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State Farm

8/26/20 – Panels: Insurance and Financial Services

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Written by Susan Lamphiear

Experts. Who among us hasn’t heard a discussion or two lately about experts? Should we take advice about the Pandemic from anonymous or questionable Facebook comments or seek out and listen to reputable scientists and medical professionals?

If you’re in job transition, Career Connectors has a reputation for providing professional and timely advice to individuals during challenging times of career change. Experts help guide you through not only the job search, but job search during Covid-19 and all the extra changes and challenges that have resulted. You have free access to professionals in a number of industries to help guide the way.

In typical fashion, Career Connectors pulled together professionals from the Insurance and Finance Industries to present pertinent, timely panel discussions about the job search, along with information about their companies and how they’re adapting during the Pandemic.

Keynote Panels

Hosted by Jessica Pierce, CEO/Founder of Career Connectors.

Insurance Panel

Q1 Please give us a brief overview of your company and your role.

  • Sandy: State Farm Insurance helps customers protect the things that matter the most, including cars and homes. With 58,000 employees, State Farm ranks 36 on the Fortune 500 list. In April, 2022, State Farm will celebrate their 100th Year anniversary. The company is literally a family company, often with several members of the same family working for State Farm. The company believes in philanthropy and offers each employee one day a year to volunteer, with the option of earning a second volunteer day. The company offers lots of career development opportunities.
  • Ryan: RLI Insurance, a public company on the New York Stock Exchange, was founded 50 years ago. The company offers products to underserved specialty industries. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, they employ 900 workers in 50 states, including Arizona.
  • John: Liberty Mutual, always evolving, can be described as a tech company who happens to do insurance. On the leading edge of the industry, Liberty uses drones along with other cutting edge technology. My role is retail brokerage in Phoenix and Tucson. Liberty operates throughout the United States and worldwide.

Q2 What’s your advice to prospective employees? What is your company looking for?

  • Sandy: A lot of people come in without knowing about the company. Networking is so important so make use of resources like Career Connectors or LinkedIn. No time to be humble–put key words in your resume.
  • Ryan: Research and know the company you’re communicating with. This goes a long way.
  • John: Show me who are. Let me see who you are in the interview.

Q3 What are myths and assumptions about the industry that changed when you started working at your company?

  • Sandy: State Farm offers lots of opportunities in a variety of areas.
  • Ryan: I’ve become aware of all the good the insurance industry does in a community. In the recent Hurricane Laura, for example, people don’t always realize what happens right after a catastrophe like that–the insurance companies are there right away to help.
  • John: People often think insurance is 80-90% sales. It’s more like 10% sales. All job families are available unlike other industries–and the industry is constantly growing.

Q4 Could you explain how potential employees get their foot in the door and what career paths are available?

  • Sandy: Customer service and claims jobs are entry level and offer a foot in the door. You learn a lot about the company by working in these areas. Getting a mentor helps in your career path, too. You don’t need an insurance degree but education and growth and development are available once you start work at State Farm. I changed careers within the company.
  • Ryan: Most job families are available including Software Developer. Employees are always learning. You can stay within one division towards career growth or move into a different division. Networking is important within the company. I’ve been in five different divisions in my career. Building relationships is very important.
  • John: Communicate with your boss. Often the company will pay for a degree or for advanced learning to help an employee grow. Let the company know where you want to go in your career and they’ll guide you.

Q5 How has the Covid-19, the Pandemic, changed things?

  • Sandy: Moving the company and technology to 7600 homes has been the biggest pivot or challenge. We used technology to do things we didn’t know we could do. We customized to help customers. And we’ve also passed savings on to customers–since there’s less driving there are fewer accidents.
  • Ryan: I agree with everything Sandy said. Also, interviews are unique. We were and still are still hiring. One challenge is convincing hiring managers to hire a new employee without ever meeting them in person. Onboarding becomes a second challenge; we must be very intentional–for example, who is part of the onboarding and who is the buddy whose task becomes helping the new employee?
  • John: Liberty focuses on the employee including enhanced compensation. Recently 95-98% of employees approved of the way the company has handled the transition during Covid-19. Product innovation has stepped up since people aren’t driving as much. Liberty is giving back premiums. Expense management becomes important as people go back out. We’re starting to see the “boomerang” employee–referring to people who left and are coming back–which is awesome for the insurance industry.

Q6 What do you think is the future of the insurance industry?

