Open invite this Thursday night at Bean There Cafe.
Join us for coffee, chat and real networking this Thursday at Bean There Cafe. Bring a friend... this is entirely for you and the community of Hampton Roads. Do you know someone who is currently searching for new opportunities? Invite them to join you--we would love to meet them.
We are ALL very busy these days so we will only host quarterly "open" invitation events. Join us for our first of 2010. In the events to come we will be inviting some of the biggest influencers and best connectors in Hampton Roads.
Date:
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Time:
6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location:
Bean There Cafe, Chesapeake
Description
The new year is upon us and we want to be sure we all work together to make 2010 a BIG year! Join us at Bean There Cafe on January 7th at 6:30 PM for career chat, coffee and real goal setting that will be sure to put a BIG mark on the new year!
Who is invited?
New members, all It Factor alumni and anyone looking to make BIG things happen in 2010! We want to be your "career success team" propelling you forward into profitable action! We hope to host quarterly events focused on the delivering the "best" career networking in town. Is there someone you would like to meet in Hampton Roads? Let us know and we will do our best to make it happen for you!
What to expect?
Collaboration, motivation, new friends, great ideas, sharing of the best tips, leads and resources and the best coffee in town!
Prospective members:
We have clubs forming throughout Hampton Roads with big changes on the way! Want to know more about joining our newest "It" Factor Career Clubs? Send an email to laurie@itfactorjobclub.com to find out more.
If you have not done so already be sure to join the It Factor on WaggleForce.com. Click on CLUBS and select Join the IT Factor. We look forward to seeing you there!
Happy New Year!
Come one... come all.. 2010 is here!
Playing the Hand We are Dealt
Those that watch things happen,
And those that wonder what happened."
Far too often, when I meet with job seekers and entreprenuers, I realize that "waiting" is a major "activity" in their week. Applying and waiting. Waiting for things to "turn around". Waiting to hear something. Waiting for the right opportunity. Waiting to get "in front of the right people".
This "waiting" game frustrates me because I know the truth. The simple truth is this: Wait and you will STARVE! You see, the majority of people will wait. They will wait for ideal conditions. They will wait for the risk to diminish. They will wait for SOMETHING to happen. They will wait for good news. Essentially, they are the "watchers" of what is happening, and they will not meet their goals.
On the other hand, those who are pro-actively creating their own good news will thrive!! These people, as Dr. Gene Landrum puts it, "draw for aces, but play what they have with panache and bravado." In short, they play the hand they are dealt and they stay in action. Consider this:
After losing EVERYTHING in a previous business endeavor, George Douglass sat in his empty living room needing cash FAST. He took stock of the "aces" he had in his possession. He had 83 copies of Think and Grow Rich and a few broken down auto-dialers. How could he leverage the hand he was dealt? He began calling insurance agents, mortgage brokers and real estate agents offering a free workshop on how to use auto -dialers for business success. Anyone who attended his workshop received a copy of Think and Grow Rich . He started fixing those auto-dialers and managed to sell eight of them and rent several more through his free workshop. He got the cash he needed and began an entirely new business.
George Foreman was a washed-up fighter before his "second act". My friend Sam Beckford (known around the world as The Small Business Millionaire) failed six times in business and, at one point, couldn't afford groceries for his family. Lee Milteer's business took a nose-dive after 9-11. So did Steve Chandler's. None of these people "waited" for things to happen or for things to change. If they had, you and I would never have heard of them. ALL of them made an unbreakable "deal" with themselves and committed to MAKING things happen instead of "waiting".
Steven Covey says, "We are responsible for our own effectiveness, for our own happiness." I would add, "We alone are responsible for our own success."
We can't always control the hand we've been dealt. But we can always control how we play it! Play with confidence, boldness, bravado and panache! Play to win BIG! The "pack" will wait. To leverage your own "It Factor", commit to doing the opposite!!
The "little job club that could" goes national
WaggleForce, a new national network of local career clubs, is Women For Hire CEO Tory Johnson's newest passion, which was inspired by a segment she did on Good Morning America more than a year ago.
You might be asking why waggle?
Career clubs are a lot like honey bees – working individually for the good of the group. The dance that honeybees perform to communicate the location of vital resources – the best pollen, nectar and water – is called a waggle. That’s exactly what career clubs do – working in a collaborative effort to get communities back to work.
It takes a community, a team, and even a club to motivate and inspire job-seekers back to work. The WaggleForce leaders training program provides expert guidance and proven methods to start and run highly effective career clubs.
Check out the video on the homepage of WaggleForce and see how the little job club that could made it big time (now inspiring our nation back to work).
If you are a Hampton Roads job-seeker join our It Factor Job Club on WaggleForce. We have a new job club forming now--to start in January.
Anyone can join the site for free to share advice, receive feedback, and access resources to support job search success. (One hint: Profiles with photos receive more attention than those without!)
Tory Johnson, Good Morning America's Workplace Contributor and CEO of Women For Hire is coming to Hampton Roads!
