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Vanguard

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.

3/21/19 – How to Engage in Successful Interactions When Things Get Sticky

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Gloria Petersen

Written by Cathy Cepielik

Keynote

Gloria Petersen
Ever wish you could wave a magic wand and everyone would be respectful, civil, and accommodating? Gloria Petersen provided the tools just for that type of magic! Her dynamic presentations have inspired audiences for over three decades to handle professional and social situations with class and finesse. Gloria is a renowned Certified Protocol Professional and author of The Art of Professional Connections, a four-guidebook series with companion Subject Matter Expert (SME) training modules. The entire series covers strategies for greetings and interactions, in person and online networking, meeting over meals, and event planning.
Gloria has also published articles and served as a contributing columnist for magazines, trade publications, and corporate newsletters. When it comes to Media, Gloria has hosted the FOX television 13-week series Image of Success; appeared on CNBC, FOX News, ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News; and even served as an etiquette judge which was televised on The Today Show. Chances are, we each may have caught a glimpse of her magical knowledge over the years without realizing the full spectrum of what this could do for our overall personal and professional interactions! Her clients range from Fortune 100 companies to emerging entrepreneurs. You can learn more about Gloria’s expertise at her website.
Gloria taught our audience it is more important than ever to handle sticky situations with diplomacy, dignity, finesse, tact, and civility. Why? Because …. everyone’s basic need is to be respected, appreciated, and liked. Nor does anyone like to be embarrassed or to feel awkward. How is this done? For starters … take the first step in handling any situation or individual by employing the appropriate interaction tool with a positive and helpful attitude. Remember: You are the only person in control of YOU! Aim to set the better example, always!
Your interaction tools are key! These tools contain powerful “win-win” strategies that serve as the foundation of effective communication. Use the right tool because sticky situations vary and much will depend on the environment and personalities involved. Expect resistance as some people are natural resisters, but you are the one in CONTROL! It’s how a situation is handled, not the incident itself, that is key to a successful result! The Interaction Tools are summarized below. Note they are an Art, every single one of them! The Interaction Tools are:
Diplomacy – the Art of managing situations and people
Civility – the Art of being polite and courteous
Tact – the Art of knowing what to say without giving offense
Dignity – the Art honoring self-respect
Finesse – the Art of handling an awkward question

HIRING COMPANIES

Vanguard: Renee Brown, Sr. Recruiter
Renee has been with Vanguard almost 20 years and loves the company and culture. Renee is originally from Seattle, WA, but doesn’t miss the cloudy weather at all and has been in AZ for decades, so she considers herself a native! Renee helps Vanguard fill opportunities in their individual and institutional investor divisions in the Scottsdale office.
Vanguard started in 1975 by founder John Bogle, who recently passed in January 2019 at age 89. What began as a company with 11 funds has now grown to an even larger size company with over 400 funds – talk about impressive! Vanguard’s mission is to give their all and take a stand for all investors, ensuring Vanguard is helping investors get their dreams ultimately. The Scottsdale office debuted in 1994 and today consists of over 3300 employees with lucrative benefits, such as a 37-hour work week, work life integration, community involvement via volunteering, a volunteer day off annually, matching 401k at 4%, healthcare coverage, anywhere from 18-23 paid days off yearly, tuition reimbursement, student loan payoffs, and more!
There are various opportunities at Vanguard. If you are new to the industry or experienced, there are plenty of opportunities and continued growth. Check the opportunities out at HERE!