  • Sandy: There’s an even bigger need for technology. Technology sells insurance. I’ve seen talk lately of flying vehicles! Cyber threats and data risk and AI Artificial Intelligence are hot. The industry will help customers navigate the technology.
  • Ryan: Success will look different in the next 50 years. We can’t count on what got us here the past 50 years. Product innovation will be necessary–for example, pay by mile, as people reduce their driving. Right now we have more data than we know what to do with. It’s important to know how to utilize all this data. Lots of exciting quick-paced change despite all the negativity that goes with the Pandemic.
  • John: Our top four goals are global including de-escalation which will be moving out of the Pandemic and into the new normal and its best practices. The company is realizing more positives about expanding remote work, for example. It allows for more growth and opportunity.

Q7 How is the world of work changing? What’s your position on hiring seasoned employees over 50? What if these individuals want an entry level job–is that an acceptable culture?

  • Sandy: Yes! We want your experience as long as you move into a suitable role. Bring your experience. If you’re willing to start at entry level and find a fit, that’s great. We love experienced people. You already know how to be a professional.
  • Ryan: Yes to experience. We don’t know what we do not know. What are other companies and industries doing? We can learn from your experience.
  • John: Yes we like experience. Who are you today? Are you coachable? Do you have a vision of where you’d like to go?

Q8 What are the hot jobs in your company?

  • Sandy: We have openings for lots of tech reps–software developers like JAVA and more. Go to the website for a complete list. Bilingual Spanish is a big need currently. You must pass a difficult test in speaking, writing, and reading. We also need entry level claims and customer service.
  • Ryan: IT–I support this area in Illinois. We landed in Phoenix where we have access to more candidates with different experiences and higher quality. In Tempe we have a need for both short and long term positions.
  • John: We’re always looking for rock stars at math and also actuarial and spreadsheets strengths. These skills remain in high demand.

Financial Panel

Q1 Please tell us about your company, your role, and what you like best.

  • Jerrelle: Silicon Valley Bank is the number one leader in technology banking. LinkedIn is one of their first clients. I love the culture, cliche though it sounds; it’s like family. Clients include healthcare and premium wine. Lots of opportunity. We’re an especially awesome company if you have a passion for technology. The company is worldwide and innovative.
  • Erin: We’re a family of a few companies. Freedom Financial Network was founded in 2002 by two students who were friends. The company values balance of the heart and dollar. Including Phoenix and San Mateo, California, we have 2200 employees. We do personal loans and consolidation and are dipping our toes in the mortgage area. The best part to me is helping customers. The company offers paid time off to volunteer. The company lives and breathes our core values–they’re not just on a coffee cup.
  • Olivia: One of the world’s largest investment management companies, but Vanguard has a family feel. Client owned, the company has great opportunities including IT or tech or analytics. Service oriented, the three pillars are client, crew, and community. Our generous benefits are listed on the website.

Q2 What skills are you looking for?

  • Jerrelle: We’re looking for expertise in IT or client facing or analyst. One of the main things we’re looking for is innovation. Also, the entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for technology, science or math. A passion for numbers, a passion to learn. Technology skills are in high demand. The company will teach you the finance part.
  • Erin: I echo what Jerrelle said. We’re a smaller company but have lots of roles. Entry level, right out of school or no degree and the company will train you. We’re looking for true leaders who put in a little extra something. People who are critical thinkers who think outside the box and love helping people.
  • Olivia: We’re looking for individuals with a teamwork mindset who are interested in learning and have a desire to be the point person to help others. Many career development opportunities are available. We look for employees who will be proactive to find out what avenues interest you towards your career path. I had a background in nonprofit but started out entry level in client relationships and progressed from there.

Q3 What do you like and why do you stay?

  • Jerrelle: I love a challenge and the focus on diversity–many populations in this field are underrepresented. There’s an opportunity to build relationships. I consider myself a professional friend maker. As a recruiter, I look for someone whose interest can be channeled into one of our divisions. An example might be someone who majored in biology. We have a life sciences group. A client might be interested in working or talking with someone with a similar interest in science. With technology, you can bring your expertise. This industry is not just about numbers but about building relationships.
  • Erin: One thing is constant–CHANGE. I personally love change. That came in handy because with Covid-19 created the need to go with the flow and be flexible as things change. Most roles require this flexibility. My story began as a supervisor but I helped build QA and I moved into a different area of the business. A BA in psychology, once I tried HR management I found my passion. The company provides lots of support from their leaders. The company has passion for career development. No experience in finance is needed.
  • Olivia: Often call centers get a bad rap–but I’m steering people away from that mindset. I enjoy client facing and enjoy feeling the impact the job has on clients. I also love the opportunity to pursue and learn in different areas. Relationship is a big part of the industry and something I really didn’t know before I joined.

Q4 How do potential employees get their foot in the door and do you have a career path for them?

