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Resume advice

9/9/21 -Resume Mythbusters: Certified Resume Writer Panel

September 20, 2021 by Sheila

Panel of Experts:
Donna Tucker, Brenda Cunningham,
Jeri Hird Dutcher & Lucie Yeomans

Resume Panel

Written by Sheri Kerr

The Résumé mistakes:

  • Typing or adding your contact information in the header of the résumé. Instead applicants must put contact information in the body of the résumé. This way the applicant tracking system will be able to identify the job seekers’ contact information.
  • Creating your résumé with the task or position responsibilities instead of contributions and accomplishments.
  • Seeking people with no skills to help you develop your resume.
  • Using PDF documents to submit a résumé to ATS (applicant tracking system).

What TO DO:

  • Explain to the recruiter how you did a certain task by providing metrics.
  • Answer the question, “What can you do for me?” Adding your value.
  • Measure results – help the reader understand what you can do for them – Again SHOW YOUR VALUE.
  • Look at the job description – use keywords from it on your resume.
  • List measurable accomplishments.
  • Format the résumé using MS Word and submit using Word. ATS (applicant tracking systems) can read MS Word and not PDF.

GAPS IN A RESUME – How does a person address this on a resume?

Must address gaps of 6 months or more.
Take a class or volunteer during gap times to add this experience to the résumé and explain what you have done during the gap time.

Hiring Companies

Concentrix

Eboni Weekes, Associate Director, Talent Acquisition

Concentrix collaborates with the world’s biggest brands to create a smooth customer transaction. Concentrix has 225,000 employees, in 40 countries, 6 continents, 70+ languages, Fortune 500 clients, 50 disruptors and unicore clients, and 12 years average client tenure. The company has multiple positions open! Learn more about the amazing opportunities at Tempe, Arizona using the link: careers.concentrix.com/united-states.

Pearl Interactive Network

Sherica Rhymes, Talent Acquisition Consultant

Pearl Interactive Network is a certified woman-owned small business. Founded in 2004, Pearl Interactive Network has quickly become a respected federal subcontractor for program management and contact center staffing. They give priority to skilled and talented people who comprise a niche workforce. Pearl is hiring Virtual Customer Service Representatives. All the positions are work from home (wfh) and require quite confidential space to accept service calls. High speed internet is required and the ability to hard wire into a desktop or laptop computer. Candidates can check out the open positions at Pearl’s website: www.pinsourcing.com.

Filed Under: Event Recaps Tagged With: pearl interactive network, concentrix, resume writers council of arizona, Resume advice

How to Get a Job After a Big Career Gap: 10 Expert Tips

September 14, 2021 by Markitors

Whether you were caring for an ailing family member, raising children, or traveling the world, getting employed after a gap in your resume can be a struggle. However, a few tips can help get you hired quickly.

Advice for Career Gaps

What is one tip on how to get a job after a big career gap?

To help you get employed after a break in your career, we asked recruiters and HR professionals this question for their insights. From reaching out to recruiters to starting with part-time employment, there are several things you can do today to improve your chances of jumpstarting your career after a long pause.

Here are 10 strategies that can help you stand out even with a big career gap:

  • Reach Out to Recruiters
  • Map Out Your Career
  • Utilize Your Cover Letter
  • Add Volunteer Experience
  • Focus on New Skills You Acquired
  • Network, Network, Network
  • Keep Up With Your Industry
  • Show Continued Growth
  • Start With Part-Time Employment
  • Explain the Gap

Reach Out to Recruiters

While it might be scary to dive back into the working world after taking a break, the one thing that you can do is be honest. This career break is more useful than you might initially assess. Update your CV or resume and be sure to add any new skills that you acquired — and be transparent about taking a break, as well.

Even though this time wasn’t spent on your career, you did spend it doing something to better yourself. There’s plenty that you’ve learned in the gap. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to recruiting platforms as they might be able to help match you easier with employers that will understand the gap. Just make sure all the information you hand off is accurate and updated.

