Career Connectors

Connecting professionals in career transition with hiring companies and quality resources

Subscribe Here

U-Haul International

01/28/20 – They Want It, and You’ve Got It…How to Communicate Your “It” Factor

by

Written by Jim McBride

Keynote

Bridgett McGowen

Can you do the job? Will you do the job? That’s what recruiters want to know. But hiring managers, they want to know if you have that “it” factor.

Bridgett McGowan, award-winning professional speaker and business owner, coaches up professionals to be “the most engaging, dynamic, incredible communicators ever.” Bridgett knows what it takes to make your “it” a legit differentiator when interviewing for your next career adventure.

With the Recruiter

It’s likely your first interaction with a company will be with a recruiter. The recruiter is not typically taking a deep dive into your career accomplishments. Recruiters take a preliminary checklist approach to see if the candidate is a potential fit for the organization by zeroing in on your education, job history, experience in similar work environments and your overall demeanor.

The recruiter is an important step in the hiring process because you’re being evaluated on how you may fit into the company culture based on how you think, how you talk and what you believe in compared to how they think, how they talk and what the company believes in.

With the Hiring Manager

Mirror the communication style of hiring manager during the interview. According to Bridgett, a “peacemaker” likes to build rapport, so reciprocate the small talk. “Truth-keepers” need messaging that is logical, makes sense and fits with what they know. If you interview with a “solution seeker” be concise – no rambling – get to the bottom line, while the “risk taker” feeds on excitement and lots of positive energy (be interesting and alive!).

Research and connect with the company’s vision, mission, products and services. Demonstrate your ability to synthesize information, problem solve, communicate. All of your focus goes into emphasizing your strengths, not your weaknesses.

As every interview question is designed to see how you fit with the work culture, always be the absolute best version of yourself. Give the interviewer an idea of what life will be like with you as a member of the team. Communicate that you aren’t just looking for any job. Say, “I am the person for this position!”

Your “It” Factor

You didn’t wake up this morning and plan to be mediocre.

It’s time to be “on” when it matters the most. Hint hint…the interview. Hint hint…networking. Show interest and passion. You have the talent and the energy. Respond to every question with an affirmative response. Drive enthusiasm, gain buy-in for their interest in you. Engage with the interviewer through rapport building and create a personal connection. Focus on themes to make your message all about how you will elevate the company. Provide objective content regarding your abilities and talents.

Create a one-line personal value statement to articulate what you do incredibly well.

Ensure that showtime at the interview is not the first time. Rehearse the actual words you will say. See the actual body language you will use. The internet is loaded with sample interview questions. Practice your energy.

You ready to crush it? Everywhere you go. Everything you do. Every move you make. Every word you say. Every look you give. Everything is GREAT. They want it. You’ve got it!

Hiring Companies

Cenlar
Diane Kaber – Sr. Recruiter

Cenlar is the leading mortgage subservicing company in the country. Based in New Jersey with locations in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Missouri, the company is projecting 40% growth in the near term. Cenlar is a private company with stock options for eligible employees.

Open Positions
Customer Service
Collections
Loss Mitigation
Claims
Foreclosures
Bankruptcy

HR / ER
Leadership
Service Excellence
Research

AB Staffing Solutions
Courtney Bleskachek – Recruitment Resource Coordinator

AB Staffing Solutions is the leading provider of healthcare professionals and human capital solutions to Federal Government and Commercial clients in three segments: Nursing, Allied Health and Physician supplemental staffing. Among the company’s benefits is full cost coverage of health, dental and vision insurance.

Open Positions
Recruiter – We are looking for the right individuals to join our team as Recruiters within all specialties

ADP
Laura Lynn Smith – Division Vice President
Pamela Farling – Talent Acquisition Business Partner

ADP is a comprehensive global provider of cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solutions that unite HR, payroll, talent, time, tax and benefits administration and a leader in business outsourcing services, analytics and compliance expertise.

