Starting Over

Jump Start Your Job Search Workshop

by Em Are · Mar 26, 2015

Jump Start Your Job Search Workshop
Saturday, April 18^th
9 am – 4 pm, Church of the Saviour
651 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne PA
Cost $10

An interactive day of information and ideas to assist you
in finding the right position more quickly.

Knock Out Networking – Michael Goldberg – Networking is a key job search and life skill. Most people are not born networkers; they develop the skills and confidence through education, training, practice, and having a positive attitude. Bottom line, networking is the most effective way to attract more prospects, generate more referrals, create more opportunities, and land the job!

Breathe New Life into Your Job Search – Amy Dinning – Amy will share innovative strategies designed especially for the longer-term job seeker based on her personal experience. She will help you breathe new life into your job search using various tips and techniques.

Networking over lunch with fellow participants and speakers. Discussion about tips & tricks for job search around the tables and sharing in the larger group.

Interviewing for Success – Ford Myers – This information packed session takes the mystery and the nervousness out of job interviewing. Participants are walked through the interviewing process, from first contact to job offer. Attendees also learn how to effectively answer the tough questions, tips to maintain a proper attitudes and appropriate follow-up strategies.

Managing Your Job Search Like a Business – Rod Colon – Rod share with us that to successfully navigate today’s job market; you must see yourself as the CEO who treats your job search as a business.

Sign in starts at 8:30 am and the workshop begins at 9 am. The formal part of the workshop will end at 4 pm.

Please bring your business (networking) cards. Bring your lunch as there will be no place to purchase one.

Please register online at www.cosnet.org/care/jobtransition and pay with a credit card. We are unable to take walk-ins. Please note that online registration will close on Wednesday, April 15 at noon.

For more information or questions, contact Amy Dinning at [email protected]. The event is sponsored by Church of the Saviour, Hire One (a Chester County Economic Development Council initiative), St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia Society of People & Strategy, TCBY, My Career Transitions, American Society for Talent Development Philadelphia chapter, Greater Valley Forge HR Association, and Penn State Great Valley Career Services.

Blogging 101: Say Your Name

by Em Are · Sep 16, 2014

So that is today’s assignment on the blog challenge. It is a little more specific than that though. I reads:

Today’s assignment: edit your title and tagline.

But what if I already like the title? Okay, so the tag line is/was a little lame. I can change that. A brief period of soul searching brought me to what you see up there now. “The next adventure awaits. Will you walk beside me as I explore it?”

That sums up where I am right now. I am working through the opportunity that is in front of me. I think, no, I know, that my prayers and those of others, have brought me to this point. I can do this so long as I keep my focus and stay confident in my skills, both technical and interpersonal.

But even more than that, I’ve come to learn that no one goes it alone. You don’t succeed, or fail for that matter, all by yourself. You need help along the way. Being a remote worked for the last 11 years or so, I thought that I was more or less on my own. In actuality, I had a team around me that I could reach out to. It was not someone at the next desk, or in an office down the hall, as you might find in a more traditional office, but rather, someone at the other end of a phone call, or an instant message, or a text.

Now, as a solo entrepreneur, I realize how important that extended team, or support network is to success. There is no corporate office to call into, to visit once a month, no co-worker to IM about something funny I just heard, or to bounce ideas off of. I need to build that structure for myself, to find compatible minds to engage with, to provide feedback to, and ask for the same for myself.

This new opportunity is a journey of discovery on so many different fronts. I am delighted that you are here today, reading this, considering whether or not you want to come along with me to explore it. I could use your support. I promise to return the favor.

Cap Web Solutions launched today.

by Em Are · Jul 9, 2014

Today is the day. It is done. Off and running. Let’s rock and roll. Insert any other cliche indicating the start is occurring. I’m excited. Tired. Enthused. Nervous. Pumped. You name it. I’m on that proverbial emotional roller coaster today. Queue the smattering of applause in the background.

Earlier today I launched my business publicly on the web. Cap Web Solutions LLC is officially open for business. The ubiquitous “under construction” page banner is now gone – the effective widget having been deactivated. The SEO widget is turned on and, hopefully, feeding the big G lots of metadata for a mid-afternoon snack.

To do list: Posted an announcement on LinkedIn ✔, Twitter ✔, Google+ ✔, Facebook ✔, and sent to Mom (since she’s not on any of these platforms) ✔.

