ProNet Charlotte Good News/Testimonials

We are proud to post these Good News Testimonials from participants in ProNet Charlotte.

At the beginning of May, 2010, I was frustrated and out of ideas to break through the seemingly impenetrable walls dominating today’s job market. I ran into a friend who had just gotten an offer after months of searching. She opened my eyes to the reality of the current market… and the wonderful free resources available through ProNet Charlotte.
She first assured me that my experience and qualifications were not the issue – what a relief! In today’s market, however, being an excellent candidate is no longer a guarantee of placement. The entire strategy for job seeking has changed. I came to ProNet eager to learn what I could do differently to move towards my next position effectively and at a quicker pace than I had experienced thus far. What I found was an incredibly helpful group of volunteers catering to the experienced, well-qualified professional in transition.

The Job Search Team was my first stop and I looked forward to meeting with them each Monday to get the week off to a good start. The accountability and encouragement found within this group has been invaluable for the highs and lows we all experience during this process. The workshops and seminars enlightened me to new strategies to try and gave me practical tools I could put into effect immediately. In the first 3 weeks I spent at ProNet I made more progress than I had in the previous 3 months on my own.

While networking has always been an important component of any effective job search, it is now THE most important. That was intimidating to me at first but I was given the tools to become a confident and effective networker and it paid off quickly. We are encouraged not to spend more than 20% of our job search applying to positions online… the remainder being devoted entirely to networking and job search support. This was completely backwards from the approach I was taking!

The classes I found especially helpful were Resume and Correspondence, How to Sell Yourself in Record Time, and Interviewing Strategies. I took away something helpful from many other classes as well and spending time at ProNet in workshops or in the available office space, helped give structure to my search.

At the end of June when things started picking up for me in the IT arena, I was able to land some promising phone interviews through networking contacts. I put Robert Ortiz’ Phone Interview Techniques into practice two days after his class and I landed the face to face interview. For the interview I was able to use Gwen Ferguson’s suggestions from the Interviewing Strategies class. I was thrilled to have an informal offer before I left the interview and will start the new position the last week in July! I cannot speak highly enough of the practical resources available at ProNet and of all the wonderful volunteers and sponsors who make it all possible.

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I am excited to let you know that 2010 has started off fantastically as I begin my new job in the Core Finance Group with Bank of America. The success I have had in transitioning my career is due in large part to ProNet Charlotte and the resources it has to offer, which enabled me to obtain not just 1, but 3 offers for employment!

Prior to my involvement with ProNet Charlotte, I had been actively searching for a position for a few months. However, once I started attending the ProNet courses, I gained a lot of momentum. The variety of resources, including the Resume Workshops, Network, Marketing and Social Media, Personal Branding and Career Development, and many others not only helped in my job search, but also equipped me with strategies to use as I continue to develop my career and look forward.

The greatest benefit of the Resource Center, however, was the opportunity to further development my professional network. Meeting with and sharing experiences amongst fellow job seekers, and the opportunity to network with instructors and HR representatives from a variety of local businesses enabled me to develop personal relationships, rather than simply being defined by my resume.

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I wanted to thank ProNet Charlotte for being instrumental in my obtaining a job in my career field. I hadn’t looked for a job since I got out of college, some 25 years ago. I had obtained all of my jobs through business associates and when I relocated to Charlotte in tough economic conditions, I had no business contacts. I quickly realized that my understanding of how to get a job in this environment was lacking. After finding out about ProNet, I attended a number of classes from networking, resume writing and interviewing techniques to meeting with a career coach, all classes taught by professionals in their fields. I interviewed at one of your job fairs and gathered valuable experience which served me well in landing my new job. ProNet was exactly the resource that I needed at the time and I will be forever thankful.

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I want you to be the first ones I give thanks for helping me and supporting my successful job search.

I have received a verbal offer of employment from the HR VP of Meridium, Inc. that seems to me like the answer to many of my dreams of late.

Since November when I began attending many seminars and meetings at the Charlotte ProNet Center, I have learned so many things and especially the personal networking skills that I did not have but that have proven to be essential to my obtaining the professional job that I was searching for.

