Diverse Careers

The list of scheduled exhibitors for our next career fair, April 21st in Orange County, has been published!

Here's a look at who will be attending the event:
•Aflac
•American Career College
•Auto Club of Southern California
•AXA Advisors
•Barbeques Galore
•Cox Communications
•Devcon Security Services
•Farmers Insurance
•FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
•Forest Lawn Memorial Parks
•Kaiser Permanente
•Loma Linda University Medical Center
•New York Life Insurance Company
•Red Wave Inc.
•Southern California Edison
•The Art Institutes
•The Trump Network
•United States Army
•Wells Fargo

The list is subject to change, but we will post updates as they are available.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Diverse Careers would like to invite you to our upcoming event, the San Diego Career Fair, on February 24th, 2011. The event will take place at the Doubletree Hotel San Diego/Mission Valley, beginning at 10 am and ending at 2 pm.

The address for the Doubletree is as follows:
7450 Hazard Center Drive
San Diego, CA 92108

This event is free to job seekers and pre-registration is not required. Please come dressed professionally and bring copies of your resume!

Here's a look at some of the employers who will be exhibiting at this event:

• 220 Marketing Group
• Aflac
• American General Life & Accident Insurance
• Barbecues Galore
• Employment Development Department - State of California
• Farmers Insurance Platinum Elite
• General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
• Independent Capital Management
• Kaiser Permanente
• Loews Coronado Bay Resort
• New York Life Insurance Company
• Primerica
• Prudential Financial
• San Diego County Sheriff's Department
• Sea World San Diego
• The Pollakov Financial Group/Mass Mutual
• United States Army
• Verizon Wireless

Employers interested in exhibiting can contact us at info@diversecareers.com for more information.

See you in San Diego!

Diverse Careers, Inc. is pleased to announce it's first event of 2011!

The Los Angeles Career Fair will kick off at 10 am, January 20th at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport, and will go until 2pm. The address for the Hilton is as follows:

5711 West Century Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90045

This event is free to job seekers- no preregistration required! Please dress professionally and bring several copies of your resume.

Registered employers include (list is subject to change):

• Aflac
• Altria Sales & Distribution
• American Career College
• Auto Club of Southern California
• Bay Alarm
• InterCoast Colleges
• Kaiser Permanente
• Loyola Marymount University
• Los Angeles Police Department
• New York Life Insurance Co.
• Pacific Tank Lines
• Prudential Financial
• Pure Green Corp.
• Wells Fargo

Employers interested in exhibiting at the event please email info@diversecareers.com for more information.

We look forward to seeing you there!

In sales, there's a technique many seasoned salespeople would tout as the most important tool to have in your kit- the 30 second sales pitch- aka, the elevator pitch.

Selling your brand means grabbing someone's attention and getting information out in the most effective way possible, even if you only have an elevator ride to speak to them. This means you need a script in your head, ready for whoever you might bump into- you never know, it might be your next major client you're speaking with.

The same scenario can apply to job seekers. It may not seem that way sometimes, but when you are on a job hunt your ultimate goal is to sell yourself to a company in hopes they will invest in you and take you on to the team. You may find yourself in situations where you have less than a minute to sell yourself to the CEO or hiring manager to a company, and it's a good idea to have your "sales pitch" ready at a moment's notice.

According to this article by Businessweek, a person can make a lasting impression on someone in as little as 2 seconds- and you'd definitely want that to be a positive lasting impression on a potential employer.

Here are some tips for creating your elevator pitch-

Even though they're still a relatively new form of interaction, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have become so popular it would be silly not to have some kind of presence online if you're job hunting. Creating a presence online lets you put your personality out there, allows you to interact with other people, and it's a great networking tool.

It's important to not just jump into it and post willy nilly, however. If you're out to make an impression and connect with the business world, there are certain things you'll want to know, and certain things you won't want to say.

1) First things first-Always read the privacy statement before signing up. In particular, Facebook changes it's privacy policy relatively frequently, so it's a good idea to know how your information is being used (such as allowances to use what you post on your site for targeted ad purposes), and how to protect yourself if you feel it's being misused. Facebook is rife with rumors and people posting status updates about privacy policy rumors (such as the ever-popular "Facebook is selling pictures of your kids" rumor), so knowing what you are actually dealing with is a good way to avoid panic.