USAA Jeff Shewan, HR Associate
Jeff has been with the USAA team since 2008, starting as a Senior Fitness Specialist with the Wellness Team and joining the campus HR team November 2017. Jeff grew up in Lewiston, NY, just outside Niagara Falls, earned his bachelor’s and master’s in Buffalo NY and then ventured to AZ. He is now the lead of the Phoenix campus diversity and inclusion team, helps support on-campus and external branding, and is a part of development events in the Phoenix area.
USAA’s history dates back almost 100 years to 1922. Every decision and action begins and ends with their mission statement, which revolves around facilitating the security of its members, associates, and their families through a full range of competitive financial products and services. Products and services include, but are not limited to: banking, investments, property and life insurance, and financial advice. The Phoenix campus debuted in 2000 and has a Starbucks on campus, which Jeff indicated is highly popular and very necessary! There are relaxation rooms for employees to enjoy during downtime to recharge, energize areas, and more. Perks and benefits include 8% match on 401k, a 24/7 fitness center, potential for performance based bonuses, wellness programs, education assistance, two volunteer days annually, and maternity/paternity paid leave, to name just a few.
USAA has over 12 million members, 33,000 employees nationwide, and 4800 at their Phoenix campus, which continues to grow. Current openings include customer service, insurance, banking, and IT software developing. Check out opportunities HERE!

CLOSING

Jessica provided additional resources and closing comments. Resources such as the DISC assessment, Event Recap blogs, and Professional Portraits are available on Career Connectors post event to follow along and encompass more. Big shout out and thanks to Highlands Church for lending their beautiful facility for our event and volunteers for helping with setup, photographs, financial counseling, LinkedIn coaching, and more!

12/14/17 – Master Your Mindset to Land Your Next Job

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Written by Mary Beth Huffman

Keynote

Master Your Mindset to Land Your Next Job

Vered Kogan 

Change isn’t easy.

Mindset. A mindset is a belief that you hold; a thought repeated over and over, even if completely false. Some mindsets empower us and others don’t. Master your own mindset in your own abilities. All of you have a great mindset or you wouldn’t have gotten here.

To shift any belief, you become what you believe. The meaning you give to any experience becomes your belief. By 35 years old your brain controls 95% of what you think and do. The conscious mind is 5%, just the tip of the iceberg. The subconscious mind holds all of our beliefs and this controls 95% of what we think and do. How you tie your shoe is even controlled by your subconscious. Remember when you learned to drive, you were conscious of everything. Now you drive and don’t remember how you got there.

The Mindset Cycle book
Maybe you have a belief that LinkedIn is the worst way to do a job search. Every thought controls your emotional state. When preparing for an interview, have an empowered mindset going into the interview. Think positive, think you can, be aware of your posture – sit up straight, be engaged, talk confidently, be energetic, and tell the truth because they know.

4 Step Mindshift Process

  1. Desire – Clarify your Outcome
    It is important to clarify what you want to achieve. You must have a clear, specific and compelling goal . Identify what you really want. Your brain is a goal achieving machine. It will help you identify the target. The catch is to give very clear instructions. Every thought is an instruction for your brain to achieve and your subconscious mind to capture. You will become what you believe. Your RAZ – Reticular Activating System helps you become aligned to your goal and achieve it. When you start looking for a new car and want a specific car, then you see that car everywhere.
    Write your goal in the present tense. Include how you’ll feel when you achieve it.
    It is ___________________ (future date) and I have ____________________ (your outcome).
    I feel __________ (positive emotions).
  2. Belief – Shift Your Beliefs
    Identify your limiting belief. What is holding you back from achieving your goal? Say, “What I believe about my goal is…” This is a free judgment exercise. “I want this, BUT….” Or “I can’t BECAUSE…” and notice what comes up. Now review your beliefs and chose just one limiting belief that gets in your way and keeps you from reaching your full potential. My limiting belief is ______________.
    Then cross out that lousy belief and immediately flip it with an empowering belief with something aligned with your goal, followed by the word “yet”. Ask yourself if this is always true without a shadow of a doubt? What if the opposite was true? My new empowering belief is _________________.
  3. Focus – Align Your Thoughts
    When you first awake, think about 5 things you are grateful for. Then read your goals from step 1 of the process aloud. With your eyes closed, visualize yourself having achieved them. Your brain will start coming up with all sorts of buts. I want this but…this career is too risky… What happens is that consciously you want something, but subconsciously you don’t believe it’s possible. When you notice a negative or limiting belief arise throughout the day praise yourself and find more positive meaning. Focus on happier thoughts and memories to shift your emotional state. Think about your goal and say, “I want this, BUT… – or – I can’t do this because…” These contradictory thoughts, limiting beliefs, will come up. Once you identify a belief that is really holding you back, and then weaken that belief. Is this belief always true?
  4. Action – Align Your Behavior
    One action that I will take this week to move me closer to my goal is _____________.