Jon Schneider, Recruiterie

Map Out Your Career

Create a career road map to outline your transferable skills and gaps for your desired career. Use this road map to guide your next moves, whether that be getting a new certification, degree or taking an internship to learn a new tangible skill to fill any gaps you may have in your resume. By taking time to advance your knowledge and skillsets, you can add value to yourself and the company you wish to work for.

Rronniba Pemberton, Markitors

Utilize Your Cover Letter

Explain in your cover letter the reason for your big career gap. Did you take time to travel the world? Were you dealing with family members? Don’t shy away from this career gap, but rather lean into it and explain why you took some time off. Add what you learned from that time, so it’s seen as a benefit, not just a lack of traditional work. Doing so will help diffuse any questions that the employer may have about your work gap. Address them without fear and your employer will understand.

Darren Litt, MarketerHire

Add Volunteer Experience

Volunteer first. Join some professional groups. Attend some professional training sessions. Find ways to re-engage and then showcase these on your resume under a section on professional development. Make the most recent job a sabbatical and add a sentence as to why you took time off (i.e., caring for an elderly parent, stay-at-home parent, etc.).

Jennifer Holtz, Second Wind Career Strategies

Focus on New Skills You Acquired

Orient your resume, applications, and interview responses to focus on what you have learned during the career gap. It could be a new skill that you may have picked up or gained some new insight on your career — whatever it is, make that the highlight of your interactions, written or verbal. The goal is to indicate how you have managed to extract value from what is normally considered an obstacle. Be authentic in this response, and do not overshare.

Joe Flanagan, VelvetJobs

Network, Network, Network

Having a large career gap can seem like a huge problem when you are ready to re-enter the workforce, but it’s not the end of the world. Similar to when you first entered the workforce, you had to network. As you re-enter the workforce with a large career gap, networking will be key to finding a new position. Go hard with the networking efforts, and you will find a new position in no time.

Chris Cronin, KITANICA

Keep Up With Your Industry

No matter what your field of expertise is if you want to stay relevant and well-informed, familiarize yourself with current trends in your industry. This could be anything from attending conferences and virtual events to picking the brains of an acquaintance who is well established in your field. Not only does this prepare you for transitioning into a new role, but it can also help shed some light on where your skills are lacking and what you need to do to bridge the gap.

Riley Beam, Douglas R. Beam, P.A.

Show Continued Growth

Although you may have a large career gap, that doesn’t mean you cannot continue learning and growing professionally. As such, take advantage of the time you are not working by obtaining professional certificates within your profession. Whether it’s a technical, qualitative, or quantitative certificate, showing hiring managers that you are continuing to grow — even in the midst of a career gap — will only strengthen your chances of being hired.

Lori Price, PixieLane

Start With Part-Time Employment

There are usually more part-time positions available than salary or full-time. Look for part-time gigs that can ease you back into the career field. This way, you are able to quickly learn new systems, tools, and protocols without getting overwhelmed with 40-hour weeks. It is a great time to re-engage with your profession and get to know it again.

Tamara Mayne, Brooklyn Candle Studio

Explain the Gap

As a hiring manager, when I see career gaps or someone who jumps from job to job, it makes me nervous about hiring that candidate. I have seen a few resumes lately that have added an asterisk that explains the gap. Sometimes those jobs are contractor jobs that expire after a certain period of time. I would not have known that if I didn’t see it on a resume. I think it’s a great thing to add to the resume. It might prevent a hiring manager from passing over you as a candidate if you have that explanation presented.

Shelbey Grimes, Trinity Air Medical

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

Filed Under: Career Advice Blog Tagged With: career gap, Resume advice, career advice, networking

12/02/20 – Resume Mythbusters: Resumes During Covid

December 9, 2020 by Sheila

Resume Mythbusters Panel

Written by Gary Matsuda
Usually, you’ll work with one resume coach at a time but, here you’re getting the collective expertise of four resume writing experts to make sure you don’t make the same errors they’ve seen countless of time over the years.

These are the Biggest Mistakes:
Brenda Cunningham, owner of Push Career Management and President of Resume Writers Council of Arizona, says too many resumes try to one size fits all which makes it harder for the reader to understand what the applicant strengths are for the job.

