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job search strategies

8/22/17 – Activate Your Job Search

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Activate Your Job SearchKeynote Speaker

Kevin Dumcum
Activate Your Job Search
Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about looking for a job, in walks Kevin Dumcum, Business Account Coordinator with Arizona@Work. As the keynote speaker at the August 22 Career Connector event, Kevin Dumcum shared a bevy of job hunting related information to the group. He started out with a brief introduction that included his past work experience. At the University of Minnesota, he went to the Career Center and saw a job listing for a marketing research call center to which he was hired. By the time he graduated he had several job offers doing what he loved. Several years later he had the ideal job and everything was rosy until 2008. That’s when everything changed. Armed with experience and a high degree of persistence, he sought out to reinvent himself. Luckily for us, he ended up helping others find a job with the intention to teach us about the various job sites and resources available.

He brought with him several lessons that we can all use when looking for a job. I’ve highlighted three of those lessons below:
1) Recognize that Job Loss is Traumatic: His first thought was to tell us about the emotion of looking for your next job. You’re feeling sadness, fear, rejection, and uncertainty. Just know that it has NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU.
2) Understand How Companies Think: The “company” is responsible for driving profits. And sometimes that means that companies need to do the hard things that make a profit for the company and their shareholders. BUT we can turn that around to our advantage by keeping up with our job skills. Companies are looking for people with skills that will take them into the next century. We need to be prepared for that next great opportunity. Remember that you need to give your present company the best you can give them even if you’re not happy there. Give yourself permission to improve yourself.
3) Control Your Own Career Path:An often overlooked facet to taking control of your job success has to do with taking care of yourself! Eat well, exercise, and developing your mental preparedness is just as important.Update Your Resume. There are resources available all over the valley including Arizona@Work that offer free resume workshops. Your skills may be outdated and may need tweaking for the next great opportunity.

Kevin did a fantastic job of providing some great tools and resources that are available if you just ask. He strongly suggested visiting your local library as well as some of the following local job resource centers:

  • Arizona@Work – 7 locations across the valley, career mapping, resume and interview workshops, company visits, grant funding
  • Goodwill Career Centers that offer several centers across the valley
  • AZJobConnection.gov – job board (he encourages to do that so that we can match up skills with your resume) Remember, Success Breeds Success!

Hiring Companies

Dignity Health

Marcos Day, Talent Acquisition Consultant
Kindness Heals!
That was the message Marcos Day, recruiter for Dignity Health wanted to share with us. As an employee of Dignity Health for two years, he praised the history and the importance of the Dignity family of hospitals. Dignity treats every patient with respect and kindness because they know it goes a long way in the recovery of each patient. Founded in 1986, Dignity, a faith-based hospital, is in 22 states and prides itself with having the first hospital in all of Arizona, St. Joseph’s in Phoenix.
Dignity is currently looking for both patient facing and non-patient facing positions. A partial list of open positions include patient positions such as: Registered Nurse, Rehabilitation Therapy, Radiology, and Patient Transportation. Non-patient facing positions include Food Service, Facilities, and Information Technology to name a few.
They offer an outstanding benefits package including Medical, Dental, and Vision after 30 days of employment among many others.

Rigid Industries

Jim Shaw, Director of Human Resources
Jim Shaw, Director of Human Resources at Rigid, told the Career Connectors crowd that it was only two months ago that he sat in the very same seats looking for full time employment. After a brief video introduction of his company, Jim went on and told us all about Rigid. The Gilbert-based company engineers, designs, and manufactures a line of heavy-duty LED lights for off-roading vehicles. He told us they stand behind every product they sell by offering a life time warranty. They welcome new employees that want to be a part of a rapidly growing company that prides itself with excellent products.
Opportunities are available in all areas of the business including: Optical Engineer, Project Engineer, Assemblers, Sales, and Shipping with a lot more listed on their website.
They offer free medical insurance, 401k with company match up to 5%, incentive bonus programs, and even celebrity visits.

