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5/14/13

Women Blazing Paths in Facilities and Engineering Careers

By Amber Almeida, Executive Recruiter and Lisa Curry, Senior Recruiter

Originally posted in the March issue of C@reer Connections. You may sign up to receive this monthly e-newsletter. 

Early this year, we celebrated Women's History Month and featured these women in Facilities Management in our monthly newsletter. It is exciting to see how, at Sodexo, we have trailblazers who are making their presence felt in engineering roles – an area that was once almost completely dominated by males.

Through our interview sessions with each, we learn about the world of opportunities from their perspective.  Check it out!

Gabriela Stephenson, VP, Brand Management Facility Solutions*

As an Electronic Engineer, I always had a passion for automated systems; therefore, I mastered in Control Systems. I didn't really decide to pursue a career in Facilities Management. However, I started working with control systems, building automation, emergency management systems fire alarms and detection systems, and I just fell in love with the insides of a building. The possibilities were amazing! The contribution that Facility Management can have on an infrastructure, the environment and the end user has kept me in the field since my early career. It is such a holistic approach to what engineering is.

Jerri Neese, Director of Technical Services

I have always enjoyed the opportunity to solve problems and fix broken equipment, as well as had a fascination with electrical systems. I served in the U.S Navy and that afforded me the opportunity to attend college. I served as a cryptologic technician and decided to pursue electrical engineering. I love the creative process of engineering. And, as an Engineer, I have the ability to understand and explain systems that are useful to my company and our clients. It is exciting to make changes and see something that you recommended and developed working!

Karen E. Lovelund, District Manager, Campus Services

Typically, women get overlooked for Facilities Management positions because they don't have the "Hard FM" (Facilities Management) background. In today's world, more colleges and professional organizations have Facilities Management Programs, and women need to look at these certifications and other areas or opportunities to gain that "Hard FM" background. Women need to get involved in summer internships that are field-related. Field experience and training will give you credibility in the FM Industry.


Tina Reitsma, District Manager, School Services

The future for women in Facilities Management and/or Engineering is booming. There are so many opportunities for women in Facilities Management. There are definitely leadership opportunities in healthcare, schools and campus. More and more, our clients are looking for the facilities expert who can also be a strong leader. Women can excel with knowledge in areas like safety, regulatory compliance, capital planning and engineering design.



Are you considering a career in Engineering?

If so, Neese offers this advice: "It is an exciting field with endless possibilities. Engineering is a field that requires a commitment of lifelong learning. Be committed and do not be intimidated by a room full of men. Women's roles are constantly evolving, allowing many opportunities to seize the moment and pursue your dreams. Also, it is important to get a good education and to pursue internship opportunities. The experience will help shape your creativity and help you think of the global difference you make as an individual through your work and passion."

* Gabriela recently participated in the Women in Facilities Forum at the National Facilities Management & Technology NFMT Conference in March.  You can connect with her directly about her experience!

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5/10/13

Showing off my skills like a Sodexo Chef

By Darla Mayse, Sourcing and Recruitment Marketing Specialist

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a participant on one of those cooking competition shows. Under much pressure, you get a basket full of “mis-matched” ingredients that requires you to create a wonderful dish in 15 minutes! 
In February, I had an idea of what it felt like to be under such pressure.   During our annual Talent Acquisition department meeting, our team building exercise was similar to that of a cooking competition.   Through 15 minute rounds of competitions, teams had to prove their culinary skills, intellectual prowess and their ability to pull together as a cohesive unit. The competition got tough at times, (seriously, what do you do with kiwi, crawfish and cream cheese as the main ingredients) but the atmosphere always remained fun and humorous!  The activity gave me some insight into what Sodexo chefs have to showcase daily.  Their culinary skills, intellectual prowess and assurance of a cohesive unit of team members not only produce great meals, it is what sets them apart. Our chefs are passionate about what they do and strive to be the best in the industry.

