Showing posts with label job seekers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label job seekers. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2016
Friday, June 12, 2015
1000 Words: The Way to A Fellow's Heart...
It can be hard to describe to people what the LA Fellows experience is before they've lived it firsthand. Knowing that a picture is worth 1,000 words, here are a few to help you visualize what it's like to be an LA Fellow.
They say an army marches on its stomach. LA Fellows is a formidable army of dedicated professionals in search of their next career move, and that requires fortification. Just as offices everywhere bond over birthday cake, organizations inspire with celebratory lunches and deals take shape over appetizers at mixers, LA Fellows bond over food. The training is rigorous, but worth it, and the Fellows exercise their social and professional skills by celebration.
Learn more about the LA Fellows program at www.lafellows.org.
They say an army marches on its stomach. LA Fellows is a formidable army of dedicated professionals in search of their next career move, and that requires fortification. Just as offices everywhere bond over birthday cake, organizations inspire with celebratory lunches and deals take shape over appetizers at mixers, LA Fellows bond over food. The training is rigorous, but worth it, and the Fellows exercise their social and professional skills by celebration.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
1000 Words: Fellowship
It can be hard to describe to people what the LA Fellows experience is before they've lived it firsthand. Knowing that a picture is worth 1,000 words, here are a few words to try to explain.
A group of professionals, all strangers to each other, come together for nine weeks of training. They come from diverse fields: entertainment, finance, information technology, education, law, customer service, transportation, hospitality, publishing. They come from all over the Los Angeles area, from different ethnicities, ages, education backgrounds. They seem to have little in common except for the circumstance of being unemployed. And yet...
Once the training begins, the Fellows find connections deeper than "what do you do for a living?" They find that they are all giving people who are willing to commit 100 hours to a nonprofit organization. They are committed to a cause, namely finding a job, and willing to do what it takes to complete that important mission. They are curious. They are open to new ideas, to learning how to do their job search better, and live better in the process. They are ultimately resilient. The discovery of their similarities bonds the Fellows. They find that in sharing what they know, diversity of experience is a unique advantage of this program.
The LA Fellows program works hard to nurture a supportive environment where participants can work on finding and removing the things that are getting in the way of finding that next job. Sometimes there are tears, sometimes there are difficult conversations, but there are also tissues, hugs and lots of "AHA moment" insight dispensed. Camaraderie is built and friendships are formed. Networking is about relationships and LA Fellows forge relationships that make them stronger individually and collectively.
Learn more about the LA Fellows program at www.lafellows.org.
A group of professionals, all strangers to each other, come together for nine weeks of training. They come from diverse fields: entertainment, finance, information technology, education, law, customer service, transportation, hospitality, publishing. They come from all over the Los Angeles area, from different ethnicities, ages, education backgrounds. They seem to have little in common except for the circumstance of being unemployed. And yet...
Once the training begins, the Fellows find connections deeper than "what do you do for a living?" They find that they are all giving people who are willing to commit 100 hours to a nonprofit organization. They are committed to a cause, namely finding a job, and willing to do what it takes to complete that important mission. They are curious. They are open to new ideas, to learning how to do their job search better, and live better in the process. They are ultimately resilient. The discovery of their similarities bonds the Fellows. They find that in sharing what they know, diversity of experience is a unique advantage of this program.
The LA Fellows program works hard to nurture a supportive environment where participants can work on finding and removing the things that are getting in the way of finding that next job. Sometimes there are tears, sometimes there are difficult conversations, but there are also tissues, hugs and lots of "AHA moment" insight dispensed. Camaraderie is built and friendships are formed. Networking is about relationships and LA Fellows forge relationships that make them stronger individually and collectively.
Friday, May 22, 2015
1000 Words: Attitude is Everything
It can be hard to describe to people what the LA Fellows experience is before they've lived it firsthand. Knowing that a picture is worth 1,000 words, here are a few to help you visualize what it's like to be an LA Fellow.