Staff Logic

Heather Eden, Senior Vice President of Recruiting
Staff Logic provides quality-driven employees in a variety of industries. They focus on workforce management solutions by cost-effectively placing highly-skilled professionals in a variety of positions. They are committed to their customers by creating environments that allow them to express their ideas. They support the development of their employees’ careers. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Staff Logic offers a wide variety of outsourcing services as well as temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire options. Staff Logic is currently seeking employees in the IT, Engineering, Medical, Administrative, and Customer Service fields to name a few.

Chase

Lekheythan Malone, Senior Recruiting Professional
If I could pick one word to describe Lekheythan Malone, Senior Recruiting Professional at Chase, it would be Passion. Lekheythan gave an inspirational talk about not only what Chase was looking for in its employees, but also offered advice for anyone looking for work. Know what you want before you apply to just any job. Chase offers a myriad of positions and Chase prides itself for assisting with a candidate’s long-term goals. Lekheythan stressed how diversity and inclusion are a natural part of how they run their business. Diversity is the core value of how Chase works, how they interact with others, and how they deliver the products and services they offer. The pride for his company spilled over into his unstructured presentation. He admitted he was humbled when he first began his career at Chase. An MBA in his pocket, he found himself at an entry-level position at Chase. With a lot of hard work and persistence, he grew to be a very well-liked employee and the position that he holds today was actually created for him based on his personality and because of how he saw the good in others.
“If you know what your role is and how you can make a difference with the company, that’s how you’ll fit into the company,” Malone stated. If you humble yourself and go into the thinking that this is a start (customer service). Chase doesn’t want you to think of it as an endpoint. They want you to start there so they can see you grow.
Chase wants to:

• Make a difference

• Do What’s Right

• Define New Paths

• Create the Future
Chase’s benefits package offers a competitive benefits package for the whole family.

 

 

 

7/7/17 – It’s Not All About You

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Written by: Connie Huber PHR SHRM-CP

Today’s job seekers are all too familiar with “the black hole”! It poses a frustrating threat and one that job seekers have encountered at one time or another. The job hunter quickly enters the “black hole zone” when they submit a resume online to a recruiter or employer. What happens is a waiting game. Most of us wait and wait to hear back on their expressed interest. Often the waiting game turns into weeks and months; and yet a reply never comes.

US News, “How to Avoid the Job-Search Black Hole” by Robin Madell recently shared the results of a test conducted by a recruiting consulting firm that revealed “only two recruiters out of 100 companies read beyond the first three paragraphs in a fake resume they sent out. The firm also found that when submitting a fake resume through the corporate websites of companies in Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies in Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to work for list, close to two-thirds of employers did not send a notification that they were no longer a candidate for the position they applied for.”

Keynote

“It’s Not All About You: Take the Focus Off Yourself to Achieve Career Success”

Lori Norris

In the past, the best job strategy to secure a new position was to get as many resumes and applications out to prospective employers as possible. It was a numbers game! Quantity was the battle cry of many and today you will still find many job seekers pursuing the same approach.

Lori helped the group reevaluate their strategy and take the focus off themselves.

In today’s competitive job market, the job seeker needs to set themselves apart from the crowd. Efforts need to be directed and reframed to a marketing perspective. You, the job seeker, are the product, and the employer is your customer.

THE FOCUS OF THE TYPICAL JOB SEEKER

Include your ….

  • Skills
  • Experience
  • Needs: Benefits, Salary, etc.

Think of yourself as a marketer! You are selling “YOU” to the potential employer.

BAD NEWS

“You Are Not the Employer’s #1 Priority”!

  • Unfortunately, employers most often find a reason not to hire the candidate rather than why the candidate should be hired.
  • Therefore, it is the candidate’s objective to make it less about him/herself and all about the employer/customer.

THE FOCUS OF THE TYPICAL EMPLOYER

The two reasons companies hire are ….

