featured stories in this issue - psgcnj · recent landings – a list of psgcnj members now...
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NOVEMBER 2011 Vol. 2, No. 9
In This Issue Welcome Editorial
NEWS FEATURES Hired Learning
Recent Landings
Committee Spotlights
Helpful Tips
About PSGCNJ Official Website
Yahoo Group
Programs Event Calendar
Submit Your Bio
Tech Tips
Transition Tips
COMMITTEES Administration
Marketing
Membership
Opportunity Center
Programs & Networking
Technology
Training Advanced Resume Review Mock Interviews
Weekly General Meeting and Location
Mondays at 10:30 AM First United Methodist Church Basement Meeting Hall 48 West High Street Somerville, NJ
Featured Stories in this Issue: EDITOR’S NOTE – Reasons to Celebrate this Season by Robert Acquaye SPEAKER’S CORNER – How Goes the Fight? by Terrence Seamon HIRED LEARNING – Preparation is Critical and CAR Stories Make a Difference by David Pastore Laura Fields Goes the Extra Mile by Pamela Williams RECENT LANDINGS – A List of PSGCNJ Members Now Gainfully Employed
COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT – Bio Blast Your Way to a Job Lead by Julius Alberici MONDAY MORNING MEETINGS – Calendar of Upcoming Topics and Speakers
HELPFUL TIPS – Find Your Next Job on Twitter by Ken Hitchner Transition Rollercoaster by Rick Peterson Great News for NJ Homeowners – Home Keeper Program
REASONS TO CELEBRATE THE SEASON by Robert Acquaye, Managing Editor
There are two reasons to be joyous at this time:
The government just announced that the number of
people applying for unemployment fell to the lowest level
in six months. Lay-offs are easing and employment,
which we are all seeking, may be picking up.
In October, at least 22 Professional Service Group of
Central New Jersey (PSCGNJ) members secured jobs,
the largest volume of landings ever recorded. While it is
too early to provide the final number of November landings, the numerous openings
on committees are another sign that “help is on the way.”
These are strong indications for hope and as we rejoice for our comrades, we may not be too far behind.
This issue’s articles demonstrate the relentlessness required to achieve our goals. It also shows that putting into practice all of PSGCNJ’s key lessons yields dividends.
Please follow the formula -- attend meetings and stay engaged by volunteering -- and you will surely end up in the most important section of the newsletter: Recent Landings.
Best wishes to all the recent landings and Happy Holidays to all!
Useful Links
NJ Department of Labor
Job Search Websites
Reference USA
We want to hear from you — CONTACT US: [email protected]
STAFF
Managing Editor:
Robert Acquaye
Layout Editors:
Frances Chaves
Rick Verbanas
Copy Editor:
Ken Hitchner
MARKETING COMMITTEE:
Julius Alberici Jose M. Diez Rico Robert Kolvites Palmira Kozuck Tom Makowski William Murphy Leanore Naphtali David Pastore Sonia Vera Pamela Williams Leanne Rea Richard Russell
SPEAKER’S CORNER
How Goes the Fight?
By Terrence Seamon
After attending a funeral service this morning, I walked
across the windswept parking lot and briefly spoke to a
friend. His greeting was, "How goes the fight?" He was
referring to the challenge of the job market. For job hunters,
every day is a fight in a war that seems to have no end.
If you are seeking a job, or know someone who is searching,
the big question is: How are you surviving and thriving in
today's difficult job market?
Back in 2008 and 2009 when this great recession blew in like an arctic storm,
freezing millions out of work, the story of Charles Pixley stood out like a beacon. A
courageous soul, Pixley did something quite creative. Here is my November 2009
blog about what he did, re-posted:
In getting ready to teach job hunters how to make the most of LinkedIn as a tool in
their job search, I came across the article about Charles Pixley. He's the investment
banker who, after losing his job in the recession, decided to market himself by
wearing a sandwich board and standing at the corner of Broadway and Wall Street
until he got an offer.