As a reward for a job well done, our best and brightest chefs are selected to compete in the Recipes for a Better Tomorrow Competition.  In 2012 we challenged our chefs to create seafood recipes that featured sustainable ingredients with healthy recipes that could be replicated at healthy accounts throughout North America. The top 15 found creative ways to present their dishes for a public vote on YouTube.  7 were selected to present their dishes live at the prestigious James Beard House.   Who wouldn’t want to be a part of such a great network of culinary professionals?   Other great benefits include payment of association dues, and an unsurpassed work-life balance for the industry. 
Are you a talented chef, food production manager, chef manager or an executive chef looking for great career opportunities?  Why not explore the Sodexo difference where a passion for great food is just a start!
Oh! In case you are wondering what delicious appetizer my team created with our surprise ingredients, see our photo to the right. We created stuffed portabella mushroom of sautéed crawfish and kiwi mirepoix in a cream cheese sauce and called it   “Eric’s Delight” in a shameless attempt to appeal to one of the judges. It didn’t work!  
Share with us your “top chef” skills.  What would you create with these ingredients? 






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5/7/13

Providing Food to our Hungry Neighbors

By Chloé Rada, Senior Marketing Manager - Talent Acquisition



Last week Sodexo employees in the Chicagoland area decided to take action in their community by volunteering at the Northern Illinois Food Bank, myself included! In attendance were Senior Recruiters, Human Resources Representatives, Frontline employees, District Managers and General Managers from some of our local accounts like Toyota Park and Shed Aquarium. 

Upon arriving at their Geneva center, we had a quick orientation to the organization’s mission and our day’s work. According to their statistics, one hour of volunteering creates 108 meals for those in need. No wonder why they were thrilled to see the large turn out from our company for Servathon!   

This video about Hungry Kate had a tremendous impact on me.  Knowing that 1 in 5 kids that faces hunger across northern Illinois made me think about the luxury cup of coffee I bought on the way out there.  What if I donated that five dollars instead?

We were split into groups and charged with inspecting, sorting and packing food donations from manufacturers, grocers and corporations.  Whatever we could accomplish that afternoon, would get distributed to the shelters and pantries spread over the 13 counties they served. For more than three hours my hands were full, ensuring my neighbors would have some essentials in their households.

I’m happy to report that as a group the Sodexo team packed 9,300 pounds of food which provided 7,750 meals for hungry families.  We also inspected and packed 256 cases of bread!

Did you recently do something for others?   Share your story with us here or post your pictures on our Facebook page!

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4/30/13

Using Social Media to Find a Job – Part Three

By Chloé Rada, Senior Marketing Manager - Talent Acquisition

Throughout this series of using social media to find a job, I shared tips to polish your personal brand and to communicate with potential employers online. If you aren’t beginning to leverage the power of a social media connection, what’s the hold up?

Did you know that networking sites are a recruiters’ most popular web 2.0 tool?* That means that organizations, like Sodexo, are using social media networks more than ever to win the chance to interact with you!

In this final post of a three part series, I’ll focus on how you can use social media to research hiring organizations. This is an important step that often gets overlooked. While social networking sites allow employers to get a glimpse of who you are, they also can offer a goldmine of information to help determine if they are right for you!

The following hidden gems are social destinations that can uncover valuable insight needed for an edge during your job search.  

LinkedIn Company Page

Whereas a LinkedIn group may be the better place to converse with recruiters, the Company Page is often where news hits about the company first. You can learn about their products and services, gain access to annual reports, whitepapers and publications and keep knowledgeable about key developments like mergers, acquisitions and high profile awards. You can gauge a lot about the organization’s stability and strength in the marketplace!  

What can you learn about Sodexo by visiting our Company Page?

Pinterest

This is not just a place to find recipes for this summer’s drink or how to redecorate your home; it’s a living bulletin board of an organization’s most prized visual assets. Search for pinners with the keyword “Careers” to unlock the pinboards specifically built by employers. Among the hundreds of videos and images, you’ll find more than just jobs and career advice.  In this example, see how pinned content can shed light on philanthropy or commitment to sustainability.

