Jobing.com: Los Angeles Community Blog

2010 NAACP Professional Executive Diversity Job Fair TODAY at the LAX Embassy Suites. - Sheila Gilliam-Wiley - Jobing.com Community Relations - LA

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 23:00:00 GMT

The NAACP and PSI will be in the Los Angeles area again on February 9 hosting its Professional Executive Diversity Job Fair. This event will be held at the Embassy Suites LAX from 10am - 3pm. The Embassy Suites Los Angeles - International Airport North Hotel is located a half mile from the Los Angeles International Airport.

The NAACP Professional Executive Diversity Job fair is ideal for candidates who have a minimum of a 4 year degree or above. Learn more about top employers and the hot markets to consider for advancing your career. Ideal candidates will be pre-screened at the door.

Top Human Resource Recruiters are looking for the best talent in the fields of sales, engineering, IT, finance, retail, education, food services, government. health care, management and more.

For more information please visit PIS website

Pop Quiz! - Edward Brandt - American Society for Training and Development- Orange County

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 18:47:41 GMT

POP Quiz!

Trainers and Instructional Designers often refer to the ADDIE model when they design a training intervention. What does the acronym “ADDIE” stand for?
Why is this an important guide to follow when designing training?
Adult learning theory highlights three types of learners. What are they?
How would you change your facilitative style when a participant with a specific learning style asks a question in your class?

ASTD-Orange County is pleased to announce the schedule for our acclaimed program: Total Trainer. Total Trainer is led by senior training professionals from ASTD-OC. It is designed to help you develop, facilitate, and implement training programs.

This ten-session program boasts a workshop in each of the following topics:

Performance Consulting
When is a request for training really a cry for a different kind of solution?
Needs Assessment
Identifying training objectives and program scope.
Training Program Design
Creating a training intervention that ensures all adult learners are able to complete the course objectives.
Document Design
Developing the training materials: manuals, job aids, activities, and other supporting documentation. (It’s more than just knowing Word or PowerPoint)
Facilitation
How to facilitate a class with multiple types of participants – from learning styles to handling participants
Evaluation
Measuring the success of the training intervention
Distance Learning
How to facilitate a course over the computer.

Total Trainer is not devoted solely to lecture. Participants will be given ample time to practice the skills they are learning in class, including two sessions devoted to the creation of a participant presentation, which the participants will facilitate in the last session.

Participants will complete Total Trainer not just knowing how to train, they will leave having trained themselves.

The program is suitable for:

instructional designers
Those wishing to enter the training field
Training coordinators, specialist, and managers wanting more formal training in program design and implementation

Interested? Time’s running out to register for the event, which begins evenings on Tuesday, March 23.

Full registration information, including venue and cost, can be found at www.astdoc.org.

Answers:
1. ADDIE stands for: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. You may have noticed that at least one course module is dedicated to each of the steps in the ADDIE Model.
3. Types of learners: Auditory, Visual, Kinesthetic

These answers are introduced in Module 1, and examined in the remaining 9 sessions. The answers to questions 2 and 4? You’ll find them, and much more, when you attend Total Trainer.

Undercover Boss - Scott Asai - Growing Forward

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 12:21:21 GMT

What if your boss spent a day in your shoes? How would this change their perspective on how to run the company? Let's take some great leadership principles from this TV experiment:

Leaders Serve
True leading comes from a heart of service. The higher you are in position; the further you are removed from your customers. Take care of your employees and they will take care of your customers.

Leaders Care
There's nothing more powerful to hear at work than the words "thank you." "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Loyalty is gained through relationship. When you care, performance will take care of itself.

Leaders Change
Transformation happens from the inside out. Personal urgency is a catalyst for organizational change. Corporate culture shifts only when change starts at the top. Growth happens when you seek honest feedback. Innovation is about improving, not maintaining.

Leaders are willing to serve, care and change. These are character traits. Leading others means being in touch with their struggles. Look for opportunities to lead in your company by serving, caring and changing.

Ready to become a Servant Leader?
Partner with Coach Scott to achieve your career goals, boost self-confidence and work to your full potential! Just e-mail Scott and he'll take care of the rest!

Imagine how much more successful you can be with the help of a coach!

Watch my Coaching Video & Testimonials!

For additional help, Contact Growing Forward NOW at (310) 295-0046 or visit www.growingforward.net

Take a Hike - Scott Asai - Growing Forward

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 12:12:41 GMT

This past weekend my wife and I went on a 7.5 mile hike. During our journey, I realized three takeaways that could apply to career development:

Mindset
Before we left, we put on our hiking shoes, comfortable clothes and packed some snacks and water. I knew it was going to be more challenging than other hikes because our previous ones were only 3 miles. Knowing we had a greater destination in mind, it was key to mentally prepare for the challenge.