Pixley said: "Believe in yourself, improve yourself, put yourself out there. Have
yourself seen. You resume will go into a pile. It's just another resume, just more
words. There's no color. These posters provided my soul. It says everything in one
lump page."
Take a close look at his poster. It says in part: “Investment Banker. 30+ years.
Enlightened Leadership. Mission Driven."
Wow. What a great elevator pitch in visual form. Tenacious Pixley shows us how to
put yourself out there and be more visible to employers and business partners.
Since then, in working with job hunters, I have often retold the Pixley story and
conveyed his three points. Even now, as 2011 is drawing to a close, with 14 million
still out of work, we need his example, and his three points.
Last year, Doug Shaw, a UK-based consultant that I met via The Employee
Engagement Network, asked, “what are you doing to survive and thrive?” He gave
three points of his own, and then invited others to weigh in. You can read the entire
wise compilation here.
Here are a few nuggets that I want to highlight because I believe they might be
helpful to anyone who is struggling to find work.
Craig Althof said: "Re-assess yourself on a regular basis. Set your priorities, act on
them. Surviving and thriving will follow."
Bill Lamphear said: "Every day is a gift. Keep learning. Be a friend and mentor."
Hilary Jeanes said: "Reduce your stress. Identify what causes you stress and how to
alleviate it. You will be in a better place to cope with whatever life throws your way."
Karen Drury said: "Take comfort in friends."
Ian Sutherland said: "Accept what has happened. Face your fears. Live your
dreams."
Shereen Qutob Cabral said: "It take a whole lot of patience and faith."
And finally, Doug Shaw's three points are worth highlighting: "Love your network.
Focus on the future. Be positive." Amen, brother.
- Be positive
- Assess yourself
- Let go/ accept and release the past
- Don't let the “shoulds” hold you back
- Don't let negative people get you down
- Follow what you enjoy most
- Laugh/ keep your sense of humor
- Be creative
- Reduce expenses
- Join meet-up groups
- Be social
- Love your network
- Go to professional gatherings
- Volunteer
- Do pro bono work
- Be optimistic
- Love your librarian
- Don't give up
- Take a breather
- Be disciplined
- Distinguish yourself
- Reinvent yourself
- Be open to doing something different, new
Terrence Seamon works in Human Resources OD and Training in New Brunswick,
New Jersey. Facilitator, blogger, and transitionist, Terry is engaged, learning, and
changing. Read his blogs at http://learningvoyager.blogspot.com/ or reach him
through his email: [email protected].
HIRED LEARNING
Toni Maselli: Preparation is Critical
By David Pastore Toni Maselli, after 28 months out of a permanent position,
recently landed a full time position at the ExpertPlan
Company.
Toni credits being adequately prepared as the overriding dynamism in landing this
new position. She prepared in many ways, some of which came through PSGCNJ:
taking the advanced resume review, keeping her skills up to date as a volunteer on
a PSGCNJ committee and learning from the various speakers at the Monday
morning general meetings.
Toni saw the job listed on a job board and then attended a job fair where she
networked with people at the company and had a mini interview. “This led to a call
and a more in-depth follow up interview with the hiring manager, and then I
progressed up the chain to the CFO, the final decision maker. After all those
interviews I was offered a position.”
To successfully job hunt, Toni recommends: always send thank you notes, volunteer
- the companies where she interviewed loved hearing about her volunteer efforts -
and evaluate your situation from time to time, making changes accordingly. Don’t
rule out anything - job boards, job fairs, networking, and most of all, don’t give up.
Congratulations to Toni. We wish her great success at ExpertPlan.
Bill Conrad: CAR Stories Make a Difference
By David Pastore
After 16 months on the job hunt, Bill Conrad recently landed a new position at
EmbraceCortel.