Mindset: The Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

Then, come up with supporting statements that support your new belief, even if you don’t believe it. Then program it into your brain. Focus to Align Your Brain: Every day repeat your goals. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill demonstrates this concept.

The Ritual
Every day, as soon as you wake up, think of the 5 things you are most grateful for to train your brain to be more positive. Then, create your future! Have your goals written out and read out loud. Visualize those goals and play that movie in your mind, everything you are going to see, hear, and feel that will happen when you achieve your goals. Everyday be mindful of your thoughts. Find meaning, even in the bad times. This is one thing you have to do for yourself. If you do this you will empower your transition. You will change results. You become what you believe…and now you have the process to change your beliefs!

Vered is offering a group MINDshift™ coaching program. Go to www.veredkogan.com for more information.

Take the time to master your mindset. It is the foundation of everything that you create and achieve. It is the best investment you could ever make.

Hiring Companies

Varsity Tutors
Tyler Kinnie, Senior Recruiting Manager

Varsity Tutors, is a platform that supports learners of all ages with personalized instruction to achieve any goal. They seamlessly connect tutors with students and are changing the way people learn all across the world. Varsity Tutors is expanding with sales leadership, supervisor through account management, customer care team, managers, and directors. Check out Varsity Tutors’ Corporate and Tutoring opportunities. Corporate openings include General Manager – New Business Ventures, HR Generalist, Tutor Engagement Manager, Account Manager, Sales Rep, and Sales Trainer.

Vanguard

Michael Marchese, Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant

Vanguard is a savings and investment firm with locations in Scottsdale and worldwide. Their organization will take you from where you are into the field. Vanguard hires individuals that really want to do the right thing, help individuals, and they can help you learn the finance side. If you are already in the field and have your certification, then they have higher level opportunities. Careers cover a range of areas from Client Services, Finance and Accounting, HR, IT, Investment Management, Legal, Sales and Management, and Operations. Find current openings here.

Staff Logic

Deanne Desautels, President

Accounting and Finance Professionals (AFP) focuses on accounting and Staff Logic, sister company, is more general, but both specialize in growing relationships with clients. They want to help you find what you’re looking for, but they don’t always find something for everyone. They help with relocation opportunities. Whether you’ve been searching for a few months or if you are new, Staff Logic and AFP can help you. View Staff Logic and/or Accounting & Finance Professional openings for further details.

Freedom Financial Network

Heather Marcom, Head of Talent Acquisition

When Freedom Financial Network started in 2002, they helped people overcome debt so they could achieve financial freedom. Today FFN helps people enjoy freedom in more ways than ever. View openings at Freedom Financial Network.

Resources
Career Connectors offers many services to assist you with your search: Resume Review, Hiring Company Networking, Business Portraits, LinkedIn Coaching and Educational Opportunities.

11/21/17 – Seven Simple Things™ for Career Transition

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Seven Simple ThingsWritten by Shweta Shrivastav

Keynote

Tom Gammon has been involved with Career Connectors for about 5 years, first as an attendee, and also as a volunteer. Seven Simple Things™ emerged from Tom’s professional and personal experiences, and a penchant for continuous learning. He spent 30+ years in the corporate world creating and growing business units within large organizations to 9-digit revenue levels and high profit performance. He has also trained, coached and mentored hundreds of small business owners and thousands of individual professionals. He is an Academic Associate with ASU, where he mentors students, faculty, and community-based start-ups, is a guest lecturer on the subjects of personal and team development and performance, leadership, and culture, and chairs the Venture Mentor Advisory Council for ASU’s Venture Devil’s program.

The Seven Simple Things™ is a collection of principals, practices, tools and resources to help you move forward in any situation and create a happier, less stressful and more productive life.

