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11/13/2018 – Overcoming the Stress of Change

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Johnny LaurentWritten by Mary Peralta

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

Overcoming the Stress of Change

Johnny Laurent – High tech Leader, Coach, Trainer, Speaker, Consultant

Johnny Laurent spent 30 years working for Corporate America, and loves to learn.  He believes we learn most from things around us rather than from books.

Stress-Creating Change is change which raises stress levels…

  • Job loss or change
  • Promotion
  • Relationship issues
  • Physical issues
  • Money

Stress is caused not by what happens to us, but by how we respond to what happens to us.

The Ripple Method is a four step process to methodically handle change in our life.  It is a four step process to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Ripple One – Discover Yourself

  • Assess yourself
  • Involve others
  • Just the facts
    • Why are others not successful?
    • What do you think this office needs?
    • Be willing to take the chance.
    • Consider me.

Ripple Two – Building Foundations

  • Determine the gaps
  • Skill development
  • Tactical plan of execution

Ripple Three – Learning Together

  • Peer group
  • Safe learning environments
  • Open and candid

Ripple Four – Create Accountability

  • Person of trust
  • Openness to feedback
  • Not a “yes” person

Stress is how you react to situations you are in.  Put a plan in place, so you can react to the plan.  No matter what you are trying to change, these sets can help you.  Don’t rely on yourself.  Get help; don’t do it alone.  Find out who you are to get to where you want to be.  If you don’t have friends to help, invest in a Coach.  Tell someone what you want to do.  Make a commitment to yourself, and put a plan in place.

HIRING COMPANIES

FIREFLY EDUCATE

Diane Greenlee – Talent Acquisition Consultant & Paul Quinn – IT Recruitment Specialist

Firefly Educate is a global IT training company headquartered in Chandler, Arizona.  They utilize expert instructors to provide technical training on next-gen networking, computing and storage technologies.

Open Positions

  • Account Manager (must be coachable and have a sales background)
  • Business Development Specialist

ALLSTATE

Steve Morin – Senior Sourcing Consultant

Allstate is in over 16 million homes, is #84 on the Fortune 500 List, and continues to grow.

Open Positions

  • Information Technology (4)
  • Human Resources (2)
  • Product (1)
  • Claims (6)
  • Sales Management (2)
  • Executive Financial Specialist
  • Agency Owner
  • Licensed Sales Producers

RESOURCES

VCANDIDATES

LT Ladino Bryson – CEO/CMO Founder

  • They are the Next Generation Recruiting Tools!
  • They are a three-pronged recruiting tool supports small to medium staffing firms.
  • They expedite the search, screening, hiring, and presentation processes making recruiters more efficient.

WOZ U

Jason Jones – Strategic Partnership Specialist

  • Coding bootcamp for software development, cyber security and data science
  • Provides a quality technical education to each student that attends their program
  • Supports each student in finding a career in the technology field
  • Offers lifetime support to each student

CLOSING

The December Career Connectors events are scheduled for Thursday, December 6th in Phoenix – Master Your Mindset to Land Your Next Job, and Thursday, December 13th in Scottsdale – Becoming Unstoppable – register today.

Jessica thanked Central Christian Church in Gilbert, our host facility, and gave a big shout out all our volunteers.

03/13/14 – Use Your Internal GPS To Stay Positive

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Written by Susan Lamphiear

Jennifer Swenson welcomed a room full of job seekers at the Scottsdale event, reminding everyone that she’s been in their shoes. She described 2010 as the worst year of her life after a job layoff, going through outplacement, and feeling defeated because it seemed there were inadequate resources for her.

After she found the welcoming community of Career Connectors, caring people ultimately helped her find a real job again. It’s now come full circle for Jennifer, President of the Board of Directors for Career Connectors. Becoming involved has given her the ability to give back, and since her own ordeal, she’s hired many people she’s met at these events.

With that, she introduced the keynote speaker who had some timely advice for anyone going through the stress of challenging times, including job transition.

Keynote Speaker

Paula Shoup, Certified Team Advantage Coach, passionate about helping businesses and individuals, wants everyone to experience less stress along their road to success. With over 20 years of experience guiding individuals and businesses, she created what’s called the Internal GPS Process and uses the process with businesses and individuals.