Twylah

Twylah is the lesser known but perhaps the most valuable gem for getting to know an employer by how they communicate over Twitter.  A Twylah page is a web presence that highlights the most popular tweeted topics and the perfect place to find out how transparent and engaged organizations are with their followers.  Instead of scrolling through pages of tweets on Twitter profiles, our Twylah page summarizes trending subjects and provides a quick view of what’s important at our organization. Not every company will have a Twylah page but you can search for them using Google with keywords “Twylah” and the company name. 

Now that you have learned the best tips to harness the power of social, you may be wondering what to do when you land that job interview.  Watch this video for some key tips around preparation and becoming aware of your online personal brand once again.   



What tips can you contribute when using social media to find a job?


*According to CEB Recruiting Leadership Council 2010 Web 2.0 Recruiting Trends Report 


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4/26/13

4 Steps to a Better Resume

By Guest Blogger Trish Freshwater, Senior Communications Manager for Talent Acquisition at Sodexo. Originally posted on the Student Branding Blog.

By now, you’ve likely learned that resumes come in many different forms – chronological, skills based or functional, or a combination of these two. And, let’s not forget that you may change elements of your resume to target the information for a specific job that you’re applying to … With all of these options, resume writing can get very confusing very quickly. So, here are four of the most important ways to make your resume stand out from the crowd – regardless of which format you choose.

1) Use Keywords.
More than anything else, keywords are the ticket to your success. When a recruiter or hiring manager reviews your resume, he or she is looking for very specific words that are tied to a given job description. The easiest way to incorporate keywords is to read the job description and write down the words that match your skills and experience. Then, when reviewing your resume, ensure that these same exact words are used in the appropriate places in your resume.

For example, a job description for a dietitian may include words/phrases like “plans food and nutrition programs” or “promotes healthy eating habits” or “educates clients on dietary modifications.” A job description for general manager may include “develops strategic plans,” or “builds company image” or include a list of skills like “performance management, staffing, training, fiscal management” and more.

If you’re applying to either of these jobs, you’ll want to use these keywords/phrases in your resume as appropriate to showcase your skills and experience in these areas.

2) Achievements are better than Duties
Even though you may be just starting out in your career, a list of accomplishments speaks louder than a laundry list of the duties associated with each position you’ve held. While it’s important to convey the type of work you have done, you really want to show that in doing the work you’ve achieved a goal or two. For example:

Sales Associate, Favorite Mall Store, September-December 2012
* Served as cashier, maintaining a 100% accurate register
* Managed inventory and developed new processes that resulted in moving merchandise to the floor 50% faster than old system
* Provided customer service that resulted in a 5% increase in customer satisfaction results in quarterly survey

As you can see in this example, I didn’t just list “cashier, managed inventory, provided customer service.” I tied measurable results to the work, to show how this person performed these tasks. The added achievements help recruiters see the level of your experience and can help translate work that may not be part of your career field, but includes similar responsibilities or skills – like organizational skills, customer service and money management – that can be associated with the career-related job you really want.

3) Clean Up the Layout
Regardless of the way you organize your resume, having a clean layout is helpful for recruiters. Your resume should be one page in length, two for more experienced applicants. Your name and contact info at the top. Then, only use one clean, easy-to-read font (like Arial or Times New Roman), use bulleted lists to break up large blocks of text, use bold text to differentiate section headers and allow some space between sections to make your document “breathe.”

Even the most well organized resume can be difficult to read if all of the text runs together. Help the reader’s eye move naturally through your document, allowing for the eye to quickly scan and find the most important elements of your resume.

4) Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!
More than anything else, proofread for spelling and grammatical errors. These mistakes can call into question your attention to detail, and can negatively impact your reputation.

Two suggestions for proofreading – have a friend or family member proofread your resume and read it backwards (start at the end and read right to left). Amazingly, reading your resume – or any document – backwards will help you catch unexpected spelling errors.

Writing your resume can seem like a tedious process, but including the right information in a clean, easy-to-read format is key to your success! For even more resume writing and other job seeker tips, click here.