I firmly believe that without your tireless work and dedication my efforts would not have been as successful and fulfilling.

Receive my sincere “thank you very much” from the bottom of my heart which is echoed by my family that lived with me all the anxious moments of my “job transition” of the past two months.

Whenever it may be appropriate, I would like to give our Governor Beverly Perdue my personal written recognition for her brilliant idea to fund and support career transition centers such as Charlotte ProNet.

I plan to visit the Center on Wednesday, January 13, probably for the last time since I will soon be working in Roanoke, VA.

Again, please receive my heartfelt thanks for the great work that you do.

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I am excited to let you know that 2010 has started off fantastically as I begin my new job in the Core Finance Group with Bank of America. The success I have had in transitioning my career is due in large part to ProNet Charlotte and the resources it has to offer, which enabled me to obtain not just 1, but 3 offers for employment!

Prior to my involvement with ProNet Charlotte, I had been actively searching for a position for a few months. However, once I started attending the ProNet courses, I gained a lot of momentum. The variety of resources, including the Resume Workshops, Network, Marketing and Social Media, Personal Branding and Career Development, and many others not only helped in my job search, but also equipped me with strategies to use as I continue to develop my career and look forward.

The greatest benefit of the Resource Center, however, was the opportunity to further development my professional network. Meeting with and sharing experiences amongst fellow job seekers, and the opportunity to network with instructors and HR representatives from a variety of local businesses enabled me to develop personal relationships, rather than simply being defined by my resume.

In addition, I found it quite helpful to be able to have a destination each morning where I could develop and maintain a daily ritual, and have access to a desk, phone, computer, internet, fax, etc.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the personal touch provided by you. We all need an advocate when transitioning our careers. I had many including the director of the Career Center.

Hopefully, the State continues to fund this type of program. While I am not a believer of big government, it does take the collective efforts of the entire community to get through these unprecedented economic times.

If there is any way I can give back, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity.

P.S. Please stay connected via LinkedIn. I want to maintain a strong network, and would love to see how things have turned out for you.

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On January 4, I will start the New Year in a sales and marketing position with Saebo, a Charlotte based manufacturer of stroke rehab orthotics. This is wonderful news for me personally and I want to thank you and the entire Professional Career Center Team on Tryon for all of your support during my search.

The programs I attended at The Career Center were highly professional and fun too. Of particular note was the support given by Gwen Ferguson in her session covering topics such as assessments, resumes and correspondence. This was followed by a weekly networking group lead by Gwen focused on the development of personal marketing plans. Innovation Institute was also memorable giving me an opportunity to think creatively while participating in a project with my colleagues.

Wishing you a Happy Holiday and many thanks.

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Hello again. It is with great excitement that I inform you of my new job position, as a senior consultant with Public Consulting Group - a private consulting group servicing state and local health, education and human services programs. First of all, let me say that your assistance and that of the Professional Career Center in downtown Charlotte was instrumental in me landing this opportunity. The varied mix of speakers, the facilitated assistance from various recruiters and thought leaders around job search, and of course the opportunity to network with fellow job seekers as well as hiring managers greatly expedited my search process. Let me also say that the personal attention provided by you and Steve made me feel that succeeding in my individual job search was as important to you as it was to me - which is a unique characteristic considering the hundreds of folks you are helping in this arena.

It is very encouraging to see that the State is committing resources to this valuable service, which in turn helps thousands of people just like me who are encountering a unique and potentially overwhelming career challenge in the midst of an unprecedented market downturn. Of course, I will continue to refer colleagues and folks in my network to your center as I come across individuals who are in the search process.

Have a great holiday!

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Thank you everyone at ProNet Charlotte and the Professional Career Center in Uptown! I am now employed at TIAA-CREF!

The response I received after attending Gwen's "Resume and Job Search Correspondence Development" class and rewriting my resume was amazing.  I was getting responses to my first resume, but not exactly the types of jobs I was looking for. After rewriting my resume, I had several phone interviews, and then a recruiting company opened the flood gates for me.