  1. ROI/Return on Investment
  2. Cost Effective Employees

When an employer posts a position, they are expressing a need or problem that needs to be solved. Companies need to offset the money and time invested in hiring a new employee. Their goal is to find a candidate who brings the best value. Bosses want to find a new employee that will make them look good and at the same time are reliable, dependable, maintain a positive attitude; and saves/makes money for the company.

Candidates need to share how they will help the organization! They need to focus on sharing the features and benefits of hiring them.

HOW DO WE DEFINE AN EMPLOYER’S NEEDS AND PROBLEMS?

STEP 1: Conduct a S.W.O.T analysis
S=Strengths: What the employer is really good at doing?
W=Weaknesses: Where is the organization struggling?
O=Opportunities: Is there possibility for professional growth?
T=Threats: Who are the employer’s competitors? What are currently some of their competitor’s efforts?

STEP 2: Gather your research
In advance, be sure to research your target and interviewing companies. Even better do it before submitting a resume/application.

What should you look for?

Those things you should uncover are the organization’s culture, product/services, history, organization’s structure & affiliates, statistics such as number of employees & sales, competitors, and career paths.

Position specifics so that you can identify the company’s needs and problems to create a tailored resume and cover letter.

Where should you look?
Company website, Google, hoovers.com, corporateinformation.com, glassdoor.com.

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE YOUR VALUE?

Features vs. Benefits

Think of how you can help the employer with your strengths. Attitude is premier. Next what about you can the organization benefit from.

It’s like buying a car! Not every car is for every buyer. It’s true for an employer. Focus on you and your skills, attitude and experience would attract an employer to hire you!

TIME TO FLIP YOUR SCRIPT

Think of the benefits you can share with an employer. Paint a picture and statement of value. Lastly, determine those stories or what you did in the past that support your value.

INSTEAD OF: I have great customer service skills.
TRY THIS: My flexible communication skills and resourceful problem-solving style build long-term customer relationships that led to a 75% repeat and referral rate at my last employer.

INSTEAD OF: I have a project management experience.
TRY THIS: My ability to lead cross-functional project teams of up to 12 technicians and manage project budgets of up to $2M will enable me to make an immediate impact on the successful, on-time completion of your projects.

Remember who has the most to lose. It is not the job seeker but the employer.

LORI’S CHALLENGE:

  • 50 SKILLS
    Establish a list of personal traits such as good communicator and attitude. Then determine those skills that are transferable. Next what are your job specific skills. Be sure to highlight your skills in your resume/interview.
  • 50 BENEFITS STATEMENTS
    Define what value and cost-effective changes you can bring to an employer with your specific skills. Lastly, refine those stories which will validate your skills.

FINAL NOTE: WANT TO AVOID FISHING IN THE SEA AND THE BLACK HOLE — SHIFT YOUR FOCUS TO THE EMPLOYER!

“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” –Steve Jobs

Hiring Companies

PAYCHEX, James Blackwood IV, Phoenix Regional Service Center Manager

Paychex was founded by B. Thomas Golisanno in 1971. Golisanno invested $3,000 to make payroll outsourcing simple and convenient for small business owners. Its mission is to be the leading provider of payroll, human resources and employee benefit services by being an essential partner with America’s businesses. Today Paychex has over 13,000 employees in 100+ locations. The company has over $2.9 million in revenues. Its mission is to be the leading provider of payroll, human resources and employee benefit services by being an essential partner with America’s businesses. Paychex is a $0 debt company and is growing rapidly. They are adding employees nationally and 300 employees in the Phoenix area. The company has received numerous accolades including Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For” and “Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles”. Paychex locations and employees are consistently involved in the communities and charities they live near. Paychex has a robust benefits program and has such perks as $1,600 tuition reimbursement for each employee per year, employee stock purchase plans and retail discounts.

