Dani Zandel Shares Her Networking ABC’s – Always Be Connecting

I hope Thanksgiving treated everyone well and you enjoyed your time with family and friends. Now that the holiday "season" has officially begun, I'd like to remind you of great opportunities in front of you.




Yes, this is the time of year for shopping sprees and eating and drinking way too much. Don't worry, I'm not about to pitch a gym membership. In fact, I'm going to encourage the shopping sprees and food/drink fests. Why? Because they will provide prime opportunities for networking. And as Lynnette, Larry, and our wonderful LA Fellow advisors will remind us, networking is the key to many wonderful opportunities.



Have you joined any professional groups yet? Many will have December "meetings" as holiday potlucks or minglers. Are you a member of some sort of a social or even support group? They may be having parties, too…and if not, why not suggest one?



In December, I have four events lined up before any school or family-related commitments: The International Association of Business Analysts, a professional group I joined this year, will have its monthly meeting as a dinner and wine sampling mingler at a restaurant. The yoga studio where I take classes will open their doors to a holiday potluck. The Beer Homebrewers Club, a social group I joined when I was let go from my job, will be having their annual Christmas party. And as wacky as it may sound, my surgical weight loss support group will be holding its annual potluck event. These are my personal networking opportunities (and still looking for more!) to show you that you may have holiday events you may not even realize to be good opportunities for meeting people AND building relationships with people you have met.



The importance of networking is in the fact that you don't know who people know. I have so many personal stories of six degrees of separation - as obscure as a woman in my support group having 1. worked with one of my dad's cousins, 2. worked with a former classmate, and 3. having a hairstylist who I met through my best friend....and that is ONE connection of mine! I'm always happy to share my stories if you ask, but there is one that occurred right within LA Fellows: I met David Berkus at the Reunion Picnic in October. He was telling me about the work he used to do, and some companies he used to work for. My response was to ask if he knew someone whose name I will not mention. Not only did David know this person, but they worked together for over 15 years. This mutual connection is a man who was like my father's brother. He is so close to my family that he was in the hospital visiting my dad more than my dad's own brother. His family is like family to mine - to the point that our Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions include dinner with each other! How is that for a small world?



Networking can open many doors - though hopefully to jobs, your next connections can lead to making other new connections, or learning new skills. An informational interview may lead to your ability to join a professional association, or a professional association may lead to your ability to take a discounted skills or certificate course. Stepping out of the professional realm for a moment, for those of us who are single, networking may lead to meeting Mr. or Ms. Right - and provides a much better experience than internet dating! Heck, once upon a time, I met a great hairstylist at a social networking event! You just never know.



And don't forget to maintain the relationships. Attend the meetings/events throughout the year so that the faces and names become familiar. If they don't see you, they can't think of you when they find out about jobs! For people you have created relationships with, don't forget the big gesture a short phone call or email can send. For those you are even closer to, meet for a cup of coffee or a happy hour. Maintain an appropriate follow-up for the relationship you have built, but you MUST follow-up! Be active. And continue this activity AFTER you have found a job. It can be easy to slack off when juggling work and family, but we all know how not-so-great it is to be unemployed, and if it happens again, we all know how much easier it is to find work when we have connections who can lead us to our next destination. Make time, even if it is for one event per month. A-B-C: Always Be Connecting!



For those who are intimidated to go to an event alone, ask someone to go with or meet you. For those who don't like large groups of people, find smaller groups. Keep in mind that the first time you attend anything, everyone is a stranger. Keep going. Keep building the relationships. All you need is to feel as if you are walking into an atmosphere where there is ONE person whom you could say HELLO to.



And for those of you who know me to be advocating networking and all of the activities I have just mentioned...You don't know how FREAKED OUT I am for the first few minutes in anyplace where I don't know people. After losing my job last year, I had to force myself to reach out, and in doing so, attended a Beer Homebrewing Club party with 300 people, knowing no one. The only person I "knew", I had met at 2pm the day of the party. It was an uncomfortable evening to say the least, and a step I needed to take. But over the past year of attending social opportunities and monthly meetings with the same group, I look forward to this year's big Christmas party. And I know I will not know MOST of the expected 300 people there this year, but I do know enough faces and names to mix and mingle and have a good time.