Donna Tucker, https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnatuckeraz/ founding member of Resume Writers Council of Arizona, says what she sees is applicant suicide – ‘death-by-bullets’ (that’s bullet points BTW) where the resume becomes nothing but a list of functions or tasks without putting them into context.

Jeri Hird Dutcher, National Award-winning Certified Resume Writer says the funniest mistake was a resume with blue green font centered in the document. Stands out – but for the wrong reason.

Amanda Miller, owner of Ink and Quill Communications 8 pages long with a photo of himself an almost 2 page bio, no professional experience, all education dating from the 70’s, left out his phone number and he was wondering why he wasn’t getting responses!

Why You Should Hire a Resume Expert:
For one thing, you are not likely to be an expert at job hunting – and you should have to be. Get help from those who have seen it all (see above) and can steer you away from the all the obvious resume faux pas. There are even times when rules can be broken and unless you know what you can get away with it’s best to get help from experts who’ve have seen thousands of resumes and can spot quickly what you need to present yourself as the best possible candidate. They’ll also work with you to create a strategy for the job search so you won’t waste time sending your resume and applying everywhere.

Most important to have on resume:
Lead with a brief 2 to 4 line headline/summary/branding statement that is specific to the open position. It shouldn’t be merely review of what you do now but answer the question, ‘Why should you be hired?’ A professional resume writer will help you pack as much into your summary in as few words a possible to make the reader to keep reading on.
Everyone wants to see results! Front load the results of your accomplishments near the top and left so they are one of the first things to be scanned. Use the keywords that are specific to your target position and in a meaningful format that impacts the reader. The hiring manager must know right away that you are the perfect fit for the job so anything listed that doesn’t match what the company is looking for will likely get passed over – as will your application.
Make sure you make it easy for them to find you! Have an email address that is easy to associate with your name but in good taste. Also include your phone, general location, and a link to your LinkedIn profile.
Leave out:
• Especially for security reasons, leave out street address, license or certification numbers. Also, references can be left off to save space and they are usually not needed at this point.
• Older formal education dates over 5 years old
• Anything that makes your document go over 2 pages

Font
In most cases use sans serif fonts with size to about 10-12. Serif fonts (with the little feet at the ends of the characters) can look old and may be harder to read on a screen.
Calibri and Arial are the most universal and have better chances of looking the same on most computers.

Bold and italics should be used sparingly.

25 years old with 40 years experience

Ageism is illegal, yet it persists in the workplace and especially in hiring. The resume panel suggests not using old looking email as in ‘hotmail.com’, ‘aol.com’ and avoid using dates in email, for example ‘name1963@gmail.com’.

Don’t mention that you’re seasoned, leave that for enhancing the flavor of aged beef. Spice up your resume by focusing on results and accomplishment, not how long you’ve been on earth. One fear of hiring managers is that those who are retired or are near the end of their careers, might not have the energy or eagerness to do the work and might not stay long term. Present yourself in a way that they feel compelled to call you because you bring much value to their organization. Check with a resume writing professional for tips and job search strategies so you can show off your expertise without being obvious about your age.

Did You Make a Difference?

The old resume style was more skill based but now employers want to see what you’ve done with those skills and how you’ve made the company money, saved money, reduced waste, improved processes/morale/teamwork, solved problems and grew the business.

An easy way to remember how to present this is to use a C.A.R. format.
• Challenge. What was the problem that was solved?
• Action. What action did you take?
• Result. What was accomplished?

Address the question ‘Why should they care about what you did?’ The description should be detailed enough so it doesn’t appear too vague or general and the reader doesn’t have to guess. If you answered phones, how many calls did you make, Teachers can include how many classes or student they’ve taught, nurses can quantify number of patients.

About that Gap Year (or months)

You may know what you did last summer but your next employer doesn’t.
So, it is up to you to bring out your best (and downplay everything else). There’s enough negativity going around so there’s no need (and no room) to have any of that in your resume. Everyone knows how Covid-19 has been so devastating to business so you shouldn’t have to go into much detail if you were laid off during the pandemic. If you had to take care of a family member, experienced a Covid closure or RIF a line stating that would be enough without anyone holding that against you.