Current openings include customer service, payroll specialist; time and labor online service advisor; field HR generalist; 401K service representative, 401K new client set up specialist; retirement services client relationship account manager; and sales representatives. If interested, visit the Paychex website.

Staff Logic, Deanne Desautels, President

AFP/Accounting & Finance Professionals was founded in 1999 and strives to be the leader in high quality staffing of administrative, accounting and IT professionals. AFP has been in Arizona for 17 years; 63% of referrals come from clients or placed professionals; ranked #1 for 5 years in a row for direct hire placements; placed over 50K professionals in long term careers; and preferred vendor for the state of Arizona.

Staff Logic is a sister company of AFP/Accounting & Finance Professionals. Focus areas include IT; engineering; customer service-call center; software sales; medical; administrative; marketing; HR; and executive search. For information and to express your interest contact Staff Logic.

State Farm, DeAnne Prigmore, Recruiter

State Farm, a stable insurance company has been in business for 95 years. Its mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. Opportunities are not limited to selling insurance. Additional employment offerings are accounting, financial & banking; administrative support; claim & investigation; customer service; facilities management & administrative services; legal, compliance, & risk management; human resources; marketing, design, & communications; research & analytics; sales support; technology & user experience; and underwriting& actuarial. Benefits are traditional and State Farm’s culture is “create, live, work and play environment”.

The Phoenix area now hosts the brand-new Marina Heights facility in Tempe. The location is two million square feet area, 8000 employees, with retail space including Starbucks, Matt’s Big Breakfast, Mountainside Fitness, Honor Health, Grab-n Go, with more on the way. Immediate and ongoing opportunities are claim associate-express; claim associate-auto ILR; ccc sales rep; ccc service rep; State Farm Bank; claims (property, total loss, injury); and systems/IT.

Feel free to visit the Tempe site which is open to the public. For more information or to apply, visit State Farm’s website. You may also apply online to open positions, and you may apply using LinkedIn.

Resources

New Horizons, Joe Rostowsky, Director of Site Operations

New Horizons has provided world-class training for over 30 years and over 30 million students. New Horizons recognizes that there are several learning styles and offers traditional, instructor led classroom training; online LIVE learning and online anytime learning. Learning tools are varied to meet the needs of students including hands-on labs, reference materials, practice exams, learning guides, coursework and exam preparation.

The Phoenix location is a new state-of-the-art training facility. Information Technology programs, Office Management and/or Healthcare Records Management programs, and Project/Production Management programs represent education offerings. Some of the items included in tuition are books & supplies, labs, on-going career services and 6-month re-sit option. New Horizons does provide Job Placement Assistance. The school offers top IT Certifications approved by the GI Bill. Additional funding sources are available up to $4K through the WIOA Program. New Horizons has free classes in Microsoft Office, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. Visit New Horizons online.

Closing

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director, Career Connectors, closed the meeting by thanking North Phoenix Baptist Church and the volunteers. The next Career Connectors meeting will be in Scottsdale on Thursday, July 13, 2017 and features Carole Redden as speaker for the topic “Seven Strategies for a Seamless Career Transition”. For additional information on this event and future events, please visit the Event Schedule.

Accountable Colleague: The Search Begins

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accountable-colleague-search-beginsWritten by Ted Robison

Professionally edited by Kitty Carlisle

Finding the right Accountability Colleague is certainly a challenge. Where do we start to look, and most importantly, what personal attributes are important to our success in looking for our next job opportunity?

Where do we start?
My first Accountability Colleague was someone that I worked with at Unisys Corporation. We left the company at the same time and started having weekly meetings to discuss job search planning.

Joining Associations and groups, and attending networking meetings and job fairs are great ways to meet people and start networking.

Finding the right person is certainly key to your success in finding your next job.

Do not select a relative, spouse, or close friend, as they may be too close to provide an objective opinion.

