Empowering, Energizing, Employment

Today your life can change.

For job seekers, recently graduated students, and/or professionals dissatisfied with their current career track, the Central Florida Jobs Initiative offers a life changing FREE seven-session-job–readiness program. You heard right, free. Well, there are a few strings attached…

The pre-qualifications are as follow:
*  Eighteen years or older
*  High School or G.E.D. (minimum)
*  Transportation to session location
*  Adequate childcare (if applicable)
*  Ability to complete a criminal background

Here’s how this complementary seven-session workshop can empower and energize your employment journey: Developed by the Christian HELP Foundation, the goal is to “equip and empower job seekers to become excellent employees.” This is, in part, achieved by identifying and altering traits, behaviors, and attitudes necessary for success not only during the job search process, but also after a job offer has been accepted.

Though offered monthly, the upcoming module/session dates (with career-focus) are as follows:
*  Module 1: Creating Your Job Search Plan is scheduled for July 15, 2013
*  Module 2: Crafting Your Cover Letter and Resume is scheduled for July 17, 2013
*  Module 3: Networking in the Digital Age is scheduled for July 22, 2013
*  Module 4: Job Search Tactics is scheduled for July 24, 2013
*  Module 5: Interviewing and Impressions is scheduled for July 29, 2013
*  Module 6: Mock Interviews, Financial Wellness, and Legal Assistance is scheduled for July 30, 2013
*  Module 7: Performance Excellence is scheduled for July 31, 2013

Class times are from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm and are held at the Willow Creek Church, 4725 East Lake Drive, Winter Springs, Florida 32708.

The selection process is as follows:
*  You are required to complete an application
*  Engage in a phone interview
*  Be prepared for a face to face interview

One more thing, participants must attend all modules to complete the program successfully. Not only will these free workshops strengthen your career potential, participants are guaranteed an interview upon successful completion of the program! Additionally, the six-book series used throughout the sessions are another free takeaway. This series, created for the sole purpose of helping you in your career journey, was developed in partnership with local publishers and writers at Education Career Services (www.edu-cs.com) whose career material has helped thousands globally and is yours to take advantage of. This complete hard copy career empowering series is offered only to those participating in the classes.

No doubt about it: Today your life can change.

Please email Zeynep@christianhelp.org for additional information.

Currently, Christian HELP is in the process of looking for instructors for these upcoming classes and would love it if you wish to teach one of our job employment program sessions. Please let Mackenna Bowles, project management intern with Christian HELP, know at mackenna@christianhelp.org that you are interested in instructing one of these classes or participating in mock interviews.

It has been an honor to align with Christian HELP to bring this opportunity to so many throughout Central Florida. If you have any questions, please reach out at the above email addresses or if you wish to contact education career services directly, email me at dhuffman@educationcareerservices.com to see how we can help you.

Together we can make the world a better place, one step at a time.

Danny Huffman, MA, CEIP, CPRW, CPCC
Writer/Editor with Education Career Services
Follow us on Twitter #dannyatecs
Blog: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com
Education Career Services: www.edu-cs.com
West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com

Emotional Intelligence: Your BEST Career Move

Mo-Duck

Listen to Plato. He was a smart, crafty guy who said, “All learning has an emotional base.” He figured out an important skill, one gaining more and more traction in the modern career marketplace, ages before us fancy, savvy moderns dubbed it “Emotional Intelligence.”

In typical fashion, researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic. Regardless of this conflicting data, students and young adults need to be aware of and embrace the growing importance of this ever more popular, sought after skill.

Ironing out semantic wrinkles, time to clipboard emotional intelligence:

1. Perceiving emotions.
Students and young adults new to the workforce need to exhibit this important skill. They must learn to understand the difference between colleagues’ emotions, such as anger, sarcasm, humor, seriousness, etc., in order to know how to respond appropriately. This is a critical skill for both the networking world, as well as the workplace. They must be able to read verbal and nonverbal language or queues. Mastering this factor makes it possible to accomplish the remaining three.

2. Reasoning with emotions.
This EI trait means being able to understand important skills like problem solving, creativity and analytical thinking. Candidates possessing this skill can adapt to situations that require said skills. Especially for students and young adults with a shortage of solid job-related skills, showing and putting these abilities to use is vital.

3. Understanding emotions.
This trait means being able to distinguish between what’s in your control and what’s out of your control. It involves possessing the ability to realize that people display a variety of emotions and for a variety of reasons. Students and young adults must be able to see the reality behind certain workplace situations. For example, a co-worker, boss, or friend may be acting angry because they’re upset with you for some reason, but they also may simply be having a bad day… or are perhaps upset because they forgot to record last night’s episode of The Voice.

4. Managing emotions.
This is the ability for simple self-control and controlling your emotional response in reaction to the emotions of others around you. A good example would be not reacting negatively to a colleague or a customer who is upset or not taking their complaints personally, rather simply dealing with the conflict. A student or young worker who can achieve this will always be a valuable part of the workforce by possessing a knack for getting people to join his or her team.

