Next General Welcome to Real Estate Lives News

NOVEMBER 2012 | VISIT WWW.REALESTATELIVES.ORG

Welcome to Real Estate Lives NewsReal estate lives News is your source for job postings, networking opportunities, mentoring, training, support groups and special events which will help you find your next great employment opportunity. In every issue you will find:

Proprietary Job PostingsVisit www.realestatelives.org and click on “Need a Job?” When the email opens simply attach your resume to it and click send. You’ll receive a password via return email which will allow you access to the Job Board. Literally dozens of new job openings are posted there each month; many of which are exclusive to Real Estate Lives. It’s the first place our volunteers turn when seeking candidates to fill positions within their own companies.

Networking Opportunities Universally acknowledged as the #1 tool for gaining re-employment, REL offers four internal networking opportunities. All are very popular and highly successful:

• Commercial Real Estate Small Group — Every Tuesday, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm Beck Conference Center, 220 West Seventh Ave. Ybor City, FL (Led by Gregory L. Morgan)

• Commercial Real Estate Small Group — Every Wednesday, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm Centrepointe Office Building, 5100 W. Lemon Street, Suite 116, Tampa, FL (Led by Jack Brubaker)

• Real Estate Roundtable — First Thursday of every month at 8:00 am just prior to the monthly Real Estate Lives General Meeting held at the Howard Johnson Downtown Plaza Hotel, 111 West Fortune Street, Tampa, FL (across from The Straz Center) (Led by Brenda Dohring Hicks and Gregory L. Morgan)

• General Meeting — First Thursday of every month at 9:30 with special guest 15-Minute Coach. Past 15-Minute Coaches have included: former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, 12-term Congressman Mike Bilirakis and Lifestyles Family Fitness founder Geoff Dyer. The 15-Minute Coach for the December 6th General Meeting will be Greg Minder, developer of both the Element and Skypoint condominium towers in downtown Tampa.

Additional Networking Opportunities can be found by following this link www.realestatelives.org/networking

MentoringReal Estate Lives continues to offer one on one mentoring. For additional information or to be assigned a mentor, contact Jack Brubaker, [email protected]

Contents

Welcome ..................... 1-2

Selling Yourself Throughout the Job Search Process ............ 3-5

Employment Resources ....6

Pancake Breakfast Extravaganza ...................8

New REL Home for General Meetings ........8

We’re Glad We Could Help ......................9

Continued on next page

Next General Meeting:

Dec. 6th, 2012

8:00 am Real Estate Roundtable

Small Group

9:30 am General Meeting

Speaker: Greg Minder Real Estate Developer

10:45 am to 11:45 am Training Session

Speaker: Kendra Rosplock “Hello? How to Succeed

with Telephone Interviews”

Noon to 1:30 pm REbuilders Support Group Includes complimentary

lunch

Real Estate Lives News | November 2012 2

TrainingReal Estate Lives offers numerous free training seminars on: how to network, write an effective resume, interview, etc. All Training Sessions are held immediately following the monthly General Meeting from 10:45 am to 11:45 am. The General Meetings are held from 9:30 to 10:30. The current training schedule is:

• Thursday, December 6, 2012 “Hello? How To Succeed With Telephone Interviews” Trainer: Kendra Rosplock, Director of Admissions, New Horizons Computer Learning Center

• Thursday, January 3, 2013 “Top Seven Habits of Highly Successful People” Trainer: Gregory L. Morgan

• Thursday, February 7, 2013 “Sharpening Your Interview Skills With Interactive Practice” Trainer: Kari Goetz, Public Affairs Manager, Tampa International Airport

• Thursday, March 7, 2013 “How To Show Up Higher in Linkedin Search Results” Trainer: Larry LaBelle

• Thursday, April 4, 2013 “A Whole New Way To Identify Your Accomplishments” Trainer: Jim Shapiro

Specialized Peer-Led Support GroupsREbuilders is a support group that provides a confidential, safe and casual atmosphere where Rebounders can deal with stress, discouragement, self esteem, fear, etc. — all of the emotions which go along with the loss of a job. The group meets from noon until 1:30 pm after every General Meeting which is held the first Thursday of each month. A complimentary lunch is served.