Personal Attributes that are important for an Accountability Colleague:

  • A positive, committed, supportive partner who holds our relationship in high regard and has the time and interest in working with me as much as I do with him/her. Who sees the time we spend together as important and is willing to make our time a priority on their schedule.
  • A willingness to share resources and entertain ideas of collaboration for presentations and workshops that are fun and profitable.
  • A person I can turn to on the bad days who accepts me and supports me for who I am that day, but doesn’t hold me to that image endlessly. A person who sees me as whole and complete and has confidence in me on days when I question my own value. A partner who is creative and loves to noodle around ideas and play with the what if’s.
  • A partner who has a good sense of himself/herself and wants to bring as much to the relationship as to take. One who sincerely gets the concept of giving and receiving.
  • Good contacts and an open hearted willingness to share resources and ideas, and brainstorms for creating more fulfilling and fun business opportunities.
    Someone who is established or on their way to being established in a particular market niche and can bring that knowledge and experience into the partnership and is fearless about sharing intelligence.
  • That the relationship has the potential for open, trusted conversations that hold each responsible, yet offer a wide berth for mistakes, flubs, and inadvertent gaffs that we all make as humans. Can share about what is bugging them without amputating completely.
  • Sometimes having more than one Accountability Colleague can offer more strategic directions. Different points of view are healthy in your weekly meetings.

I have had eight Accountability Colleagues during my engineering career. I truly consider them all close friends and valued colleagues. We still communicate and share experiences to date.

I hope you can see value in having an Accountability Colleague, and how it can help you during your transition phase.

 

 

 

12/10/15 – Start Strong, Finish Stronger: Your Best Self in Your Next Chapter

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Written by Susan Lamphiear

Keynote

Stephanie Clerge, @StrengthsPro

Remember that scene from the movie Kindergarten Cop when Arnold Schwarzenegger asks the children to tell what their dads do for a living? That flashed into my mind when today’s keynote speaker described her four-year-old son’s public remarks.

Proud of her own and her husband’s careers and educational backgrounds, the speaker described her own shock when her son announced his aspirations at his preschool graduation. When asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” he said, “I want to kill vampires and zombies!”

Upon further reflection, after the shock wore off, our keynote speaker decided it actually might not be such a bad idea to metaphorically kill vampires and zombies like the zombies, the walking dead, in the work place, the information-hoarding, energy-sucking backstabbers.

Maybe those energy-draining employees referenced in her opening story  never really got in touch with their career passions by becoming aware of their strengths.  Stephanie Clergè, a certified career coach, referenced Gallup poll results suggesting what makes people great.

You’re six times more likely to be successful if you know your strengths. Respondents were also three times as likely to say they have a high quality of life if they focused on their strengths. It appears knowledge of your strengths makes you happier and reduces stress.

To demonstrate our strengths, Stephanie asked everyone to sign their names. Then she asked attendees to sign with their opposite hand and asked for feedback on how that felt. “Awkward, challenging, frustrating” were some of the responses.

“We work on our weaknesses so much of the time—maybe we never get good at it.” What if, instead, everyone spent more time working on their strengths?

But how do you know what your strengths are? Stephanie tells us it’s those things which bring us energy. Your strengths are the part of you that make you unique and special. It’s basically your “personality muscles” she says. The Gallup poll suggests that your talents are reflected not  just in your outwardly visible behaviors but also in how you think and feel.

Talents are the basis for strengths but she goes a step further. Some people may have a strength in a particular area but that talent doesn’t necessarily bring them joy or energy. Energy is the key.

The DISC assessment, free to Career Connectors’ attendees, is one way to discover your strengths. Other assessments are out there, too. To find your strengths consider Ease, Energy and Excellence. Your strengths are areas where you excel but also which you do with ease and they produce energy, not drain your energy.