These principles can be applied in various fields like Entrepreneurial ventures; Management, Organizational Teaming and Leadership; Consulting, Coaching, Speaking, Mentoring; Job Search/Career Transition; Professional Sales and Sales Management; Educational Pursuits/Personal Development; Direct/Network Marketing; and Athletic team performance to name a few.

Once there were three brick-layers. Each one was asked what they were doing. The first one grimly replied, “I am laying bricks”. The second one said, “I am building a big wall”. The third one said with pride, “I am building the greatest chapel ever built.” So, our attitude towards whatever we are doing determines the level of success. If we have the bigger picture in mind and not just the task at hand, we are better able to eliminate obstacles.

From the HR perspective, the hiring criteria they have in mind is if we CAN do you our job, if we WILL do our job and if are a good culture FIT.

So, now the question is during this time of job transition how do we stay motivated, focused and end up getting a great job?

The answer is by emphasizing on the Seven Simple Things™

  • Positive Thought
  • Positive Action
  • Ponder the possibilities
  • Preparation
  • Practice
  • Persistence
  • Patience

The implementation process – How do we achieve these Seven Simple Things™?

  • Creating an ability based mindset
  • The performance triangle
  • Craft and tell your story

Creating an ability based mindset

Some of the challenges to creating an ability based mindset are Fear, difficult task, questioning your abilities, discomfort, not being clear about your “why”, and mired down or being “stuck”.

  1. So, how do we get over these challenges? Emphasize serving others be it Community, Customers, Professional Stakeholders, or Personal Network.
  2. Daily reflection about your values and your “why”, expressing gratitude either as a prayer or as gratitude journaling, setting intentions/goals, learning, and getting a little uncomfortable each day by doing something you have not done before.
  3. Taking time to contemplate and meditate. For example, learn about simple “pranic” breathing techniques.

The performance triangle

The performance triangle is Acceptance-Choice-Action.

Acceptance: The first step to great performance is acceptance. Taking stock of where we are and creating a game plan from there to reach our goals. Not approaching the job search from a victim mentality but from an abundance mentality.

Choice: Once we accept and take stock of our current situation, the inevitable question of choice comes up. We can either chose to take action and feel the pain of effort or not take action and feel the pain of regret. The choice is ours to make.

Action: One step at a time along the way to something bigger/better. We don’t need to “boil the ocean” but make a difference in our own unique way. We should appreciate, enjoy and even celebrate the action. Repeat the cycle by accepting the new moment created by your action.

Craft and Tell you Story (Leverage Your Unique-ness)

Here are the the components to crafting a compelling story about what you offer.

  1. Situation/Background – Events, Findings, Experience(s)
  2. Decision, Action, Results – Choices, Actions, Results
  3. What I like most – About current status/results
  4. Reactions – People [Clients] find that
  5. Engagement Question – OPEN ENDED

Invitation: Receive free Seven Simple Things™ introductory e-book for Entrepreneurs or Job Seekers when you join the mailing list on Tom’s website TomGammon.net.

Suggested Readings:
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin
A New Earth ad The Power of NOW by Eckhart Tolle
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach us the Good Life by Michael Puett & Christine Gross-Loh
Letting Go by David R Hawkins
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
How Good Do We Have To Be by Harold S Kushner
You are a BADASS by Jen Sincero

Hiring Companies

Bank of the West

Douglas Deyo, Recruiter
A subsidiary of BNP Paribas, Bank of the West has recently (October 2017) set up shop in Phoenix. They have plans to hire more than a 1000 people in the coming year. They have a laid back work environment due to their European roots and have a robust pay and benefit policy. Some of the roles they are hiring for are Customer Service, Administrators, Accounting professionals, IT professionals, Banking and Loan Operations professionals. You can find all their job postings at here.

LoanCare – A Servicelink Company

Robert Soukkala, VP Site Manager
LoanCare is majority owned by Fidelity National Financial, Inc. They have a casual dress code and laid back work environment. They are currently hiring in their Customer Experience, Collections, and Loss Mitigation departments. All of their jobs are listed at LoanCare.net.