First Hour is intended to identify new Rebounders as quickly as possible after losing their jobs. We want all Rebounders to know they don’t have to navigate their Rebound alone.

Special EventsREL frequently holds free Special Events for all Rebounders, Volunteers and Sponsors. These events give Rebounders the opportunity to step away from the stress of the job search for a moment and to simply relax and enjoy themselves. Many of these events are open to families and guests of Rebounders. Events will be publicized at the General Meetings, on the website through our Eventbrite reservation system and though email blasts you will receive after signing up through www.realestatelives.org.

Current Special Events in the works are:

• Christmas Party — Date: TBD (December, 2012). Location: The Westin, Rocky Point Dr.

• Valentines Day Dinner — Date: TBD (February, 2013). Location: TBD

Also, within Real Estate Lives News you will find content to help you during this time of transition. We have columnists who write on matters of interest to you: training, social media, keeping your chin up, etc.

REL News contains tips and useful information on topics like: foreclosure prevention, mortgage modifications, free medical and dental, and discounts on everything from movie theaters to groceries.

For a complete listing of discounts please follow this link www.realestatelives.org/discounts

The center pages are dedicated to our Sponsors, without whom we would be unable to fulfill our mission statement. We encourage you to support those who so generously support REL.

And finally, the last page is dedicated to those who graciously sent thank you notes regarding the free services we provide as well as those who sent regrets they will no longer be able to attend future events as they have found re-employment! Since inception, REL has had a direct hand in assisting more than 800 of our people find re-employment and has made more than 50,000 phone bank calls and helped more than 3,000 people through 1 more of its 13 initiatives.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Real Estate Lives News and you find it to be thought provoking and useful. Please feel free to send your comments and suggestions to [email protected]

Real Estate Lives isSupported and Sponsored by



“You have to market yourself in a consistent and compelling way in every stage in the job search process.”

by Larry LaBelle, Training Tamer Inc.

if you waNt to get an interview and win a job quickly, you have to learn how to sell yourself to hiring managers, HR staffers and recruiters. To do this, you have to market yourself in a consistent and compelling way in every stage in the job search process, using every tool you have at your disposal. Let’s look at each tool and stage to see how this can be done.

ResumeProfession Summary (at top): Provide a short and compelling sales pitch (4-6 lines) that addresses the top four strategic needs from the job description. Be sure to include any measurable accomplishment or testimonial to prove your value and worth. Also, the sales pitch should focus on the employer’s needs and your ability to address them. That’s selling!

Employment History: Make sure to include a measurable accomplishment or testimonial for every job in this section. This shows consistent evidence of your value across your entire work history.

Cover LetteryouR coveR letteR should be two short paragraphs. The first paragraph should grab the reader’s attention immediately and really sells you. Don’t duplicate the sales pitch from your resume’s Professional Summary section here. Instead, rewrite it to provide the same message but phrase it differently. The second paragraph should include something positive about the company that made you want to apply for their job. It should also provide a sales close where you cut to the chase, ask for an interview, and say you will call the hiring manager to schedule one. I think it’s best to state a date and time for this call,

Selling Yourself Throughout the Job Search Process

but that’s up to you.

NetworkingFace-to-Face Networking: Memorize the sales pitch in your Resume’s Professional Summary and use it at networking events when someone asks you what you do. Be sure to establish a relationship with the other person first before dumping your sales pitch on them. Also, say it in a way that sounds real and genuine instead of like you’re reciting it. Practice is the key here.

LinkedIn: Make sure your Headline grabs attention. It’s right under your name at the top of your profile and it’s the first thing anyone sees — so make it sizzle. For example, for an Administrative Assistant it might say, “I manage the office so you can focus on running a successful business.”

Your Summary section contains the same sales pitch you developed for your Resume. Remember, you want to sell yourself to HR staff, hiring managers and recruiters who are searching for job candidates on LinkedIn.