I want to personally thank everyone at the Professional Center for offering classes and other resources that allowed me to update a few rusty skills sets needed for this changing economic environment. I've met and networked with a lot of great folks during this time of unemployment and hope that I can be of assistance to other ProNet
Charlotte members at ProNetCharlotte.com and on LinkedIn!

Thank you again,
J.S.

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We Did It!! Tomorrow I begin consulting with Bank of America and fulfilling the role of Senior Program Manager in the banks Marketing and Associate Enablement Technology organization. ProNet partnered with me to make this perfect match possible.

ProNet and the Uptown Professional Center were critically instrumental in facilitating the connections I needed to secure this next step up in my career. It provided me with significant networking contacts whose recommendations gave me a definite leg up on the competition. It was the enabler of success!

In addition, the Center provided me with valuable job search resources that helped me better position myself in the new job market. I attended sessions on; interviewing, resume writing, using social media, Charlotte market overview, and networking, and enjoyed "face time" with recruiters willing to share key information about their companies and the recruiting process - VERY insightful!

Thanks ProNet and everyone at the Professional Career Center for your partnership - another perfect match and another life changed!!

D.R., PhD-C, PMP

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You guys have done a magnificent job in creating ProNet Charlotte Uptown.  The programs are very timely and useful. The Career Center is top flight. Thank you for your hospitality and professionalism. Kudos to everyone and every group that brought this shining light to Uptown.

A.S.

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Hi Debra:

I just wanted to say "thank you" on behalf of myself and everyone in the group for all the work and energy you put into setting up the weekly ProNet Charlotte meetings. It really means a lot to all of us to hear from various people in the community who either have job openings to announce, words of inspiration and motivation to share, or practical information to help us with things like resumes, branding, and interviewing.

We also appreciate Sue's work to keep us informed about meetings and events around town, JobLink info, WIA funding, and all of the "behind the scenes" activities that she handles.

I know we don't express our gratitude enough for all the work on our behalf, but please know that we truly appreciate everything. And, please express our sincere gratitude to each and every speaker that you bring to the group. Their participation is key to helping us stay motivated and to keeping us coming to meetings each week.

Best regards,

Terri

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Hello Debra,

I wanted to thank you and Sue for the work you do supporting job seekers. I am glad I decided to come to this network group. I attend many groups that provide different levels of support, but what I appreciate most about this group is the special guests, especially employers. It is like a job fair, all employers will not have something for everyone, but we have the opportunity to hear what maybe available and have a contact name.

Thanks again.

Thelma

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Good afternoon Mrs. Dixon,

I attended the ProNet meeting last week at the west campus of CPCC and was delighted to see the speaker was from GMAC. I have been trying hard to get a connection with them. Thank you so much. I plan to attend their open house on Wednesday and hopefully get closer to my goal of finding a match for my skills and experience.

Also, I mentioned the meeting to a friend of mine who is also job searching. Would you mind if I brought him with me to this weeks meeting?

Thank you,

Marty

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Dear Debra,

Thanks so much for the session this morning, Thursday, April 30. I truly enjoyed meeting you and everyone else. Cassandra Cassidy was an excellent speaker with so much energy and information.

Now that I have completed my WIA program and become a certified Project Manager my schedule will allow me to join your session more regularly. You had mentioned my giving the group some insight into my WIA experience. If you would like me to prepare something formally for a future session, I'd be happy to.

If I can be of any assistance please feel free to contact me.

Anita

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Debra and Sue,

This morning I got the job offer I was hoping for. I'm very happy about the position and the company. In the position I will have approximately 3,000 accounts assigned to me and will have customer contact everyday with small, mid-size and large companies and with various management levels within the companies. I will most definitely keep my eyes and ears open for all opportunities they may have and will pass them onto you so that you can send them out to the group.

I will be starting on Aug. 17th, so I just may actually show up at ProNet on Thursday because I'm interested in the topic and the speaker you have scheduled, but just in case I end up at "the beach" instead, I want to thank you both for all the hard work you put into helping the ProNet group. You both are truly special people and I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to meet both of you.

Ernie

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Debra,

I have a new job! Please share this with the ProNet group.