The Internal GPS Process

  • Where are you?
  • Where do you want to go?
  • How will you get there?
  • How will you celebrate success?

Decreasing stress and increasing positive internal vibes

With deliberate actions, we can all learn to shift habits of fear which often cause so much stress during times of change. The book How to Change when Change is Hard explains that emotions are what drive us all. Determine what motivates you emotionally and use that emotion to drive you. Research shows we’re all motivated the most by our emotions.  In the job search, can you play into a potential employer’s emotional needs as well as your own emotional triggers?

Visualization is a powerful tool. In a study of three groups of students, the group seeing the most success was the group who not only envisioned getting an A, but visualized the steps they would take to get there.

Developing habits to increase your daily dose of positivity can even include ritual activities like brushing your teeth, organizing your closet, or taking a walk.  In her book Positivity, Barbara Fredrickson says research supports the three-to-one positivity ratio. People with a healthy positivity ratio were found to show more life resiliency.  The ratio basically means that during the course of a day, for example, it requires the ratio of three positive events to make up for one negative event.

  • Inventory  your own strengths. Ask friends to help you determine your own strengths.
  • Prioritize connecting with people. Don’t pass up an opportunity to connect with people in the grocery store, for example.
  • Laugh regularly. Laugh on purpose.
  • Establish routines, including exercise.
  • Be grateful. Make it a habit to thank people regularly.

Hiring Companies

Matrix Health

Colleen Roth, Team Lead Recruiter

With corporate offices in Scottsdale, Matrix Health includes a large network of nurse practitioners who conduct health assessments for seniors in their homes. The company works with Medicare Advantage health plans throughout the United States. The company includes many benefits including a 401K where you’re vested in three years. Current positions in the corporate office are listed on their website.

Echo Global Logistics

Jack Malloy, Carrier Sales Development Manager

Echo Global Logistics is a leading provider of technology-enabled transportation and supply chain management services.  The company strives to take the complicated out of transportation management. The company’s technology includes proprietary web-based technology. A non-asset based company, this means they don’t own trucks, etc. In 2013 the company received a Most Admired Companies Award from Arizona Business Magazine and BestCompaniesAZ. Their main hiring focus right now is for Truckload Carrier Sales positions. For more information, visit them online and You Tube.

Career Evolutions

Christian Kaijser, Managing Director

Christian stressed that “low balling” yourself won’t get you far. “Why are you coming to me in discount mode?” the potential employer is apt to wonder. For the experienced job seeker, Christian urges them to think like a doctor or lawyer. If you’re going in for brain surgery, of course, you’d want someone with experience! Career Evolutions is an executive search company taking  pride in assisting their clients throughout their full employment life cycle, from resume preparation to interview and the hiring process onward. More information is available at their website.

Charles Schwab

Shannon Grimes, Talent Attraction Manager

Forty years ago Charles Schwab, founded as a brokerage firm, wanted to bring Wallstreet to Main Street. Today their focus remains on integrity and the good of the client. Benefits of the company include a culture where the manager knows who you are, wellness program including a walking path and onsite yoga, and a meritocracy, where advancing is based on performance. Many opportunities are available at the company and can be found on their website.

Resources

Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants

Rodger Brubacher, Director of Continuing Education

Rodger Brubacher of Dynamic Worldwide Training Consultants was on hand to remind everyone that if an employer asks you what you’ve been doing since your last position, being able to tell them you’ve received certifications can be an obvious way to answer. The school includes remote training capability and offers several professional certifications including, but not limited to, Microsoft and Project Management. For more information about classes and funding, visit their website.

Closing

Jennifer Swenson closed the formal part of the event before dismissing everyone to the breakout sessions.

The next Career Connectors event takes place in Phoenix and features Jessica Pierce’s presentation on LinkedUp on LinkedIn, Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 9:00 AM. For complete schedule, times and directions, click here.

Remember that staying positive in stressful times may require intentional steps, and that’s never more true than during a period of career transition. And that includes laughter.

It reminds me of the Al Franken character on Saturday Night Live, Stuart Smalley. Stuart is not a licensed therapist, but he is, however, a member of several 12-step programs. Stuart even made Al Gore sit in front of the mirror and repeat positive affirmations after his loss in the Presidential election. “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And doggone it, people like me.”  To view the segment and increase your positivity ratio, click here.