• 401k with company match
• Employee Assistance Program
• Freedom Family Fund
• PTO for volunteer work
• PTO for your birthday

We are hiring for a variety of roles

Apply at FFNJOBS.com

• Customer Services & Sales
• Sales Representatives
• Sales Managers
• Bilingual Customer Service Representatives
• Mortgage Underwriters
• Loan Officers
• Managers of Loan Servicing
• Junior Loan Consultants
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The Entrepreneur’s Source
Anna Schulaman Brambilla, Career Ownership Coach

She helps professional seek a better fit in their profession. She is a career coach and desires to help others. She has helped 100 clients explore career or franchise options.

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

by

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!!