SEPTEMBER 2013
|
VISIT WWW.REALESTATELIVES.ORG
Next General
Meeting:
Sept. 5, 2013
Welcome to Real Estate Lives News
8:00 am
Real Estate Roundtable
Small Group
Job Board
9:30 am
General Meeting
Speaker: Ed Kobel
President of DeBartolo
Development Co.
10:45 am to 11:45 am
Training Session
Trainer: Larry LaBelle
“How To Win The Salary
Negotiation Game”
Noon to 1:30 pm
REbuilders Support Group
Incl. complimentary lunch
Contents
Welcome........................... 1-2
Saving Money....................... 3
Maximize Your LinkedIn
Presence.............................. 4
Real 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:
Visit www.realestatelives.org and click on “Employment Tools” and “Job Board”. We
post new job openings each day, 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, Noon 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, Building Conference Center located
next to suite 150, 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 a special guest 15Minute Coach. Past 15-Minute Coaches have included: former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio,
12-term Congressman Mike Bilirakis and Lifestyles Family Fitness founder Geoff Dyer.
Mentoring
Absolutely Abby.................... 9
Real Estate Lives continues to offer one on one mentoring. For additional
information or to be assigned a mentor, contact Jack Brubaker,
[email protected]
Five Year Anniversary and
Salute to Sponsors......... 10-11
Training
We’re Glad We Could Help... 12
Real 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:
Training Schedule................. 8
Employment
Resources..................... 13-14
Crisis Center Resources....... 15
Continued on next page
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
•Thursday, September 5, 2013
How To Win the Salary Negotiation
Game”
Trainer: Larry LaBelle, owner of Training
Tamer
Specialized Peer-Led
Support Groups
REbuilders 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 Events
REL 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 through email
blasts you will receive after signing up
through www.realestatelives.org.
Current Special Events in the works
are:
•Real Estate Lives Annual All-American
Picnic —
September 14, 2013
Location: Philippe Park, Safety Harbor
Invited are Friends of Real Estate Lives
(Rebounders with children and pets,
volunteers, and sponsors). Activities
will include traditional picnic fare,
games, contests, swimming for both
humans and dogs, and enjoyment
of a great park in our community.
For information or to volunteer
in the planning, contact tara@
mastersconstruct.com or ssneed@
lwccommercial.com.
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.
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 Page 8 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 900 of our people find reemployment and has made more than
75,000 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 editor at jfeeley@
tampabay.rr.com
New York Life
New York Life will be adding 300 to
their Westshore location over the next
three years. Check their website at
newyorklife.com/careers.
2
Trick to Get By
Resume Scanning
Software
Here’s how to put a list of hidden
keywords in your resume. First, open
up a copy of your resume and insert
a new line above your name. On this
new line, enter “Keywords:” followed
by a list of keywords separated by
commas. Then highlight your keyword
list and change the point size of this
text to 1. Finally, change the color of
this text to slightly off white. Now
it doesn’t display on screen or on
a printout but it’s still there to be
searched.
By the way, when I say to make the text
color slightly off white, here’s how you
do it. Once the text is highlighted,
click on the “Font Color” button in
Word. Then select “More Colors” at
the bottom of the dialog box. This
brings you to the “Color” dialog box.
Now click on the “Custom” tab. Once
there, set the value in the RED field
to 254, the value in the GREEN and
BLUE fields to 255. Then click OK.
Bristol-Myers
Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb to Open
North American Capabilities Center
in Hillsborough County in January
2014
Leaders from the biopharmaceutical
company announced plans July
18 to open a new North America
Capability Center in the Tampa
Bay area employing up to 250 IT,
marketing, business and financial
services personnel by the time it opens
in January 2014, and another 325
scientific and technical support staff
by 2017. A specific site in Hillsborough
County has not yet been selected. As
repeatedly stated in REL News, a rising
tide lifts all boats. With this many
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
new technical employees they will also
need support service positions: payroll,
accounting, human resources, IT, etc.
BMS.com
700 New Jobs to
Fort Myers
Hertz is moving its HQ from New
Jersey to Lee County. When the move
is complete, they will have created
more than 700 jobs paying an average
of $103,000. They’ll be moving into
a temporary facility while their new
headquarters is being built. The move
was necessitated after they acquired
#4 Dollar Rent-a-Car which had been
headquartered in Oklahoma. hertz.com.
Remember the rising tide.
