Career Connectors

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10/15/2013 – Get Prepared. Get Dynamic. Get Hired!

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Written by Bethany Wolf

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.

 

 

 

 

 

6/11/2013 – Landing Your Dream Job…

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Written by Trudy Jo Ware

Highways and byways – I’m driving down the road and I see a storm coming.  Destination is important, so the accelerator is punched with more force.  The snow or is it rain begins to fall and everything slows.  The standstill is in front and all around.  I hear a loud explosion on the dashboard. This isn’t happening to me! It’s just not happening!

How many of you recall life force changing events of 2010, 2011, or 2012?  Leadership Development Coach, Sandi Ashton does and presents her story to Career Connectors.

A newlywed from Michigan packed up 30 boxes for shipping and jammed the rest of their stuff in the car for traveling the highways; destination, Phoenix, Arizona.  New place, new husband, new job and the ensuing months are my kickback time to get acquainted and plan for an entrepreneurial career.  The reverie was short lived.  One day my husband comes home with a pink slip in hand and no job. What to do.  Savings are gone and the crunch is not far away. We had to get real, she says, get honest and reach out.  The solution was not easy for two people in a quagmire of spiraling events.

Does this hit home with anyone?  Can you feel the desperation?  Sandi identifies her life’s passage as a, “detour”.  She asks, “What do we do with our detours – do we do something or do we just get stuck and wallow in our stuck?”  The thought is left in our vision as she presents Career Connectors mission, values and collaborative speaker.

Keynote Speaker

Dave Sherman begins the presentation, by saying, “Do you believe this title?”  “Landing your Dream Job (even if you’re not really qualified and haven’t had a real job in over 20 years).”  He states that for 25 years he was an entrepreneur and worked for only one employer, himself.

Not an Arizona boy, he says, but been here since the 80’s creating great success as a professional speaker, trainer and author.  One day in 2009 the accountant came to me with tell tale figures, shaking his head and said “you can’t go on like this, you’re not hitting the numbers and you’ll be broke soon.” Unbelievable, what do I do.

The old resume was whipped out and scrutinized closely.  Stunning, there was nothing on it. I reviewed all my resources as I pondered what would I like to do.  Golf, I could play golf.  As quickly as my excitement went up, it came down.  My handicap stinks, it’s too high.  Okay, so what’s next? I perused the on line job boards for hours thinking I’m really putting in the effort, but no job and a lot of companies advertising.  My shinning personality suffered a huge contortion and my body was in a state of lethargy. I needed to get back on track.

I made a decision to leave the cave of operation, grabbed the lap top, and headed for a place filled with people, enjoyment, and free WiFi. I talked to people on line and off which became the “how to stage.”  I was networking and cruising.  I began enjoying this stage because I knew the more I asked questions, the package developed and got closer to the end result – jobbie, job.   I decided on three companies and conducted extensive research on each.  I focused on a software company, Infusion, knowing I didn’t have a background in IT, but I learned the company has a great marketing component.  I knew what I wanted to do, so my point is, know all the ins and outs of what you want to do before making a grand stand for a job position.

The next step was making contacts to see who knew who in the company.  I called people, went to meetings, gave invitations for coffee, emailed people and finally I had an interview.  No, I did not get the job, however, like the terminator, I said, “I’ll be back.”  The point, when talking to people you should be sure whatever is asked is reasonable for their help. People do want to help.  The more responses to questions from those in your network, the narrower the focus until bingo, you’re in a face – face interview.

I went back to the drawing board, networking.  It’s all about numbers.  I placed “who knows who” questions on Linkedin status board while using other media sources.  Again, I went to meetings, talked with people and continued to research the company. The word was out and one day, I received a call.  Yes, it was interview time.  I whipped out the resume.  This time it contained fine tune information about my entrepreneurial experience, accomplishments and what I could do, although I was not an IT person or former employee of particular companies.  The interviewer was interested somewhat in past experience, but more interested in my abilities to help Infusion grow according to their mission and values.

After 25 years, I have a new employer.  I landed the job and I love the opportunity. The point, finding a job is not hard, but doing it the right way is.   Sure, I experienced ups and downs of the highways and even the byways.  Perhaps, it is important to do all that as long as you get out of the cave, reach out to people and keep your objectives and goal at the forefront.

Hiring Companies

Concentrix

Teresa Chandler, Human Resources

Concentrix Corporation provides knowledge process outsourcing services. It offers technical and customer support, sales and marketing, and back office transaction processing services, as well as various customer relationship platforms. The company has been in business for 25 years offering services to technology, communications, and media clients. The company was formerly known as BSA Sales, Inc. and changed its name to Concentrix Corporation in December 2006. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Pittsford, New York. It has additional locations in parts of the world and the United States, particularly a new location in Tempe, Arizona.  Presently, the site houses 85 personnel, but is in a rapid growth stage to hire 150 people ASAP.   The company provides numerous employee benefits, including tuition reduction for education and training.

