Networking is part of "Job Search 101," yet many job seekers lack the actual network of "people with connections" during a time of job transition. Networking is one of the cornerstones of North Coast Job Seekers and we are very intentional about providing face-to-face time to explore connections, be introduced to new contacts, discover new opportunities, and share the people resources that YOU have to help another job seeker.  Join with other NCJS members for this face-to-face time of constructive networking, job leads, and issue sharing.

Working with job recruiters can be a very effective way to land your next position. But it can also be a tricky dance. Recruiters are looking for talented candidates to fill positions and YOU are talented. So it is a match made in heaven, right? Well... it might be. Or it might not be.

Dan Toussant is a recruiter who places executives and professionals in some of the best organizations in the nation. He will be sharing tips and skills from his own experi-ence of how to best work with recruiters.

Dan expects this to be an interactive talk, and will provide you with ideas and tips as well as stories about good (and bad!) working relationships between recruiters and talented candidates. He will help you discern whether working with a professional recruiter might be a good option for you to explore in your own job search.

Dan Toussant, president and owner of Dan Toussant & Associates, a Sanford Rose affiliate, recruits executive, managerial and professional talent for organizations based or conducting substantial business in Ohio and contiguous states.  With the 2015 affiliation and membership in the Sanford Rose Associates network of offices, Dan Toussant & Associates became a part of the tenth-largest search firm in the world, and broadens its service reach from the primary focus of Ohio-based companies to a national and global footprint.  With eight years in the executive search business and over 30 years as a Human Resource executive and internal chief recruiter, Dan and his team source and vet professional talent from the perspective of an external recruiter/partner. Two benchmarks of their metrics-oriented service business: speed and reliability.  Speed? Two-vetted-and-qualified-candidates-in-14-days; Reliability? Every candidate offered a position accepts the offer.

Active as a leader and mentor within Toastmasters in northeast Ohio, Dan has earned the Distinguished Toastmaster award.  He serves on a non-profit board serving people with re-entry and/or homelessness issues, and visits a detention center for incarcerated youth on a regular basis to share Toastmasters with the inmates, and as a church ministry.  He lives with his wife Colleen in Canton, Ohio, and are parents of three grown children, and grandparents of three children.

Jim Folger is the President of OneSource Technical, Inc., a retained search firm specializing in recruiting for Engineering, Management and Sales positions throughout the United States. As a certified behavioral analyst and certified values analyst Jim designed the company’s processes to not only uncover passive candidates, but also identify the candidates who have the capacity for superior performance in the role using a methodology called Job Matching.

Jim is an Engineer with 2 decades of industry experience prior to founding OneSource Technical in engineering, management and customer facing roles. Jim’s background as a hiring manager, and as a recruiter provides a unique perspective that covers both sides of the hiring desk. Jim is on the board of advisors for the North Coast Job Seekers, and has been volunteering his time with various job seeker help groups for the last 20 years.

Should you be in a position in the future to make an important hire where having an excellent fit is important to the organization, consider giving Jim a call for an overview of their unique process.

Jim is a member and participant in the NCJS LinkedIn Group and his LinkedIn profile can be found at LinkedIn: Jim Folger.

There are times during everyone’s job search that the glass looks half empty instead of half full.  How do you remain optimistic, creative and joyful during an extended job search?  How do you maintain a cheerful demeanor when you didn’t land the interview or the job?  How can you boost your self-confidence and your own self-image?  How do you prevent lashing out at your family and friends when you are frustrated or just disappointed? Get the answers to these questions and more during this engaging presentation.

Marsha Friedman is an Organizational Effectiveness professional and Leadership Coach with more than 30 years in corporate America. Marsha brings a broad range of business experience from finance to customer service and from operations to organizational development.

Marsha is passionate about guiding individuals and organizations to their full potential. As a leadership coach, she helps leaders bring out the best in every employee, reduce workplace drama, and drive business growth. Through her company, MEF Consulting Group, Marsha serves the healthcare, nonprofit, telecommunications, nuclear power, and legal industries.

Marsha is a lifelong learner with a BS in Accounting from Miami University and a Masters Liberal Studies in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State University. She holds certifications as a Registered Corporate Coach^TM, a Master Trainer, a Myers Briggs and DiSC facilitator, and a Distinguished Toastmaster. Marsha co-facilitates Summit Networking Group for executive level job-seekers in Summit County and is a facilitator for the Corporate University at Kent State.

Marsha is an active member of Athena International, the International Coaches Federation, and Toastmasters International. She serves as treasurer of Beth El Congregation and co-chairs Knitzvah (knitting & crocheting for local charities).

Too many times, people polish up their LinkedIn profile and then ignore it.  Not a good practice in this turbulent time for job seekers.

This session will help you master basic and advanced concepts about how LinkedIn works so you can be found! Hudson Job Search Advisor and LinkedIn expert, De-de Mulligan, will give you specific tips to make your profile stand out.