  • Jerrelle: Ways to get a foot in the door include client services and operations and relationship management. Find someone from the company because they love to talk. Let them know you’re interested. Recent grads have access to the associate development program.
  • Erin: Customer service is a good way to get a foot in the door. Also, don’t forget about networking and LinkedIn. I started as a supervisor helping build QA and moved into a different area of the business.
  • Olivia: Networking is huge. The client relations associate is a good starting place. The company also hires insurance sales. Customer service is another area to start. A license is not required but once with the company you can expand your horizons.

Q5 What are some of the hot jobs in your company?

  • Jerrelle: We need a Senior Cloud Security Engineer in Tempe. Also Vice President to support our credit card team, Senior Manager of Operations, and People Management. And please check out our website.
  • Erin: Freedom has need for inside sales, debt relief, lending, and customer service, especially bilingual. Also the areas of operation risk, auditor and customer service in lending and loan services. For more hot jobs visit our website.
  • Olivia: Customer service to high level clients and client relationship associates are good entry level jobs. Also check out our website for other opportunities.

Resources

US Health Advisors

Joe Bourcier, Joe the Health Insurance Pro

US Health Advisors partners with Career Connectors.

US Health Advisors offers flexible health insurance coverage for individuals including Medicare supplements and can be competitive for anyone on COBRA insurance. For small businesses under two people, our company is often able to offer better coverage including creative ways to customize coverage for individual employees instead of one blanket policy.

By the time Joe meets with clients, he has done research first, which allows them to offer from one to three top plans that might work best for the customer. Many businesses need coverage and he’s able to cover 30 states in the US. The company works with several professional businesses including realtors, plumbers, doctors, dentists, and lawyers as well as individuals.

US Health Advisors works with America’s self-employed, small business owners, or individuals to help them access affordable benefits and services.

Joe can be reached via Facebook or LinkedIn so feel free to reach out to him with questions. He’s a free resource to all attendees or anyone who needs information.

Closing

CEO/Founder of Career Connectors Jessica Pierce thanked the volunteers and hiring companies, invited attendees to sign up for regular notifications, to take the DISC assessment free, and to use the resources outlined on the website.

Career Connectors, now being offered online, means they can serve even more people, so Jessica urges attendees to share this information with other people who may benefit from the free events and resources. The schedule may change later in September but for now visit the website for days and times for the online events.

DID YOU KNOW?
So far this year, Career Connectors has served more than 3,000 people in career transition. We are passionate about helping more, and need your help.

  • Can you spare just $5? How about $42? $42 is what it costs to help one person per month (90% of your donations go directly to serving people needing a new position- and is tax-deductable) Visit this page to make a donation!
  • Do you know someone who’s landed a new job after participating in our programs? We’d love to talk to them! Please email us at contact@careerconnectors.org or go send them to this page to tell us their story!

06/17/20 – Your 2020 Career: Thrive Rather than Survive

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Written by Sheri Kerr

Keynote

Abby Kohut, Your 2020 Career: Thrive Rather Than Survive

Abby Kohut

Abby is the president of Staffing Symphony LLC, corporate recruiter, and motivation speaker. Abby’s mission is to help 1 million job seekers by providing resources, guidance, inspirational words and wisdom. Abby traveled the United States to help job seekers and now continues to support job seekers from her home using virtual media.

Job Seekers can Thrive Rather Than Survive:

Abby has resources available to anyone and everyone by simply emailing her at join@absolutelyabby.com. An email will be sent back that contains resource guides, cover letter templates, and tips to help in your job search.

Abby encourages the audience to identify things you can control and areas you cannot control.
She reminds everyone they CAN CONTROL: My positive attitude, How I follow CDC recommendations, My social distancing, My kindness and grace, Limiting my social distances, Finding Fun Things to do at home, Turning off the news.
What you CANNOT control: How others react, how long this will last, if others follow social distances, the action of others, predicting what others might do, the amount of toilet paper at the store, and other’s motives.

Abby provides key words when looking for a job using searches engines by using the “ “ each time. The key words to use include: “Currently hiring”, “Hiring Now”, “Not on hold”, “Filling immediately”, “immediate need”, next she advised to update and refresh your resume on ZipRecruiter each Sunday. Then the recruiters will have your resume in their inbox on Monday morning for recruiting posts.

MANAGING CHANGE

  1. KEY Phrases to assist:
    What NOT to say: “I have no income” but creditors and others possibly will help if you phrase it: “I have NO income due to CoronaVirus”
  2. Cover Letters – Always use a cover letter even if the employer/application does not ask for one. The Cover letter is an excellent tool to explain YOUR Story to the recruiter.
  3. Write a Brilliant Cover Letter (remember to email Abby and get her cover letter templates)
  4. Again never submit a resume without a cover letter.

VIDEO INTERVIEWS
The Video Interview is the trend companies are doing more today due to the low cost and accessibility to everyone.