2) Know who can see your profiles. If you don’t want people seeing your information or able to Google you, make sure the privacy policy allows a totally private profile. That being said, it’s not necessarily a bad idea to have some info public, especially if you want to make an impression on an employer searching for you. On Twitter especially it's far more common to have a public profile than a private one- one of the many great things about Twitter is unique in its ability to allow interacting across the globe without fear of having too much personal info public (on Twitter your profile has a picture and a your tweets- not much else to show your identity unless you choose to tweet about it). However, even though it's fine to have a public profile, you need to be extra careful what you say if you chose to have one (and please, don't publicly post any private information like phone numbers). A potential employer can and will search for you on the net, and your Twitter and Facebook pages will come up- and any public information will be added to their impression of you. So if you tweet that you hate your job, or post a status update of something vulgar, a potential employer could see that and gain a negative perspective of you.

3) Be aware of who you’re interacting with. For the same reasons you don’t want employers to see you posting anything too wild or crazy, you wouldn’t want them to see that your friends tagged you in an album featuring tequila shots last Saturday. You can “un-tag” yourself in any pictures your friends have posted on Facebook, removing yourself from the possibility that an employer would see them on your Facebook page. The same goes for any unflattering wall posts your friends may have made- it’s fairly simple to take them down. Don’t want to take them down? Just make sure your wall and your photos are marked as “Friends Only.”
4) Speak up. While it’s important to watch what you say, you don’t just want to be a lurker. Interact, connect, share, and comment- anything that will show your personality, your strengths, and your intelligence. This doesn’t mean you should just comment on everything and anything so you can get your two cents in- think it through, make it count, and people you are trying to connect with will really get a chance to see you shine. One great way to show your expertise? LinkedIn Answers allows users to create Q & A forums in which you can post answers to work force-related quandaries.

5) Follow companies you are interested in. On top of receiving the latest news on promotions, events, and changes within the company, following a company on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn is a good way to stay on top of the hiring game. Many companies not only host jobs on social media sites, they will post news and links to hiring or hiring events they are holding.

6) Join LinkedIn. LinkedIn is especially great for job seekers- you can get recommendations from current and former coworkers, connect with professionals, and participate in job-related forums. It’s important to build your network on LinkedIn- since its atmosphere is solely professional, it’s quickly becoming one of the first places employers look when they are checking out applicants or doing recruiting. LinkedIn can serve as a good replacement for Facebook or Twitter if you feel those sites are too personal to be public- the platform is professional, but there’s enough interaction on the site that you can easily build a positive presence online. It’s easy to build relationships with professionals too- using the “degrees” feature, you can see who your network is connected to and ask for introductions from your friends. It’s like Six Degrees of Separation, LinkedIn style- instead of ending up at Kevin Bacon, you end up adding more professionals to your network.

Social media may seem like an invasion of privacy or an invitation to be wild on the internet, but it’s not- with the right mind set, your online presence can boost your potential, which is something we all can hope for when searching for a job.

So you sent your resume, applied for a job, and you scored an interview. You go in, meet with the recruiter, shake some hands, and answer some questions. You know that your interview went really well, but you also know that there's quite a few other people vying for the same position. What should you do to ensure you stay ahead of the pack?

Well, according to some online experts, the number one thing to do is follow up!

Following up with a company you interviewed with not only shows that you are appreciative of the time and effort they spent in meeting with you, it also shows initiative and respect, and it's a good common courtesy to extend to someone. According to Admin Secret, following up is a great added way to leave your mark on an employer- and given the right process, this could definitely benefit your job search.

Here's some expert tips on following up after an interview:

1) Send a follow up email. According to Huffington Post consultant Christine Hassler, it's a good idea to shoot the person you interviewed with (be sure to find out how to contact them before leaving) a brief email stating your appreciation for their time and that you are looking forward to their response. This gives you a chance to open the discussion for follow up- Christine recommends naming a date you'll be calling them- and to re-address anything in the interview.