So, advocating the importance of networking is one of my long-winded topics...but very worthwhile of the share. Don't forget A-B-C: Always Be Connecting. You never know who people know and you never know where your next connection may lead. As this festive season begins, get out your best outfits, go ahead and shop (for canned goods and gifts to donate to charities), eat, drink (safely) and be merry....If you're comfortable to do so, be someone's wing-person...and if you need a wing-girl, give me a call!



Happy Holidays LA Fellows and Job Training Staff!



Sincerely,

Dani Zandel
LA Fellows, Cohort 3

Joy Gemberling shares how the hidden job market worked for her!

I’m proud to announce that I’ve landed as a consultant for Plus Delta Consulting Firm, a LA-based firm specializing in leading organization development and change initiatives to produce better business results.



My story is very different from the majority of LA Fellows Cohorts since I started my job search in a new environment having relocated to California less than a year from attending my first LA Fellows class. In 2009, I reconnected to a high school buddy through Facebook and we fell in love. We both grew up in New Jersey; he’s been living in the SoCal area for quite a few years while I was still living in New Jersey. We had a long distance romance for several months. In January 2010, I was laid off from my Jersey (pronounced “Joisey”) job, relocated to California in May 2010 and got married in August 2010. During the Fall 2010, I began my California job seeking adventure, joined the Los Angeles chapter of the ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) and attended locally-based job seeking groups to network and learn more about companies/organizations within the area. Through the ASTD-LA’s LinkedIn group, I saw Allison Silver’s posting regarding the LA Fellows program and thought it would be a great opportunity to expand my network, partner with a nonprofit to gain new skills and expand my job seeking skills.



Being new to the SoCal area, I needed to make friends and expand my network. During our first LA Fellows class, I met Victor Beauchamp and Monqiue Carroll who both lived nearby in Pasadena and I suggested that we start a carpool. During our drives to and from classes, we commiserated regarding our job seeking woes and how it was affecting our families. Being so new to the area, I didn’t have any close friends to talk to and their friendship came at a perfect time in my life.



Back in Jersey, I was active with a variety of nonprofits and was looking forward to my LA Fellows internship. I had chosen three nonprofits that I was interested in working with, but wanted more information. I decided to contact LA Fellows who had interned at these nonprofits through our LA Fellows LinkedIn group. I was excited with the outpouring from many Cohorts graciously offering their experience and advice. I decided to accept an internship at Chrysalis where I recorded and edited 24 videos of their core classes to create 10 train-the-trainer videos in order for new volunteers to successfully facilitate specific Chrysalis classes to clients. I reached out to Ana Gamboa, who was in Cohort 2, had interned and now has a full time position as an Employment Specialist at Chrysalis. I hit a few bumps in my internship and Ana was very sympathetic and generously offered her job seeking advice. I also met Kimberly James, who was in Cohort 1 and also interned at Chrysalis. We’ve become friends and will be serving as Co-Directors of Community Services for ASTD-LA in 2012. Now remember, I’ve only lived in California for just over a year and have met some great people who have become friends all through the “joys” of networking (yes, a pun IS intended).



Since attending the LA Fellows Program, I significantly changed my job seeking philosophy and strategy. This job opportunity happened though my LinkedIn network. Having been an active member of my professional organization (ASTD national & ASTD-LA chapter), I decided to join ASTD affiliated LinkedIn groups. I read a posting on the ASTD-LA LinkedIn group from the owner of this consulting firm, checked out his LinkedIn profile and company website. Per Lynnette Ward’s advice, I sent a personalized cover letter seeking a consulting position with his firm along with my resume. Within 10 days, I was offered a consulting position at his firm. Before the LA Fellows program, I wouldn’t even have thought about seeking a position that wasn’t posted on a job seeking website. The recession has made it quite challenging in seeking a full time job. Through the LA Fellows program, I realized the value of the hidden job market, being open to endless possibilities and the power of networking.