Open Positions
Director, Client Services
Manager, Client Services supporting Master Tax
Manager, Payroll Operations
Sr. Client Services Manager
Associate Relations Specialist
Sr. Technology Solution Consultant
Major Accounts District Manager
Strategic Outside Sales Executive
401k Plan Specialist
Full Level Tax Specialist I Implementation

U-Haul International, Inc.
Alex Taylor – Corporate Recruiter

U-Haul is the recognized industry leader in Do-It-yourself moving, self-storage, moving supplies propane and custom hitches. The company was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in downtown Phoenix. With the largest truck fleet in the world, U-Haul employs 32,000 people nationwide and has 20,000 independent dealers and 1,900 company-owned Moving and Storage Centers.

Open Positions
Customer Service – Contact Center
Sales – Contact Center
Accounting – Corporate
Project Manager – Corporate
Software Infrastructure
Software Engineer

Resource

Career Connectors Academy Training Program

Brighton College is about creating the ultimate learning experience and driving employability skills for the working/non-working and the underserved.

Dreams fulfilled through better learning.
We are proud of this new partnership with Career Connectors to offer the best support from both organizations from enrollment to employed.

We believe this starts by identifying your natural talents through behavioral and skill-based surveys and assessments. With this knowledge we help you identify a customized learning pathway, then leverage innovative technology to deliver these in-demand courses and programs that lead to improved employability skills:
• Technical Support
• Programming
• Cyber Security
• Medical Billing and Coding
• Pharmacy Technician
• Web & Graphic Design
• Computer Aided Drafting & Design (CADD)
• Short-term Allied Health Certificate Programs
• Short-term IT Certificate Programs
• Customer Service Certification Programs

Student and Career Services Support (resume help, mock interviews) for your journey. Online, at your own pace!

Closing

Jessica Pierce thanked the Career Connectors volunteer staff and encouraged all attendees to make full use of the career transition resources – speaking with the hiring company representatives, utilizing the professional resume writers, connecting with the LinkedIn coaches, getting a business portrait and taking the free DISC Assessment. The next Career Connectors event is Wednesday, February 5th in Phoenix from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Cheryl Covert will present “Where the Jobs Are.”

12/04/19 – Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

by

Written by Gary Matsuda
The U.S. Navy SEALs have a saying: “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” While not as harrowing as preparing for combat, the thought of networking still gets our insides twisted up in knots.

Keynote

Cary Pfeffer spoke to Career Connectors and called on us to get out of our minds and out the door and ready to build new connections. Cary brings a cumulation of 15 years as communication consultant with Clearcom Consulting and 20 years as a news anchor and reporter delivering news worthy stories to the public. You’d think with a career in broadcasting and speaking publicly that he’s a natural at people skills. But that wasn’t always the case. Especially in his early career, Cary was uneasy about using a network to build his career. Yet recognizing this and intentionally working to improve his professional skills and continually moving forward enabled him to take his career to higher levels.

Get out and Expand your Pool of Contacts!
Woody Allen said, ”80 percent of success is showing up.” So here’s to those who show up at Career Connectors’ meetings! Go ahead and get out there. Don’t wait until you’re in the mood to mix it up a bit with new people. Cary says no one will ever know who you are if you don’t put in the effort to be seen and become known.

Get Out and Learn Something New!
We learn best when we experience something novel, out of the ordinary, even when we’re a bit uncomfortable. Who knows who you’ll meet, or what you’ll learn from other’s experiences? In addition, you could gain valuable insights about what’s going on in your field and how you might be able to contribute or where you’ll need to improve. In a networking meeting, this is perfect for doing that in a low-risk environment.

Expand on Who You Know!
As Cary mentioned, no one will know you if your professional and social circle is closed. The more people you know, the more likely you’ll find the right people who can introduce you to the next big opportunity. Cary stressed that if anything, this is could be your most important take-away. During his career Cary worked with 3 professional agencies and despite that their specialty was to find him clients, not even one provided him with new work. Yet 60% of his business came from just 3 personal contacts. Go figure.