Be suRe to fill iN the Specialties section of your profile with your core strengths, such as project management, cross functional teams, etc. Remember, this is like a keywords section, so make it complete.

In the Experience section, be sure to include a measurable accomplishment or testimonial for each job just like you did in your Resume.

In the Applications section, use the SlideShare Application to upload and display Work Samples and your Strategic Business Value Presentation (more detail on these under Marketing Tools, below.) This will make your profile stand out and help to sell you!


Marketing ToolsBusiness Card: Put your LinkedIn Profile URL on the front and a few bullet points about your strategic value on the back.

Career Portfolio with Work Samples: Include a compelling story with each work sample that explains what it is, why it was needed/created, and how it benefitted the company, department, manager, co-workers, customers, business partners, suppliers or whomever.

Strategic Business Value Presentation: Identify your three areas of strategic value where you make strong contributions to the company. For example, they might be “People”, “Process” and “Planning”. Then identify 3-5 ways that you contribute strongly in each of these areas. Finally, identify 3-5 ways that you can really help your future employers. If you do this, you’ll be able to deliver a compelling message about your strengths and value that most job candidates don’t know and/or can’t articulate! This can really set you apart from the pack.

If you want a template for building this type of presentation, go to www.trainingtamer.com. Then click on “Downloads” on the main menu and select “Job Search Marketing Tools.” Then click on the link called “Strategic Business Value Presentation – Word Version.” Once you get it, edit out the existing text and enter your own information.

InterviewsGeneral: When answering interview questions, be sure to provide concrete examples with every answer. Concrete examples are much more compelling, easier to understand, and are more likely to be remembered (to pass on to other decision makers who couldn’t attend your interview).

also, tRy to eNd each aNsweR with how what you did provided value or benefit to the company, department, manager/co-workers, business partners, suppliers, etc. Remember, the more times you show

value, the stronger you will look as a candidate.

Pre-Screen Phone Interview: If you have Work Samples and your Strategic Business Value Presentation, you can cover them during the phone interview. When you’re called to schedule the phone interview, just ask that the caller to be at his computer and on the Internet so you can show him your marketing tools. This can be the thing that sets you apart and helps you move on to a live interview.

Face-to-Face Interview: Be sure to bring multiple copies of your Work Samples and Strategic Business Value Presentation (color copies are best). At the start of the interview, make sure to request 10-15 minutes at the end of the interview to ask any question you have, and also to show your Work Samples and Strategic Business Value Presentation. Make sure to give a copy of your materials to each person on the interview team as a leave behind both for them and others they may want to share them with.

End the interview with a brief, 3-line mini-sales pitch to summarize your value. For example, for a customer service representative, it might be, “I just want to remind you that I have over 3 years experience in customer service, and I have the communications, listening, and problem solving skills to make an immediate contribution to your team.” Remember, during the interview you’ve been mired in details so it’s great to end with a power summary like this.

Thank You Note: Be sure to use the Thank You Note as another opportunity to sell yourself and why you want to work for the company. Likewise, use it as an opportunity to enhance a weak answer you may have given during the interview, or perhaps offer a solution to a problem the hiring manager is having that you unearthed after the interview (which makes you a contributor and you’re not even on board yet).

30-60-90 Day Plan: If the interview process is complete and you are one of several finalists being considered, a great way to sell yourself and beat the other

“Identify your three areas of strategic value where

you make strong contributions to the

company.”




finalists is to create a one page “30-60-90 Day Plan” and send it to the hiring manager via Two-Day Express Mail (or hand carry it in). The plan will specify what you will do in your first 90 days on the job, but breaks it up into three thirty-day windows.

For each 30-day window, you will specify 5-6 major tasks that you plan to accomplish based on the problems and needs your manager wants you to address. To find out what the hiring manager wants done in the first 90 days, simply ask him/her during your first live interview. Just be sure not to go into too much detail so you don’t get yourself in trouble. Almost no one does this so it should help beat the other finalists hands down!