Tips on Video Interviews:

  1. Sit in a well lit room as you do not want shadows on your face
  2. Share information with the recruiter like the reason why you are sitting in a car to have the interview by letting the recruiter know that you’re in the car because of 1 1/2 year old baby would make noise during the interview
  3. Distractions – make sure you have a quiet space to conduct the interview
  4. Do not drink during an interview, but during a virtual workshop that is fine
  5. Test everything before the interview
  6. Virtual backgrounds are nice, but recruiters have a mixed view of them – 50% say they are cool and the other 50% do not like them.
  7. Color of the company – wear the company’s logo color during the interview. It makes a good impression to the interviewers. Example: Target wear Red or Walmart wear Blue
  8. Put your resume on the screen instead of looking down at it
  9. During the interview, look into the camera and do not look at the interviewees
  10. Keep your gestures at top or in the camera view or they will not be visible
  11. Shut cell phone off
  12. Turn off ceil Fan
  13. Remember to wear pants or in other words be fully dressed for video interviews
  14. Create goals and reward yourself after you a have achieved them

PAY IT FORWARD

  1. Connect with people who can help each other
  2. Be a good listener
  3. Post positive messages or funny quotes
  4. LinkedIn recommendations
  5. Watch the Movie ‘“Pay it Forward”
  6. Find ways to Pay it Forward and help others

CREATIVE WAYS TO GENERATE REVENUE
● Become a coach of a subject matter
● Consult in an area of expertise
● Write a book

CHANGING CAREERS
Changing careers can occur at any age
For example, Julia Childs, Walt Disney, and Grandma Moses

LAUGH AT YOURSELF AND INVEST IN HEARING OTHER PEOPLE’S STORIES

Abby loves people that overcome obstacles and she is producing a show called “SharkTank-PersisentPreneurs.com and invites you to join on Thursday night at 5pm AZ Time on her website, www.AbsolutelyAbby.com/show

ABBY’S TOP TEN LIST:

  1. I’m alive
  2. I’m healthy
  3. I have supportive family
  4. I have wonderful friends
  5. I have an awesome business partner
  6. I have meals to eat
  7. I have a place to live
  8. I own a car
  9. I love watching animals
  10. I get to recreate my career if I want to

Finally, create your own top ten list!

CLOSING THOUGHTS/OPINIONS:
● Everyone’s stress level is high – be forgiving
● Network like crazy using Zoom
● Take a class, learn a language, reconnect with friends
● Only watch or listen to the news for 30 mins a day
● Shower, shave, walk, exercise, meditate, etc.
● Help your fellow neighbor – watch Pay It Forward
● We will get through this…TOGETHER

HIRING COMPANIES

HonorHealth

Robin Ersland, Talent Acquisition Marketing Specialist


LinkedIn and Facebook – Follow in both social media area as they post job and hiring events there. HonorHealth is a non-profit, local healthcare organization known for community service and outstanding medical quality. HonorHealth encompasses five acute care hospitals with over 12,000 employees and 4,500 volunteers, the HonorHealth Medical Group, clinical research, medical education, an inpatient rehabilitation hospital, an Accountable Care Organization, a foundation, and extensive community services.
Mission: To improve the health and well-being of those we serve.
Vision: To be the partner of choice as we transform healthcare for our communities.

Values – ICARE
Innovation
Collaboration
Accountability
Respect
Empathy

Large healthcare organization in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Mission Statement and Values are mirrored in each employee and they desire future employees that believe in the same Mission and Values. HonorHealth has a robust benefits package. They currently have approximately 300 open positions. They offer virtual hiring events that can be found on HonorHealth’s website.

State Farm
Danielle Trubac, Talent Brand Specialist

State Farm has offices located in Bloomington, IL, Phoenix, AZ, Richardson, TX, and Atlanta, GA

Mission Statement
To help people manage the risks of everyday life
Recover from the unexpected,
& Realize their dreams.
State Farm offers a robust compensation package with time off, competitive pay, health and welfare, planning & retirement, tuition aide, training, and work/life balance.
We are looking for candidates who have:
● A focus on customer service
● Strong communication skills
● Technical skills to handle multiple computer applications while helping customers on the phone
● Ability to achieve results and maintain quality in a fast-paced environment
● Thrives on accountability to your team, your work and your schedule
● Accounting, Financial, and Banking
● Administrative Support
● Claims and Investigation
● Customer Service
● Facilities Management
● Human Resources and Training
● Legal, Compliance, and Risk Management
● Marketing, Design, and Communications
● Research and Data Analytics
● Sales Support
● Technology and UX
● Underwriting
● Actuarial
They are hiring for entry level employees and believe in promoting within the company first before hiring someone outside of the company.
HOW TO APPLY:
● Create a profile
● Filter positions by category, state or employment type
● Full time, part time and internship opportunities
● Positions provide overview of duties & requirements
● Click “Apply Now”
● Option to join “Talent Neighborhood”
● https://findjobs.statefarm.com/

8/1/19 – Career Advancement in the Culture of Contact Centers

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Written by Jim McBride

Contact Center Panel featured companies

Panel

The contact center – or call center, as the terms are interchangeable – is the critical hub for serving clients/customers across multiple channels for nearly every organization large and small. Live-agent, chat, email and social media links consumers through thousands and thousands of interactions with the contact center.