Superior Group

Michael Nielsen, Technical Staffing Manager

Superior Group was founded in 1957, with a focus on a quick response delivery of people, process, and project outsourcing solutions.  Superior’s people-related services provide access to qualified talent through staff augmentation, recruitment process outsourcing, executive recruitment, and direct placement services.

Superior is:

  • One of the largest, privately-held workforce solution companies in the U.S.
  • Providing services to Arizona since 1978.
  • Over 65 domestic service locations, as well as offices in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, India, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom
  • Full service technical recruiting expertise in Engineering/IT. (Our staffing group handles non-technical (Administrative, Financial, etc. positions)
  • Companywide ISO 9001:2008, SAS 70 Type II certifications (Statement on Auditing Standards to Service Organizations) and OFCCP compliance.
  • Note: OFCCP (Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs) is part of the U.S. Department of Labor. OFCCP is responsible for ensuring that employers doing business with the Federal government comply with the laws and regulations requiring nondiscrimination. * OFCCP compliance requires application directly to a job online.

 EDMC Online Higher Education

Ryanne Dean, Staffing Specialist

Education Management Corporation is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue, with 110 locations in 32 U.S. States and Canada. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Education Management employs over 24,000 full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty and staff, and serves approximately 132,000 students as of October 2012.  EDMC’s education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the creative and applied arts, behavioral sciences, education, health sciences and business fields, culminating in the award of associate’s through doctoral degrees as well as non-degree programs. EDMC faculty are skilled instructors and trained professionals in their fields. Many faculty have extensive industry experience as well as the necessary academic qualifications. Investing in school and education is an investment in yourself where age is truly irrelevant.  The organization is hiring.  Job Seeker go to their website for more information.

Resources

Localwork. Com

Ryan Naylor

Ryan’s experience as CEO of LocalWork Marketing became the impetus for his brainchild company, Localwork.com, an internet marketing solution for local small businesses and local talent. He asks, “Has anyone been on the other side of the fence looking for a prospective employee?”  Well, let me tell you:  “Several years ago I looked for an administrative assistant with comparable job description and salary.  I searched the job boards on line and other resources.  After checking my advertizing budget I went to craigslist and received 100’s of replies and only one interviewee.  Unfortunately, she misunderstood the position description and decided it wasn’t for her.”   Because small businesses are the bread and butter of Arizona economy, Ryan reaches out to these companies through social media advertising and marketing opportunities.  He helps job seekers connect with hiring companies through media visibility and places great value on efforts that don’t exploit the prospective employee. The website offers great tools, such as Video Resumes, Social Media connections and Verified Letters of Recommendations to aid the job seeker. Localwork.com hosts six job fairs per year with the next one, July, 15th. 

Training to You

John Dvorak

John shared with us the extensive training programs they have in a variety of areas. Through the Workforce Investment Act, you can qualify to have the tuition covered…so there is little excuse not to explore further

Closing

Once again Sandi took center light and thanked all for attending the event, particularly, Career Connectors Partners, hiring companies and volunteers.  She reminded us of the value in the DISC and application which she will present, Tuesday, June25th in Gilbert, 9:00 AM.  However, June 19th event will be in Phoenix at North Phoenix Baptist Church at 9:00 AM with keynote speaker, Bill Markham, Twelve Minutes Which Win Every Interview. 

Follow the news and events, locations and additional resources at Career Connectors website and be sure and check the July event listing.  Only two will be presented during the month.

Join us and give us your fresh ideas.

5/14/2013 – Incorporate You – Your Contingency Plan

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Written by Trudy Jo Ware

Jessica Pierce spins to the podium and extends a big welcome to all.  “Are you new to Career Connectors” she asks.  If so, this is our mission.   In reflection I think whether, I have one?  In the whirl of her presentation, Jessica introduces keynote speaker, Michael Seaver of Seaver Consulting  who jumps on board and asks, ”are you incorporated”; do “you have a contingency plan”?

Keynote Speaker

I’m engaged with full attention as Michael begins his presentation showing a slide of a descending escalator captioned, “The old career escalator is JAMMED”.  The meaning is provocative.  Michael’s passion is to support leaders and considers each of us a leader who is in search of a personal mission, a higher purpose.  He points out leaders want to discover and apply their personal strengths, find their true voice  and create a strategic plan to best express who they are.  His appointed virtue is to move leaders from managerial success to societal significance.  