Tips to Save $1,000
on your Home
Energy Bill
Common sense tips for real savings;
shut your computer off when you’re
not using it, unplug idle devices, wash
laundry in cold water, etc. Learn more
at:http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/07/tips-to-save-you-1000-onyour-energy-bill/
Save Money on
Dental Bills
Brighter.com a free website that
negotiates with local dentists to reduce
fees in exchange for new customers.
Get estimates of procedure costs on
their website. Schedule appointments
at unpopular times. If your whole
family is going to the same dentist ask
for a group rate.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/
health/2013/07/17/real-money-tipsto-make-that-dentist-visit-a-little-lesspainful
3
Save Energy and Money
Every Month
Silence is rare in the Bernard household.
Usually their three young boys — Logan,
Preston and Owen — are zapping mom
and dad’s energy.
Peter and Julie Bernard aren’t very energyconscious until that time of the month
when the bill arrives.
“We try to be mindful of the temperature
but we want to be comfortable,” Peter
Bernard said. “The thermostat is difficult
to configure and so it’s kind of more
convenient just to leave it at a particular
setting than to raise it or lower it.”
Want help cutting energy costs? Join Ben
Bixby, the founder of MyEnergy.com in
a live Facebook chat here at 7 p.m. ET
today.
Their energy bills can be a scorcher,
$3,000 this year alone. Julie Bernard said
they definitely have opportunities to be
more mindful of their energy use.
“I think we are conscious of teaching the
kids to turn off the lights when they’re
not in the room,” she said.
Ben Bixby, founder of MyEnergy.com
and director of energy products for Nest
Learning Thermostat, says the Bernards
are getting burned and the company has
several tips they can use to lower those
bills.
Tip #1: Go to MyEnergy.com to compare
your energy usage with others in your
town.
“In June, Julie and Peter spent $252 on
electricity. And that’s relatively high
compared to some other people in the
neighborhood,” Bixby said.
Bixby also found nearly $1,000 in savings
— hidden money — around their house
with tips that only take them seconds.
Tip #2: If heating and cooling are
the bulk of your bill, replace an old
thermostat with a self-programming Nest
Learning Thermostat. It learns a family’s
habits and got the Bernards $173
back this year. It will pay for itsself
by next year.
“It knows when you come home
and when you leave,” Bixby said.
“It notices when you turn the
temperature up and down. It
tries to figure out why and what’s
going to make you the most
comfortable.”
When the Bernards are away,
they can control Nest with their
iPhone.
Tip #3: Turning down your water
heater just 20 degrees can save big.
It saved the Bernards $100.
Tip #4: Wash your clothes with
cold water. The Bernards do 14
loads of laundry a week but if they
used cold water, it could get them
$384 a year, Bixby said. Good
Housekeeping magazine says it
gets your clothes just as clean.
Tip #5: Switch your air filter
every two to three months. The
Bernards replaced the filters on
their air conditioning when their
new Nest system advised them to,
and it got them $25.
Tip #6: Unplug devices you’re
not using. Reliably taking devices
such as game consoles, coffee
makers and chargers off standby
to the off or unplugged position
saved the Bernards $102.
Tip #7: Switch incandescent and
halogen lightbulbs to LEDs.
They’re pricey but they’ll pay for
themselves by next year. This got
the Bernards $103.
Using all of these tips, the
Bernards were able to plug an
extra $887 into their budget this
year.
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
4
L AR RY L AB E L L E, T HE T RA I NI NG TAME R
Maximize Your Linkedin Presence
Create a Complete LinkedIn
Profile & Include Your
Contact Information
The first step to winning a job with
LinkedIn is to create strong profile
that is complete and is compelling
to the HR staff, recruiters, hiring
managers and others who will read
your profile. Complete means that you
fill out every section in your profile
and add optional sections such as the
Skills section (contains a list of your
Core Strengths). It’s also important
to include your phone number in your
Profile, preferably at the bottom of
your Summary. Remember, 80-90%
of the HR staff and recruiters search
LinkedIn for job candidates and
45% of the hiring manager(s) do,
too. If they see a hot candidate, they’ll
want to call you immediately before
someone else has a chance to snatch
you up.
Create a Compelling
Summary
When HR staff, recruiters and hiring
managers search for potential job
candidates on LinkedIn, the first
part of your profile they read is the
Summary section. Like the Summary
section in your resume, it needs to be
short, well written and compelling but
why? When these folks are viewing
LinkedIn Profiles, they only spend
about 10-15 seconds reviewing the
Summary section to decide whether
they want to consider the candidate
further. If you don’t grab their
attention here, you’ll be screened out.