The job opportunity came to Bill through a former colleague with whom he had
stayed in touch over the years. When he was out of work, Bill called her every six
weeks or so. From that one source, Bill generated seven interviews with the last one
resulting in the position.
The hiring process was in two steps. “I had a 30-minute phone interview, followed by
my only in-person interview: a marathon, two-and-a-half-hour session with three
people. I was prepared and asked many questions.”
CAR (Challenge-Action-Result) stories, learned through PSGCNJ, were one of the
most important aspects of Bill’s job search. “The accomplishment version of my
resume became a punch list of success stories to work into the interview. I crafted
my questions to the interviewer so that they asked me to clarify, giving me the
opportunity to explain in more detail and share the CAR success story. Then I asked
if their corporate culture embraced that sort of situation and if the position had
similar skill set opportunities for me to bring into their organization. They said that
no other candidate had ever asked my questions!”
Bill managed his job search by “scheduling time for me, getting involved in volunteer
organizations, and scheduling at least one daily break for a “normal” task, like
grocery shopping. I tried not to neglect my family, keeping family time even when I
was not feeling very positive. I learned some new recipes and cooked new meals.”
Bill re-established helpful connections “to spend some “normal” time lunching with a
close friend, relative or PSGCNJ acquaintance. To help dispel feelings of isolation, I
performed my job search several times a month in the PSGCNJ room and
connected with other committee members.”
Congratulations to Bill; we wish him great success at EmbraceCortel.
Laura Fields Goes the Extra Mile
By Pamela Williams
After seven months, Laura Fields, a Programs and Networking Committee member, landed after literally going the extra mile. She built her successful job-search tool kit that included: · Notes from the PSGCNJ five-day training classes · Tips received from the Monday morning general meetings · A TMP (Transactional Marketing Plan) When Laura got two job offers, she skillfully negotiated keeping both assignments on her terms – consecutively. She landed a temporary three-month assignment with Johnson & Johnson in Morris Plains and a permanent position to follow immediately thereafter with Commissioning Agents Inc. (CAI), a consulting company. She starts in January, 2012. The CAI opportunity resulted from a networking lead. The whole process took about two months. A friend Laura re-connected with at a networking meeting passed her credentials to another associate who was hiring quality engineers. Laura’s first interview was with the vice president of the Northeast Region. For her second interview, Laura went the extra mile: the VP was flying home from Belgium with a stop-over in North Carolina. Laura flew to fly North Carolina, met the interviewer in an airport hotel lobby and then flew back to New Jersey, all in the same day! Upon her return, Laura was offered the temporary position that she promptly accepted. When she finally received an offer from CAI, Laura had a fortunate dilemma. Laying all her cards on the table, she negotiated terms that will allow her to start with CAI on completion of the three-month assignment. Congratulations, Laura, on both landings!
What you can do:
Attend the Monday 10:30 AM PSGCNJ General Membership meetings at First
United Methodist Church (Basement Meeting Hall), 48 West High Street,
Somerville. Speakers are listed in this newsletter and at www.psgcnj.org: click
on “Professional” at the top of the page, then on “Newsletter” in the left column.
Sign-up for the DoL (Department of Labor)’s Career Beacon job-search
workshops which cover topics such as networking, resume writing and self-
management skills. For more information, contact the Somerville One-Stop
Center at 908-704-3000.
Email your current resume to [email protected] to schedule a
one-on-one resume review meeting and receive feedback from your peers on
the Career Training Committee, which meets at the DoL Building in Somerville.
Join the Transition Management Team (TMT) to support your job search.
Contact Emmanuel “Manny” Inyang from the DoL for more info on this topic.