There’s no good luck charm or one size fit all solution in finding a job in this turbulent economy. However, I hope sharing my story will open your eyes to new opportunities and possibilities towards your job search.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Joy Gemberling, Cohort 4

People are being hired...decide you are going to be one of them!

Thank you Karyn Stump, Cohort 3, for sharing these very true and encouraging thoughts…




I was talking to a friend of mine who is currently unemployed and it reminded me a bit about what it is that one needs to make it through this difficult time.



You have to believe that you CAN get a job in this environment in spite of the environment. I said repeatedly during our Cohort, Lynnette and the other instructors mainly rebuilt our confidence.



If you approach your job search with the attitude that nothing you do will make a difference, then you will not find a job. A positive attitude is a must. That follows into your phone and in-person interviews as well.



People are being hired, even people who have been unemployed for a long time. Just decide that you are going to be one of them.

Karyn Stump receives her certificate at LA Fellows graduation for Cohort 3

Victor Beauchamp of Cohort 4 shares his Top 5 Best Job Search Practices

When I think back on most useful practices I learned there are the obvious classics such as “bring shiny penny,” the “blunt instrument,” network, practice interview questions, volunteer, etc. which were all valuable lessons for me, but the “Top 5” that stood out during my search were:




1. Have an Accountability Partner(s)/ “Continue the Fellows” – Immediately after Fellows graduation I went into a “Post-Fellows” funk and started to slip back into some bad habits: staying up late, not wearing shoes, etc. Fortunately I was able to attend a Monday morning group of “Mini-Fellows” led by Julie-Ann, with Monique, and Lorita that had an agenda and weekly homework assignments. Just knowing that I had to start off my week with at least three people expecting big things from me really made a difference and helped keep me focused throughout the week. It also helped me feel like Fellows was still ongoing as we already knew each other’s issues and had an amazing shared experience that we could all draw from. I recommend that everyone have at least one “accountability partner,” but if it can be a few former Fellows I think the experience will be that much richer because you can reinforce to each other what you learned in the program. (Also, be friends with Joy Gemberling if possible: she is very resourceful, helpful, and a human good luck charm!)



2. Adjust Resume for Each Job (Use Hybrid with “Selected Accomplishments”) – Although this is a huge drag (especially when the “no’s” start rolling in) I took Lynnette’s advice and only applied for jobs that I thought I was really qualified for, and created at least a new unique “selected accomplishments” section for each with my best three bullet points that fit the job. This helped me immediately understand how I was qualified for the job, got my best attributes on to the first page, and became the basis for my cover letter. (If you don’t want to do this you have to at least use Lynnette’s resume template and follow it exactly to the letter unless you want to get in trouble : )



3. “Be Completely There” During the Interview – I would get super nervous during interviews and over-prepare which would create a tightening effect, but Larry’s numerous tips about speaking from your lower abdomen, “mee mow moos,” shaking it out, and finally just “letting go and trusting it will be there for you” really made a difference for me. I also found that using his SOAR template and putting those concepts on flash cards instead of actually writing out full interview answers allowed me to still grasp the basic concepts but sound less rehearsed…



4. Help “Non-Fellows” Job Search (Teach) – As I mentioned numerous times before many people in my other networking groups are very interested in LA Fellows: I used these opportunities to teach people the lessons which helped me better understand what I had learned and made it obvious to me when I was not practicing what I was preaching.



5. Take Risks/Get Out of Your Shell – I used the Fellows program to take advantage of every opportunity that was presented to me, even if it meant getting way out of my comfort zone (like speaking at graduation, attending black tie affairs, or having informational lunches with complete strangers that prefer to talk about “chicks” instead of job openings, true story : ( I figure whatever I had been doing for the last few years had got me unemployed so changing it might reverse the effect? Although none of those experiences directly led to me getting this particular job, I saw each of them as accomplishments that went in my “backpack” so when I started feeling nervous about the next panel interview I just thought: “this is easier than the graduation speech and that went ok so calm down.” It really helped put things in perspective forced me to see myself in a totally different light.