If you’ve been out of work because of illness, that’s understandable, but avoid revealing too much information which can be awkward, uncomfortable for the interviewer and irrelevant to the job. It’s discriminatory but health can also signal that you may be higher risk of taking more time off from work.

However, if you’ve been out of employment for a period of time, you need to show how that free time was used constructively. There are plenty of resources available online for professional development, certifications, training, networking and even volunteering that can show you were practicing or building skills useful in the workplace.

One thing that you should be able to do now is work remotely and that means it’s expected that you should know how to use any of the video conferencing, file sharing and project management software that’s in use now. If you don’t, now is the time for some self-directed training and get up to speed on what everyone is using now.

You against the ATS Machine

Mid-size to large companies with enough resources may use Applicant Tracking Systems, so you’ll need to make some adjustments to make your resume electronically friendly. Your resume is scanned by the ATS for keywords that match the job posting. To appease the ATS gods, be diligent in using the same wording in your resume that’s found in the job description (even if it is misspelled). ATS are everywhere, but not that smart! For help, use Jobscan.co https://www.jobscan.co/ which can compare your resume to the job description and point out the keywords that should be in your resume.

To be safe, use .doc format as some ATS cannot take PDF. There should be instructions on how to upload documents so be careful to obey them!

While it’s certainly a real drag to customize according to each job posting, it will increase your chances of getting past the automated screening process. Remember, you’re not only up against the ATS but also dozens or hundreds of other applicants going for the same position. Don’t spray your resume to different positions like spam but, be the one who is sincere about putting in the effort it takes to get hired!

With 200 something different ATS application out there you can’t be sure what you’re going to be dealing with, but with the help of an experienced resume writing expert, you can be sure your resume will hold up against the toughest systems out there.

Can you use a Resume Template?
You may get a visual of a decent format using a template, but they are difficult to customize, could be outdated and what you see isn’t what you get, especially when the document is read by one of the many ATS software programs in use or is viewed through another browser/word processor/email or operating system.

Avoid getting screened out because your resume contained fancy formatting and was translated accidently into Wingdings or Cyrillic script. Instead, use something more universal (Arial or Calibri for example). A template may still be helpful if used for hardcopy only. However, prepare digital versions without the premade templates to feed the various ATS monsters lurking behind every job posting.

Cover letters – Still Useful?
You betcha. But only sometimes. A resume with a cover letter attached will most likely be rejected by an ATS, so do not attach it with your resume to upload – unless there are specific instructions to do so and that it will likely ask for them to be uploaded separately. Nor will it be read by most people, unless you are in the final selection stage.

Not a writer? Go find your friendly local resume writing pro to help you since you should be focusing on working on your employable skills.

Get a Pro – because you are one and you work with other professionals!

HIRING COMPANIES

Cyracom, Caitlin Meek, Operations Recruiter

There are many ways to say, ‘Can I help you?’ At Cyracom you can say that in over 40 different languages! If you know two or more languages you can transition from being bilingual to becoming a professional, certified interpreter! CyraCom trains highly fluent bilingual candidates to become professional interpreters through their leading, comprehensive interpreter training course with over 120 hours of paid training.

RESOURCES

US Health Advisors
Joseph Bourcier

Joe the Health Insurance Pro, and his team, US Health Advisors is personally committed to your well-being. When you’re in between jobs or have need for financial backup, they offer help with getting you the best match between health, dental, vision insurance for you, your family or business.

They’ve received multiple awards for business excellence for the past several years, so they’ve got to be good!

Free DISC Assessment
We all like free, so at no cost to you find your behavior traits (which may help point to your values) and what kind of job will likely fit you through our online DISC assessment at:
https://careerconnectors.org/DISC/

For details about upcoming Career Connectors weekly events throughout the Valley, click here to visit the events section on the website for times, dates, and details about hiring companies and keynote topics!