Before You Go Have a Plan
You shouldn’t go to a networking event empty handed. But that doesn’t mean fill your plate with hors d’oeuvres. What you should bring is your crafted story that would be of interest or helpful to potential contacts. The best meetings may have a theme, niche or curation that will give you a better idea of what kind of people will be there and so you can adjust your story accordingly. Knowing who might be there will help you decide if this could be a potential gold mine of clients/employers or not a good use of your time.
The best way to find out if your story will really connect is to try it out on new people who don’t really know you. On occasion you’ll fall flat but with practice, these in-person encounters will get you closer to the right people. Observe people’s reactions so you’ll know what best gets your message across and if necessary, fine-tune it so you can be even better next time. Did your pitch seem too long or not long enough? Does it solve a problem? Do you even have the right audience? It may take a few tries to get it right, but a potential employer can expect any candidate worth his salt to be able to tell a story that will resonate. Just don’t wait to test it out during a high stakes job interview!

What’s in a Name?
While you are your own favorite person and the most important thoughts ever imaged run through your head, never assume people will remember you, let alone remember your name. Help them along so they can more easily associate you with that personal label that you call your name.

Time Yourself
Balance your time so you can not only provide your input but also give others time to speak. Remember showing up is 80% of success? Respect the effort of others who also made the effort to show up (just like you did). Appreciate that they may not want to spend the whole event with you when there are dozens of other potential connections in the room.

Don’t Be a Card Dispenser
You’re more than a resume or LinkedIn profile. Likewise, the personal impression you make is more important than the 3 ½” X 2” card stock you’ve got in your pocket. As important as these resources are, don’t rely on a great looking business card, LinkedIn profile or resume to do the relationship building for you. Listen more than you speak, ask how you can be helpful. As Cary puts it: ‘Don’t be a serial card dispenser’ which could project an insincere impression or that you might be even a bit pushy. Instead, when you meet someone who could be a valuable connection, turn the tables and ask for their card.

After the Meeting
Make notes on who you’ve met. Now that you have their card, you can make notes on that and follow up with them as promised.
Because of our dependence on electronic apps, you’ll stand out if you make quick follow ups with the people you want to continue a relationship with. Handwritten notes? Who does that anymore? Why now you do of course!
Resources for more help from Cary Pfeffer:
• NoAppBook.com
• @CaryPfeffer

Hiring Companies

Century Link, Lisa Allen, Sr. Recruiter
Careers at Century Link let you get more out of your sales career. At Century Link you get work/life balance – there’s no working late nights, no weekends. There’s paid vacation, holidays, tuition reimbursement and generous medical, dental, vision coverage for your family.
Open positions:
Account Manager II – Outbound Sales
The Account Manager II-Outbound Sales Representative is responsible for growing revenue in the Small Business Accounts sector. The right candidate will possess the ability to place outbound calls daily to new and our existing Small Business clients. Must be able to effectively present sales recommendations to new account prospects and cultivate new opportunities within existing accounts.
Center Sales and Service Associate – Small Business
The Center Sales & Service Associate responds to phone calls in a fast-paced inbound contact center promoting and selling CenturyLink products and services to our Small Business clients. Successful Center Sales & Service Associates must respond with a high sense of urgency while providing extraordinary customer service. This will include answering questions regarding client accounts, fulfilling orders as well as troubleshooting problems. Our goal is to assist our clients with a first call resolution.

U-Haul, Alex Taylor Corporate Recruiter
U-Haul vehicles are everywhere. You can find them in far off places and accessible all over the United States and Canada so that they have a central headquarters doesn’t easily come to mind. But they do and it’s right here in Phoenix!
Their job opportunities cover a wide range of professions too. There are openings in every field including IT, field work and at corporate headquarters. U-Haul opportunities don’t stop at transportation. They’re also affiliated with Repwest Insurance, Oxford Insurance and Amerco Real Estate so there could be a chance to cross industries as well.
Current openings include Software Engineer, Software Infrastructure, Retail Sales, Customer Service Agents, Accounting and Project Managers.