In the Phoenix metro region, the contact center “industry” converges with the tremendous growth of financial services companies in delivering a hotbed of potential careers for the active and passive job seeker. Contact center roles are often a gateway into career growth and do not necessarily require starting at the entry level.

In front of a full house, Jessica Pierce facilitated two panel discussions addressing careers, advancement opportunities and workplace culture with eight high profile, award-winning contact centers in the financial services sector. Each company represented on the panel has been recognized by employer branding firm Best Companies AZ for workplace excellence so, clearly, they know their stuff.

For those in career transition, this was an excellent opportunity to hear first-hand from senior leaders how to get your foot in the door and grow your career within these respected organizations. All eight companies are in growth mode and looking to hire hundreds of employees.

Panel 1 – Career Advancement & Opportunities

Q – What can you tell us about entry level positions in your contact center and the potential career opportunities?

Farmers: We currently have openings for entry level sales and service positions, but we also have many openings for individual contributors, including back office processing, reporting, analytics, IT and project management.

Voya Financial: Customer service roles are a launch point for many of the higher-level jobs which require licensing (i.e. Series 6). Right now, we’re looking to fill roles in workforce management and benefits administration, which are not entry level.

USAA: We are targeting customer service and claims roles, which do not require previous experience. Representatives handle inbound calls from members. We’ll help you get licensed once you’re on board.

Freedom Financial Network: All of our customer service is inbound. No outbound calling. We have openings for debt relief, negotiators, back office payment processing and call center sales.

Q – What career pathways have you established within your company?

Freedom Financial Network: We call it a career ladder. You can move from an entry level 1, 2 or 3 position into supervisor or even over to sales and lending, which pays more. From there, we’ve had employees move into IT, marketing and training positions.

USAA: The progression is typically from associate – as we call them – to specialist to senior associate. We challenge our leaders to have career advancement discussions and develop a career trajectory. There are internal programs for learning IT skills, such as coding. We’re developing your skills for life, not just for USAA.

Voya Financial: We expect our leaders to prepare development plans and have conversations about career progression with their team members. Employees are empowered to ask questions and get involved. The entry level position is your entry point.

Farmers: On a formal basis there are career path discussions between managers and their employees. Informally, we have peer resource groups focused on diversity and like-minded ideas and interests. Want to become a leader? Well, let’s show you how to run a huddle.

Q – Are there opportunities for the mature job seeker who doesn’t want an entry level position?

Voya Financial: We have many roles based on experience. You could start as a senior representative.

USAA: We’re willing to go externally to find certain skill sets and experience. We do try to promote from within but sometimes there’s a real need to find fresh blood.

Freedom Financial Network : It’s a combination. Some of our roles require experience, but in the call center experience is not necessarily needed. Sales experience can come from any industry. Roughly 50% of our roles are filled externally.

Farmers: Promoting from within is important. But we cast our hiring net externally, as well. I recently hired a director from the outside. We have an immediate need for analytics and reporting skills, which will likely come externally.

Q – What is your company’s policy on promoting from within?

Farmers: There are growth opportunities for everyone, regardless of tenure. We will help you prepare for that next job and fulfill your career potential.

Voya Financial: We have an 18-month requirement for eligibility due to the complexity of the entry level roles. We want you as an employee to be comfortable. However, there are times when the eligibility requirement is waived.

USAA: The timeframe is 12 to 18 months in the current job to be eligible for promotion. Many of those next roles will require licensing, so it can take some time to learn.

Freedom Financial Network: You must be in the role for three months. We know that people want to move up the career ladder. We do not have any license-required positions.

Q – With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) how do you see technology impacting call center jobs? (from the audience)

Farmers: Technology, such as the bot, will have an impact on the most transactional of interactions with customers. However, there’s always going to be a need for critical thinking and emotional intelligence of the human being. We need empathy in the human contact. There will be a blend of technology and human interaction.

USAA: Our members want to talk with a human when they call in. The technology will make it easier to match the member with the representative that’s best equipped to assist a specific need or demographic.

Panel 2 – Culture & Employee Engagement

Drew Foster – American Express, Director of US Recruiting
Sherry McFadden – State Farm, Customer Care Center Director
Renee Brown – Vanguard, Senior Recruiter
Christine Sorensen – Charles Schwab, Team Manager Participant Services

Q – What does culture fit mean to you? What’s it like working for your company?