If all you know to do as a job seeker is sit at your computer, find leads and submit resumes, it can be a pretty solitary and sometimes depressing undertaking. As one of our instructors reminds the LA Fellows: "No one wants to hire Sad, Tired and Angry - that person probably already works there!" It's important for applicants to project a positive attitude, and to show the hiring manager that they are the kind of person their employees would want to work next to for 40 or more hours a week. LA Fellows gives participants a supportive, team learning environment, with lots of opportunities to laugh and celebrate their individual and collective wins.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Parting Words of Wisdom at Graduation
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| LA Fellows instructor and expert job coach Larry Braman used humor to convey some final words of advice about the one topic he forgot to go over during his instruction time. |
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| LA Fellows' newest instructor, Sam Borelli, shared his renewed love of teaching and some last-minute encouragement for the Fellows. |
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| Doug Card, LAVC Job Training staff instructor of the Microsoft classes for the LA Fellows program, kept the audience laughing with his quick wit. |
The instructors are passionately dedicated to providing the highest level of guidance in order to position the professionals in the program to re-enter the workforce in a thoughtful, directed way.
Four of the instructors, Larry Braman, Sam Borelli, Doug Card and Lynnette Ward, were able to attend the graduation ceremonies and speak on behalf of the teaching staff. They eloquently expressed encouragement and pride in the accomplishments of this cohort, injected their own brand of levity, and provided a few last nuggets of wisdom to keep the LA Fellows on track for the next job and all the jobs after that.
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| Lynnette Ward, an instructor who's taught with the LA Fellows program from the very beginning, shared insight and heartfelt appreciation of Cohort 11's enthusiasm and dedication to the training and the job search process. |
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Sodexo Visits LA Fellows
On Wednesday, March 25, The LA Fellows were invited to a meeting with a senior recruiter from Sodexo, a major employer that provides quality of life services to a range of companies and organizations around the world. Having heard about the LA Fellows program from contacts at the Department of Labor, company representatives realized that the experience and management skills of the individuals who are drawn to a program like LA Fellows, which also supports the efforts of nonprofits in the community, could be a good match for their needs and corporate philosophy. Sodexo's vision is about improving the Quality of Life of all those they serve while contributing to the economic, social and environmental development of the cities, regions and countries where they operate.
Adriana Gonzalez, Senior Recruiter - Talent Acquisition for Sodexo, met with a select group of interested Fellows in the Library of the LAVC campus. The Fellows went around the room and introduced themselves, giving her an idea of their backgrounds and the types of positions they were targeting, which ranged from IT to Hospitality Management to Training and Development to Public Relations and Marketing. When they finished, Adriana confirmed that Sodexo employs people to cover all the skillsets they described.
Sodexo is a company built around Quality of Life services.
Many people are familiar with their janitorial or food services for large
institutions but they are so much broader than that: they do corporate
concierge services, senior living management, security, IT, wellness, training,
event management – too many services to list here. Adriana explained that Sodexo is the kind of company where people transition to new roles internally and stay on for many years, it emphasizes work-life balance, encourages community involvement (even pays employees for their time on some volunteer projects!) and has many opportunities to work from home. The Fellows were very impressed with the presentation and the company.
The LA Fellows program welcomes partnerships with employers who would like to target a range of prospective employees who are skilled professionals that are trained and ready to get to work. For more information about Sodexo, you can go to their website: http://sodexousa.com.
The LA Fellows program welcomes partnerships with employers who would like to target a range of prospective employees who are skilled professionals that are trained and ready to get to work. For more information about Sodexo, you can go to their website: http://sodexousa.com.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
"We are LA Fellows Because We Act on our Dreams."