Freedom Financial Network, Heather Marcom, Head of Talent Acquisition
As a 9 time winner of ‘Best Places to Work in Phoenix’ this place has got to be on your list of employers to target. You’ll be taken care of as you work to care for others as they live by their core values of:
Care. Act with integrity. Get Better. Collaborate.
Freedom Financial helps those who have hit hard times by providing debt relief, help negotiating debt down to get them credit worthy and helping to consolidate personal loans, when no one else will.
You can find their open positions at the Sky Harbor Airport office or at the new Tempe location.
Among these are openings in:
Call Center, Sales and operations
IT/Engineering/Data
Accounting
Contact them at www.FFNJOBS.com

Resources

Goodwill of Central & Northern AZ, Ron Mack
If you haven’t found a job yet, you probably haven’t been to a Goodwill Career Center.
Not just a retail store but it’s an organization that provides opportunities which serve the needs of community, help the professional job seeker become self-sufficient and get people back to work.
The Goodwill Career Center offers free career coaching, resume critiquing, job leads from employers, mock interviews, and digital skills training classes from beginning to advanced at several locations in the Phoenix area. This is much more than place for entry level jobs- you could start a long term new career at places like Amazon, Target and Home Depot.
The average age of people taking refresher courses with Goodwill is 45 -50. These courses include computer basics in Word, Excel, Power Point, Mac and Windows operating systems and North Star certification.

Grand Canyon University, Bri Guthrie and Shelby Greer

Interested in Getting Your Master’s Degree?
Want to get started or get a leg up in the IT industry? Or Nursing, Business, Leadership, Communication, Teaching? GCU’s online and evening programs have the flexibility you need!
Right now, GCU is offering alumni $2,000 in tuition credit. If you’re not an alumni, you can still get a 20% discount on evening classes.
For more information visit the Graduate Programs Office in Cypress Hall or https://www.gcu.edu/degree-programs/masters-degree

“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your comfort zone and become familiar with the unfamiliar and unknown.”

Denis Waitley

11/6/19 – The Future of Work…at Least for 2020

by

Written by Jim McBride

The Future of Work

Keynote

From donut designer, grocery bagger, delivery driver, bank teller, restaurant server all the way up to casino accountant and business executive. This is the unique career journey of Jennifer Mellor, Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Phoenix Chamber.

Your career arc may not include a yummy role in donut design like Jennifer’s, but her journey may help explain the fundamental change in the way companies are doing business and the expectations for career professionals to adapt and thrive.

How is the Future of Work Changing?
Start with the gig economy. Uber, Airbnb, freelancing and independent consulting are just a few of hundreds of examples where workers don’t want to be tied to a company or specific job and are using their own resources to generate income by gig.

Also, many companies are decentralizing their workforce and have liberated employees from the office cubicle farms. Technology has enabled work teams to connect from remote home offices and coffee shops across the globe.

It was once an expected career accomplishment to be employed with one company for 35 to 40 years. But, the motivation for staying or leaving for the next big step in a career journey has evolved. Today’s professionals tend to be focused on the type work they do and not an actual job. People are more personally mission-driven and seek opportunities to quench a thirst for life-long learning.

Industries and Hiring Demand
Statistics from the Maricopa County Bureau of Labor Statistics show the local industries with the most workers are restaurant/hospitality, healthcare, construction, local government, IT and financial services, among many others.

Occupations in high demand include customer service representatives, retail sales, registered nurses, operations management, office clerical and food prep. Although many are entry level, these roles are in such high demand they often serve as a gateway for career pathways.

Here’s encouraging good news for job seekers: An imbalance exists between the local industry demand for hiring and the supply of available skilled workers. Seasoned mid-level professionals with qualified transferable skills in business management, customer service, marketing, healthcare, engineering, technology and transportation are all in very high demand in the Phoenix area.