Chase

Lekheythan Malone, Sr Recruiting Professional
Chase serves nearly half of America’s households with a broad range of financial services. The scale of operations provides job seekers with amazing job opportunities. There are ample opportunities to grow within the company. Their benefits are one of the best in the market. Additionally, they have various diversity groups including Veterans, LGBTQ and others.

Some of their open roles are:
Phoenix – Consumer Direct Mortgage Banker, Underwriter – Auto Finance, Customer Service & Collections Specialist I & III – Auto, and Lead Teller Ops Specialist Trainee (English/Bilingual)

Tempe – US Help Desk Specialist II, Customer Service & Fraud, Customer Service & Fraud (bilingual), Mortgage Services Specialist I, and Retail Customer Service

Find all of their job listings here.

Vanguard

Ralph Kimbrough, Sr Recruiter
Vanguard is one of the largest investment management companies. They put great emphasis on work-life integration. 37.5 hours of work is considered full-time work. They have some great benefits like on site gym, on site health clinic, tuition reimbursement, retirement savings, and learning opportunities.

They are hiring for various jobs from Entry level to Management level. Some of the roles are Client Relationship Specialist, Processing Associate, Financial Adviser, Compliance Manager, and Team leaders. For their current open positions, please visit their website.

 

10/11/17 – Lost My Job, Now What

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Lost Your Job Now WhatWritten by Susan Lamphiear

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. Henry Ford

No doubt about it. Losing a job– being in career transition—takes its place right up there with some of life’s most difficult challenges. At times it can feel like it’s literally sucking the breath from you. But it helps to realize that others, having traveled this particular part of the storm, have not only lived to tell about it, but have come through this particular storm stronger and ready to tell their story.  And ready to share what they’ve learned. Like the airplane, they’ve taken off against the wind.

Consider the message from the Broadway musical Wicked, Defying Gravity: “It’s time to try defying gravity. I think I’ll try defying gravity. And you can’t bring me down” as you consider our keynote’s personal story and her advice.

Keynote

Naomi Buckta has been in your shoes.  She feels your pain. She, too, has experienced job loss.  The good news is she came out stronger on the other side and shares her tips for getting through the storm.

Today she’s Vice President of sales & marketing for four related companies. Through her experiences she’s conducted seminars and workshops focusing on personal transition and social networking.

Naomi’s Tips After a Job Loss

  • Lost your job? Don’t panic. When you start to doubt yourself, make a list of your strengths. Go to your LinkedIn profile and read the great stuff people have written about you.

When Naomi Buckta was laid off in 2010, it caught her off guard even though she was part of the executive team. She had to remind herself what a rock star she is.

  • Assess yourself. Clean up your social profiles. Know what you really want and let your resume reflect that. Consider a career coach. And a mentor.
  • Don’t be resentful. Develop the habit of writing thank you notes. Don’t burn bridges.
  • Stay current in your field. This is the number one reason people lost their jobs in their organizations. Remember MOOCs. Say, what? You know MOOC–Massive Open Online Course. It’s those courses of study available on the internet and available without charge to large numbers of people. Make a section on your resume to document ones you’ve taken. It’s one more sign to potential employers that you’re staying current in your field.
  • Have a plan—Connect with people through NetworkingPhoenix.com, LinkedIn groups, church groups. Find out who knows who. Prepare your elevator speech.
  • Build your network whether you’re in job search or gainfully employed. Relationships matter. What do you know, what are your targeted companies, and what networking events are available to you? Find a mentor who among other things will be honest with you and even help you debrief after an interview.
  • Your resume—don’t sound like a zombie—aim to make your resume sound like a human voice. Make sure your resume reflects the exact job you’re looking for now. Put it on quality paper.
  • Is your portfolio up to date? Consider writing a 30/60/90 day plan and aim to work it into an interview.
  • The interview—Prepare questions to ask for every level of the organization. And be prepared to answer behavioral questions.
  • Speak positively about the company you just left NO MATTER WHAT.
  • Make your own opportunities while going through job transition. Consider contract work, consulting, teaching a class, working part-time to make ends meet. Or do something you’ve always wanted to do but never took time like planting an herb garden, organizing family photos, and taking a picnic lunch to the park.