I’ve set up a unique Google+ page and Twitter feed for the business. I’m not sure if this is a reasonable thing to do or not, but I will try it for a while. I may find that it’s just too much to manage and revert back to using my personal social platforms for these conversations. Do you have any experience in this area? What have you found to be the optimal solution in your world? Feel free to let me know in the comments. I’d love to get your input. Oh, and the new site does have a blog. That will be much more technology and business focused, but it is another path to populate with ideas.

It feels like it has been an extremely long time to get to this point, but in retrospect, I’ve only been aggressively pursuing it for just over 2 months. I’m still fine-tuning the business plan, with the help of the Chester County SCORE office. The official LLC registration paperwork from the Commonwealth is “in process”. The Fed knows I’m real. Oh boy. I’m in talks with a potential established business partner, to see how we might work together. It sounds very promising, but still at the early stages.

This new opportunity is now formally past the “exploratory” stage and into the execution stage. Since I expect that this will be a continuously evolving world for me, I plan to keep on putting my thoughts together here. Please stop back and visit from time to time. I do appreciate it.

Thanks for your love and support.

All the best to you…

I’m stoked today. I got this.

by Em Are · May 30, 2014

I’m stoked this morning. First, my wife safely arrived home today from a business trip to Tampa. That was an ordeal in and of itself for her in trying to get home, but that’s a story for her to tell another time. She’s home.

Second, I participated in the 2nd session of my workshop on business planning last night. Offered by the Chester County chapter of SCORE at the Chester County Library, it was a challenging, thought-provoking 2.5 hours.

Last night in class we talked about marketing plans, target markets, competition, pricing strategy, channel delivery and marketing messages. After last weeks session, I came away shell-shocked at all the things I needed to put front and center as I work to get this business off on the right foot. Can I do this? Do I have what it takes to make this happen, this time? My previous attempt to start a business back about 15 years ago resulted in shutting the doors after 2 years when the revenue being generated was not supporting me and my family. I had bought a shipping franchise, and through no fault of the franchisor, I just wasn’t able to make a go of it.

I now realize that part of the problem back then was my need to get to “doing the business” and not invest the needed time to “planning the business”. 15 years of life experiences has taught me at least one thing – take the time up front to really, really look at what you are about to do and account for as much as possible. Look at all the good things that will happen, but take a hard look at the bad too. Plan the exit strategy. Really? Now? Sure. How do you know where you want to get to if there’s no end game identified.

I’m still antsy to get to “doing the business”, but I am approaching it more cautiously now. Doing the research – thank you Chester County Library and its ReferenceUSA materials, where would I be without you. Thinking about the local market (there must be at least 75 web development firms within 25 miles of Downingtown – who knew?) What’s my value proposition? Why me? What do I do better than the next guy? It’s coming together. Laid awake last night with my mind going in a hundred different directions. It helped that I knew my wife was safe and sound in a Tampa Marriott waiting for her 5:30 am flight to come home today.

So, I’m stoked today. I got this.

BTW, if you are thinking about rolling your own, please talk to your local SCORE folks. They know their stuff and offer their advice freely. ‘Been there, done that’ has a lot of value when you are starting out on your own. Give ’em a call. You may be surprised.

It’s been a good week. Oh, and the dentist last week. Root canal. Ugh.

Be quiet and listen.

by Em Are · May 15, 2014

That about sums it up. I have struggled with a number of things during this transition period. I am a Christian, specifically an Episcopalian, and I’ve struggled with the ‘God has a plan for you’ mindset. I pray. I ask for guidance. I pray for others. I ask for help for them. A networking friend, who has become a good friend, tells me of her challenges to discern what it is that God is telling her to do. She realized that she just wasn’t listening in the right way, at the right time. She has learned to just be quiet and listen.

I heard that same message from someone else last week, in a completely unrelated context.

Be quiet and listen, no, really listen. So that’s what I did.

And what did I hear. A meetup group will help you learn. A friend has some customers that need the service you want to offer. Your wife likes the idea and supports it. Another networking contact has some ideas on how we can work together. The NPR news article that is telling a story about taking the first step. The sign I saw yesterday that tells me that I should not just “stare at the steps” but to actually “take the first step on the stairs”.