Learning Outcomes:

• How to find what you want through specific LinkedIn search tricks

• Optimize your searchability for new job opportunities

• Discover best practices for LinkedIn etiquette

• Answer all your burning questions about this channel

De-de Mulligan is President and Chief Content Specialist of Mulligan Management Group.  De-de leads an energetic team who deliver memorable design and content for websites, blogs and social media posts. She helps clients extend their marketing reach and add more value to the conversation surrounding their business. 

De-de is well known for her strong writing skills and ability to tell a compelling business story.  Establishing, conveying, and implementing clients’ vision is what she and her staff do best. Businesses tap her proven record of successfully launching digital marketing initiatives and creating name recognition for clients in highly competitive marketplaces. As a consultant, De-de works closely with major decision-makers to set digital communication goals, plan strategy and build long-term relationships.

She is a true professional with diverse experience in marketing, public relations, communications, program development and implementation.

De-de is a member and participant in the NCJS LinkedIn Group and her LinkedIn profile can be found at De-de Mulligan.

One way to look at the job search is a process of marketing yourself to prospective employers.  Marketing professionals can tell you that it takes more than a nice looking ad (or resume) to land the job or account.

A job search marketing plan is an excellent tool for helping you conduct an effective and efficient job search.  Using some of the best techniques and methods from the world of marketing, you can create such a plan for yourself.  In this presentation Mike D'Amico will help you learn how to create and use this tool for your search.

Mike D'Amico has worked as a management consultant, and is currently employed as a Financial Analyst with a Cleveland-area software company.  He has offered personal assistance to job seekers for the past several years, and is on the Advisory Board of North Coast Job Seekers.

Jim Folger will be giving a presentation detailing a process and methodology for successfully marketing yourself into target companies where you don’t already have a contact. The presentation will show you how to expand your list of target companies, identify people to market to, obtain their contact information, and propose a methodology for initiating contact.

Jim is President of One Source Technical. Inc., a national search firm specializing in technical recruiting for Engineering, Management and Sales positions for a broad range of industrial clients throughout the United States. Jim is also an Engineer with 2 decades of industry experience in engineering, management and customer facing roles prior to founding OneSource Technical in 1998. Jim’s background as a hiring manager, and as a recruiter provides a unique perspective that covers both sides of the hiring desk. He is an active member and participant in the NCJS LinkedIn Group and his LinkedIn profile can be found at Jim Folger.

A conversation with a panel of HR leaders:

- Their BEST TIPS for the job search process.

- What is the best way to get noticed when going after a posted opening?

- Is there more I should be doing? Will my phone calls and emails help or hurt during the process? How much is too much?

- What is the best piece of advice an HR professional could share with you to make your search more effective?

- What burning question do you have that an HR professional could answer?

A panel of HR professionals with unique experiences in diverse organizations will share their job search insights and do their best to answer your important questions.

Understand the importance of making a GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION. Every relationship begins with a HELLO make it a great one. Learn the importance of properly meeting, greeting and saying goodbye to someone. Names are the key to any relationship learn the importance of getting, remembering and using names. Make yourself memorable in a positive way.

Donald Wayne McLeod, author and creator of PERCEPTIONOLOGY, has been teaching interpersonal communication skills since 2006. He has an inherent ability to connect with others on a personal level and can teach you to do the same. Being perceived as sincere, energetic and engaging are quintessential characteristics necessary for forming the interpersonal relationships that drive our lives. You need to hear the truth as to how others perceive you, your company, your employees and Donald Wayne can help.

Discussing everything from being the “Best Hello” to the “Best Goodbye” Donald Wayne will help you understand the subtle yet critical nuances that influence others’ perceptions of you enabling you to make a great first impression, endear yourself to others while inspiring them to want to help you achieve your ultimate goals in life.

Do you ever feel like you are lost in time, trying and trying to make something happen with no visible results? Do you need reassurance? The metaphor of wandering in the desert describes the experience of – and encouragement in – job transition.

To have a new beginning, you need an ending, and then you go through a neutral zone.  The new beginning comes out of your activities in the neutral zone, what I call desert time.  We need to learn how to navigate the neutral zone to “get to the Promised Land.” There are 6 “intelligences” that we can use to navigate through this time. When we use them, resources and guides lead us to successful new ventures.

Sue Nelson is changing the way we look at job searching: Focus on being ready to be found by the people who need us. Over 20 years she has coached 4,000 professionals and she can help you, too, say, “I got the job!”

You’re Invited! A Primer for Mixing Job Seeking and Party Mingling

It’s a recurring nightmare:  You’re at the Holiday party trying to balance a drink and a plate of tasty hors d’oevres when you realize the person you’ve been angling to meet for 2 months is headed straight for you.  You break into a sweat as you realize there’s no place to put the glass or the plate and your mouth is full and Mr. Right is barreling toward you.  And then you hear yourself open your mouth and try to gobblety-speak...  You snap straight up in bed, swearing you’ll get this figured out BEFORE the next party.

Join NCJS for a dress rehearsal Holiday party replete with appetizers and glasses to practice where to put what, safe mingling techniques, and tips for working in your elevator speech, because this is, after all, yet another opportunity for networking.

Black Tie Optional