Vanguard: It’s a culture of empathy and communication. We all have to be mindful that the investment industry language can go over people’s head. We have a team environment focused on employee development.

Schwab: We’re here to help everyone grow and succeed. Someone’s always available to help, no matter what the situation. We conduct an assessment to determine ethics, teamwork and the type of work environment that would be the best fit for the candidate.

State Farm: We’re a relationship company steeped in integrity and tradition. We’re your neighbor. We’re there after a hurricane or an auto accident. That’s our culture, we care.

Q – How do you get your foot in the door? Do you have to start at entry level jobs?

AMEX: Some roles will require entry level experience at first, but not all. It depends on your skill set. I’m currently looking for workforce management skills, which does need entry level experience.

Vanguard: We’re regulated, so many roles require licensing and then you work your way up. You can pursue internal opportunities after one year. We have hired supervisors from the outside. About 85% of our hiring is from within.

Schwab: It really depends on your experience and license requirements of the role. We have lots of room for growth and it’s important to have those development discussions with your manager.

Q – What are the hot jobs at your company right now?

AMEX: Senior manager (supporting 18 cruise lines), director of workforce management, sales, fraud, team leaders.

State Farm: Enterprise technology, software development, coding, data scientist, frontline supervisors, bilingual supervisor, sales and service.

Vanguard: Data science, IT, senior financial planner.

Schwab: Always hiring in participant services and investor services. Our operation has 60 different departments and there are always openings.

Q – Describe the family friendliness of your call center. What support do you provide? (from the audience)

Vanguard: We have a 37.5-hour work week Monday through Friday. No weekends. All shifts end no later than 8:00 pm.

Schwab: Four 10-hour days are available. Paid four-week sabbatical every five years.

State Farm: H.O.P.E. – Helping Others Parent Effectively program.

AMEX: 20 weeks of maternity/paternity leave for parents.

Resource

Introducing – Career Connectors Academy Training Program

Landi Carfi, VP of Corporate Training – Brighton College

Brighton College is excited to announce its new partnership with Career Connectors that connects professionals in career transition to hiring companies and quality resources.

Career Connectors and Brighton College share similar values and focus on their clients, making both organizations stand out from the crowd. Brighton’s mission and goals ensure their students’ greatest success, and Career Connectors, as Arizona’s fastest growing job candidate program, strive to land people in the career of their dreams. They are working hand in hand to provide affordable online education certificate programs.

Based on Career Connectors’ partnership with Brighton College, a few of the best accredited online certificate programs are being offered to Career Connectors’ participants at a reduced rate. The online education certificate programs available include:

  • Cyber Security Institute
  • Business Institute
  • Allied Health Institute
  • Legal Medical Institute
  • Paralegal Institute
  • Professional Development

Event Sponsor

Optima Tax Relief

Ben Simpson – Vice President, Phoenix Operations

The Optima Tax Relief team has had one vision since inception – to help Americans nationwide deal with the aggressive collection policies of the State/IRS tax agencies.

  • Founded 2011
  • 80 employees in AZ; 100 by end of 2019
  • No tax knowledge required to get hired
  • Promote from within
  • Hiring leaders as operations grow
  • Team environment – “mischievous fun”

Open Positions
I/T Jr. Systems Administrator
Resolution Support Representative
Customer Service
Inside Sales

Resources and Closing

Jessica thanked the many partners and volunteers for their contributions to the Career Connectors event. Job seekers were encouraged to utilize the many transition resources – professional resume writers, career coaches, LinkedIn coaches and take the free DISC assessment. Next up on the calendar: Connecting with Top Staffing Firms to Find Your Next Career, Thursday August 15th in Scottsdale. Stay tuned for weekly emails and LinkedIn posts.

6/25/19 – Get LinkedIn – or Get Left Out

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Get LinkedIn or Get Left Out - Ted Robison

Written by Jim McBride

Keynote

Ted Robison – LinkedIn Expert and Career Coach

LinkedIn is perhaps the most vital and valuable tool for people in career transition. To build your personal brand, to expand your professional network, to raise your visibility and be found:  Get LinkedIn or Get Left Out, according to career coach and featured speaker Ted Robison.

LinkedIn is not just another social media platform. It’s not just an electronic version of your resume. LinkedIn is the showcase for your individual brand of transferable skills, expertise, personal style and the outstanding value you’ll bring to your next employer.

Many recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn exclusively to find and research candidates. There are over 600,000 LinkedIn subscribers worldwide. An astounding 87% of people find jobs through networking. A robust LinkedIn profile and a personal network of past and present colleagues, friends, alumni, industry insiders, recruiters and managers can be your gateway to landing your next great job opportunity.