Filed Under: Event Recaps Tagged With: cyracom, US Health Advisors, resume writers council of arizona, Resume advice

9/16/20 – Resume MythBuster Panel

September 23, 2020 by Sheila

Written by: Connie Huber SHRM-CP PHR

Resume Panel

We are all familiar with resumes. The goal of the resume has been to get an interview. Did you know resumes have been an employment practice for over 500 years? “While it is unclear who actually invented the resume, Leonardo Da Vinci is the first recorded person to use one. In 1482, Da Vinci wrote a letter to the Duke of Milan in an attempt to gain his patronage and support. Da Vinci’s letter listed his skills

KEYNOTE: Resume MythBuster Panel

Resume MythBuster panel had the privilege of having four of Phoenix’s finest resume experts including Brenda Cunningham (BC), Donna Tucker (DT), Martha Rockwell (MR) and Amanda Miller (AM) – all members of the Resume Writers Council of Arizona.

INTRODUCTION
QUESTION: Overview of you, your services and business. Biggest mistake you’ve seen on resume.
ANSWER:
BC: Brenda has received certifications in resume writing, coaching and established her confidence. Biggest resume error is where the resume lists everything. The document needs to be focused.
DT: Has participated by being on Board of National Resume Writers. Mistake has been where writer has written solely in paragraphs or bullets. Donna provided a comprehensive Job Search Guide here!
MR: Martha has over 20 years in sales and marketing. Martha loves what she does. Martha has come across resumes where there are job descriptions without any quantifiable results.
AM: Has been writing resumes since 1996. Her expertise is marketing, sales and project managers. Amanda describes herself as more of a generalist. A mistake she has seen is where the resume only has a name on it and missing all other relevant information,

QUESTION: Resume background and certification. What makes you an expert?
ANSWER:
BC: DT has the newest form of certification. Validation of skills by a larger community.
MR: A concern is getting and accepting the wrong information from those people who are not skilled or knowledgeable.
DT: The resume writer is going to know what words will be accepted by ATS.

MECHANICS/FORMAT
QUESTION: Most important things to have on a resume?
ANSWER:
AM: Most recruiters spend 6-10 seconds to read a resume. Be sure to include contact information, LinkedIn profile, and email address. There should be a short summary and value statement. There should also be an overview of experience. Be sure to avoid portraying
yourself as an old person. Include any degrees or certifications you have received.
MR: Job title on resume needs to be the same as the job you are applying for. A summary statement is helpful in your presentation to an employer.
DT: Give a summary or profile of what you can do. Avoid pronouns in your resume. Write in the first person. Talk about current or future job.
BC: Share the goals you have achieved in your roles. Font should be 10-12 while margins should be 1-1 ½“.

QUESTION: LENGTH OF RESUME
ANSWER:
MR: Resume should be 2 pages. If you have masters or extensive experience, the resume may go into 3 pages.

QUESTION: Number of years back should you go.
ANSWER:
BC:10-15 years
MR: Same.

CONTENT
QUESTION: Accomplishments-what they are, their importance, & how to incorporate. How someone with extensive work experience emphasizes soft skills.
ANSWER:
AM: Accomplishments are results you have achieved in performing your job. Your accomplishments should make you stand out from your peers and make you a highly desirable candidate. The resume should be sprinkled with accomplishments throughout the document. Ideally, there should be accomplishments for each role you have had and listed from the most impactful to the least.
Chronological resume is used more than a functional one. Functional should list 2-3 skills that the employer would like to see. Functional resumes are not good for Applicant Tracking Systems. In addition, functional documents do not parse information successfully.
DT: Accomplishments will demonstrate the candidate’s impact on company. Numbers give credibility to candidate. Accomplishments should be bulleted and listed in order of importance.
MR: Review job description of desired job. Tailor you resume to match the job. Your resume is your sales pitch.
DT: Can’t sell yourself for a job until you know the job description and company overview.

QUESTION: Number of resumes you need to apply for jobs.
ANSWER:
AM: Need only 1 resume with different versions. Your resume needs to be tailored to the open position.