Although these were all important to me I really can’t emphasize enough the importance of continuing the spirit of support and community with other Fellows: in fact I think the only downside about landing for me is no longer having the chance to go to Mini-Fellows (that and the whole working every day thing : ) Seriously, please get together with each other because it really is the easiest way to “keep” what you learned. I wish you all luck in your job search and if there is any way I can help please let me know…

Victor Beauchamp, Cohort 4

Ara Easley shares how her LA Fellows training and volunteering helped her secure employment

Ara Easley, a proud LA Fellows graduate of Cohort 1, shares how she moved past the struggle and hopelessness of searching for a job and secured full-time employment.  Read all about how she made it happen:

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it... I was struggling at the time I was in LA Fellows, to the point of hopelessness. The people were great, the classes were helpful, but I felt like a lost cause. Then there was a job fair at LAVC. Tony asked who wanted to help set up, which gave us an opportunity to be of service in the moment, and talk up LA Fellows as well as ourselves. All of the skills honed in LA Fellows came into play. LA Fellows filled in the conversational gap of "what are you doing now?", and we had spent countless hours with all of our coaches figuring out what we wanted to do next, and how to present it concisely, confidently and with our own personality shining through.

I met a recruiter, who asked what I was looking for, and I perkily answered non-profit. He asked if I would be open to loan processing. My smile stayed just as big as I said yes. He asked what I had been making, and then presented this salary, which is a cut, but is way more than I was making while unemployed, so once again I stayed open and positive. The job turned out to be a Bankruptcy Specialist at Bank of America, temp-to-perm, and after the scheduled nine month contract it has finally gone perm! Nine of us started that day, and four of us are left.

It may have been a tip from Lynnette that put me over the edge... she said to use your real job title no matter how dry, and no matter how little it represents your actual job. I had an eight year stint at Northrop Grumman growing from Benefits Assistant to Associate Benefits Analyst to Benefits Analyst. The Bank of America job was obtained through resume alone, with the briefest of phone interviews. Those titles told the recruiter I had a background in Insurance and was very analytical and detail-oriented. I may have other skills, and they may have even come out more if I fudged my title to match the tasks from my previous position, but these are the skills I've been hired for, and am continuing to hone them while I am at Bank of America. I am truly grateful to LA Fellows for the support and the tools to get me back on my feet and back to work!"

Ara Easley, Cohort 1, proudly displays her LA Fellows certificate at graduation

Wendy Stackhouse of Cohort 2 discusses job search best practices that really work!

There are two best practices that have served me well in the process of landing not one role, but two, both in a new field for me, Marketing.




First is to, before every single interview, phone, in-person, panel, write out the answers to the sample interview questions. Even "Tell me a little about yourself." (Why is that the hardest one?) Over the course of my job search, my answer has changed based on what's going on with me, what the role is, who I'm meeting, what stage of the process we are in, all sorts of reasons. Some of my answers are always the same, but to have them firmly in the front of my mind right before an interview has been essential to being articulate and calm during the meetings.



Second, remember that a job interview is a chance to meet another person, to find commonalities and maybe even make a new friend. Like an audience for a performer, they want you to do well, they want to like you. Although they are judging you in a certain way, they, like you, would love to discover that you are the perfect candidate. Interviewing and networking are both chances to meet new people and start new relationships. How fun is that?



I've had a lot of interesting experiences during my job search including a Dramatic Re-enactment of an interview (the panel messed up big time) and a very strange interview with a Daily Deal site. The jobs I have landed have come from internet site searches, black hole notwithstanding. I've tweaked my resume and cover letter over and over and over. And over. I've tried making deals with my karma. The most important factor has been thinking of the entire process as building relationships, start to finish. Today I can't wait to start working with my new manager next week and getting my feet under me in my new role. I get to build a community of creative professionals and that is my mission (thanks again, Dr. Green).



Best of luck to everyone and if there's anything I can do for you, please let me know!