On your LinkedIn profile, the headline and summary areas are your first impressions, so really make them count. Create a “wow factor” with your skills, experience and industry expertise. The goal is to differentiate your profile and compel the reader with a value proposition around your personal brand. Make statements about what you will bring to a hiring company. Develop a tagline, reveal your passion and let your personal style shine. Speak to the reader.

Make sure to include industry key words, which will help with search optimization when recruiters and managers are hunting on LinkedIn. If you’re in career transition and unsure how to fill the “current role” field, Ted suggests that you indicate you’re volunteering or consulting (as applicable).

Ted said that 80% of all available jobs are hidden from job boards. Meaning, those jobs aren’t made public and it takes networking to get you noticed and talking to those companies. Networking by definition means a supportive system of sharing information between people. LinkedIn can help you get the sharing started.

When your profile is complete, begin reaching out to your network contacts. Take someone to lunch. Meet for coffee. Have conversations. Ask how you can help them, and they will likely reciprocate. Your network connections can help you “break in” to companies on your target list, bypass recruiters and find the hidden jobs.

When preparing for interviews and business meetings, utilize LinkedIn to gather intel on the hiring manager and/or recruiter. Finding commonality with an interviewer allows you to build rapport, relax and demonstrate your preparedness.

Here’s a quick list of fundamentals for anybody just getting started on the LinkedIn platform or is perhaps already using LinkedIn and looking to create a more engaging profile.

• A professional headshot/background photo for your profile is a must
• Grow your professional network to at least 500 connections
• Obtain 4 – 8 recommendations from former managers, direct reports, peers
• Follow 30 – 50 target companies
• Join 30 – 50 groups and associations
• Comment in group discussions to show off your subject matter expertise
• Customize the default contact URL so it reflects your name. Put it on your business card
• LinkedIn is free. Try the free one-month Premium Account, if interested
• Privacy – limit the amount of personal information, it’s a business forum

If you’re having trouble getting started or just want to freshen up your profile, start looking at other people’s profiles to spark ideas. Encourage friends, family members, people in your network to give you feedback on your profile. You can make edits and tweaks as often as you’d like. Do whatever it takes to build and promote your brand…so you’re LinkedIn…not left out!

Resource

Josette Bergeron
Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, Community Awareness and Employer Engagement Partner

Mission – Through the goodwill of others, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona creates the pathway to a better future for all by helping those who desire self-sufficiency.

The Goodwill Career Centers offer free career coaching, assistance with resumes, mock interviewing, employment support and digital skills training. They specialize in providing on-going support for the professional job seeker. Goodwill delivers community awareness through onsite career centers as well as through the recent launch of mycareeradvisor.com. The services are free of charge and available to all.

Hiring Companies

Willis Towers Watson
Jim Lapota, Benefits Advisor

Willis Towers Watson is a leading global advisory and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating back to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 45,000 employees serving more than 140 countries and markets. The benefits Delivery & Administration Segment helps clients unlock their benefits strategy – by offering the highest quality administration in the industry and enabling their people to have a personalized benefits portfolio tailored to their needs. To keep updated on current job openings, go here.

Open Positions:
Benefits Advisor
Human Resources Generalist
Data Analyst
Associate Director – Client Services Management
Audit Analyst
Account Executive – Health & Benefits
Team Leader – Benefit Outsourcing Sales
Online Training Development Specialist
LMS Administrator (Learning Management System)
User Experience Engineer

State Farm
Molly Romine – Talent Brand Ambassador

Mission – The State Farm mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams.

State Farm is currently hiring to fill customer service positions for their Marina Heights facility in Tempe. Patience, empathy and nurturing skills are desired to dial-in on customer emotions with a delight-to-serve approach. You can always find a current list of open positions on the State Farm site .

Open Positions
Accounting, Financial and Banking
Administrative Support
Claims Investigation
Customer Service
Facilities Management and Administrative Services
Legal, Compliance and Risk Management
Human Resources
Marketing, Design and Communications
Research and Analytics
Sales Support
Technology and User Experience
Underwriting and Actuarial

Resources and Closing

Jessica Pierce closed the meeting by encouraging participants to make full use of the resources and partner volunteers. Stay tuned for weekly email updates.

6/25/19 – Get LinkedIn – or Get Left Out Copy

by

Get LinkedIn or Get Left Out - Ted Robison

Written by Jim McBride

Keynote

Ted Robison – LinkedIn Expert and Career Coach

LinkedIn is perhaps the most vital and valuable tool for people in career transition. To build your personal brand, to expand your professional network, to raise your visibility and be found:  Get LinkedIn or Get Left Out, according to career coach and featured speaker Ted Robison.