Salary NegotiationsJustifying a Higher Compensation Request: First of all, it’s important to remember that the employer’s job is to get the best person for the least money. With that in mind, your job is to negotiate for the best salary and benefits you can but be sure to negotiate the highest salary you can before you go after other things like bonuses, extra vacation, work at home options, etc.

Don’t get hooked into being the first to put a salary figure on the table. Those who do usually lose and don’t get what they could have. If the employer asks you what you want for a salary, ask them “What do you typically pay a person with my background and experience?” Once they give you starting figure (and I emphasize “starting”), you can negotiate what you want from there.

afteR the employeR has made an initial salary offer and you want to counter with a higher figure, you’ll have to provide some justification for your request. The best way to do this and win is to summarize the top 3-5 ways you have contributed value and benefit to your previous employer to prove you’re worth it, and make it clear you’re confident you can do the same for them and more.

Also, be sure that situations you pick are directly related to your prospective employer’s needs. To guarantee you remember compelling stories, write them down and memorize them beforehand so can deliver solid reasons for the employer to honor your salary request. If you present a strong case (and did it during the interview process, too), you have an excellent chance of getting the salary and benefits you deserve and you won’t be leaving money on the table. Remember, salary negotiations are like you’re favorite Milton Bradley Game! Have fun with it and you’ll win!

Offer Letter: Make sure your Offer Letter covers everything you negotiated before you sign off on it and return it to the employer. It’s also a wise idea to have the employer agree to give you written, measurable objectives to accomplish during your first 30 days on the job and ask that they be included in your Offer Letter. Without measureable objectives, it’s nearly impossible for you to get a fair and objective annual review and the raise you deserve.

Self-Promotion: During the year, you need to document your accomplishments each month (brief list of 5-10 bullet points), and email them to your manager and your manager’s manager as well. Your manager’s manager sees a bigger picture which could lead to you being promoted to a vacated or new position. This helps guarantee people know about your ongoing contributions to your department and to the company as a whole. When your annual review comes along, you’ve already delivered the proof of your contributions to justify a great salary increase and bonus. In between, this self-promotion can also help you get a promotion and it will also insulate you from any possible layoffs which might occurr, also. Those who self-promote get noticed, financially rewarded and promoted. Do it and see the difference!

“Your job is to negotiate for the best salary and benefits you can, but be sure to negotiate the highest salary you can before you go after other things like bonuses, extra vacation, and work-at-home options.”




New ResourceThe Tampa Bay Technology Forum, central Florida’s largest and most influential technology association announced the launch of its on-line career center. TBTF members and non members now have a new resource to post job openings and search and apply to openings.

TBTF does offer special membership rates for students and transitional workers. Contact Jill Pearson at [email protected].

Tomorrow’s Hot JobsTranslation services and English-as-a-second-language — Global business deals and growing immigrant population need bilingual help, both to learn English and to transact business in other languages. One niche: Translating to help people obtain healthcare services.

Green Jobs — Jobs in wind and solar energy, energy efficient construction, public transportation, environmentally friendly manufacturing and “sustainability” regulation.

Security and Public safety — From home security equipment sales and manufacturing to private security companies to government Homeland Security, the field is burgeoning

Sales and marketing — No matter the industry, organization or product someone has to get the word out.

Elder care — There’s an ever growing demand for more nurses, nursing assistants, nursing home workers, therapists, chronic disease managers, home health aides and transportation services devoted to the elderly.

CareCentrix is Hiring Always!Sound odd? Not really. CareCentrix has expanded its workforce by 40% each of the past 3 years with no plan for slowing that growth in the foreseeable future.

The latest expansion by state and local incentives based on filling 110 positions paying an average of $46,833, or 115% of the areas average wage.

What do they do? They are a privately held benefits management company specializing in the home healthcare market.

Who are they hiring? Jobs include, but are not limited to: clinical support, customer service, product development, IT, billing, training and quality assurance.