Wendy Stackhouse

Cohort 2

Sharon Morgan, LA Fellows Cohort 1, shares invaluable job search advice

I really took the advice of the LA Fellows instructors to heart. What I was doing clearly wasn't working...for almost 2 years I was spinning my wheels and getting nowhere. The particular tips that helped me the most were:



1. I stopped spending so much time replying to job ads, and really focused on networking. But my networking was with small groups of people who I could build relationships with, not those large networking events where people hand out tons of business cards. If people can meet with you a couple of times, they are more likely to remember you and think of you when they hear of job leads. And they can be great support when you need a pep talk.


2. Network with unemployed people, and particularly with employed folks. Those who are unemployed can give you a heads up on jobs they hear about, but you're much more likely to get leads for unpublished job leads...and get a leg up in the interview process...by knowing someone on the inside.


3. Be very clear about what you're looking for. If you can't concisely explain the type of job you want, how can anyone help you? Even if you'll take anything, ask for what you want first. Then say "but I'm interested in any position in x area". I met a woman this weekend at a party who is job hunting. I asked her what she was looking for. She said "anything". I asked her for more specifics, and she told me, but I can't remember what she said. I just remember the "anything" part.


4. Everything is a job interview. How you behave, whether it's during volunteer time, networking meetings, or parties, is a chance to make an impression on someone who could potentially be a help. If you're a whiny mess, you're not making a good impression. Save the whining for behind closed doors, and when you're around others, be your best self...that bright, shiny penny. Your friends aren't going to recommend you for a job if they don't think you're up for it; how you perform is a reflection on them, too.


5. Get to work!!! It doesn't matter what you do, but don't do nothing. It's important not only to have something current on the resume, but for your mental health as well. Your best bet is with a non-profit, as you know. They are grateful for the help, and you have at least one special skill that can be very helpful to them. If they won't pay you, volunteer. If it doesn't look like it can be converted into a paying job, find another non-profit where you can at least get experience or learn a new skill that will make you more sellable in the job market. If nothing else, you're getting your butt off of the couch and networking with people who are working. You'll probably get a great recommendation, too. And you'll have a chance to impress the people who are working at the non-profit, who can recommend you to their friends when they hear of job opportunities.


6. Don't be picky with job offers. As wrong and terrible as it is, people are more likely to hire those who are working vs. those who aren't working. I don't care if it's not making as much as you were making, or it's not using your skills as effectively as possible, or it's not geographically desirable. As Lynnette says, it doesn't have to be your job for the next 10 years. Maybe you'll be there for 6 months. Maybe a year. But at least you'll be working, and making yourself that much more desirable when the perfect job opens up. And you won't appear nearly as desperate during your interview for that perfect job, either.


In my case, I took full advantage of my LA Fellows volunteer experience. I networked with everyone I could at the non-profit, and made sure they knew what type of work I was looking for, and that I was open to any opportunity. I also continued to network with my LA Fellows, which turned into a job offer at another non-profit. Turns out the experience I had during my volunteer internship was exactly what they needed help with, too. It didn't pay a lot of money, but the job had benefits (woo hoo!) and gave me the chance to feel productive again. There's a lot to be said for having to get up, get showered, and go someplace every morning. I also picked up a couple of consulting jobs by networking with a small group at my university alumni group, too.


Within a couple of months the perfect consulting job offer came along...because of networking...and I nailed the interview. I was confident (thanks to my not-perfect but perfectly respectable job), didn't smell of desperation (again, thanks to my job), and even felt like I could negotiate with a little bit of confidence...or at least fake a little bit of confidence. Once I got in the door and was able to prove what I could do, I was able to transition from consulting to a full time job. It wasn't easy, or fast, but I finally feel back to normal again. I've got a great job, with a good salary and benefits. I'm even starting to accrue time off toward a vacation! It's taken me more than 2 1/2 years to get to this point...but if I can do it, anyone can! So stop reading this email, and get to http://www.volunteermatch.org/ to find an organization who can benefit from what you have to offer. Good luck!

Sharon Morgan
LA Fellows Cohort 1