Whether new to a job search or weary from the process, being with others "in the trenches" can be extremely beneficial.  NCJS offers a constructive environment in which to share challenges and frustrations as well as offering good leads and encouragement to others.  The "Networking and Issue Sharing" meetings are structured to capitalize on the people resources of NCJS, network with well-connected colleagues, and open doors to new possibilities.  You will help others and gain traction for your own job search.

This interactive talk will provide you foundational principles for living and leading a happier, more balanced life in a world gone crazy!  You will leave with five specific actions you can practice to improve the strength of your “positive emotional muscles” and increase your experience of happiness in life, work, and the search for work.  If you function as a leader in an organization, these practices will help you better engage others and build a more positive workplace.

You will also learn how much control you really have over your attitude, even in the worst of times.  Why is this important to you?  Hey, happier people make better partners, parents, and friends, as well as better leaders, coworkers, and job candidates.  It starts with you!

Jim Smith is The Executive Happiness Coach^®, a global provider of executive coaching, and personal and workplace transformation services.  His passion is to create a Happier world and workplace, one Leader at a time.

Drawing on his 20+ years of executive experience as well as 50+ years as a Human Being, Jim has coached leaders from 28 countries and six continents. He works with leaders to better balance their lives, dramatically improve their leadership skills, and build more positive workplace cultures.

Jim is also the author of Happiness At The Speed of Life: 13 Powerful Strategies for Finding Happiness at Home and On the Job, and he has touched the lives of over 18,000 people through his work on Positive Emotion and Leadership.  He has used the 13 Principles of Happiness to raise his own family and to deal with work, life, love, and tragedy – and he will be sharing some of those practices with you.  

Finally, Jim wants you to know this: he worships Dark beer, Dark Coffee, and Dark Chocolate... and deeply believes that Happiness is a Decision, not an Event!

Learn more about Jim at www.TheExecutiveHappinessCoach.com.

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.

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.

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.

Mark Gonska is Executive Vice President and leads the outplacement practice of Dise & Company.  Also known as America's Career Coach, Mark has has assisted well over 8,000 job seekers moving forward in their careers.  His advice and counsel has led not only to new jobs but also to successful salary and benefits negotiations.  His methods intentionally combine People, Process, and Passion.  Mark's NCJS presentation will challenge you to do a reality-check on the current state of your job search network, and provide tangible techniques for making your network WORK  for you.

Gary Szelagowski knows what it is like to go through a long job search.  Drawing on his personal as well as professional experience, he will present a way of going through job transition that addresses more than just resumes and interviews. Gary will encourage job seekers to "feed your soul," manage time and priorities, and find a workable "rhythm."  Networking is essential, of course, and Gary will offer a unique way of tending to your job search network.

Gary Szelagowski is a seasoned HR professional who has delivered game-changing results as a subject matter expert, as well as in generalist roles supporting business line clients.

Between 2010 and 2012, Gary managed a protracted job search at the height of the great recession.  He learned the value of networking, perseverance and working a plan, while keeping a positive attitude and remaining flexible.

Gary is currently an assistant vice president in the Human Resources Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He is responsible for leading the development and execution of enterprise-wide succession planning, performance and change management, talent development, recruiting and employee engagement.

Prior to joining the Cleveland Reserve Bank in 2014, Gary served as vice president of performance management at PNC Financial Services, in Cleveland. He also held senior human resource positions with National City Corporation, and he has served in technology and sales management at KeyBank.

He is an active member and participant in the NCJS LinkedIn Group and his LinkedIn profile can be found at Gary Szelagowski.

Katherine Burik is the founder and owner of The Interview Doctor, helping candidates and employers navigate the job search with a plan, interview coaching, and tools to help people tell their stories and make a great match.

Job search is tough under any circumstances, whether you are the hiring manager or a candidate. You need a combination of inner strength, good skills, and the strategic ability to know what you want and why you should have it. Being pretty good is not good enough.

It is essential to start with the right tools: Career Coaching, Resumes, and LinkedIn.  You need to be strategic with a job search. It is “More than a Resume.”  You must tie your resume to LinkedIn for effective job search.  Then you can create a job search or career marketing plan to grow your career.  Using Linked In and networking, you can turn job ads into networking experiences so your search is more than sending off a resume to a black hole.  But having that well-crafted resume is essential, and what worked a decade ago won't necessarily work in today's job market.  In this presentation we will explore current trends in resumes and offer practical tips and strategies to best position your resume in front of hiring managers.

We look forward to welcoming Katherine to North Coast Job Seekers and learning from her experience.  Her LinkedIn profile can be found at Katherine Burik.

Susan Brophy is a nationally and locally recognized career transition, workforce development, LinkedIn and resume expert with over 23 years of success in the Career Transition Arena.

Susan holds a Master of Science in Higher Education with an emphasis and thesis in: Career Development, Retention and Leadership. She is unlike typical"newly certified”, (only 1-5 classes and no professional experience ) resume & career coaches because of her many years of professional experience and successes with all levels of job seekers all areas of employment. 

Susan’s expert LinkedIn and career transition advising has been nationally recognized with presentations, workshops, panel discussions, articles and consulting.

Susan’s professional experience includes work with The Department of Labor, Workforce Development Consulting Firms, The Department of Education and at Ivy League and top tier universities and colleges and work in the corporate work space. 

Susan’s career counseling, LinkedIn & workforce development experience has also included the development and renovation of career and job seeking training a& development for over 55 workforce development centers around the country.

Susan is a member and participant in the NCJS LinkedIn Group and her LinkedIn profile can be found at Susan Brophy.

Nancy Miko has spent the past ten years as the Clinical Recruiter for Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, CT.  There she was responsible for the recruitment, on-boarding and retention of both experienced RNs as well as New Grads and Student Nurse Interns.  In this role she actively recruited student nurses throughout New England often meeting them as freshman or during their pre-requisite period and following up with them through graduation.

Ms. Miko spent 30 years in Human Resources and recruitment in both corporate and nonprofit organizations.  Nancy previously taught at Sophia University in Japan and was the Executive Assistant for Personal for Fordham University, Graduate School of Business.
 
Ms. Miko is the past president of the CT Healthcare Recruiters Association as well as a member of the National Association of Healthcare Recruiters.  She received a BA in International Relations from Good Counsel College in NY and studied for a Masters in East Asian History and Political Science at Purdue University.  Additionally Nancy received a Certificate in Human Resource Management from Fairfield University.

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