QUESTION: How to handle employment gaps.
ANSWER:
DT: Share lack off work due to COVID. Indicate you were laid off. Add line to resume sharing what you have been doing since you have not worked. Volunteer your time and share details with hiring managers. Avoid focusing on negative. Give yourself time to breathe. Do those things you have been meaning to do.

QUESTION: Applicant tracking systems are awkward and plentiful.
ANSWER:
There are over 200 different applicant tracking systems. ATS reviews the resume for key words. DT: One of the best ways to get around ATS is to establish the desired skills for the job. Review your connections that work for the desire company. Use your connection as an entry to the company.
BC: Invest in yourself and career. Continue learning about you and your profession.

“The challenge in life, I have found, is to build a resume that doesn’t simply tell a story about what you want to be, but it’s a story about who you want to be.”-Oprah Winfrey

HIRING COMPANIES

MCKESSON
MARY MENARD, Human Resources Business Partner

Currently, McKesson is ranked 7th on the FORTUNE 500. McKesson is a global healthcare services and medical supply company dedicated to delivering better care. They support the entire healthcare system, including pharmacies, hospitals, health systems, biotech and life sciences companies, specialty care and oncology practices, physician offices, surgery centers, and long-term care and home health facilities. McKesson delivers pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and business services to each of these groups to create a world of better health. To learn more about the latest trends in healthcare, visit McKesson’s weekly blog, The Vitals: https://www.mckesson.com/blog.
During COVID employees are working from home. McKesson is one of Fortune’s most admired company and culture. Currently, there are several customer service positions available. Employees will find advancement and growth opportunities at McKesson. Please refer to McKesson’s career page for a listing of current openings.

UHAUL
NIJA PARKER, Corporate Partner

U-Haul was founded in 1945. U-Haul trucks and trailers can be rented anywhere in the US and Canada. 32,000 employees are nationwide. The company has the largest truck fleet in the world; 20,000 independent dealers and over 1,900 company-owned centers.
Benefits include medical, dental, vision and prescription. The company also emphasizes the health of its employees with its Healthier U program.
Current openings include positions in every field; contact center, customer service and sales; corporate, accounting and project planners; field, retail sales and customer service agents; and IT, software infrastructure software engineer. For additional details visit U-Haul.


WEALTH WAVE
JASON WISEMAN, Senior Marketing Manager

Wealth Wave presents alternatives for those who are not sure if they wish to return to a corporate employee role with a steady paycheck. Wealth Wave gives you an opportunity to exploit your own business or side gig. At the same time if you are hesitant about going all in towards being an entrepreneur, this organization is flexible enough so they can help you transition into something part time. Wealth Wave’s mission is to eliminate financial illiteracy to keep people from making easily avoidable financial mistakes.
And speaking of confidence, Wealth Wave is a big believer of building your self-development, so you’ll learn much about yourself along the way, including examining what you really want out of life. Sounds like a confidence booster that’s hard to beat – being able to build a business plan around what you really want.
Wealth Wave serves all families. As many of the top firms steer their associates away from serving low- and middle-income families to focus on helping the rich get richer, Wealth Wave sees vast opportunity. Wealth Wave has built their entire company around the chance to provide to every family the same type of financial education, tools, services, and personal care available to the rich. They serve young families, old families, average families, all families. That’s who they are.
More information here.

CLOSING

Jessica Pierce, Founder & CEO, Career Connectors, closed the meeting by thanking the day’s speakers & the volunteers. The next Career Connectors meeting will be a virtual event on
October 7, 2020 ; “Kickstart Your Job Search” presented by Kevin Dumcum. For additional information on this event & future events, please visit the Event Schedule.

Filed Under: Event Recaps Tagged With: McKesson, WealthWave, uhaul, resume writers council of arizona, Resume advice

4/29/2020 – Get a Job with Skills You Learned in Kindergarten

April 30, 2020 by Sheila

Written by: Debbie Adkins

Keynote

Justin Jones

Our speaker, Justin Jones, has all of us looking at “Resumes and Interviews” in a different way. He takes our days in kindergarten and the things we did and puts them to work with our resumes and doing our interviews.