Jobs Replaced by Technology
The smartphone has replaced that old thing called a phone booth. Instead of a worker collecting all of those quarters from pay phones, developers are creating apps for the iPhone. It’s challenging to grasp, but the tech trend will continue as artificial intelligence and automation could replace lawyers, journalists, chefs, financial analysts, musicians, customer service representatives and data entry clerks.

Experts say that perhaps 30% of today’s jobs will be automated in the future, which means your technical skills and education requirements will likely become more important than ever.

However, soft skills will continue to endure and will be always be in demand through the job evolution. Hiring companies still look for strong communication, time management, conflict management, change management and storytelling skills. Artificial intelligence cannot replicate or fit into workplace culture.

So, keep evolving and remain relevant. Your employability skills will be in demand for change in 2020 and beyond.

Hiring Companies

USAA
Gay Meyer – Assistant VP of HR Regional Operations

The USAA Mission – The mission of the association is to facilitate the financial security of its members, associates and their families through the provision of a full range of highly competitive financial products and services. In so doing, USAA seeks to be the provider of choice for the military community.

  • Located in North Phoenix
  • 5000 Phoenix employees, 35,000 overall
  • Maternity/paternity paid leave, 12 weeks for each
  • Wellness Program – fitness center
  • 401k match – up to 8%
  • Performance related bonus opportunities
  • Education assistance – available day 1
  • 30% of new hires are veterans or military spouses
  • Looking for caring, passionate, approachable, authentic, dynamic, intuitive and empathetic individuals

Open Positions
Customer Service Representative
Loan Officer
Adjuster – entry level
Java Software Engineer
Protective Security Officer II
Risk/Compliance

U-Haul International, Inc.
Alex Taylor – Corporate Recruiter

  • Founded in 1945, corporate headquarters in Phoenix
  • 32,000 team members nationwide
  • 100,000 trucks, largest fleet in the world
  • 20,000 independent dealers and over 1,900 company-owned U-Haul Moving and Storage Centers
  • Industry leader in do-it-yourself moving, self-storage, moving supplies, propane and custom hitches
  • 401k and stock share plan
  • Medical, dental, vision insurance, prescription savings plan
  • Home and auto insurance, U-Haul kids’ program

Open Positions
Customer Service – Contact Center
Sales – Contact Center
Accounting – Corporate
Project Manager – Corporate
Software Infrastructure
Software Engineer

Resources

Career Connectors Academy Training Program
Landi Carfi – VP of Corporate Training

Brighton College is about creating the ultimate learning experience and driving employability skills for the working/non-working and the underserved.

Dreams fulfilled through better learning
We are proud to launch this new partnership with Career Connectors to offer the best support from both organizations from enrollment to employed.

We believe this starts by identifying your natural talents through behavioral and skill-based surveys and assessments. With this knowledge we help you identify a customized learning pathway, then leverage innovative technology to deliver these in-demand courses and programs that lead to improved employability skills:

  • Technical Support
  • Programming
  • Cyber Security
  • Medical Billing and Coding
  • Pharmacy Technician
  • Web & Graphic Design
  • Computer Aided Drafting & Design (CADD)
  • Short-term Allied Health Certificate Programs
  • Short-term IT Certificate Programs
  • Customer Service Certification Programs

Student and Career Services Support (resume help, mock interviews) for your journey.

Online, at your own pace!

30% Career Connectors discount on already affordable programs. Payment plans available.

Closing

Jessica Pierce encouraged all attendees to make full use of the career transition resources, speaking with the hiring companies, utilizing the professional resume writers, connecting with the LinkedIn coaches, getting a business portrait and taking the free DISC Assessment. Jessica also thanked the many partners and volunteers who supported the first-ever Career Connectors event held at GCU during the evening hours. The next gathering is Tuesday, November 12th at 9:00 am in Gilbert. Sheila Coulam will present “Confront Change with Confidence.”