HIGHLIGHTS OF STEPHANIE’S ADVICE

Know Yourself

Know your strengths

  • via DISC* and other assessments
  • Ease, energy, Excellence indicators

Plan Your Work

Define Your Strong Career

  • The 4th E: Experience — Ask yourself, “In the past, what did I LOVE?” When did I love the job/task, the team, the manager, the culture, the industry, the learning or other things like commute, travel, benefits?
  • Think Out of the Box — Look for your strengths in other parts of your life including internships, volunteer activities, side projects/businesses, clubs/organizations, and hobbies.
  • Strengths in Action: Homework . . . Create One Strength Statement. Pick something that energizes you. Create a sentence with key elements of your talent contribution that you use to complete that task. Example: My best contribution is a quality mindset. I can spot areas to improve quality and provide ideas to make processes or products move from good to excellent.

Develop Your Tools

  • Resume: It should be easy to read and it should be clear where you should be working next.
  • LinkedIn Profile: Use a clear, concise headline (not cheesy or needy), in the summary, show a bit of your personality, list a contact email and answer InMail promptly.
  • Questions:  Always have questions to ask in the interview. She’s found in her experience many job candidates simply do not ask questions. Ask questions like, “What would the first 90 days on this job look like?”
  • Stories: If you have a gap in between jobs, recruiters want to know why. Have your remarks planned so this does not catch you off guard. Also, be prepared to articulate your greatest accomplishments on the job. You’re very likely to be asked this question: “Tell me about a time when…” Stephanie suggests having three solid stories of your accomplishments which should ideally be recent (can be older if you are changing careers), should be work related, and should address your leadership and technology skills. In a strength statement, tie your strength to a goal. For example, if you excel in creative use of graphics, explain the creative graphics help influence customers.

Work Your Plan: Include daily steps. For example: review industry websites for job postings, follow up with a former boss for a recommendation, attend one event per week, apply to X number of jobs a week, and call my accountability partner.

The Solution IS SMART– It should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Remember these key words:  Impact, Information, Inspiration, Strengths, Strategies, Support.

Hiring Companies

Nautilus Insurance Group
Kathleen Sandow, Senior HR Specialist

Nautilus Insurance Group provides commercial insurance (not personal insurance), specializing in excess and surplus lines of commercial property and casualty insurance coverage. Things they insure include shopping centers, exercise and health clubs, llama caddies, sea turtle watchers and doves released at weddings! Affiliated with W.R. Berkley Corporation, which is huge, Nautilus has the perks of a huge company and the autonomy of a small company. Located in Scottsdale Airpark, they employ 260 people, mostly in this location. The dress ranges from formal to summer casual.

Perks include a fitness center, covered parking, 401K, and paid vacations. The company is involved in community support including the Phoenix Rescue Mission. Current openings include Senior Claims Examiner, Data Analyst, Instructional Designer, Computer Support Specialist/Help Desk, and Senior Underwriter.  For a complete list or to apply, visit their website.

The Hartford
Harriet Darkwa, Talent Acquisition Consultant

The Hartford provides insurance to people who are usually in crisis mode because their home was flooded or their car was wrecked.  It’s a professional company who is looking to employ people who will be working with people who may not be covered and supporting customers going through life changes.  Over 200 years old, the company prides itself on both stability and innovation.

Other benefits of working for The Hartford include tremendous promotional opportunities, ongoing training and development, and pay-for-performance culture. The company offers tuition reimbursement, health insurance starting day one, and 401K.  Named “World’s Most Ethical Companies” for a seventh time by the Ethisphere Institute, it’s also been named one of the top 100 companies for remote work. Positions available include Associate Claim Representatives.  To learn more or apply, go to their website.

G/O Digital
Sean Beaudette, Sales Recruiter

G/O Digital helps businesses find their success through localized digital marketing. Founded in 2009, it’s a division of TEGNA Digital, employing over 400 people in downtown Phoenix. The culture is described as fun, diverse, and collaborative. The atmosphere is casual and  includes free snacks, ping pong, theme days and quarterly all-company events.