First you need to know “how you feel”. To feel positive, that you can do anything and that you just need to “hold on” will give you a good start. With this you will need to sell yourself through your resumes and interviews.

Remember the employer is “purchasing” a person for their job opening. They do this by taking the resumes they get and putting them through an “application tracking system.” If your resume gets selected in the ATS, you may get to interview with them.

Here is what you can do:
*Pull out a job description for the position you are interested in. Highlight the words that indicate the skills the company wants for this position.
*Take your resume and highlight the skill words that match the job description.
*If there are skills you have but your resume doesn’t show, ask yourself when/where have you demonstrated those skills. You may need to add some of your volunteer or hobby activity to your resume to show these skills.
*Correct or add words that are on the job description to your resume.
*Always use words that the job description has and that the “application tracking system” may use. It all should match.

The interview should be next. Oh yeah, your resume should include your skills, accomplishment (what, when, how), qualifications and a cover letter.
A cover letter is the first thing the employer will see. It should show how your skills would directly match what the company needs. It should not match your resume, but you should use some of the words from the job description.

Once your resume lands you the interview, it’s time to prepare for the interview. You should know and do the following:
*Know ahead of time what questions may be asked and your answers.
*The employer will base their questions on the job description and if you can make them a profit and solve their problems.
*To prepare for answering the interview questions, ask yourself: What do I want them to think, feel, know and do after they hear my answer?
*You will need to PRACTICE with yourself, a friend and set up a “mock interview” with a job coach.
*Go to the interview positive, happy and ready for anything.

In closing, take what you did in kindergarten and put it to use in your job search. You are worth it and don’t forget that! Justin closed by sharing his voice- you can enjoy it here:

HIRING COMPANIES

TTEC
Rob Briggs, Recruiter

TTEC helps bring technology and human connections together to deliver amazing customer experiences.
One of their values is “Do the right Thing”. They have locations in Tempe on Rio Salado and Central Phoenix near I-17 and Bell Road. There is TTEC Engage which is their main office and there is TTEC at Home which are employees that work from home.
They are hiring for Service and Sales positions: B2B Sales Reps, Digital Account Sales Reps, Online Marketing Sales Reps, Social Media Marketing Strategist, Inbound Sales Reps, Customer Service Reps- healthcare and Spanish bilingual, and Healthcare Insurance Agents.

U-Haul International
Jamie Zell Behymer, Senior Recruiter

U-Haul, headquartered in Phoenix, is hiring in all stores and at their corporate office. U-Haul started in 1945 and have approximately 32,000 employees. Benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Coverage, Weight Watchers program, HealthierU, and soon an on site gym!
U-Haul is hiring for Customer Service Reps, Sales, Retail Sales, General Managers and Reservation Agents.

RESOURCES

LPL Financial
Jian Boldi

Here are some tips for Career Transition:
*Understand your unemployment benefits.
*Do not forget to keep paying taxes.
*Job searching expenses like mileage, relocation, and more are tax deductable.
*Go back to school to advance your skills or learn something new.
*Become under employed by working odd jobs that have lower wages for awhile.
*Budget, Budget, Budget: make a spreadsheet and keep track of your spending.
*If you are 55 or older, you can take penalty free money from your IRA using (72t).
*As an alternative to COBRA, purchase your healthcare insurance with your IRA funds.
*Consider reversing a contribution made to your IRA.
*Ask for help from friends, family and anyone that you may run into during the day. Let people know you are looking for work.

If you have questions about any of these tips, Jian would be glad to help you with them.

Filed Under: Event Recaps Tagged With: Interview Tips, Resume advice, career advice, Justin Jones

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Navigating the world of career transition can be an overwhelming experience.  In addition to the mechanics of transition (updated resume, career search strategies), there is the deeper need to connect to people who are in the same situation as you are.   For me, all of this was answered by Career Connectors!  Had it not been for this organization, I might still be sitting in my house, wondering what to do next!  At just one Career Connectors meeting you can be inspired by great speakers, … Read more
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