LinkedIn is not just another social media platform. It’s not just an electronic version of your resume. LinkedIn is the showcase for your individual brand of transferable skills, expertise, personal style and the outstanding value you’ll bring to your next employer.

Many recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn exclusively to find and research candidates. There are over 600,000 LinkedIn subscribers worldwide. An astounding 87% of people find jobs through networking. A robust LinkedIn profile and a personal network of past and present colleagues, friends, alumni, industry insiders, recruiters and managers can be your gateway to landing your next great job opportunity.

On your LinkedIn profile, the headline and summary areas are your first impressions, so really make them count. Create a “wow factor” with your skills, experience and industry expertise. The goal is to differentiate your profile and compel the reader with a value proposition around your personal brand. Make statements about what you will bring to a hiring company. Develop a tagline, reveal your passion and let your personal style shine. Speak to the reader.

Make sure to include industry key words, which will help with search optimization when recruiters and managers are hunting on LinkedIn. If you’re in career transition and unsure how to fill the “current role” field, Ted suggests that you indicate you’re volunteering or consulting (as applicable).

Ted said that 80% of all available jobs are hidden from job boards. Meaning, those jobs aren’t made public and it takes networking to get you noticed and talking to those companies. Networking by definition means a supportive system of sharing information between people. LinkedIn can help you get the sharing started.

When your profile is complete, begin reaching out to your network contacts. Take someone to lunch. Meet for coffee. Have conversations. Ask how you can help them, and they will likely reciprocate. Your network connections can help you “break in” to companies on your target list, bypass recruiters and find the hidden jobs.

When preparing for interviews and business meetings, utilize LinkedIn to gather intel on the hiring manager and/or recruiter. Finding commonality with an interviewer allows you to build rapport, relax and demonstrate your preparedness.

Here’s a quick list of fundamentals for anybody just getting started on the LinkedIn platform or is perhaps already using LinkedIn and looking to create a more engaging profile.

• A professional headshot/background photo for your profile is a must
• Grow your professional network to at least 500 connections
• Obtain 4 – 8 recommendations from former managers, direct reports, peers
• Follow 30 – 50 target companies
• Join 30 – 50 groups and associations
• Comment in group discussions to show off your subject matter expertise
• Customize the default contact URL so it reflects your name. Put it on your business card
• LinkedIn is free. Try the free one-month Premium Account, if interested
• Privacy – limit the amount of personal information, it’s a business forum

If you’re having trouble getting started or just want to freshen up your profile, start looking at other people’s profiles to spark ideas. Encourage friends, family members, people in your network to give you feedback on your profile. You can make edits and tweaks as often as you’d like. Do whatever it takes to build and promote your brand…so you’re LinkedIn…not left out!

Resource

Josette Bergeron
Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, Community Awareness and Employer Engagement Partner

Mission – Through the goodwill of others, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona creates the pathway to a better future for all by helping those who desire self-sufficiency.

The Goodwill Career Centers offer free career coaching, assistance with resumes, mock interviewing, employment support and digital skills training. They specialize in providing on-going support for the professional job seeker. Goodwill delivers community awareness through onsite career centers as well as through the recent launch of mycareeradvisor.com. The services are free of charge and available to all.

Hiring Companies

Willis Towers Watson
Jim Lapota, Benefits Advisor

Willis Towers Watson is a leading global advisory and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating back to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 45,000 employees serving more than 140 countries and markets. The benefits Delivery & Administration Segment helps clients unlock their benefits strategy – by offering the highest quality administration in the industry and enabling their people to have a personalized benefits portfolio tailored to their needs. To keep updated on current job openings, go here.

Open Positions:
Benefits Advisor
Human Resources Generalist
Data Analyst
Associate Director – Client Services Management
Audit Analyst
Account Executive – Health & Benefits
Team Leader – Benefit Outsourcing Sales
Online Training Development Specialist
LMS Administrator (Learning Management System)
User Experience Engineer

State Farm
Molly Romine – Talent Brand Ambassador

Mission – The State Farm mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams.

State Farm is currently hiring to fill customer service positions for their Marina Heights facility in Tempe. Patience, empathy and nurturing skills are desired to dial-in on customer emotions with a delight-to-serve approach. You can always find a current list of open positions on the State Farm site .

Open Positions
Accounting, Financial and Banking
Administrative Support
Claims Investigation
Customer Service
Facilities Management and Administrative Services
Legal, Compliance and Risk Management
Human Resources
Marketing, Design and Communications
Research and Analytics
Sales Support
Technology and User Experience
Underwriting and Actuarial

Resources and Closing

Jessica Pierce closed the meeting by encouraging participants to make full use of the resources and partner volunteers. Stay tuned for weekly email updates.