I will be working for Swanson Industries, based in Rural Retreat VA. The plant is near 77 and 81 intersection, and about a 3 hour drive. The plant Mid-Atlantic produces hydraulic equipment. My position will include Materials, logistics and scheduling. I will starting Thursday July 23rd.

The position was posted by a recruiter from Think resources. It was on the job tab on LinkedIn under a Supply Chain Group. These job tabs within groups is a good source for real leads.
Thanks for all the support and prayers. Best wishes for success to all.

Regards,

Colleen

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Debra,

Thanks for all you have done. I am sure going to miss you all. If 12/1 comes and it looks like this contract won't get extended then you will see me at the meetings again for sure.

About the job. I will be working at the Wells Fargo Mortgage Processing Center just off Carowinds Blvd. starting at 8 AM on Monday. It is a position as a reporting analyst but I don't have any details about the job as I was hired without an interview. Sorry to say that this job was not landed via networking. It was pretty much done through the Internet and the staffing agency is Robert Half.

I will also post a farewell note to the group on the ProNet web site. I pray for their hasty deliverance from this situation. They certainly are a great bunch of folks.

Take Care,

Steve

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Hello Debra and everyone,

Have uplifting news to share:

On 4/8, I got a call from a recruiter of AKIMA Management Services, an Alaskan Native corporation whose profits in part, ensure their 14,000 Inupiat and Aleut shareholders remain culturally and environmentally stable. He wanted me to meet the next day to determine if I’d be interested in working for this company.

• I met him, the HR Manager, and the VP of HR.
• The following Tuesday, I was asked to meet the Sr. VP.
• Wednesday morning I got an offer.
• I accepted that evening.
• I started Monday 4/20.

Beyond the whirlwind timeline, this is what is amazing-

It is job in this economy, in my chosen profession-labor, being a female, at my age, and working in the south.

(You’d have to be here to fully appreciate how difficult these ‘obstacles’ are.)

Anyhow, I’ll have 9 bargaining units shared with my boss; units from Anchorage to Southern California, along both gulfs and up the eastern seaboard, with others in the Midwest, I’ll have opportunity to travel as I have labor, investigative and training duties. Once I got my dog care in place, I was stoked!

I’ll keep my eyes open for other opportunities for our group. Without a doubt, the workshops and this group gave me tips that helped me pin the interview.

Obstacles, schnobstacles…..whatever yours are…go over, under, around or through them. It’ll be worth it!

Name Withheld

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Hi Debra and Sue,

I want to thank you very much for being an incredible inspiration during my job search. I want to let you know that ProNet is a great resource and I looked forward to the Thursday meetings because I knew that some very important information would be made available by you and the speakers.

I appreciated the weekly job leads during the meetings and the updates via email.

The ProNet Group is one of the best organizations that I have had the pleasure of being associated with and the camaraderie is fantastic.

The people are close, friendly, caring, welcoming, and eager to share and help each other in every way.

I will begin my new position at Bank of America on Monday August 3rd.

I will still check the ProNet Group's activities and send out any job leads or information that will help others with their job search.

Again, I cannot that you and the group enough for the support they have given me in the past 6 months.

Sincerely,
Leonard

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Debra,

It is with great joy and relief for me to advise that I have landed a new role as: Vice Presdient Business Industry & Gov't for the AICPA (American Institute of CPA's) in Durham, NC.

It has been a long 9 months in transition but as life happens, it has all worked out beautifully and a new door opened to and even better position than I left behind and an entirely new, different, challenging career.

I wanted to give you my sincerest thanks for the Pronet group and for all the hard work you and you staff do to help the Charlotte area folks in transition. It had been a huge source of support, networking, & friendship for me over the past 6 months or so. I have brought several people there to help them and they feel the same way. The programs Pronet & CPCC has sponsored (free) for job seekers, the speakers, the leads, Sue Merkin's emails, the website has been invaluable but most of all your caring and support has been dear to my heart.

I'll miss you! If there is anything I can do to help anyone or the group at some future time please call on me and let's stay connected. Groups like Pronet make me proud to be a part of such a wonderful community and I'm sad to be leaving.

Warmest regards,
Carol