Tory Johnson is bringing one-on-one career advice and proven tips to job seekers in Hampton Roads. The “It” Factor Job Club, which recently teamed up with Chesapeake Economic Development, has garnered national and local attention and now the inspiration behind the Good Morning America Job Club initiative is coming to Hampton Roads.
Join Johnson and “It” Factor founders Laurie Baggett and Michelle Pippin for cupcakes, career advice and networking at the signing of Johnson’s new book, “Fired to Hired: Bouncing Back from Job Loss to Get Work Right Now” Thursday, September 10, 5:00 – 6:00 PM at Greenbrier Barnes & Noble, 1212 Greenbrier Parkway, Chesapeake.
Attend this event if you are:
- Unemployed
- Under-employed
- Too afraid to ask for a raise in today’s economy
- Looking to reenter the workforce after taking some time off
- Stay-At-Home Mom looking to bring in extra income
- Or wanting to make a career switch all together
Johnson's New York Times bestseller, “Will Work from Home,” has proven comprehensive and inspiring. In her new book, the Women for Hire CEO and “Good Morning America” workplace contributor returns with advice and real-life stories for finding the right job after being let go. Johnson knows what it takes to get noticed and hired.
Baggett, a National Career Management Consultant, and Pippin, founder and CEO of Women Who WOW, have led the volunteer “It” Factor initiative since October 2008, meeting weekly at Bean There café in Chesapeake. They assembled their newest group last week.
“The ‘It’ Factor Job Club, like many other job clubs founded by GMA, provides job seekers with essential tools for finding their new positions, including networking skills, resume guidance and interview tips,” said Adam Coppin, Operations Director of Web-Teks and previous Job Club member. “But perhaps the most essential - it gives its members a support group to help them through the hardships of a jobless recession recovery.”
“It” Factor has been featured on “Good Morning America,” “ABC News Now,” Hampton Roads’ ABC affiliate WVEC TV-13 News, and in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper, “Tidewater Women,” “Inside Business,” and “Portfolio Weekly.”
In August the club teamed up with Chesapeake Economic Development to further support job seekers and employers within the city.
For more information visit www.womenforhire.com.Sudden job loss leaves one single Mom desperate and determined to find work.
Shee-Lee Rock, a single mother, lost her job abruptly -and without notice once management changed at her apartment complex. As a property manager, she not only lost her job in a day but her apartment as well. Like so many other single parent families, she was already living paycheck to paycheck and now was forced to look for work without the cushion or security of severance or outplacement services. It was just three weeks before Christmas. In our minds, it doesn't get much scarier than that. Shee-Lee joined the It Factor Job Club after finding out about it through a friend.
With no computer or internet access at home, the job search was tough. But Shee-Lee was tougher and went to the local library to work on her resume, research leads and check her email. Taking full ownership of her new "reality", she made "getting a job" her full-time job. Every day she "hit the streets", knowing she did not have time to sit and wait she had to get work NOW.
The It Factor job club provided inspiration, help with setting goals, resume development, networking and most of all confidence and accountability. According to Shee-Lee, "After losing my job I felt like I had nothing to offer. The job club helped me recognize all that I did have to offer a company. The support was invaluable for me. I made friends... I grew my lead list, but most importantly, I grew my belief that I could get a job even if it was just before Christmas.
"I can remember the week I must have been told "no" every single day at least 10 times a day. I was devastated." Laurie encouraged Shee Lee that "Every "no" is a step closer to a "yes". Every "no" leaves another company missing out on "you". Don't give up." She reminded Shee Lee of WHY she was such a valuable asset to a company. Not surprisingly, Shee Lee's Christmas wish of 2008 was to find a job.
On Christmas Eve she was extended an offer.
Now, 7 months later she is still working for her "Christmas wish" employer - selling advertising. "I work hard every day, and have since been promoted to a lead sales role. I take my career seriously because my daughter depends on it. The It Factor Job Club was the best thing I never knew I needed. They helped me and my family get back on our feet - I will be forever grateful." says Shee Lee.
But Shee Lee's story is still developing. "These people are committed to me." she says. After leaving the It Factor Alumni meeting, which was filmed for Good Morning America's Weekend edition, Shee Lee found herself armed with more confidence and even bigger dreams.
At the meeting, Laurie spoke about using Facebook to establish your virtual brand identity. She shared with the group how Michelle Pippin had helped her use facebook - and her own "status updates"- to uncover her own brand - something Michelle says is always "hidden in plain sight".
"After an eye opening conversation with Michelle Pippin," says Shee Lee "I uncovered my brand and now I know (exactly) where I am headed personally and professionally. The crazy thing is, it was hidden from me- yet right in front of my eyes- just as she said."
"I even left with the offer of a free computer from fellow member, Adam Coppin. I learned once again that staying in community is essential to success in today's marketplace and I have to say I have one incredible community with the members of the It Factor Job Club."