With a start-up feel, your voice is heard.  Inside sales (digital marketing consultants) currently shows the strongest growth, but openings also include sales development, account management, project management, PPC/Operations, Social Media, Marketing, and Finance. For more information, see them on social media or their website. To apply, visit them on their website.

Education Management Corporation (EDMC)
Mark Pierce, Talent Acquisition Manager

Education Management Corporation (EDMC), one of the largest and most diverse providers of proprietary post-secondary education in the United States, includes The Art Institutes, Argosy University, Brown Mackie College, South University, and Western State College of Law. A huge benefit to employees is free tuition for self and family at any of the schools. EDMC also prides itself on internal growth and development (96% of Admission Management team promoted from within and in five years the company has grown from 100 to over 3,000). Also the company offers 401K and 401K Roth participation, Health Benefits and more.

Dedicated to good works, the company involves itself in multiple projects such as Breast Cancer Awareness and Race for the Cure, Valley Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Adopt-a-Family.  Positions available include Admissions Representatives, Academic Counselor, and Admissions Manager. For more information or to apply, go to their website.

Resources

New Horizons
Zack Hiscock, VP of Training

New Horizons is a school that provides education for the workplace including computer training. Integrated learning solutions allow students to learn via several methods such as traditional, instructor-led; online LIVE learning; or online ANYTIME learning. The school also offers hands-on labs, reference materials, practice exams, learning guides, courseware, and exam preparation.

A state-of-the art training facility, programs there include Information Technology such as CompTIA Security, Linux +, MSCA Windows, and Office Management and/or Healthcare Records Management Programs like Pharmacy Technician or Microsoft office specialist. For more information or to enroll, check their website.

Closing

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors, reminded everyone of the breakout sessions that follow the formal meeting. During those sessions, attendees have the opportunity to speak directly to hiring managers, obtain free professional head shots, and confer with experts in resume building and creating and managing LinkedIn profiles.

Jessica thanked volunteers and the monthly host for the event, Highlands Church, and invited everyone who qualifies to fill out the form for Highlands Hope Initiative. Through this program, the church presents gift cards based on income to job seekers and those in job transition. Some individuals may qualify for additional assistance provided by the church and are urged to apply.

Upcoming events include Wednesday, January 6, 2016, at 9:00 AM in Phoenix, featuring Michael Seaver, Developing and Living Your Personal Brand.

The next Scottsdale event will be Thursday, January 14, 2016, 9:00 AM. Topic for the event’s keynote address will be presented by Paula Shoup, Use Your internal GPS to Stay Positive & Productive in Difficult Times.

The next Gilbert event, Tuesday, January 26, 2016, 9:00 AM features Abby Kohut presenting Success for the Seasoned Search …The Benefit of Being Overqualified.

Click here for more details about locations and registration.

01/29/14 – Branding Your Greatest Asset – YOU !

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written by Nancy Harper

The meeting began at 9:00 am. This group presents relevant information for the job seeker, in a fun and energizing environment.

Sandi Ashton introduced the event by suggested we think of something to be grateful for. At this time of year, in Phoenix, we are grateful for the weather. One of the participants was grateful to have ‘survived being in a truck in a tornado’.

Career Connectors is a volunteer program. Some of the words to describe the intention is Quality…Integrity…Increase of Confidence. We can all use this in our job search and in our lives.

Keynote Speaker

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director, Career Connectors.

Tag Line

Wonderful for all to hear Jessica Pierce, the director of Career Connectors. She said ‘she is excited to be speaking’. She spoke about creating a “tag” for ourselves and included her own, given to her by an associate, “Arizona Career Connector.” In thinking about a “tag,” some questions presented include : What are you good at ? Who are you ? What do you represent ? Making a difference. Who are you at work ? Brand yourself. Mine is …”architect for places and spaces that inspire and serve”

Additional questions, might be: What are you looking for ? What is your time worth to you ? Why a “Brand” ?

Recognition, differentiation, make money …Who do you want to work for …State Farm, Revana, Pay Pal, Apple, Intel …

Jessica points out when you do arrive for an interview, say hello to the receptionist !

