Opening Remarks
Executive Director of Career Connectors, Jessica Pierce, opened today’s event held at the Gilbert Campus of Central Christian Church. After welcoming many new participants, Jessica described how Career Connectors started as a volunteer organization and seeks to empower individuals to increase their confidence and reach their professional goals.
Keynote Speaker
According to keynote speaker, Don Thoren, the fundamentals to getting hired involve preparation and a positive, energetic attitude. It’s about taking a pro-active approach and stretching outside of your comfort zone.
As a consultant, trainer and speaker with over 30 years of experience, Don has inspired countless professionals in transition to help them prepare for and succeed in their job search. In today’s keynote, Don discussed how to get prepared and be dynamic in order to get hired.
Get Prepared
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Appearance does matter when interviewing for jobs. What type of first impression are you making on a potential employer? Are you dressed professionally? Do you show confidence by smiling and having a positive attitude?
Don suggested thinking about your voice and how it impacts other people. If your voice tends to get high and pitchy under stress, Don offered this tip: Tilt your chin slightly down. It helps to lower and relax your voice during in-person interviews. For telephone interviews, Don advised to look at a picture of a person while interviewing over the phone. It gives a sense of personalization so you feel you are actually speaking to a real person not just a voice at the end of the line.
Research is also key to getting prepared. Show the company you can relate to them. Do your research to determine how you can apply your skills to the types of processes they have in their organization and how your previous experience can help make the company better.
Don stressed the importance of knowing the company’s “play book” – who they are, what they do, the issues they are facing, business strategy, and the jobs they are hiring for. Additionally, it’s important to understand the company’s culture. Use keywords and phrases during your interview that will resonate with your potential employer. A good place to find keywords is on the company’s website. This increases the probability they will hear you and think you are a good fit with their company, and people are complimented when you take the time to learn something about them.
Get Dynamic
Are you a thinker? Have you got a strategy? Are you alert? Enthusiastic? Let the company know you are the person they are looking for. Show your energy and avoid complacency.
Don asked participants to think about what dynamism looks like to the person you are interviewing with. Getting dynamic means having a passion for the company’s mission. It’s about having the right attitude and open body language.
He then walked participants through a laughter exercise to get people energized and activated. A positive outlook and the ability to laugh demonstrates you have a great attitude and are the person the company needs on their team.
Partners
LocalWork
Ryan Naylor
LocalWork is Arizona’s fastest growing job board. It helps connect local seekers with local jobs. Local small businesses can build a web page using LocalWork resources so that job seekers can learn about their companies. LocalWork also produces job fairs. Typically there are over 1000 jobs for hire at a single event. Tools for job seekers include video resumes, verified letters of recommendation, and social media resume sharing. The next job fair will be held November 4 at the Phoenix Airport Marriott from 10:00am-2:00pm.
Hiring Companies
Appointment Plus
Jennifer Rojas
Appointment Plus helps businesses be more successful. Career opportunities include product and sales marketing managers, IT, sales reps and customer support. Most important to Appointment Plus is that their employees feel like they are making a difference and bringing their best game. Video link: www.appointment-plus.com/videos/appt_plus_epiphany-672.mp4
NESCO Resource
Kelly Perkins
NESCO is a staffing agency on the front-end of who is hiring in the Phoenix area. It helps place job seekers with contractual and full time work with top employers in the market, mostly with an engineering and manufacturing focus. Current opportunities in professional, administrative and industrial divisions. NESCO is also looking for skilled trades people.
Charles Schwab
Shannon Grimes
Charles Schwab is a client-focused company bringing wall street to main street . It helps make investing accessible. It’s largest employee-base is the Phoenix area. Current opportunities in B2C include financial advisors and retirement plan support. B2B opportunities include custodial and business support to independent advisors. B2B is the fastest growing part of Schwab. You can upload your resume to the company’s website. Schwab uses Gallup’s Strengths Finder Assessment to determine best fit for employees.
Closing Remarks
Jessica encouraged participants to take advantage of the full range of services on offer at the event. These included professional resume writing services, taking the DISC assessment, visiting with recruiters, and talking with educators about national certification programs.
The next Career Connectors event will be held Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 9:00am in Phoenix. Check out the Events Schedule on the website for further details and information on how to register.