As your newsletter has constantly hammered home, any big hire will have to expand core functions like HR, accounting, administration and marketing to support those new hires. Utilize Larry LaBelle’s oft-mentioned “back door” to separate yourself from the crowd and gain a face to face. They have about 500 employees at their Westlake Office (off Anderson Road). Chances are you know someone who knows someone who works there. Linkedin.com is a good place to start. CareCentrix is listed. Watch the video on how to use the company search. BE PRO-ACTIVE! www.carecentrix.com

On-Going Job AlertsWant to know a great source for who will be hiring in the very near future? Go to www.eflorida.com and sign up for their free monthly newsletter called Innovation Monthly and then get pro-active. Google the company and see if they already have operations in the bay area. Contact them and inquire about the new jobs. Sell yourself with your 30 second, or 60 second, or two minute sales pitch that you’ve pre-developed, practiced and mastered and you just might find that their existing operation has a need for someone with just your skill sets. Don’t have a pre-established sales pitch? See Larry LaBelle because it’s essential that you do.

Employment Resources

“Utilize Larry LaBelle’s oft-mentioned ‘back door’

to separate yourself from the crowd and gain

a face to face.”


Community Resource GuideThe Crisis Center of Tampa Bay has published a community resource guide with a wealth of resources. www.crisis-center.com/Portals/0/CrisisCenter_CommunityResourceGuide.pdf

HealthcareMedical Services for Less (AAA Magazine)Local health fairs aren’t the only way to get free or cheap medical screenings and services. Here are a few others: Inexpensive cholesterol screenings and other blood tests are available at local labs. Find one under “Laboratories” in the Yellow Pages in under “Service Centers” at BloodWorks-USA. Low-in-come and uninsured women can get free or low-cost mammograms through a Centers for Disease Control and Pre-vention program at apps.nccd.cdc.gov/cancercontacts/nbccedp/contactlist.asp. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or allergies, you could get free medication and treatment by enrolling in a medical study listed at www.clinical-trials.gov. To talk to a licensed counsel-or or psychologist, starting at $1.60 per minute, check out www.mytherapynet.com. Online counseling is also available at www.etherapistsonline.com.

Children’s Healthcarewww.kidcare.orgOldsmar has discounted drug cards for residents and petsThe cards are good at the Walmart, Walgreens and CVS on Tampa Road, Oldsmar only. Cards are available at no cost at Oldsmar City Hall, Oldsmar Public Library and Oldsmar Fire rescue.

Free Dental AssistanceThe Florida Dental Association provides free dental care to people in need. There is at least one facility in each county; Hillsborough has 13 locations. Visit Resource Guide at www.floridadental.org/outreach.

Free or Discount Prescription Medicine Resources• MyFloridaRX.com

• needymeds.org

• Publix is offering several prescription drugs free. www.publix.com/wellness/pharmacy/Home.do

• Walmart is offering some limited $4.00 prescription drugs. Read more at walmart.com/pharmacy

• Target is offering over 300 generic, prescription drugs at $4.00. Read more at sites.target.com/site/en/health/page.jsp?ref=nav%5Fpharmacy&conten-tId=PRD03-004033

• Pfizer is offering free prescriptions for those who have lost their jobs, in some cases. Call 866-706-2400 or go to www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com

• Sweetbay is now offering free or heavily discounted medicines for your pet as an additional benefit through their Healthy Saver program. sweetbaysupermarket.com

• Healthcare Screening — to see if you qualify for free services through Hillsborough County go to: www.insight.hillsboroughcounty.org

Business Cardswww.vistaprint.com. Pay postage of approximately $6 for 250 cards.

“If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or allergies, you could get free medication and treatment by enrolling in a medical study.”




oN thuRsday, NovemBeR 1st Real Estate Lives held its 4rd Annual Pancake Breakfast at our new home, the Howard Johnson Downtown Tampa Plaza Hotel. It was attended by more than 100 Rebounders, volunteers, sponsors and friends of Real Estate Lives. Ron Weaver served as MC. Bob Rohrlack, president of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, introduced the program. Paul Tash, publisher of the Tampa Bay Times, was the special guest speaker. Ron also presented his now legendary Angel Awards to a number of volunteers whose service to REL, he felt, was “above and beyond”.