On Friday, March 13th, the LA Fellows program celebrated the graduation of its 11th Cohort (class) of job-seeking professionals. Two individuals from the class represented their Cohort by speaking in the ceremony. The first speaker was Fred Johnson, who agreed to let us post a transcript of his heartfelt and inspiring speech:
To Los Angeles Valley College President, Job Training Staff
and Advisory Board, Mr. Lennie Ciufo, our awesome and dynamic job training leaders
- Allison and Mary, to the WorkSource Centers who have generously funded
the LA Fellows program, particularly Anthony Rodriguez and Candis Noel with the
West Hollywood WorkSource Center who believed enough in me to fund my position
within the LA Fellows, and to our nonprofit partners who have given us
opportunities to volunteer within your organizations to regain our confidence, pride,
and job skills, and to our families and
friends whose support have played an instrumental part in us being here - THANK
YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
We also studied the
growing world of nonprofits involved in everything from health care, education,
the arts and culture, and so much more! Through our volunteering at nonprofits,
not only are we being re-engaged back into the working world, but we are making
a difference and impacting the lives of burned children, developing parks and
open space in economically disadvantaged communities, helping sick kids fight
their illness, and much more at the various nonprofits where my cohorts are
volunteering.
Haisela: Our prayers are with you. You
walk quietly but carry a big stick! Teaching is in your blood.
Fred Jackson is a Real Estate Development and Asset Management professional. He is currently volunteering with the Trust for Public Land, completing a 100 hour project to develop an opportunities report and working in park/open space development.
To Los Angeles Valley College President, Job Training Staff
and Advisory Board, Mr. Lennie Ciufo, our awesome and dynamic job training leaders
- Allison and Mary, to the WorkSource Centers who have generously funded
the LA Fellows program, particularly Anthony Rodriguez and Candis Noel with the
West Hollywood WorkSource Center who believed enough in me to fund my position
within the LA Fellows, and to our nonprofit partners who have given us
opportunities to volunteer within your organizations to regain our confidence, pride,
and job skills, and to our families and
friends whose support have played an instrumental part in us being here - THANK
YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
I am Fred Jackson and I am proud to be a Cohort 11 LA Fellow and honored to speak on behalf of my Cohort.
On January 2nd, a diverse, motley crew of
individuals came together to listen to Allison and Mary give us an orientation
on the transformative journey that we were getting ready to embark upon. Little
did we know what we had signed up for…
In our own different ways, we were all scarred, frustrated
and depressed with the internet suck of job searching and sending our resumes
into corporate electronic black holes and then being further pulled down by the
repeated defeat and rejection of not being fully productive and gainfully employed. So each of us decided to commit to the LA
Fellows Program, challenging us to focus our job search efforts and to move
beyond our comfort zones, shedding layers of negativity.
Over the next nine weeks,
we learned from our incredible and dedicated program instructors
– Andrea, Doug, Keri, Kim, Jim, Larry, Lynnette, Roberto and Sam how to assess the psychological and practical aspects of our
career transition. We learned to develop an action plan and how to tackle
opportunities with structured and focused approaches detailing our strengths, areas
of expertise, interests, and values to uncover the hidden job market.
We studied how to rethink
our thinking and change our brains, how to control our fears with emotional
intelligence, and how to improve our resumes with SOAR stories - highlighting
our expertise, the problems we have solved, and outlining our transferrable
skills.
“Can you walk me through
your resume?” or, “Can you tell me about yourself?” were the painful interview
questions we learned how to tackle along with developing an elevator speech
that will captivate an audiences within 90 seconds or less.
We were taught to have a
personal brand always and consistently showcasing our unique qualities and
being able to back it up with proof statements and in a changing world, we
learned how to embrace change when someone moves our cheese.
We also studied the
growing world of nonprofits involved in everything from health care, education,
the arts and culture, and so much more! Through our volunteering at nonprofits,
not only are we being re-engaged back into the working world, but we are making
a difference and impacting the lives of burned children, developing parks and
open space in economically disadvantaged communities, helping sick kids fight
their illness, and much more at the various nonprofits where my cohorts are
volunteering.
While improving our job
search strategies and interviewing skills, we learned so much more about one
another: who were the direct, task oriented Eagles, the wise, systematic Owls, the
spirited Roadrunners, or the considerate Doves.