Business or not; Michael applies strategy that enlists a commitment to live in a place that we build and belong. Because we use talents to carry out our beliefs in an environment that fits we will assume autonomy, master our chosen profession and find a higher purpose where we contribute to a cause greater than our own. He cites Daniel Pink; an American author who draws parallels and contradicts the response of business norms of the twentieth century to current scientific research.  His search is the “how to’s” for motivating people in today’s challenges. The old practice of rewards for hire and performance that we think are a natural part of business carry less weight in our current work environment.  He points out the truths of motivation are – autonomy, mastery, and purpose which drive people’s high performance and satisfaction.   

Business models are changing and our skills are mismatched.  What are we doing to prepare for what’s next? Are we willing to learn, unlearn and relearn?  Life, Michael believes, is not a balance, but a harmony. It is important to know who we are, our purpose, so we engage passion in our life’s work to foster fulfillment rather than loss during times of peaks and valleys. He states, “Whether you “sell” your services to an organization in exchange for a salary or you “sell” your services on a project for a fee, you are a corporation.”

Rightfully, we are a business of sales and with every successful business there is an aggregate business plan followed by a contingency plan. We are in career transition and Michael’s idea of a contingency plan comprises a forward work of mistakes.  He contends “The secret to making mistakes isn’t to avoid them; it’s to realize that they aren’t fatal. They’re the fuel to find stratospheric success.” Our personal plan should contain: five development parts, experiences, education, certifications, and an Advisory Board.   The following earmarks key items:

Personal Contingency Plan Parts

  • Education                                                            *Advisory Board
  • Certification                                                                – Name
  • Continuous Development                                        – Title
  • Counseling                                                                  – Strenths
  • Consulting                                                                   – Skills
  • Mentoring                                                                    – Why You Want
  •  Coaching                                                                     – Meeting Time
  •                                                                                         – What You Learned
  •                                                                                         – How You Thanked

Michael Seaver’s parting words were: “My advice to you as you embark on this journey, discover your personal mission, find a career that you would die for …and then live for it.

Hiring Companies

IBM

Representing IBM was Karen Altig, Management Consultant, was on hand to let attendees know that IBM is looking for both technical and non-technical employees, including business analysts. Since their hiring needs change daily, she encourages job seekers to visit their website regularly. One key to success in applying to their site is to build a profile. IBM currently has a number of business units who are hiring. To apply for a position, visit their website.

Appointment-Plus

Jennifer Rojas,  Appointment-Plus,

This is a growing IT company – always on the edge- a great place to work, and looking for top talent.  The company has been in the valley for 12 years and has survived the ups and downs of economy, because it is a creative company in software development. The company continues to fine tune their Cloud-based scheduling system while developing support products and services.  Refer to the website for numerous job offerings.

Charles Schwab

Shannon Grimmes, Talent Attraction, was back with us once again. This company sets out to help everyone be financially fit, providing clients with ETHICAL services, RESPECTING fellow employees, and STRIVING relentlessly to innovate what they do. They are gearing up for 2014 and have many positions to fill beyond the most obvious Financial Advisors.  For more information go to their website.

Resources

Computer Skills Institute

Sheri Carparelli 

IT’S FREE – NO COST TRAINING offered through:

  • Maricopa County Workforce Connections
  • City of Phoenix Workforce Connetion
  • TAA (Trade Act Agreement)
  • Approved for the GI Bill

The company has been serving valley residents since 2004 offering essential certifications for career success.  Visit their website to advance and retune your computer skills.

DISC & Your Job Search:

Kyla Bonnstetter, Top Talent Consultant

Identifying the right people, the right position and the right place are extrapolated inferences from the DISC assessment that more business use today in productivity management and screening new hires. What does that mean for the job seeker. It’s a promoter; no wrong or right answers. It serves as means to “indentify self” aligned with company mission and culture.  It’s a time saver; no square pegs in round holes as the job seeker addresses transferable skills for position requirements.  It can help you discover how your role in the work environment, potentially helping steer you to the best career or company for you.

Closing 

Jessica Pierce, Executive Director of Career Connectors, thanked all the volunteers and hiring companies and our partners for their extended support.  She also reminded everyone that Localwork.com is hosting a free Job Fair Phoenix Airport Marriot, Monday, May20, 10:00am‐2:00pm. Check this website for details and to sign up. She also reminded everyone that the DISC assessment is a great tool in the job search and it is available on Career Connectors at no charge.  Check out Career Connectors new website for information and direction to opportunities in your career search.  The next meeting is in Phoenix on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 9:00 AM, Lost My Job! Now What? with Naomi Buckta.