Gold Career Coaching: Networking

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Rutgers Speednetworking Event

As we prepare for the annual Rutgers Alumni-Student Speednetworking event to be held December 2, 2009, I thought you might like to read the article in 1766 magazine about last years event. This year will be an even better event, with over 150 alumni scheduled to attend.
Link to 1766 Magazine Article

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Effective Networking

Studies consistently show that informal contacts or "networking" represent up to 70% of successful job searches. Are you comfortable with the idea of networking? For most of my clients, the answer is "no!"
Then they learn how to do it right.
For starters, effective networking is not about finding a job. Effective networking is about collecting intelligence to the business transitions that require your skills. There's a big difference. Intelligence gathering means having targeted industries, targeted companies, and research accumulated on both before "networking" even begins. Examples of business transitions to look for include: a department is being re-organized, a product is being launched or re-positioned in the marketplace; a company or large department is relocating or a merger / acquisition is underway.
How can you identify relevant and timely transitions? Research and build your network! At Gold Career Coaching we will train you in a variety of proven strategies for building a broad-based and effective network. We will also provide access to databases that make research much easier - and even enjoyable. Lets get started!

Why Gold?

We named our consulting practice Gold not only because of the obvious reference to the traditional instrument of wealth, but also because of some of the properties of the metal itself.

Gold is mined from ore. One ton of ore yields only one ounce of pure Gold. It takes a lot of work to find and purify Gold. The same is true of your career search. If you invest the time and effort, you too can have a career of pure Gold.

To be most useful, Gold is usually alloyed or mixed with other metals. 18K Gold is 75% Gold and 25% other metals. Each stop on your career path may not be pure Gold, but even lower karats of Gold shine! Fortunately, even 10K Gold (42% gold) can be refined into pure gold. Over time you will be able to get closer and closer to pure Gold status in your career.

Gold is the most malleable of all metals. A piece of pure Gold the size of a US quarter (about one oz.) can be stretched into a wire 50 MILES long. In your career search you must also remain malleable. These economic times require you to be as flexible as possible so that you can adapt to other opportunities both in and outside your place of work.

Gold is very rare. Only 5 out of a billion atoms of the earths' crust are Gold. A pure Gold career is also rare. We are here to help you get to pure Gold status!

About Gene Gentile

Eugene Gentile is a career coach and public speaker with over 30 years of professional experience in the corporate world. There he specialized in sales and marketing mastering the tools that are invaluable to the job seeker.

Gene first began his work in career coaching in the early 2000’s with many presentations to college students on key job transition skills including interviewing and networking. Since then, he has coached clients from a wide range of job functions and industries.

Mr. Gentile formed Gold Career Coaching to help the recent graduate to become job search and change experts. His deep understanding of the needs and challenges job seekers face has enabled Gene’s clients to make highly productive career decisions. Gene guides his clients in customizing their search campaign to emphasize their strengths while utilizing career transition tools and strategies that have been proven successful time after time. He works hand-in-hand with his clients, coaching, developing, encouraging and motivating them to reach their goals efficiently and with confidence. His intensive sales and marketing background provides clients with a powerful combination of optimism, savvy personal marketing strategies, and a greatly enhanced ability to effortlessly communicate the unique benefits they bring to organizations.

Endorsements

Jessica G.

I had the privilege of being one of Gene’s first clients at Gold Career Coaching. When I started working with Gene, I was three months out of college and fairly certain my degree wouldn’t have the legs to outpace the competition—candidates who, thanks to a less-than-ideal economic climate, were neither short in supply nor in years of experience.

From our very first meeting, Gene was intensely invested in developing a campaign around my personal background and career interests. And, like any great coach, he made my success his priority. More than a quick fix to unemployment, Gene’s objective was not only to get me hired but to get me hired in a desirable professional environment and in a position that allowed me to shine. We weren’t merely looking for a job. We were looking for the job I wanted.

Right away, Gene is ready and much more than willing to test the limits of “traditional” employment searching. He asks job seekers to broaden their search to every possible field of interest. …Literally. Walking into my first session at Gold Career Coaching, I had narrowed myself to the publishing industry; leaving, my professional vision was widened enough to include branding (not such a far stretch), display design (still in the neighborhood), and even gluten-free food development (worlds away from where I started!). It is this boldness together with a natural ability to encourage the same fearless confidence in his clients that makes Gene such an effective coach.

From résumé building to networking and interviewing, Gene has a real—and proven—understanding of how to get an application out from under the generic pile. His reassuring repetition of “You wouldn’t have an interview if you weren’t qualified” is always followed closely by an advisory “Now that you have it, make the interviewer remember you.” Someone who effortlessly stands out himself, Gene worked with me to sift through years of part-time jobs and relevant coursework to find what made me “uniquely qualified” for each and every job description.

With a true grasp of what employers look for and how job seekers can make them see it, Gene is exceptional at what he does. His guidance is central to making the best possible impression, even from the very first words exchanged with a potential employer. And, far surpassing the standards of professional obligation, there is no match for his start-to-finish enthusiasm. Gene’s career coaching know-how produces the polished résumés and near perfectly prepared interviewees necessary to get a foot in the door. His infectious guns-blazing, make-it-happen attitude gets the job. To prove it: I only went on one interview. The following month I opened my first check.

Alina Bliach:

"Eugene is a "master" at his craft. The skills he has taught me have helped me move in a positive direction towards achieving my ultimate goal. From resume building, to the ideal candidate letter, to interviewing with confidence, to networking strategies that work, Eugene gives you the tools that you need to do it all. His methods are over the top in bringing you the results that you are looking for. He is a true professional with extreme patience and dedication in helping you achieve your goals. The one word that comes to mind when describing Eugene, is "Wow!" He is, "The Ultimate Master.""

Janet Jones :

"I have worked with Gino for several years on career-related programming at Rutgers for both current students and alumni. He displays great passion and interest in helping young adults set and acheive career goals. He is accomplished in guiding people through the job search process and offering insights and ideas to aid in their successes."

Mike C. Cleveland, OH:

"Gene's enthusiasm is contagious, and he's a true motivator when it comes to helping you discover your best characteristics and qualifications for the unique position that you're looking for. Gene has a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of the corporate hiring process, and his ability to share that information and relate it to your individual situation makes him standout from any other career counselor that I've worked with. With the help of Gene, I felt comfortable selling myself and my qualifications to all members of an organization—from members of the HR team, to mid-level Managers, to Directors, and even Executives.

Recently, with the help of Gene, I was able to land back on my feet after only three months of unemployment - which was remarkable considering that reports showed that most people in the Northeast Ohio market were searching for 7-9 months before they were able to find a new position. Through the interview skills and techniques that Gene taught me, I was able to land a position with a significant increase in responsibility and also negotiate a complete compensation package that I was satisfied with.

In the past couple of years I've been through the struggles of starting a career after college, and most recently found myself unemployed in the harshest economic times that most of us have ever encountered. Both times I sought out Gene Gentile for career counseling as I worked my way through the job search, interview, and negotiation processes. In both instances, I was able to quickly land an exciting position that I was uniquely qualified for. I attribute that success to the interviewing skills and techniques that I picked up from Gene Gentile's first-rate coaching."

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