The above list may seem like obvious, common sense knowledge when one lists it all out like this. It may seem more like sense than skill, but then you have to stop and ask yourself: When was the last time you were in conflict with another human being, personal or professional, because you perhaps didn’t pay such close attention to one of those four skills?

Chances are you won’t have to search your memory much farther than within the past few days to get an answer to that question.

Do yourself a personal and professional favor and pay a little closer attention to yourself, looking for new opportunities at home or at work to brush up on and put some of your emotional intelligence skills to use.

Being able to better understand the people you most often connect with is such a personal, marketable skill that it will always be in demand. In any job. In any relationship.

Interested in securing cutting-edge career focused books, including how to write effective resume/cover letters, visit “Danny at ECS” on Amazon or go to www.edu-cs.com for a complete listing of available products and support. Contact our professional staff directly: dhuffman@educationcareerservices.com to see how we can help you.

Article penned by Bret Hoveskeland
Writer/Editor with Education Career Services
Follow us on Twitter #dannyatecs
Blog: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com
Education Career Services: www.edu-cs.com
West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com

Nope to Networking: Think Again

Let’s face it.  We’ve all been there.  We’ve all felt the same way.  At some point in our lives, be it recent or from a time that seems like another life we once called our own, we have all had to face the prospect of career networking.

Career networking defined: For those unfamiliar with the concept of career networking, that’s the magical life event that throws us all together into one huge mad stew of etiquette and self-promotion skills.  That intoxicating concoction created from the dual ingredients of a job or better career path and the basic human desire to want to help other people.

We’ve all had to face it.  But, what’s more, we’ve had to face the deeper unnerving truth underneath it.

Networking reality: Most of us don’t like to network.

Sure, some of us might have changed perspective about that by now, but the fact of the matter is:  networking and thoughts of it make most people uncomfortable, for many reasons.

If your motto is “Nope to Networking,” think again as you consider a few reasons why many fall prey to fear as well as a counter as to why fear should NOT conquer:

1. “I don’t want to be a bother.”
   This is perhaps the silliest reason of them all.  Especially when you stop to consider who you are bothering.  Everybody already has a network, whether they think they do or not.  Everyone you know is in your network, and everyone who knows who you know.  And… er, well, you get the point.  Since this is true, this also means your current friends are already part of your network.  And your friends, if they are your friends, would want to help you in a time of need.  They’d think the same is true if you’re a real friend to them.  You would want a mutual win-win.What you also have to consider is the simple fact that people generally like to talk about themselves and be praised.  Asking them for networking help and advice is an opportunity for them to do both at the same time.
2. “People in my network have no useful information about my desired field.”
   A relevant personal note on this that also ties into my first point above:  I wouldn’t have the job with Education Career Services I have right this minute if it wasn’t for that “friend network” mentioned above.  And there are job perks I’m enjoying at the moment that perhaps wouldn’t have crossed my path if not for the friends I’ve made in my network.  This particular friend, in the teaching field and also networking for a career job herself, happened to be perusing Craigslist one day.Though the “Writing/Editing” tab within Craigslist’s job board was not in her particular field, my friend clicked on it, searched within the confines of Orlando’s writing/editing jobs, and scrolled along searching.  After she clicked on one job in particular looking for a writer, she later told me she immediately thought of me after reading the description and requirements.  See that?

   It really is that easy.  Any close friend could be looking for his or her own self and in their search, due to our wonderfully altruistic human nature, could end up getting you a great job first.

3. “My personality isn’t right for networking.”
   You may be right.  Especially if, like myself, you consider yourself an introvert.  Research suggests that extroverted people are much likelier to utilize networking in general, and be more open to its possibilities.  On the flip side of that, however, is that sometimes extroverts also have a tendency to give the impression of not entirely caring what people have to say, but are more interested in hearing themselves talk.  Again… I say some extroverts.  That’s why a noble goal here is to shoot to be an ambivert.  Check out: Introvert or extravert? Maybe you’re an ambivert.While some researchers debunk this whole “ambivert” concept, I think it’s an idea worth giving some thought.  Be yourself but try to pay close attention to your specific networking situations.  A pinch of diplomacy and the ability to realize when it’s the right time to speak up, shut up, and not give up — while making use of the strengths tied to both introversion and extroversion, can only help your cause.

Besides, the magic happens outside of that comfort zone we like to live in, as we know all too well but sometimes tend to forget.

We’ll continue offering professional insight and review career marketing strategies so continue checking for the next submission. With this in mind, if you have career questions and would like a team of professionally certified writers and coaches input, don’t hesitate to ask.

For those interested in securing cutting-edge career focused books, including how to write effective resume/cover letters. Visit “Danny at ECS” on Amazon or go to www.edu-cs.com for a complete listing of available products and support. You may also contact our staff directly: dhuffman@educationcareerservices.com to see how we can help you.

Penned by Bret Hoveskeland
Education Career Services
Blogsite: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com
Education Career Services: www.edu-cs.com
West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com

This article references information found in http://thingscareerrelated.com/2013/03/31/why-we-hate-networking-for-jobs-confessions-of-a-networking-convert/ by Rebecca Fraser-Thill.