Partnership
At different points we wanted to stop, but the other person provided encouragement to keep going. If I took this journey alone, it would be easier to quit, but we were able to rely on each other when it got tough and the accountability helped us persevere.

Accomplishment
Once we reached the top, we rested and enjoyed the view from above. There's nothing better than feeling you've climbed a mountain (literally). Even when we were tired, our drive for achievement took us to the top. We looked back on climb and agreed it was worth it.
(even with the soreness that followed)

Taking a hike is very similar to career development. First, you have to prepare your mind for the challenge. Next, create a support system for accountability when times get tough. Lastly, don't stop until you've reached your goal.

Need help taking that first step?
Partner with Coach Scott to achieve your career goals, boost self-confidence and work to your full potential! Just e-mail Scott and he'll take care of the rest!

Brought to you by the people wondering why you created that memo in Excel. - Paul Venderley - American Society for Training and Development- Orange County

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:25:00 GMT

I thought I'd seen it all when a co-worker created a training manual using PowerPoint. And no, I'm not talking about the ubiquitous note-taking slide sheets that accompany a Powerpoint-based presentation. This was a manual for systems training. No slideshow involved.

But then I spoke with someone who was having a devil of a time fitting employee performance data in a required form given him by HR. The reason why? That form was created using Powerpoint.

To quote Dave Barry: "I swear I am not making this up."

While those are rather unique ways to use a Microsoft Office product, it's a safe bet to say that we tend to use Microsoft in a way that we're most comfortable with, rather than in accordance with the purpose of each program. Letters get written in Excel. Graphic-laden flyers are created in Word.

An objective of our February Learning Event presentation inspired me: she'll be providing a decision matrix you can use for future situations where you may want to blend onsite and online learning. When should you have your learners complete self-study courses? When will they learn best in a classroom?

In that spirit, I've come up with a decision matrix to help match the purpose of your document to an appropriate Microsoft Office software. When should you use Publisher? When should you consider Word? Here's my take on it.

Oh, and Outlook is for emails.

Yes, there's more that you can do with each of these programs than I've illustrated in the above matrix. I created it for the average user, not the MS Certified power user. And yes, each program is versatile enough that you can create your files into most whatever you need them to be. But for those of you trying to create letters in Access, remember that one of the really cool features behind Word back in the day was their Mail Merge function.

It may be easier that way.

Pursue the Passion Book Release Brings National Job Shadow Day to Life - Brett Farmiloe - Pursue the Passion - LA

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:28:57 GMT

February 2nd marks National Job Shadow Day and the public release of Pursue the Passion, a book I wrote that chronicles our cross country roadtrip where we interviewed over 300 professionals to find what drives the passion of people who love what they do.

The 16,000 mile journey led us inside the corner offices of CEO’s, through unconventional workplaces such as a rural goat farm, and gave us access to large corporate campuses like Nike, Microsoft, EA Sports, and even Playboy. We found plenty of interesting interviews as we traveled across America. We interviewed the CEO of MGM Grand, Michael Jordan's shoe designer, and an executive chef with her own show on the Food Network. We also interviewed a telephone repairman, a goat farmer, and the first maximum security inmate to become a warden of a prison. It was the coolest thing I've ever done.

Video By Jobing
The reason I'm writing this blog is to convince you to switch your mindset on National Job Shadow Day. Instead of trying to get interviewed for a job, I'd suggest you to turn the tables around and interview someone about their job. Just like what we did on tour.

Here's the steps:

How To Find People To Interview

You’ve got the potential to interview anyone—from a CEO to a local nurse. When looking for a good conversation, nobody is too big-time and nobody is too small. Here are some ideas on how to start:
First off, make a list of potential interviewees.

1. Pick people in fields related to your interests. Everything that interests you represents a potential interview:

2. Ask for referrals. You’d be surprised how many people other people know. Here is a short list of people you can ask for interview suggestions:

• parents, siblings, relatives
• past employers
• local reporters
• friends and friends’ parents
• those Pursue the Passion guys

3. If you don’t have transportation, pick people who work in an area you can physically get to. Worst case scenario, see if the interviewee might be open to meeting you at school or somewhere within walking distance.

How To Find Someone’s Contact Info

How are you going to get in touch with an interviewee? There are many ways,

1. Do an internet search and try to find an interviewee’s website. If their organization has a website, then they’ll most likely have a “contact us” section where’ll you’ll find a phone number and/or e-mail address.
2. If you received a referral from a friend, ask them if they have any contact information.
3. Look in the phone directory. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to get a hold of someone by just calling the general number of their place of business.
The most important thing is to be persistent!!! Always follow up on a message if you don’t hear from them within a week.

How To Cold Call

This is where it gets exciting! Now that you’ve found a general line or personal phone number, we’ll show you how to conquer your nerves, pick up the phone, and land the interview.