I’m listening…and acting. New things are happening.

It’s different this time

by Em Are · May 6, 2014

It’s different this time.

Just after my position was eliminated in August of 2012 I was angry/ in shock/ hurt/ scared, all at the same time. The first few weeks are still a blur as I try to remember how I pulled things together. I do remember going to a networking event at Penn State Great Valley early on. I walked into a large room, and surprise, saw about 75 people who looked just like me: mid 50’s, somewhat paunchy, deer-in-the-headlights eyes, mostly male, walking around holding a fake leather folder containing freshly printed resumes – trying to make small-talk with recruiters and HR representatives that, for the most part, could have been our kids. Trying to explain how my life skills were still relevant and how they could translate into desirable business skills. Technical skills, forget it. Anything more than 5 years ago was so out of favor that it was now considered legacy and being phased out.

The biggest step I took was to go to a local support group – Joseph’s People – in Downingtown. I had heard of it before, many years ago, but had never experienced it for myself. That first Tuesday night was very nerve-racking as I arrived. But it was a support group for unemployed and underemployed persons, of any age, without regard to religious affiliation. These were church-going people – how bad could it get. If fact, it was uplifting. It was supportive. It gave me energy, but more than that, it gave me a safe place to practice talking about myself, a place where I could screw up trying to network and have someone nudge me in the right direction.

So now, unemployed again after only 3 months at this last job, I’m heading back to that safe place. There’s a Joseph’s People meeting in Media, PA tonight. I’ll be there, learning how to do better on phone and Skype interviews (you might be surprised to learn how often you do have to take part in one of these interviews first, before anything else happens), learning how to introduce myself with my personal elevator speech, and accepting the love and support of strangers. Initially strangers, but by the end of the evening, they will be future friends and definitely, LinkedIn connections.

Connect with me on LinkedIn. My network is fairly large, almost 1700 as of this morning, and I’ll do whatever I can to help you connect with the right person. After all, we are all looking for the right connection that will lead us to that one person who can point us to our next job opportunity.

Here’s a one-click connection URL – invite not needed.

All the best.

Difficult decision?

by Em Are · Aug 23, 2012

“…we have made the difficult decision to eliminate your position effective today…”

It was just about 48 hours ago that I heard those words. I don’t think it has still fully sunk in yet. Really? Are you kidding me?

I guess I figured something was odd, after all, the CEO was standing in the door to my office, and he has NEVER been to my office in the 8 years I’ve worked for him. He did text me about 15 minutes prior to his appearance asking if I was going to be in my office for the next little bit. Of course I’m going to be in my office. We have a standing 10a video call every week. Why wouldn’t I be here in my office. Now I should point out that I work remote from the office, I guess “worked”, is the correct term now, and my office is a little over 2 hours north of the company headquarters. So, it is quite unusual for anyone from the corporate office to show up unannounced at my office.

About 11 minutes later he was back on his way to the safety of HQ, but not before requesting that I unplug the laptop and give it to him. “Do you have anything else that is our’s” he asked. Really? Are you kidding me? I know I am repeating myself but I guess the absurdity of the whole thing still hadn’t passed. “Sure, here’s the power cord and the dock station” I said. “I’ll get the office supplies and phone back to you.”

So I am now one of the victims of the economic downturn, the recovering economic downturn. It’s time for me to now put into practice all those things I would offer as nuggets of help to my friends as they were downsized over the past half dozen years or so. Network, update resume, network, tell everyone, network, get active on LinkedIn, network, update your skills, and oh, by the way, did I say to ‘network’.

I think that this little blog will help me get through the whole thing, at least its a first step. We’ll see how it goes. I’m hoping to keep track of progress, throw in a little self-pity wrapped up with a good deal of optimism as I embark on a path to “explore new opportunities” as my LinkedIn headline shouts. Will I end up in a corporate office job (hmmm, been working remotely for well over 10 years now), is it time to do my own thing (right, with 2 college tuition bills and a mortgage), or some combination. Lots to think about. Like I said at the beginning, it has only been about 48 hours since everything changed, and the thoughts are still trying to get themselves in some sense of order.

I need to find my last resume and update it. I still do need a paper resume, right?

Kind of ironic that the last line of the letter he handed me says “…we greatly appreciate all the work you’ve done in an effort to help make [us] a success…”