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4/24/13

A Military Child’s Sacrifice

By Guest Blogger, Sandy Ronning, Senior Recruiter for Sodexo

The sound of freedom.  That is my answer when I am asked about the thundering sounds of the F-16s flying overhead every day since I was able to walk. In honor of National Month of the Military Child, I share my story of sacrifice.

Family outings to my dad meant being plain clothed!
I was raised an Air Force brat and lived within a flight path my entire life. The sight of these majestic birds and the noise they command make some people cringe, but for me it is a symbol of our freedom, pride and sacrifice.  My father was a career military man, going back as a civilian even after retirement.  We spent our lives moving from one base to another, one state to another and even one country to another.  Our lives were comfortable but far from normal, and my father was away for many of the most precious events of my life. 

His commitment affected all of us. He sacrificed being away from the family he loved, missing the joys of fatherhood.  My mother packed and moved three kids and a couple dogs, sometimes a fish or two, every other year.  Us kids bounced from four different elementary and three different high schools, starting each move with a new set of friends and life expectations. Every year was a new adventure, a new culture and a new clique. 

My fondest memory about my childhood was waiting for the mailman to deliver the monthly 8-track tapes from my dad, who would send us his thoughts and love through these recordings.  We learned early on to embrace the challenges and to push on.  I was taught early on about pride, duty and sacrifice.  And about honor, integrity and the service of good will that all of us owe each other. 

Several months ago, I found myself on the job market and had the time to evaluate what really was important to me as a productive member in our society.  The one thing that I wanted to be a part of was assisting our servicemen and their families as they transition back to the normal life.  Imagine the joy I felt when I discovered the magic of Sodexo and their commitment to these heroes and their families.

During my onboarding as a Senior Recruiter earlier this year, I learned more about how Sodexo actively sources, recruits and employs active and retired military members of our society.  I am proud to be a part of an organization that is committed to these unsung heroes and the families, but more proud to be able to assist them with employment opportunities. 

Over these past few months, I realized that Sodexo embraces and brings out every value that is taught to all of the military children of the world – honor, sacrifice and a call to duty. I’m glad to have found my new home. 

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4/19/13

The NSMH Experience

By Guest Blogger, Mairo Akposé, Human Resources Director – Campus Facilities

During my second year of tenure with Sodexo, I heard about NSMH (National Society of Minorities in Hospitality). Admittedly, my interest was self-serving at first. I reveled in the idea of being on the panels and speaking to a room full of captive students.  The first year I participated, I attended a Regional conference in New Orleans where I first met Michelle Robinson, Director, College Relations for Talent Acquisition.  Michelle educated me a bit more on the organization and how it continues to be a great source for recruiting future talent!  I was in awe of the fact that the organization is student led and run.
I have spoken to thousands of students throughout the years and I believe that NSMH has some of the best and brightest students in attendance. If you have never been to an NSMH Conference, you should put it on your to do list for this upcoming year because old fashion networking still works!

 Over the years I've learned the following while attending the NSMH National Conference:
  1. Minority students can benefit by getting involved with their chapter on campus. While I did not have an organization like NSMH around when I was in undergrad, I appreciated the strong support and mentoring relationships I did have from those who had "been there, done that".  NSMH is a great place to build a mentoring relationship.
  2. While Generation X may have created all of this technology, Generation Y have perfected how to use it most effective and efficiently. I witnessed this firsthand with all the tweeting about the conference and potential job opportunities through @SodexoCareers. 
  3. New graduates always bring fresh ideas, perspective and new approaches to "the way we've always done it."  Sometimes it's hard for us to see what is truly possible through our eyes. These future leaders bring vision to organizations!
  4. NSMHers want to be in our industry.  They are eager to learn and grow. And they want to share their story with the next generation behind them.  I find that these students are our gateway to continued success as technology continues to grow and change.
In Campus Facilities alone over the next 8 years, 60% of our managers are eligible to retire, will be eligible to retire or will begin planning for retirement. Sodexo is looking for tomorrow’s leaders today, through partnerships with organizations like NSMH, to ensure that our company remains world class. If you are up for the challenge, then search our career opportunities today!  

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