RECENT LANDINGS Congratulations to the PSGCNJ members who have landed. This is a partial list:
11/17 Pamela Williams, Kelly Services, L'Oreal Component Planner 10/28 Mary Moser 10/24 David Rathbun, Abbott Labs, Help Desk
10/24 Toni Maselli, Expert Plan Implementation Specialist
10/24 Renee Ralph, DoL - Trenton Contractor
10/22 Rochelle Levin, Butler Public Library Diector
10/18 Richard Peterson, RVCC Coordinator of Aprenticeship Program
10/17 Laura Fields, C&G Consulting Quality Consultant
10/17 Hassina Banu Daureeawo
10/17 Andrew Piech, The New Millennium Bank Vice-President
10/17 Karen Boyajian
10/14 Dorothy Pisano
10/13 MaryAnn Maltz
10/13 Frank Runiak
10/13 Michael Lentini
10/13 William Conrad, Embrace Cortel
10/13 Roger Stone, Embrace Cortel
10/13 Greg Corbo, Dell Computer Services
10/07 Karen Walker
10/07 Linda Myers
10/07 Ignacia Gonzalez
10/03 Hugh Mitchell
When you land in your new career please remember to update your Co-Chair with the name of your company and title of your new position!
COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT: Opportunity Center
Bio Blast Your Way to a Job Lead
By Julius Alberici
The PSGCNJ Bio Blast helps members get job leads. On the first Thursday of each month, members’ bios are blasted to over 500 companies, many of which then interview PSGCNJ members.
Pamela Williams described her Bio Blast experience: "I got an interview with a company that I would not have found otherwise. Their HR person said that she always uses the PSGCNJ bio blast to find candidates. I found another job in the interim, but this was a welcome and good job lead and really boosted my morale." As the lottery advertises, “you’ve got to be in it to win it.” You can’t get a lead if you don’t submit your bio to Bio Blast. Here’s how to do it: 1. Guidelines for submitting your biography:
Your bio should be five to seven sentences in length.
Use the third person, not “I,” when writing your professional summary.
Start your bio with the last six digits of your PSGCNJ ID# (located on your One Stop Career white plastic card) followed by your desired job title.
E-Mail your bio to [email protected]
2. After receiving your bio, the Membership Committee enters your information in the appropriate file and sends you an email confirmation. The first few sentences of your bio will appear in the right column of the General Session sign-in sheet. If your bio area is blank, follow up with the Membership Committee.
3. If you want to review or edit your bio, send an E-Mail to [email protected].
They will send you a copy of your original bio or replace the old version with a new version based on your E-Mail request.
4. If an employer receives the bio blast and is interested in getting more
information from you, they will request that the Opportunity Center ask you to contact them, using your six digit ID. Requests from employers for additional information will be sent to the individual PSGCNJ member, with information on how and whom to contact.
In order to take advantage of every possible resource in landing a position, make certain you have a strong, up-to-date bio on file so you can start getting those job leads! Following is a sample Bio Blast biography: 861200 Marketing Manager: Experienced manager with a strong background in
product management and international marketing. Leader and team contributor in all areas of the marketing industries. Demonstrated interpersonal, communications, and organizational skills. Played key role in the setting up of a start-up global association to go from zero revenues to $500M in revenues in 5 years. Knowledgeable in telecommunications, non-profit, healthcare industries, and opened to management and consulting assignments in most industries.
HELPFUL TIPS
Find Your Next Job on Twitter
By Ken Hitchner Twitter is an online networking event. So, join the party and find your next opportunity. You may start by creating an account at www.twitter.com. But first, here are a few tips about the culture: Be real and authentic. When you open your Twitter account, use your real name and post a current headshot. All your posts should be professional, but that doesn’t mean they all should be about a profession. Make sure about 25 percent of your posts highlight your personal interests. Which sports teams to you support? Any hobbies? Are you passionate about a specific charity? Remember, people do business with people that they like. Your Twitter bio and postings should portray yourself as a human being – not as another spoke in the wheel. (This isn’t LinkedIn.) Be valuable. The name of the game is not to look younger, but to look “fresh” or current in your field. Build yourself into an expert in your own niche, and offer your followers some insight based on your past experiences. Create a “guru” network, which is a group of people who know a lot more about a specific topic than you do. This resource will force you to stay on top of your game. Be helpful. Always look for opportunities to interact with your followers. Ask
questions and give answers, recommendations and feedback. Always check your @mentions and messages to see who is trying to interact with you. What you can do: To help with your job search, use keywords and hashtags (#) to
find people or organizations in your specific field. Start following your target companies in your marketing plan.
