Written by Gary Matsuda
Nothing is going according to plan. Things were going perfectly fine and now it seems the world is coming to a full stop. Yet, where professional networking and job opportunities seem to be dwindling, there are still some companies hiring. Logically you know this will get better, but how come we don’t feel that way? And when we do get back to normal, will you be ready? During these challenging times and beyond, now is the time to develop and communicate our capabilities.
Career Connectors brought in Travis Hardin, a John Maxwell certified speaker, who educates and coaches for greater personal and professional growth with proven leadership methods to help us to see how our view of the world determines what we do and how we do it.
Keynote
There’s no denying the massive impact the pandemic has had on our standard of living. But Travis underscored no matter how dark and unexplainable the current events, we still have control over how we perceive things. No matter what our situation, the light that’s deep inside of us should never grow dim. As a matter of fact, we must feed it and make this time a new season of growth by putting the following into action:
Spark the fire inside
If the little hidden fire inside you is to grow, you must honestly identify your desires, skills and strengths and how you can practically focus and improve upon them.
Develop a positive attitude by practicing a simple word shift that can change your outlook. Instead of asking yourself, “Can I do it?” which sounds doubtful and incapacitating, ask yourself, “How can I do it?”, which says you’re taking the initiative to plan the next step.
Travis was once asked what gives him so much optimism and energy. He said he doesn’t drink coffee, but since he was a kid he’s been taking Flintstone vitamins. Two a day. The ‘plus iron’ kind. Maybe not the coronavirus cure we were hoping for, but it couldn’t hurt!
Aside from the benefits gained by keeping physically healthy, Travis heartens us to try to stop the victim mindset and bring in a victor mindset that will allow us to take control over what we do next. With many of us with more down time, it’s actually a good time to start studying and training to gain or improve skills you always wished you had time for, so that when things get back to normal, you’ll be ready.
One of the major practices of those finding success over failure is setting aside time to reflect which includes introspection, evaluation, reading, learning, researching, activities that build yourself a confident foundation. Where you are now is not where you want to be, so you’ll need to have the grit to take the next steps toward improvement.
On the other hand, if we withdraw and isolate ourselves mentally, it’s easy to find ourselves carrying our burdens by ourselves and helping to create a victim mindset (‘see how much I’m suffering?’).
Communicate it
If you truly have something good within you, spread that love around everywhere you go. Your belief system should be reflected in how others perceive you, as they say, ‘your reputation proceeds you’.
Social media can reflect your belief system and values by the research you’ve done and your perspective can be seen by prospective employers. A belief system of yes, makes you attractive to others. There’s enough negativity already and positivity attracts others. So create an aura of yes around you. You’re communicating that it’s possible, there is hope. Be the neighborhood hope dealers. It’s time to act, to follow through and do something for others.
Don’t keep it to yourself
It’s certainly great to feel confident in yourself, but nothing truly gets accomplished or has impact unless we believe not only in ourselves but also believe in others.
Recently Travis worked with college students on a classroom project where he helped transform the lesson to focus not merely on an individual accomplishment but to see how it impacted others. He says it was quite something to experience when he saw students realize that each of their contributions created something greater than themselves.
Mandatory social distancing can easily send us into a downward spiral. Stay mindful of physical distance, but don’t socially disengage.
Optimism is meant to be shared by encouraging, trusting and committing to success. People are attracted to those who believe in themselves and believe in other people. But belief and affirmation without accomplishment are not enough. We might wish and hope someone succeeds but it’s the helping and doing something specific that makes a difference.
Voice your belief and trust in others, you’ll be creating value in your community by giving a little of yourself.
Choose a positive goal
Don’t just run away from something, have a definite goal that represents something better. When you give yourself in the service of others, you are not forgetting about yourself, but enhancing what you already have.
No matter what happens we have to express hope.
Hiring Companies
Voya Financial, Kristina DiMartino, Director, Talent Acquisition
Retirement planning isn’t going away and neither are the retirement services Voya offers. Their Tempe office is expanding and moving to a Chandler facility (when we’re back to normal). CEO Rod Martin creates a genuine authentic leadership culture that filters down to give attention to you, the employee. You’re never made to feel less important, even outside the office you can take time away to volunteer for your favorite charity. Pension plan – they got one! That’s extra money for your golden years in case you’ve forgotten that old school retirement benefit.
Get started at any level in the organization but there’s no better place to learn about all the products and services they offer than in the call center.
For the past years Voya has earned several ethical company and great place to work awards! View openings at the Voya career site.
West Pharmaceutical Services, Ryan Rybarczyk, Manager, Human Resources
With 4 facilities in Scottsdale and Tempe, West Pharmaceutical is a leading manufacturer of injectable medicines (that means shots, needles and the vials that hold the medicines). With a rich culture that attracts and retains talent, they carry a special sense of urgency for the industry they serve. Their direct involvement with health care professionals and their patients engages their passion for the well-being of their customers and there’s no compromise in the quality of their products.
There are currently 69 open jobs for warehousing to engineers with various shifts available. Check out their website for further details.
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! Recently U-Haul has been busy helping to move college students.
Their job opportunities cover a wide range of professions. 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. For details on open positions go to jobs.uhaul.com.
Resources
Career Connectors strives to be a source of hope and resources in Arizona. We are teaming up with BestComapaniesAZ, Arizona@Work, Arizona Commerce Authority and PipelineAZ to provide resources for both job seekers and employers. Please visit this BestCompaniesAZ page for detailed resources including companies now hiring.
DISC Assessment
At no cost to you, find your gifts and your ideal work environment through our free DISC assessment at: https://careerconnectors.org/DISC/
Career Connectors has a new program to get you needed remote support in these areas:
- LinkedIn reviews
- Resume reviews
- Career Coaching/Development
- Financial Coaching
- Mock Interviews
For support from experienced pros go to https://careerconnectors.org/coaching to request a coaching appointment.
For details about upcoming Career Connectors virtual events (now weekly), click here to visit the events section on the website for details about hiring companies and keynote topics!