1. Prepare your pitch: before you dial, make sure you’ve got a solid pitch in your head (or on a piece of paper in front of you). Your pitch is just your intro: who you are, what you’re doing, and why. Your pitch should make it clear that you’re not selling anything and you’re not looking for a job—you’re simply looking to do an informational interview. Keep it short and sweet, genuine and honest.

Here’s a sample pitch:

“Hi! My name is Brett Farmiloe and I’m a student at Gateway High School here in Phoenix. I am participating in the Pursue the Passion program, where I am interviewing someone with a career I’m interested in. I would love to interview (your interviewee’s name) to learn how they got to where they are today. Do you think he/she could spare some time to meet with me and share his/her story at his/her convenience?

2. Remember: the worst that can happen is they’ll say no. And that’s it.    Here’s some valuable tips:
• Try to schedule an interview at least three weeks ahead of time (that way there’s a much better chance of fitting into their schedule). And know when you yourself an unavailable to meet (it can be tough to reschedule if you have to cancel).
• If you don’t get a good response after giving your pitch, try to explain what you want from a different angle. If that doesn’t work, ask if they can suggest anyone else at the company who might be interesting to talk to.

Here’s an outline of how you’re cold call should go:

1. Introduce yourself.
2. Say who referred you or how you got his/her name.
3. Explain your situation (why you want to talk to this specific person)
4. State your request (that you want to interview them).
5. Be clear that you’re not asking for a job.

Cold call pointers:

1. Never call on a Monday.
2. Avoid leaving a voicemail until absolutely necessary.
3. If you do leave a voicemail, keep it short and sweet.
4. Be patient. They may not call back right away.
5. Follow up ASAP.

Hopefully this gets you out to experience what Job Shadow Day is all about!

About Pursue the Passion
Pursue the Passion was inspired by a statistic: Half of the American workforce is unhappy with their job. During the summer of 2007, four recent college grads were sponsored by Jobing to travel across America in an RV. Their mission? To find out what makes people passionate about their work. 16,000 miles, 38 states, 300 interviews and 10,000 photographs later, Pursue the Passion profiles the interviews and stories collected from the cross country journey. The book is available on Amazon today, and can be purchased by visiting http://bit.ly/ptpbook. You can learn more about Pursue the Passion through the website http://pursuethepassion.com or on the Facebook page http://facebook.com/pursuethepassion.

About the Author
Through his journey, Brett found his passion: helping people find jobs they love and helping employers position themselves to recruit passionate people. He is currently employed as Social Media Manager for Jobing, a company whose mission is to connect local employers with local people. Brett continues to share his passion and encourage others to pursue theirs through keynote speeches and social media interaction. To learn more about Brett Farmiloe visit http://about.jobing.com/speakers-forum/brett-farmiloe/.

Pursue the Passion on Facebook

Make a Future Brighter By Casting Your Shadow - Brett Farmiloe - Pursue the Passion - LA

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:27:46 GMT

I'm writing this blog is to convince you that you're not too busy to open your door to someone interested in what you do for work. "I'm busy" is the one forseeable excuse I see employers using for not participating in National Job Shadow Day. But don't use that excuse. If anyone asks you to shadow you or interview you about your job- no matter who they are - just say yes.

If people would have been too busy to meet with 4 lost college grads, we wouldn't have a book coming out on 2/2. Who knows what will be the result of you making some time to meet with a curious mind.

About Pursue the Passion
Pursue the Passion was inspired by a statistic: Half of the American workforce is unhappy with their job. During the summer of 2007, four recent college grads were sponsored by Jobing to travel across America in an RV. Their mission? To find out what makes people passionate about their work. 16,000 miles, 38 states, 300 interviews and 10,000 photographs later, Pursue the Passion profiles the interviews and stories collected from the cross country journey. The book is available on Amazon today, and can be purchased by visiting http://bit.ly/ptpbook. You can learn more about Pursue the Passion through the website http://pursuethepassion.com or on the Facebook page http://facebook.com/pursuethepassion.

About the Author
Through his journey, Brett found his passion: helping people find jobs they love and helping employers position themselves to recruit passionate people. He is currently employed as Social Media Manager for Jobing, a company whose mission is to connect local employers with local people. Brett continues to share his passion and encourage others to pursue theirs through keynote speeches and social media interaction. To learn more about Brett Farmiloe visit http://about.jobing.com/speakers-forum/brett-farmiloe/.