I could continue for
nine more weeks talking about all we learned in the LA Fellows Program,
However, today is the graduation for Cohort 11, so to Cohort and friends ….
Alan: I’ve witnessed you wrestle with your employment gap and I know
that you will return to the Healthcare Industry as the trainer and leader that
you are.
Brian: You’re Dr. Scientist and nothing can stop you because you are the
“Master of your fate and the Captain of your soul.”
Justin: You are the teacher/leader that any employer would want and the Foundation
for Pierce College is lucky to have you as a volunteer.
Gus: Move out of your way, trust and embrace your gifts. That is the
only thing stopping you. You are a brilliant and creative writer
Diane W: Cleveland is in the house! Your background maybe varied, but your
skills and ability to connect with people are solid.
Ruth: You don’t know this, but you share the name and characteristics
of my beloved and departed Mother. You are smart, caring, passionate, creative,
and talented! And the job you seek is just a few connections away.
Jen: You’re focused, funny and know what you want. Get ready grant
writing world, Jen is coming and she is serious.
Ava: Ms. Diet Coke, you have the knowledge, connections and leadership
skills that will see you involved in policy work real soon.
Parvene: You have co-owned and lead
an award winning marketing firm for years. Winning is second nature to you and
you will make a successful career transition.
Carol: You were the first Cohort that I met. You are incredibly smart and moved to LA to
be close to your children. It was only a matter of time before you were discovered
in LA and now you are employed.
Denise: You have walked with kings
but kept the common touch as an airline executive. You have the emotional
intelligence we all want in a leader.
Frank: You were taught to always do things right the first time. You got
it right and now you’re employed as a Vice President of a bank.
Barbara: Once you land a teaching job with a Community College, let me
know because I want to take any class you teach! You’re an empathetic
instructor willing to go the extra mile to help your students achieve their
“aha” moments.
Dianne M: Tenacious D, our Eagle, there is no denying you are a New Yorker
and a natural leader and the executive position you deserve is looking for you.
Richard: You’re young, smart and gifted. The world is yours, go and
conquer it!
Alex: My fellow Dove, you are smart, considerate, passionate, and
creative. Don’t second guess yourself because the creative job you seek is just
around the corner.
Bismark: You are smart, understanding, and a motivational leader and
manager that I want running my team because you won’t let the ship sink.
Erica: The once quiet, shy girl has said left the building. You have
made tremendous strides and Shonda Rhimes better snatch you up while she can
afford you. You will be an extraordinary writer, just believe in yourself!
Peter: You’re a smart, gifted and talented attorney. “Fill the
unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of a distance run.”
Paul: Don’t worry about the crutches, pun intended, they get in the way
of employers seeing you stand with your skills, experiences, and background
leading teams and managing a portfolio of buildings.
Nancy: Our Oklahoma Attorney who has the fortitude and will to “Hold on”
and will soon be employed again.
Thor: Our Thunder God of Wealth! With the name Thor Gold, you are
destined for greatness and you are the “Bright Shiny Penny” of our Cohort.
Valerie: You’re the powerful superhero that became employed first among
our Cohort. You showed us how having drive, dedication, and a zeal for learning
pays off.
Bill: You struggled mightily with change, but ultimately you did it and
are now employed.
Mark: You are confident, methodical, driven and employed! You are being
all that you can be and thank you for serving our Country!
And last but not least,
Regina: You’re thoughtful and resourceful with so many
talents. Continue being who you are, because you’re fantastic and the job you
desire will soon be yours!
In closing, no one can
go back and make a brand new start, but everyone can start from now and make a
brand new ending. We came to LA Fellows with our individual issues
and baggage, but we are leaving and graduating uplifted, confident, prepared,
and optimistic about our future.
We are LA Fellows because we are armed with
tactics, higher self-esteem, and we have each other. We are LA Fellows because
we plan and believe in ourselves. We are LA Fellows because we act on our
dreams. We are LA Fellows because we will be employed and accomplish great
things!