The Annual Pancake Breakfast is not just another meeting. It marks 4 years of service to the Tampa Bay community. Since inception in November of 2008 Real Estate Lives has had a direct hand in helping more than 800 of its number productively re-enter the workforce. REL has also made over 50,000 phone bank calls and helped more than 3,000 individuals who participated in 1 or more of our 13 initiatives. Congratulations Real Estate Lives for a job well done! It’s been long. It’s been hard and it’s never been easy but we have managed to have some fun along the way.

Kudos to Ellen Mitchell for running this year’s signature event.

A special thank you to Andre Callen, owner of the Howard Johnson Downtown Tampa Plaza Hotel, for so generously supporting Real Estate Lives. Real Estate Lives has many friends but none greater than Andre Callen.

Pancake Breakfast Extravaganza!

New Home for REL Meetingswe Now call the Howard Johnson Downtown Tampa Plaza Hotel home thanks to the largess of owner Andre Callen. The Greater Tampa Association of Realtors was ever so kind to offer their meeting space since REL was first formed way back in 2008 and we are so very grateful for their kindness. There were, however, occasional scheduling conflicts. Our new home has multiple banquet rooms so it is assumed if every one of them were sold out at 9:30 in the morning on the 1st Thursday of the month the economy would be so good everyone would be back at work and there would be no need for meeting space.

The new Real Estate Roundtable small group, led by Gregory L. Morgan and Brenda Dohring Hicks, also meets at the hotel at 8:00 am prior to the General Meeting.

After you go back to work, and you will sooner rather than later, please remember Mr. Callen’s kindness by booking your personal and corporate needs for room nights, banquet rooms and catering at the Howard Johnson Downtown Tampa Plaza Hotel. What a place for a party!

Ron Weaver introduces special guest 15 Minute Coach Paul Tash, publisher of the Tampa Bay Times.

Tara Harris, Special Events chair, receives an Angel award for meritorious service from Ron Weaver.

Yum, yum.

Howard Johnson Downtown Tampa Plaza 111 West Fortune StreetTampa, FL 33602 Phone (813) 223-1351



We’re Glad We Could Help

Dear Real Estate Lives,

I wanted to send just a quick a short email, just to say how much I truly enjoy your small group meeting. No matter how small it is, your approach is always tremendous and the benefit from them continues to grow. The level of dedication that everyone at the Tuesday meeting demonstrates, especially you and Steve, is so wonderful to experience. I am so grateful to be a part of Real Estate Lives and feel blessed for the day Pam Winchester invited me to the first meeting. Again, thank you for all you do to make the small group meeting so great. I’m looking forward to the monthly meeting next week. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday weekend.

Sincerely, Patrick


I just wanted to express my thanks for your time and consideration at Jack’s Wednesday “round table”. Your presence exemplifies your continued commitment to the objectives of Real Estate Lives. I am blessed to have discovered your group, and have personally benefited from your leadership, as well as the attentive and compassionate talents that Jack Brubaker and Greg Morgan provide each week.

With sincere appreciation, David


Words cannot express how appreciative I am for the support and encouragement you provided to me during my period of unemployment. I assure you, it will never be forgotten.

Kindest regards, Lynn


I won’t be able to make it to the meeting in the morning but I wanted to share the good news! I am starting in a position as an engineer at the Big Bend power plant on Monday. Thank you for all you have done by way of the Small Group and General Meetings to keep us motivated and to provide leads to help out our job search.

Thank you again for all you do, Z.


I got the job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good base salary, commission, bonus, benefits and 401K. I want to thank you and all of the people at Real Estate Lives who give of their valuable time to help people like me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Pat


I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know I got the job.

I will be one of their customer service representatives. While I’m very much looking forward to getting back to work I feel very sad that I will no longer be able to attend Real Estate Lives meetings. I can’t tell you what a source of strength you’ve been for me during the past year.

Thank you again for everything, Jeffrey

“I am so grateful to be a part of Real Estate Lives and feel blessed for the day Pam Winchester invited me to the first meeting.”

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