Naomi summed up her thoughts, expressed in a quote, about getting through tough times like a job loss and career search.

Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.

M. Scott Peck, American psychiatrist

Hiring Companies

Northcentral University

Bradley Dial, Talent Acquisition Specialist

Northcentral University, regionally accredited, features online education at a higher degree including degrees in education, technology, business, psychology, and marriage & family science.  Online degree programs allow students to learn in a one-to-one learning model from a 100% doctoral faculty.

One of the benefits includes free education.

Currently they are hiring for academics, administration, enrollment, information technology and student support services.

For more information or to apply, visit their website.

AB Staffing Solutions

James Gonzales, Recruiter

AB Staffing Solutions, a staffing and recruiting agency, is one of the fastest growing companies in the healthcare industry. They provide healthcare personnel at government and commercial medical facilities across the country.

Their company is casual, attracting employees who gladly roll up their sleeves to get the job done and who are not afraid to talk to people. AB Staffing hires medical staff for three to six month contracts, sometimes with the opportunity for permanent placement.

For more information or to apply, check their website or call. Many opportunities for healthcare workers, including recruiters, nurses, and doctors, are available in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and California.

Vanguard

Renee Brown, Sr. Recruiter

Vanguard, a large client-owned investment company founded in 1975, is one of the world’s largest investment management companies, with 17 locations worldwide. Unique in its industry, as a client-owned company, they have no outside owners seeking profits. A stable company, they’ve had only three CEOs over their 42 years, with their fourth CEO Tim Buckley slated to become new CEO in January, 2018.

The company stresses integrity, a 37 ½ hour workday, and community service.

Perks or benefits include 18 days paid time off, 9 paid holidays;  up to 4 ½% 401K; onsite gym, dry cleaning, and wellness; health, dental, and vision benefits starting the first day; intramural sports leagues and more.

Currently the company offers positions ranging from entry level to management, including client relationship specialist, processing associates, financial advisors, compliance manager, and team leader roles. For more opportunities or to apply, visit their website.

Resources

Coder Camps

Jason Jones, Sr. Admissions Advisor

Coder Camps provides web development opportunities in data science. Increasing demand for this relatively new field of data science means there’s an ever-increasing demand for specialists who help companies make business decisions using the data.

There’s no entrance exam for the school. Instead, recruiters sit down and talk with potential students one-on-one. Coder camps take students where they are. The emphasis is training for developing projects—which is how students will get a job. Employers want to see their coders know how to develop projects. Universities these days connect with coder camps because the coder camps can keep up with the rapid changes inherent in web development.

Coder Camps are Coders for Life meaning since technology changes so fast, the school allows graduates of the coder camps to come back over and over at no additional cost. Coder Camps offer ongoing training and job placement for life.

Upcoming events include a free introduction, so contact the school to sign up for a free intro Wednesday, October 18, 2017,  from 5—7PM. And on Friday, October 20, 2017,  from noon-3PM please visit their big Demo Day.

For more information on applying or signing up for their events, visit their website or call.

Closing

Executive Director of Career Connectors Jessica Pierce closed the formal part of the meeting and introduced breakout sessions. The breakout sessions include the opportunity to speak directly with hiring managers, LinkedIn and resume specialists, financial consultants, coaches, educational specialists, and a professional photographer for free business head shots.

Jessica thanked volunteers and our host facility  Highlands Church.

The next Career Connectors event is the Glendale launch,  featuring Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers, on Thursday, October 19, 2017, at 9AM at Calvary Church at 59th Avenue and Bell in Glendale. Topic of the keynote address will be You’ve Got This!: Real, No-Nonsense Ideas for Mentally Regrouping After a Layoff presented by Bridgett McGowen-Hawkins. The Glendale location will be held the third Thursday of each month.

The next meeting for the Scottsdale event will be Thursday, November 9, 2017, at 9 AM and features keynote speaker Cary Pfeffer on the topic of Telling Your Story.

To find specific location details, visit the events section of this website to register for any or all of the four locations.