Dress well and appropriate , feel good about your presentation. Of note, it takes 5 seconds to give a good impression and as soon as one minute for the hiring manager to decide if you are a fit or not. Yikes! This can all happen at hyperspeed ! In today’s world, one may have a new position every 2-3 years !

Branding Strategy

We did an exercise and came up with our own “Branding Strategy.” Mine includes, programming and planning buildings, drawing buildings on the computer , and Project Management ; setting schedules and achieving milestones, encouraging and leading others, and finishing work on time and budget.

Jessica suggests to bring a “brag book” – which is a portfolio of work examples. These examples help to enhance descriptions of work assignments with real life examples. Bring this with you to the interview, or on your phone or i-Pad.

Promote Your Brand

Promote your brand . Make sure that your list includes experience, accomplishments, expertise, education and training. Take advantage of social networks. The number one professional job network is LinkedIn. Others of note are Twitter, professional blogs, Facebook, Networking Phoenix, and associations where you and your peers find support and common interests.

Inform everyone you know you are looking for work and what you are looking for. Most people want to help. Phoenix is in the top 6 job markets today. Only 20% of the jobs available are advertised. Sandi shared that she had a client land in 30 days. Make 5 new connections everyday and spend 25-40 hours a week on your search.

Hiring Companies

Pay Pal

Amanda Bollard, Talent Acquisitions

Pay Pal is a part of E-Bay and makes it possible for people to pay and be paid online across locations, languages, and currencies. There are over 16000 employees worldwide. Operations run 24/7, tasks are done over the phone and e-mail using technology advanced systems. Some of the benefits include free covered parking, onsite fitness center, insurance, onsite cafeteria, and casual dress. To apply go to “e-baycareers.com” search “jobs.”

A few jobs she mentioned include:

  • outbound telesales account executive
  • commercial underwriter
  • analyst

State Farm

DeAnne Prigmore

DeAnne joined State Farm at the “entry level”and worked to her present position. She relocated to Arizona with her husband where she enjoys spending time outdoors. We all know some of the slogans of State Farm, “Like a good neighbor” . Locations in the valley include, 101 & Elliott, Priest & Broadway, Priest & Washington, 44th Street & Van Buren, and the location they just broke ground that is being built and is shown in a rendering is in Tempe; Marina Heights. Positions advertised are :

  • Claims – reporting team, Express Team,
  • Quote/Bind – a part time position
  • Inbound Sales
  • Customer Response Center
  • Customer Sales Rep

Benefits available. The company is 44th on the Fortune 500 list !

Revana

Kim Johnston. Talent Acquisition Specialist

Revana is a professional Global Marketing & Sales Team and leader in outsources sales and marketing solutions for industry leading clients. They have over 1500 employees in Tempe and Phoenix locations.

They have benefits. The locations include I-17 & Bell Road. Their environment is casual and they have food vendors that come to the office locations. Positions available include inbound and outbound sales.

They represent companies such as Hyundai, Morgan Stanley, AT & T, Google, Facebook. You may apply  on their website, www.Revanajobs.com, and you may go to their office locations from 9-3 pm and apply there if needed.

Resources

On the Career Connectors website : the DISC Assessment. Gives you words and phrases for your resume and elevator speech.

Training To You

John Dvorak

Career advancement partner, they offer classes. One may be eligible for the Workforce Investment Act or the Trade Adjustment Act; eligible tuition grant. Certificate programs such as PMP, CCNA, and Microsoft specialist.

Closing

The next meeting is Feb 5, 2014 at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix. Job Search in the 21st Century by Justin Jones. Hiring companies include Farmers Insurance, Progrexion, Vaco and Vanguard.

Feb. 13, 2014 at Highland Church in Scottsdale. Hire Me by Janice Hurley-Trailor. Hiring companies include Appointment-Plus, International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. and Education Management Corp.