2) Send a thank you note. According to this article by Admin Secret, only a few interviewees ever send thank you notes- which means if you send one, you have a great chance to stand out from the crowd. On top of that, as mentioned before, it shows you respect the interviewer and appreciate the time he or she took to meet with you. Be sure not to use any flowery, frilly, or otherwise unprofessional stationary- you still want to maintain a professional appearance with the company. And another thing- employers will be interested to know that you have good communication skills- a thank you note (the same with an email) is a great way to show off your writing proficiency, as pointed out by Admin Secret.

3) Make a phone call. After you've sent the email and a thank you note and waited an allotted amount of time, many experts say that it is OK for you to call an interviewer back- just be sure not to be a nuisance. Employment blog Movin' On Up suggests trying to get in contact with an actual person (preferably one who was present at your interview) and avoiding leaving a message. Don't leave too many messages either- keep in mind that it's possible the person you interviewed with may not be ready to contact you.

While good interviewing skills are important, a great follow up could be the edge you need to secure a position with an employer. Second impressions do count, so remember to keep it professional, keep it brief, and please, always make sure to proofread.

In today's digital age, it's pretty common for job seekers to submit a resume online and allow themselves to be screened solely by the online submission process. When you make the choice to attend a career fair, you get the chance to take your job hunt a little farther than the online search- you can personally hand your resume to a recruiter, rather than hope it will get through the online submission. For this reason, it's important to maximize the little amount of time you get to spend with a representative at a career fair. You may only have a few minutes to make an impression on a potential employer, and you want to make sure you really shine.

With the right attitude, anything is possible. Here's a few tips to make a great impression at a career fair.

1. Dress professionally. Whether you wear a suit, a skirt, or a tie, make sure it's professional looking, neat, and clean- and make sure to iron whatever you wear. Ladies, avoid anything too short or revealing; men, avoid jeans or sneakers. You want to give the impression that you care about your image and that you can present yourself in a professional manner, both of which are qualities that employers look for.

2. Make positive eye contact. Showing a potential employer that you are confident is important, and you can do this by maintaining eye contact. While you don't need to stare the representative down, you should definitely make sure you look the person in the eye while talking to them. Looking at the ceiling or the ground tends to make you seem nervous or shifty, and can make you seem unapproachable or unwilling to talk. Employers want to see you have confidence in yourself and confidence speaking to people you are unfamiliar with- after all, when you start a new career, you won't be familiar with everyone, and you're going to need to be confident talking to new people.

3. Smile. Similar to making eye contact, smiling is a great way to show a recruiter that you are approachable and friendly. Smiling will put both you and the person you are speaking to at ease- it relaxes the muscles in your face and can prevent you from looking worried or nervous, which in turn will trick your mind into feeling less nervous.

4. Talk to everyone. When you attend a career fair, chances are that you might not see the ideal company you're looking to work for there. Sometimes companies can't make the scheduled date or the selection just isn't what you hoped it would be. Don't give up! Though you may be dismayed at the number of companies in attendance, many companies will be at a career fair recruiting for multiple positions and departments- and that position just might be the one you were hoping for. If you don't talk to representatives, there's a good chance you'll miss out on all the opportunities they are offering. Bring a stack of resumes and make sure you shake hands with everyone that you can. Who knows, even if they aren't recruiting your ideal job at the fair you're attending, they might keep your resume on file and keep you in mind when they open up new positions. Stay positive and make a good impression.

5. Grab business cards. When you submit a resume online, often the submission process leaves you in the dark about who you're directly submitting it to- you may know the company or the department you sent it to, but sometimes it's difficult to find a person to talk to to check the status of your application. As mentioned before, the great thing about career fairs is the ability to get face to face with recruiters and representatives. You'll be able to shake hands and take names. Make sure you make the most out of that connection- grab their business card and follow up after the career fair. Talk to the people you meet at the fair and ask them for the names of the hiring managers in the departments you're looking for a position in.

6. Stay positive. Even if you don't find what you're looking for, the important thing is not to get down on yourself. There's an ideal job for you out there, you just might need to keep looking. Try not to get discouraged, and try to keep your attitude upbeat, especially when you're talking to recruiters and representatives. As previously mentioned, even if they're not hiring in your field, if they like you and the impression you made, they will keep you in mind for the future.

So get out there, job seekers, and put your best foot forward. With some resumes, a smile, and a positive attitude, there's no telling what kind of connection you'll make at a career fair. Dress nice, talk to everyone, and be sure to follow up- you never know who you'll impress.