To make you Summary section solid,
here’s what to do. First, get 2-3 job
descriptions for the type of job you’re
seeking and then make a list of all the
skills/requirements from all three of
them. Then pick the top 4 strategic,
Remember, 80-90%
of the HR staff and
recruiters search
LinkedIn for job
candidates and 45%
of the hiring manager
do too. If they see a hot
candidate, they want
to call you immediately
before someone else has a
chance to snatch you up.
important points (from the hiring
manager’s perspective) and write a 4-6
line summary where you pitch your
strengths and value in each of these
four areas. Then end the Summary
with an accomplishment (measurable
accomplishment, testimonial or award)
but make sure it is no longer than 2
lines long.
In the Specialties section of the
summary, be sure to put in all the
keywords that HR staff, recruiters
and hiring managers would use to
search for job candidates on LinkedIn.
You may have some of these in other
sections of your resume but this is
the place to put an exhaustive list
to be sure you are one of the people
who ends of in the search result
and near the top of the list. For
example, if a recruiter was doing a
search for a Senior Customer Service
Representative, they might use 20
keywords in their search. These could
include the job title (and synonyms for
it), key skills and requirements from
the job description and the like. If you
only have 5 keywords in your profile
and I have 19, I show up almost at the
top of the search result but you’d be
way down the bottom. If you didn’t
have any of the keywords, you wouldn’t
be in the search result at all.
Build a Strong Network of
Connections
IIn order to win in LinkedIn, you
have to build a large network of
connections, especially Level 1
Connections. You also need to join
lots of relevant LinkedIn Group(s) to
broaden your network even further.
Level 1 Connections are the ones you
can communicate with directly and
can help you get insider information
for your target companies. We’ll talk
about this more, below.
To initially build your network of
Level 1 Connections, first go to the
LinkedIn Home Page. In the upper
right corner of the screen, there is an
area called People You May Know.
There are 3 people in this initial list
but you can access others via the See
More link at the bottom of this list.
When you click on the See More link,
you get access to a number of pages
of possible people you may know. It
doesn’t matter whether you know
them now or not. What’s important
is to scan the list for people you’d like
to connect with who might be able to
help you in your job search.
For each person on the list, check out
their job title and company name to
initially decide if there’s a prospective
connection for you. If there is, click
on their name link to view their
profile. Once you read it, you should
have enough information to decide
whether you want to connect with
this person. To connect, click on the
Connect button in the upper right of
the person’s profile and then select the
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
way that you know this person. If you
don’t know the person, use either the
Friend or Other option. Then write a
custom note explaining why you want
to connect with this person and state
how the relationship can be mutually
beneficial. Then click on the Send
Invitation button to send the request.
Repeat this process for every person
you want to connect with on LinkedIn.
If you spend a couple of hours a day
during your first week on LinkedIn,
you’ll build up a large network of
Level 1 Connections fast.
Remember, Level 1 Connections are
the ones who can provide you with
Recommendations to display on your
own LinkedIn Profile. They’re also the
ones who can be your Champion in
your target companies.
Oh, one last but very important thing;
what if you want to connect with the
LinkedIn Heavy Hitters who have the
largest number of Level 1 Connections
as well as the largest number of
overall people in their entire network?
Connecting with the Heavy Hitter will
give you the opportunity to harvest all
the people in their network who could
help you and make them your Level
1 Connections so you can get their
assistance when you need it.
To find these Heavy Hitters first go to
the Search field at the top right of the
screen. In the button to the left of the
Search field, select People. Then click
on the Advanced link to the right of
to the Magnifying Glass icon. This
will bring you to the Advanced People
Search tab. In the Sort By drop down
list at the bottom left of the screen,
select Connections. This will sort
results in order by the overall number
of connections, leaving the Heavy
Hitters at the top of the list. In the
Expanded drop down list field, select
Expanded. This will let you see a bit
more information about each person
in the search result. To get the search
results list, click on the Search button.
To connect to any one of the Heavy
Fill out this screen and
make sure to enter a
custom message in the
Include a Personal Note
field. For example, you
might enter, “You’re one
of the top Linked Users
and I’d like to connect
with you to learn more
about you and see how
I can help you.” You
do this to ensure that
this person will want to
connect with you.
