Lots of Growth During Job Search

Ken Roberts


Ken Roberts

Awesome meeting last Friday! Three people announced they landed jobs. That brought the total to 14 people in 21 days who landed jobs during the holiday season. If you haven’t done so already, read my blog about this subject.

One of the three people was Ken Roberts. He’d worked for the same company for 31 years. When he was liberated in June, he needed some help! I’m very proud to say that I’ve seen Ken grow in many ways in the past few months, AND I’ve seen him shrink in a very significant way too. He’s lost 90 pounds and looks fantastic. Awesome!

He told me that the people at PVH are super and he’s looking forward to going to work. Growth during job search can happen if you let it.

BTW, notice the start date. This is hiring season.

Ken, good luck and God bless!

– Dave O’Farrell

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Hey Dave,

I have accepted the offer at PVH in McDonough. I just got off the phone with the HR Manager and I am scheduled to start on January 7th.

I appreciate the assistance that you gave through the process and especially the session we had last week to refocus my search. That session fired me up and got my search back on track. The interview for the job at PVH was a direct result of that session. The information you provided me yesterday helped me to mentally seal the deal. The final bit of research really helped me feel comfortable that I was making the right decision.

I am thankful that you were one of the first two contact names given to me when I was downsized back in June. Lots of positive things have happened since that first day when we met in your office to update my résumé. I was really lost when I walked in your office that day. By the time I left I felt more positive and for the first time was excited to begin my career search.

I have been blessed with a lot of assistance through this journey and I will always cherish the people that were there to make a difference.

Thanks very much,

– Ken Roberts

Networking Key to Landing Unpublished Position

Mike-Grimes


Mike Grimes

If Mike Grimes were searching mindlessly for jobs on the Internet instead of networking, he wouldn’t be his eighth day at his new job today.

Friends, that voice in the back of your head saying you can’t do it is a liar. Be like Mike. Do the thing that scares you the most: network. Every minute you aren’t networking is a wasted opportunity.

Congratulations Mike; very proud of you!

– Dave O’Farrell

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Hi Dave,

I’m happy to report that I started a new job this past week at McKesson. The position is a great fit for me, taking advantage of my military and private sector experiences. I’ll be managing the implementation of health care IT initiatives at military hospitals and clinics worldwide.

I want to thank you and your team for all of your help earlier this year. I picked up some excellent tips at the weekly meetings and met some great people who will remain an important part of my professional network. I haven’t attended the weekly meetings since July, but I’ve been very busy networking and interviewing for positions for the last several months.

I’m sure your assistance in reworking my résumé helped me to get to the next level in several of my interviews. During this extended job search, I have certainly learned the value of persistence and networking in the job search.

In fact, networking was the key to finding my current position, which was not posted. I met just the right recruiter at a networking event, who took a keen interest in my credentials. Within days, he had referred me to a fellow recruiter who was looking for someone with my background. Over the next three days, I had a telephone interview, a face-to-face interview and a job offer.

Thanks again to you and your Crew for the outstanding service you provide to the community at JobSeekers of Peachtree City.

Best regards,

– Mike Grimes

14 Days, 30 Minutes from Résumé to Job Offer

Job Offer


Carolina Segovia

Divine providence, plus just-in-time training, lead to great job offer.

I am very proud of Carolina Segovia this week, and very thankful to God for his divine providence in all of our lives. There were three truly amazing things that happened in the process of her receiving an offer in a short period of time. I believe they weren’t coincidences, but God-incidences.

First, we finished Carolina’s résumé and LinkedIn profile at about 1:30 on 31 October. Ten minutes later Meshaan Campbell, a local HR manager, sent me a job lead. Carolina was a perfect fit. I actually didn’t see the lead for another eight hours because I was doing client work and working on publishing deadlines. I emailed Meshaan at 9:40 pm.

Next I emailed Carolina and told her to start researching Chromalloy. Meshaan emailed Carolina on Friday and asked when she could come in for an interview the following week.

Second, and unknown to Carolina and I at the time, Meshaan scheduled the interview for 10:00 am on Thursday 8 November. Later she told me that she scheduled the interview with all the parties except Carolina. This created the opportunity for the third God-incidence.

Third, I had a client postpone his participation in my workshop. The knucklehead called me at 8:45 pm and told me he couldn’t make it. The start of the workshop was less than 12 hours away. I ‘lost it’ for a minute or two, regained my composure, and then told him that when this has happened in the past, there was a divine purpose. I got mad because my signature workshop only has three people in it, so when someone can’t make it, 33% of the participants are absent.

Knowing Carolina had this interview coming up, I emailed her at 9:00 pm and asked if she could come on short notice. She emailed right back and said she would be here bright and early.

Meshaan called Carolina during the workshop the next morning and rescheduled the interview for 11:00 am on Friday. We did an 80-minute full-scale role play with feedback for this specific interview in the afternoon.

The next morning, Carolina aced the interview. I spoke to Meshaan in the afternoon and she told me how pleased they were their new candidate. She said, “Dave, thanks for making me look good.” I believe Carolina was the first on only candidate they interviewed for this position.

They had another interview the following Wednesday at 2:00 pm and that’s when the offer was extended. It had been 14 days, 30 minutes since we finished Carolina’s résumé.

Divine providence, plus just-in-time training, led to this great job offer. The pay is better, the benefits are better, and the environment is better than the position she left a few weeks ago. Carolina is thrilled, and so am I.

One more thing: the job is not funded until January. They are putting Carolina on a contract between now and then. This is hiring season. Do what Carolina did; get prepared and then go out and look for a job now.

Congratulations Carolina!

– Dave O’Farrell

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To my fellow seekers,

I attended JobSeekers of Peachtree City for the first time three years ago – in late 2009. I had been laid off from a company in Atlanta approximately six months after my husband had been laid off. Our income fell to less than a third of what we were used to making. It was a very difficult and trying time for my family. I was NOT used to asking for anything from anyone… after all, I had “pride.”

I learned fast that pride is not a good thing when you are in need. With God’s grace, I learned to be humble again and to give all of my anxieties up to the Lord. Let me tell you – this was not easy because I like to say “God if you will do this, then I will do that.” We all know God doesn’t work that way. Anyway, God was good as he opened doors by providing a place for me to network at JobSeekers. He also provided me with an awesome guide – Dave O’Farrell.

After several months of job hunting I indeed found another J-O-B!!! It didn’t have the number of people and the level of energy I like, but it didn’t matter at the time. I was happy! I had income again! And then last month (2½ years later), I found myself on the job hunt again. In a market full of job seekers just like me, I knew I had to standout somehow.

So, I reached out to Dave again for guidance with my résumé and attended his MRMT class. During this time frame Dave received a job lead with skill requirements that were almost identical to mine. I went on two interviews. I am happy to announce that I was offered a C-A-R-E-E-R with better comp and benefits, not just a J-O-B. I start the Monday after Thanksgiving.

I would like very much to thank Dave O’Farrell for providing such an excellent class. I know without the proper training I would not have landed this opportunity.

To all the job seekers out there: your faith, combined with a great attitude, a big smile and the right training, will land you in your next career.

Let God lead you and He will take you far in your life!

– Carolina Segovia