The St. Jude Career Alliance Ministry in Allen, TX will be presenting a new eight-session Expert Speaker Series beginning with its Wednesday morning meeting on March 30 that scrutinizes the steps required for successful job searches. The DFW Metroplex-based speakers at these programs will provide guidelines on handling job loss, targeted job search strategies, resume & interview techniques, working with recruiters, and age challenges. There will also be tips on "how to" incorporate LinkedIn into employment searches and career strategies.
The new eight-session Expert Speaker Series will include:
MARCH 30, 2016
Topic: Handling Job Loss.
Speaker: Angela Gwinn, Director of Pastoral Care, Prince of Peace Catholic Church, Plano, TX. Ms. Gwinn holds a Master's degree in Professional Counseling from Amberton University (Garland, TX) and a Bachelor's degree in Spanish from Oakland University (Rochester, MI). After a 25-year career in Industrial Sales & Marketing, Ms. Gwinn decided to pursue her passion for helping others through their life's challenges. A licensed professional counselor, Ms. Gwinn's experience to date includes work in a behavioral hospital on the adolescent unit, with a local school district, and with public mental health counseling adults and children.
APRIL 6, 2016
Topic: Targeted Job Search That Works.
Speaker: Paula Calise, Principal, Linked Executive Research. Ms. Calise's career is punctuated by rapid advancement at IBM and TXU. Prior to launching her recruiting practice, she was a Sales & Marketing VP for a nationwide consulting company. Today, Ms. Calise places mid and top leadership in Dallas' large and mid-cap companies. She is known for her generosity of pay-it-forward networking and coaching. A founding principle of Ms. Calise's recruiting practice is to be "candidate friendly," leading to untold hours each year of providing pro bono career coaching. Ms. Calise holds a degree in Human Resources from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from the University of Houston.
APRIL 13, 2016
Topic: Get Your Ducks in Order: Steps for Job Search Success.
Speaker: Karen Bragg-Matthews, International Speaker, Facilitator, Life & Career Coach and President of KBM Career Concepts. During her more than 20 years in Human Resources, Ms. Bragg has done everything from managing small companies to being the head of several Human Resources operations at a Fortune 500 company. She has provided companies with the right people ranging from bus drivers to vice presidents. Throughout her career, Ms. Bragg, who is very knowledgeable about what companies are looking for in an employee, has developed innovative and successful training programs. As Lead Negotiator, she has worked with various labor unions and affiliates.
APRIL 20, 2016
Topic: Informational Interviews.
Speaker: Clayton Stockdall, Strategic Business Partner with Stockdall Consulting. Mr. Stockdall is an operational analysis executive who generates bottom line results by converting financial and operational data into quantifiable metrics, proposing action based on metrics analysis and executing action plans to successful implementation. He is the director of the Fort Worth Career Search Network, a leadership team member and lecturer for Southlake Focus Group and a lecturer for the Fort Worth-based Career Solutions Workshops. Mr. Stockdall holds an MBA degree in Finance & Management from Dallas Baptist University. He graduated cum laude from Central Bible College (Springfield, MO) with a BA degree in Bible and Christian Education.
APRIL 27, 2016
Topic: LinkedIn - A Very Powerful e-Networking Tool.
Speaker: Dennis O'Hagan, RE/MAX Real Estate Agent. Mr. O'Hagan attributes his success as a real estate agent in the RE/MAX Frisco, TX office to his strong network and his ability to get and stay connected via networking and social media tools. He is currently involved in multiple DFW Metroplex-based networking groups and is the leader of the largest Sales & Business Development Career Focus Group (CFG) in the Metroplex. Recognized as one of the most networked individuals through the very powerful e-Networking tool called LinkedIn, Mr. O'Hagan believes that LinkedIn is an important tool for helping individuals to grow their businesses by creating better brand awareness.
MAY 4, 2016
Topic: Gray is the New Green - How the Older Generation Remains Competitive in the Work Force.
Speaker: Adriana Brooks, Personal Coach and Facilitator, Maximize Life Now. Ms. Brooks has over 22 years of experience serving as a project manager in a variety of organizations from human resources to finance to sales & marketing to supply chain and operations. Launched in January 2015, Maximize Life Now helps individuals and teams develop strategies and action plans to achieve their goals. Ms. Brooks works with clients to help them gain clarity, stay engaged, maintain focus, increase confidence and be accountable.
MAY 11, 2016
Topic: Matching Exceptional People to Great Teams.
Speaker: Kurt VanderMotter, Principal, Linked Executive Research. Mr. VanderMotter is an accomplished leader and hiring executive with over 25 years of experience. He has demonstrated the ability to not only identify and attract extraordinary talent quickly, but match exceptional people to great teams - ensuring a win-win relationship for both the client and individual. As an executive recruiter, Mr. VanderMotter is an expert at filling hard-to-fill positions. He has a demonstrated record of executive success in both start-up companies and Fortune 500 companies, including Pepsi-Co., Dr. Pepper/7Up, AT&T Wireless, Jobster and Intervoice.
MAY 18, 2016
Topic: Working with Corporate Recruiters.
Speaker: Jennifer Carmichael, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition and Recruiting, Capital One Financial Planning. Ms. Carmichael is a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional, and Certified Career & Executive Coach with over 15 years of recruiting and leadership experience. She has worked across several industry sectors including healthcare, telecommunications, retail, oil & gas, defense, banking, financial and consulting services to successfully place interns, new graduates, experienced professionals and executives in Fortune 1000 companies around the globe. Ms. Carmichael has worked in both staffing agency and corporate environments supporting public and privately-held companies. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Communications from the University of Kansas and a Master Certificate in Human Resources from Cornell University.
The St. Jude Career Alliance is a ministry helping college students, career builders and those who are unemployed/underemployed to develop individual career strategies that meets at 9:00 AM every Wednesday at St. Jude Parish in Allen, TX. Everyone is welcome and there is no charge.
St. Jude Catholic Church is located at 1515 North Greenville between Exchange Parkway and Stacy Road. Attendees should park in the northeast lot and use the entrance between the church and the parish offices.
In addition to speakers and presentations at weekly Wednesday morning meetings, the ministry offers training in job search skills, support groups and job hunting resources.
For more information, visit www.stjudecareeralliance.net or email jbick@stjudeparish.com.