Last week I was honored to join my colleagues as we participated in the Heroes for Hire career fair in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The event, organized by April Ellerbe, founder and CEO of New Century Planning, and T.J. Breeden, chairman of eMerging Entrepreneurs, Inc., served to provide members of the military community with valuable resources for transitioning into the civilian workforce. As the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, I was excited by the opportunity to give back to our men and women in uniform.

We spent the day sharing our expertise and demonstrating how to use TheLadders’ tools and resources to successfully navigate the job search process.

As professional resume writers, Jenny Erasmus and I critiqued individual resumes. We provided advice on marketing military experience in a way that would attract prospective employers. While military and civilian careers are certainly different, the skills and experience gained in the armed forces would be invaluable to any organization. We enjoyed educating attendees on ways to translate this experience onto their resumes.

Career advisor John Cardillo used his hands-on experience to advise on all stages of the job search from HR software to networking and interviews. Lisa Hagendorf, our VP of public relations, shared her passion for TheLadders by enthusiastically answering questions about all the great services we provide.

At TheLadders, we strive to alleviate some of the inevitable uncertainty that comes with the search for a new job. The Heroes for Hire career fair was a great opportunity for us to do that firsthand. I look forward to joining my coworkers at more events like this in the future, especially when I have the chance to help our men and women in uniform.

Click here to see TheLadders team in action at the Heroes for Hire career fair.

Jordan Forrest is a Resume Writer for TheLadders, where she transforms ineffective resumes into powerful documents that position clients for their dream job. Outside of work, Jordan enjoys watching stand-up at the Comedy Cellar and listening to Otis Redding turned up to 11.   

After witnessing hundreds of recruiters enter the outskirts of Hire Mountain, our two-level behemoth of a natural wonder found on the expo floor at the SHRM 2012 Annual Conference, I noticed something. The recruiters who approached us were genuinely interested in our product, not just the giveaways and raffle entries. Great questions began to surface as visitors took an active interest in improving their online recruiting efforts. I might be a bit of a pessimist, but based on my experiences at other conferences, the feeling is that most people are there for the show and prizes and not for the information provided to enhance their discipline. Remarkably, this has not been the case this year at #SHRM12.

Most of the HR professionals who approached our Passport sign-up booth asked engaging questions about our services. They challenged us on aspects of their hiring needs and ultimately displayed a true interest in refining their recruiting efforts. While the $5,000 vacation raffle was a nice perk of visiting our booth, once they began to sign up, their attention turned towards how they would actually be able to leverage our product in their favor. It was great to see that our service really is a winner in the eyes of recruiters, and their feedback proved to be a greater talking point than any prize. The recruiters today at #SHRM12 turned me into an optimist: good products and information outweighed spectacle and luxury prizes.

Kean Gardner is an Account Manager of Recruiter Relations for TheLadders who loves to ensure that every recruiter knows how to find, and connect with, the best candidates for their jobs. He also loves to rip holes in the dance floor and educate on healthy living.  

Chad and I first began working together because he was looking to make a career transition. After several successful years in sales at his former company, Chad’s position was eliminated in a downsizing. Chad was ready to go from the start and immediately began interviewing for positions. Interviewing was one of Chad’s strong points and this proved to be true since in October he received two job offers. However both companies that offered Chad positions were very vague about commission structure and had a very low base salary. After much back and forth, neither company could provide the commission structure he wanted, and Chad ended up turning down these opportunities.

I helped Chad to focus on positions where his strengths could shine. With all of his background in consumer technology, I pointed out to Chad that this was not only his passion, but also his expertise in the eyes of a recruiter. My search with Chad focused on consumer technology, but we also wanted to focus on companies with strong morale and quality products. After living in Japan for a number of years after college, Chad really respected the culture’s high regard for the customer. I immediately agreed with Chad on this and mentioned how here at TheLadders we have signs in Japanese recognizing the importance of the customer and doing the best business possible.

I discovered the Account Executive position online and Chad immediately recognized it as a position he had already applied to. We were both excited because this seemed like the perfect fit! Soon after, Chad was phone screened and began the interview process. The business and sales model was a little different than Chad’s past employers and there would need to be extensive training to get Chad up to speed. He worried this might eliminate him from moving forward in the interview process.

After Chad was brought in for the in-person interview, it took almost two and a half weeks to hear back. At one point the recruiter called Chad to see if he had heard anything. Finally, on December 23, Chad was extended the offer and he accepted.

I was very excited when Chad got the offer. He put in the effort on his end and we worked hard to ensure the offer was not only a quality company, but also had a definitive compensation structure in place. I was so happy to have worked with such a hard working client and assist him in getting this offer.

Moira Danaher is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) at TheLadders. After working with a variety of clients in different industries, functions and locations, Moira’s specialty is the job search and helping clients to land their next positions. Moira loves helping clients and making a difference in their lives.

 Learn more about TheLadders Signature.

Learn how Ben, Carolina and Chuck found the jobs that were right for them through TheLadders Signature (previously known as our Job Search Consultation Program). TheLadders Signature is a systematic program that provides precise one-on-one guidance to help top-tier professionals find the next step in their careers.

If you’re interested in learning more about Signature, check out our site.

Ben talks about finding the structure and confidence to land his new job.

Carolina discusses how her advisor helped her stay positive and focused during every step of her job search.

Chuck explains how the program worked for him and why he recommends it to his friends.

Ware Sykes is Vice President of Sales and Services at TheLadders. 

The Ladders Signature is a six-month program that is proven to help professionals find the next step in their career. Selected participants who actively engage in all components of the Signature program are guaranteed a job offer or their money back.

Check out all the success the Signature program has seen.

Andrea and I first began working together because she was looking to make a career change. After Andrea witnessed several companies go through layoffs and restructuring, she knew the traditional media industry was in trouble. Her entire advertising career up to this point was focused on print media and I knew this could be a problem for us since most advertising jobs were shifting to digital. Andrea would need to make that transition as well and we knew it could be difficult for her to get noticed without that direct experience.

I helped Andrea to map out her network and from there leverage her extensive contacts to secure a number of interviews. I was confident Andrea could get a position, but was a little worried when even her friends’ companies said she needed more digital experience. After this we began exploring start-ups and using her contacts, Andrea found Fashion Etc, a start-up that was quietly looking for someone to manage their entire advertising process. After no less than 2 face-to-face interviews and countless phone conversations, Andrea was offered the role. I was so excited to hear from Andrea that she had landed the position with Fashion, Etc. During the end of our partnership, Andrea had so many interviews and was doing so well, it was almost hard for me to keep up!  But Fashion, Etc was the right job for Andrea and I could hear it in her voice when she told me all about how it was this cross between luxury goods and digital media!

Moira Danaher is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) at TheLadders. After working with a variety of clients in different industries, functions and locations, Moira’s specialty is the job search and helping clients to land their next positions. Moira loves helping clients and making a difference in their lives.