And, I thank you.
Fred Jackson is a Real Estate Development and Asset Management professional. He is currently volunteering with the Trust for Public Land, completing a 100 hour project to develop an opportunities report and working in park/open space development.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Do You Know Someone Who's Been Laid Off From One of These Companies?
LA Fellows don't pay a dime for the training they receive through our program, thanks to grants and special funding through our WorkSource partners. The top notch instructors, the materials, the coaching and strategic matches with the nonprofit organizations, the cohort experience - all of that is taken care of financially so that the Fellows can put in their best effort and concentrate on the job search.
We have been asked to get the word out about a important grant, called New Directions, that has been set aside to assist workers from a select group of companies. Workers who have been laid off from the following companies, on or after the date listed, may be eligible for free training through LA Fellows.
If you or anyone you know worked for any company on this list and may be able to take advantage of this opportunity, please call us at the Job Training office at Los Angeles Valley College, (818) 947-2941 and ask to speak to Mary or Allison about New Directions for LA Fellows. We also encourage you to check our website, www.lafellows.org/apply, and come to an orientation either December 5th or December 10th. Details are on the website, and classes begin on January 5, 2015.
We have been asked to get the word out about a important grant, called New Directions, that has been set aside to assist workers from a select group of companies. Workers who have been laid off from the following companies, on or after the date listed, may be eligible for free training through LA Fellows.
If you or anyone you know worked for any company on this list and may be able to take advantage of this opportunity, please call us at the Job Training office at Los Angeles Valley College, (818) 947-2941 and ask to speak to Mary or Allison about New Directions for LA Fellows. We also encourage you to check our website, www.lafellows.org/apply, and come to an orientation either December 5th or December 10th. Details are on the website, and classes begin on January 5, 2015.
- Aerojet Rocketdyne - 03/31/14
- Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG) - 11/30/13
- Allied Beverages, Inc. - 11/12/13
- AMMEX Entertainment, Inc. -Las Palmas Ballroom - 2/6/14
- ARAMARK Sports & Entertainment Services, LLC.(c/o: L.A. Convention Center) - 12/31/13
- Atlantic Express Transportation Corp. - 12/31/13
- Buerge Ford & Chrysler - 3/8/14
- California Auto Mart Group, Inc. - 6/18/14
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center - 6/3/13
- Coda Automobile - 7/15/13
- Community Development Institute - 7/31/13
- Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Inc. (DNC) - 12/01/13
- DTT Surveillance - 10/1/13
- Electronic Arts, Inc. - 12/13/13
- G2 Secure Staff, Inc. - 5/14/14
- Gilly Hicks - 1/26/14
- HemaCare Corp. - 12/8/13
- Intuit - 9/9/13
- JP Morgan Chase - 10/11/13
- Kaiser Permanente - 12/31/13
- Loehmans (La Cienega, Tarzana) - 2/28/14
- McDonald's - 12/1/13
- Menzies - 4/1/14
- Motion Picture Television Fund (Wasserman Campus) - 6/1/14
- Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc. - 12/31/13
- NBC Universal - 11/11/13
- Northridge Hospital Medical Center - 10/28/13
- Omnicare - 5/23/13
- Orchard Supply Hardware - 10/25/13
- Paramount Pictures - 10/1/13
- Ralphs Grocery Company - 1/17/14
- ShoeDazzle.com - 12/13/13
- Shriner's Hospital - 6/6/14
- Siemens Healthcare - 6/1/14
- Technicolor - 12/21/13
- The Fat Cow, FCLA LP - 3/28/14
- U.S. Aviation Services Corp -LA - 5/1/14
- Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics Americus, Inc. (WWL) - 4/19/14
- Walt Disney Pictures - 6/9/13
If you are interested in LA Fellows but have not worked at any of the listed companies, fear not - the New Directions grant is not the only source of funding available. We welcome anyone who is unemployed and in need of a boost to their job search to come to an orientation and see if LA Fellows might be the right next step for them.
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