Smooth out the Transition Rollercoaster
By Rick Peterson
All of us have experienced the uncertainty and frustrations of career transition and
the emotional rollercoaster that our current “full-time job” engenders. Some have
experienced virtual rocket launches and supersonic crashes.
Because we are human and have feelings, this cannot be totally eliminated, but
there are tools that can help smooth out the Transition Rollercoaster.
A written plan is one frequently overlooked/underutilized tool to address many, many
problems and frustrations during transition!
A written plan enables us to:
See where we are going/ keep focused on our goals and keep going through
distractions
Track our progress
Adjust our activities to be more realistic and effective
Gain perspective and approach all aspects of our transition strategically
Anticipate and prepare for challenges rather than always jumping through
surprise hoops
Keep one step ahead of our emotions
Most of us keep a task list. That is not a plan – but it can be a significant start. An
effective plan can be very simple. There are only three key components:
1. Written goals
2. Written realistic tasks to achieve each goal
3. Written timeline (time estimate and target date to complete each task)
NOTE: I did not say targets to achieve goals (those might come later). By focusing
on tasks we can more effectively evaluate the tasks, our plans, our progress, and
how to fix problems.
Some of us are very skillful with plans and some struggle to list their tasks and have
no idea how to track their progress.
Start where you are! Your first cut may be a brilliant marketing plan for your
transition, or it might be a statement of one goal and a list of a few vague tasks.
Every plan is a living document to be effective it must be updated, expanded,
clarified, refined, and adjusted.
A few hints:
Start now! Draft your first plan today.
Don’t worry about what it looks like, as long as you can read it.
Review your plan. (Are the tasks and timelines realistic? Make adjustments as needed.)
Make it comprehensive. (Your plan should holistically include all aspects of your life, not just your job search tasks.)
Make a way to record/store each revision/update of your plan. (That is a good way to track your progress and effectively adjust your approach and plan.)
If you need help, seek it out among your PSGCNJ friends and neighbors (or join the
Transition Management Team (TMT)). We are all here to help each other.
If you can help someone, make your skills known and share your talents (TMT could
use good facilitators). Just remember – we are a support group! Never criticize
another’s efforts! Suggestions for improvement are much more effective when
given with sugar rather than salt.
A written plan can be a powerful tool to help us survive the ups and downs of
transition and land in our next career position.
MONDAY MORNING MEETINGS Please check our Program Events Calendar for more information. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/psgcnj/cal
December 2011
====================================================================
NETWORKING
December 5, 2011
Topic: Elevator Pitches and Speed Networking Exercise
Presenter: John Hadley ===============================================================
December 12, 2011
Topic: Job Openings – To Be Announced (TBA)
Presenter: Recruiting Agency – TBA ==================================================================
December 12, 2011
Topic: Job Openings – TBA
Presenter: Recruiting Agency – TBA ===============================================================
===
December 19, 2011
Topic: Holiday Brunch
Presenter: P & N Committee ===============================================================
===
December 26, 2011 DoL Closed (Day after Xmas) ===============================================================
===
December 27, 2011
Topic: TBA
Presenter: Marty Latman
==================================================================
= START YOUR WEEK RIGHT!
TMT (Transition Management Team) - the 2nd and 4th week of every month at 9:00 AM before the General Meeting at 10:30 AM
NOTE to our readers: If you have an idea or a suggestion for PSGCNJ, or you have a request for a specific topic to appear in this newsletter, please let us know!
Simply send your note to: [email protected]