Pursue the Passion on Facebook

10 ways to use Twitter and JResume to advance your search. - Sheila Gilliam-Wiley - Jobing.com Community Relations - LA

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:23:50 GMT

1. Follow companies that you are interested in and pay attention to their jobs, their values, and their accomplishments. Re-tweet and respond when appropriate (For example re-tweet news of a great accomplishment or milestone and be sure to congratulate them).
2. Share your search with your network (tell people what you are looking for). For example. "I am a graphic designer with 5 years of experience looking for a growing company to flex my web design skills. Anyone else looking for work in this field? Let's chat." Bonding together with other professionals in your field drastically increases your ability to gather leads and polish your portfolio and resume.
3. Share your resume and ask for feedback/leads. Use your JResume custom URL to share your resume with friends and tweeters. Openly ask for suggestions and leads related to your search. encourage people to pass it on to hiring professionals in your feild.
4. Send your JResume directly to Hiring Manager Tweeters when you know they have the right job for you. Respect their application procedure if they ask you to follow up with another application method
5. Search your desired job title in tweets - many job boards and companies tweet jobs, so you can use this as a custom feed.
6. Discover who they are and follow the top thought leaders/tweeters in your profession.
7. Follow Career Services/Career Coaches/Resume Writers to receive tips on-the-fly and keep your search fresh through JResume.
8. Follow local networking groups, chambers of commerce and other local organizations to stay on top of key networking opportunities such as the National Tooling and Machining Association- Training Center Southern California and Network of Indian Professionals - Los Angeles Chapters
9. Share relevant job search tweets with your friends in their search. Hopefully they will appreciate and return the favor.
10. Make a point to follow someone new every week. Grow the number of companies and resources you follow to keep your job search expanding.

When am I going to find a job? - Sheila Gilliam-Wiley - Jobing.com Community Relations - LA

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:51:57 GMT

Recently a job seeker asked me - "it has been 6 months, what am I doing wrong - why haven't I been hired?". Sound familiar? Here is the good and the bad news: Unfortunately, the length of this person's job search is normal for today's economy. According to the BLS, the average job search currently lasts for about six and a half months - http://www.bls.gov. Hopefully this number will decline soon as the economy recovers. It is important to persevere and stay active in your search.

How can you shorten your job search?
Nothing is a sure thing, but one good approach is to be as active as possible while you look for work. Volunteer, make new connections, and make sure you stay in touch with people that are engaged in helping you in your search. Here are community resources that might need your support and connect you with other local professionals. It can be easy to get discouraged and withdraw from the activities that could help you most, so be aware of how you spend your time. In times like these, there are plenty of worthy causes that could use your talents. Giving can take you out of a negative spiral and give a boost to your self-worth.

Try something new.
If you've only applied one way, try another venue. For example, if you've only applied through job boards, also try applying via email with a professional letter of interest (using the JResume system makes emailing a resume as easy as copying and pasting a link). If all of your activity has been online, try branching out with an open house, job fair or networking event http://jobing.com/events. There are just so many ways to get a job - that you can increase your chances of success dramatically by adding at least one. Check the event calendar and our new resume system for new ways you can connect with employers and get your resume out there.

Put yourself on a schedule.
Set benchmarks and make a time-line. You may not be able to control when employers respond to you or if they hire you, but you can control the efforts you make. Set goals for time you will spend on your search, the numbers of jobs you will apply to, and when you plan to follow-up with your applications. Getting tasks set up and holding yourself accountable will help make sure that you keep your search in motion and don't get yourself stuck in the "waiting by the phone" rut. Check out local job clubs to gather more resources, support and accountability in your search.

Top Ten Reasons to Become a Fan of the Jobing Facebook Page - Sheila Gilliam-Wiley - Jobing.com Community Relations - LA

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:41:17 GMT

Here are the top ten reasons to become a fan of facebook.com/losangelesobs

1. You can see jobs first. Sometimes we announce positions first to our facebook fans before we post them on our website, giving you the opportunity to be ahead of your competition.

2. Unique career advice. You can receive job search tips on our facebook page that you can't find anywhere else.

3. Relevant videos. You will have the opportunity to watch employer videos to learn what it's like to work at specific local companies.

4. Get an "inside look" at Jobing. We will post pictures of the Jobing team and happenings that occur in the Jobing office. We will also keep you posted on when Jobing is highlighted in the media and around town.

5. Communicate with Jobing team members. Our whole team in Los Angeles is dedicated to engage with you on our facebook page. They will provide you with insight on a weekly basis to the industries that they serve.

6. Give us your feedback. This is your chance to provide us with your feedback on Jobing.com and share with us any concerns or questions you may have.

7. Connect with fellow job seekers. Meet other people in your same situation and encourage each other as much as possible. Share your job search related experiences and give each other support.

8. Updates on our Career Expos. We will keep you posted on how to prepare for our Career Expos throughout the year. We will provide you guidance on how to stand out amongst the crowd.

9. Resume help. We have a tab called JResume that helps you create, design, and market your resume. You can start your new resume right from our facebook page.

10. New products & announcements. We will let you know about new job seeker products and services that will help your job search.

See you on facebook- Become a fan today!