Brandman University Career Strategies Workshop - Free Job Search Strategy Course in Irvine, CA

Nov. 23, 2010 - PRLog -- Brandman University Career Strategies Workshop - Free Job Search Strategy Course in Irvine

Thirty high-level professionals – including a finance director, attorney, senior auditor,  AT&T project manager, doctor of pharmaceutical research, hospital administrator, human resource specialist, advertising executive and several marketing and sales professionals out of work due to the economy arrived at Brandman University’s campus in Irvine to begin an intensive, five-day career strategy course called Advanced Career Strategies.  The course not only helps them to find and land a job, each student left with a concrete plan to brand themselves as an expert in their field and a lifetime strategy for success.  

The workshop is offered tuition-free throughout the year and is led by John Hall, a longtime job transition coach.  Several coaches from the Professional Coaches and Mentors Association (PCMA) assist students through a series of intensive exercises, critiques, presentations and group activities.  Classes run from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. daily with an additional two hours of homework each night.

Professor Hall has coached hundreds of people in career transitions, and has taught at Chapman University and in the Graduate Career Counseling program at UC-San Diego.  His passion is helping people transition through the rough economy by giving them the tools to succeed in today’s difficult job market.  For his dedication to community service, John Hall was honored in October with Orange County’s Waves of Service Award.

Rohit Kaushik came to class with 17-years of experience in finance.  He said, “This course helped me to focus by giving me straightforward direction.  The biggest block I had was my own perception. I was thinking of myself as a job-seeker. John Hall taught me to market myself as a problem solver, not just someone who needs a job.  His words had profound meaning and turned everything around.”  

Professor Hall asks his students to approach the workshop as they would an MBA class.  “In today’s market, you must be the A+ candidate.” He says, “In the past, B or even C+ job seekers could find work, but that’s no longer true.”

Students are required to develop “power stories” that highlight their professional achievements.  A student in the September workshop writes: “I had a job interview just a few days after completing the course, it was a great success. I had so many well rehearsed power stories, the interviewer seemed ready to hire me on the spot. Memorizing and rehearsing those greatly reduced my stress and put me in an empowered, autopilot mode. I received an offer letter today!”

They must also write a special report that focuses on problems and issues generic to 80% or more of the companies in a given industry, or a proposal that focuses on the issues of a single targeted company. These are approaches rarely taught in expensive outplacement programs or local workshops including state sponsored One Stops or Experience Unlimited.  Hall says the bottom line is that teaching management executives and professionals how to approach companies using these techniques elevates them in a manner that resumes and cover letters cannot approach.  “To the best of my knowledge, less than 1 in 2000 job hunters ever use either of these approaches,” says Hall.

Takeaways included a 223 page e-book manual and targeted special industry reports about in-depth research strategies, job development proposals, career portfolios, strategic interviewing, personal branding and social media.  Students added that the camaraderie and support they received from their classmates was a valuable benefit they didn’t anticipate.  Professor Hall reports that most groups continue to meet regularly long after class has ended to network and provide support and feedback.

The five-day workshop is offered free-of-charge. The next class begins December 6, 2010.  If you are interested in attending, please contact Mary Shelton at 949-341-9859 or e-mail, shelton@brandman.edu

Details:
When: December 6-10, 2010
Time: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. plus 2-3 hours of independent study each night.
Where: Brandman University,16355 Laguna Canyon Rd., Irvine
Registration: Mary Shelton at 949-341-9859 or shelton@brandman.edu
More information: http://www1.chapman.edu/enhance/careermgmt.htm

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Brandman University is a private, non-profit, regionally accredited institution established in 1958. A part of the Chapman University System, Brandman serves 10,000 students at 26 campuses in California and Washington State, and online.