Hitters in the search results list, first
click on the person’s name. This
will display this person’s Profile. To
initiate a connection request, click on
the Connect button in the upper right
of the screen. Fill out this screen and
make sure to enter a custom message
in the Include a Personal Note field.
For example, you might enter, “You’re
one of the top Linked Users and I’d
like to connect with you to learn more
about you and see how I can help you.”
You do this to ensure that this person
will want to connect with you. Most
Heavy Hitters are LIONs (LinkedIn
Open Networkers) and will accept a
connection request from anyone since
it increases their overall network.
Get Lots of
Recommendations to
Help Promote You
One of the most powerful features
of LinkedIn is the ability to get
Recommendations from your Level
1 Connections and display them
on your profile. Recommendations
are worth their weight in GOLD.
5
Whenever HR staff, recruiters or
hiring managers find a potential job
candidate on LinkedIn, the first thing
they look at is your Summary. If
this passes their litmus test, the next
likely section for them to review is the
Recommendations section. Here
they can see what your manager, coworkers, customers, suppliers, etc. have
said about the quality of your work.
This is clearly a great selling point that
you need to thoroughly exploit.
When you ask your Level 1
Connections for a Recommendation,
they will write it and submit it to you
for review. You can request changes
if you want before you post it on your
profile. If the Recommendation
isn’t to your satisfaction, you don’t
have to post it on your profile at all.
If someone you know isn’t good at
writing a recommendation, you could
write it yourself and email it to them
to submit as a recommendation for
you.
Use LinkedIn to Find a
Champion in Your Target
Companies
Champions are the people you connect
with in LinkedIn who work in one
of your target companies. They can
help you get the hiring managers
name and contact information, tell
you the problems and pains the
manager is facing, what new initiatives
the manager is undertaking, what
s/he expects the new employee to
accomplish in his first 90 days on the
job, what the company culture and
manager are like, and more. S/he can
also take your resume to the hiring
manager with a personal referral to
help put put you at the top of the stack
of resumes for the job.
To get a Champion, you have to create
a strong relationship with him/her
before you ask for help. Otherwise,
this person has no motivation to help
you. You have to provide them with
help and spend the time building
a trusting relationship to win the
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
Champion’s heart so he/she really
wants to help you. It also doesn’t
hurt to ask this person if they get a
referral bonus if you get hired. If he/
she could get a $500-$1,000 bonus,
their commitment to helping you
goes way up. Don’t forget that the
Champion needs to get to know
you and learn about your skills and
value before they’re likely to refer
you. After all, recommending a failed
candidate could cost this person his/
her credibility so make them feel good
about what you have to offer so they’ll
enthusiastically support you.
To find a Champion inside a target
company, first go to the Search field
at the top right of the screen. Next,
go to the button to the left of the
Search field and set it to People.
Then click on Advanced to the right
of the Magnifying Glass icon. In
the Company field, enter the name
of your target company (e.g. Cognos).
The drop down list field below the
Company field is set to Current or
Past. Now click on the Search button.
Since we are doing a People search
for the company Cognos and the
drop down list setting is Current
or Past, the search will return a list
of all current and past employees of
Cognos. We can now scan this list
for ideal people we’d like to have as
our Champion inside Cognos to help
us secure a job in the company. It’s
best to find people who work in the
same department you’d work in when
possible but if that’s not possible, pick
someone else. Happy hunting!
Follow Companies to Be
Alerted to Signs of Job
Openings/Hiring
In LinkedIn, there is an option to
Follow Company that you can use
tract personnel changes and additions
inside the company. To set up this
option on a company, first go to the
Search box at the top right of the
page. Make sure the button to the left
of the search box is set to Company.
Display marketing
materials in your
LinkedIn Profile
using the companion
application called
SlideShare. With
SlideShare, you can
upload up to 6 marketing
files into LinkedIn
and then display them
in your profile.
Next enter the company name (e.g.
Cognos) into the search field and
then click on the Magnifying Glass
icon. A list is displayed showing the
name of the company (e.g. Cognos)
and any of its subsidiaries. Find the
company you want (e.g. Cognos) and
put your mouse over the company
name. You should see two links appear
to the right, one of which is the Follow
Company link. Click on this link. You
will see a STAR appear in place of the
Follow Company link, indicating that
you are now following this company.
Finding Jobs in LinkedIn &
Related LinkedIn Contacts
The first place to find jobs in LinkedIn
is on the LinkedIn Job Board. Go to
the main menu and select Jobs. Then
select Find Jobs. Now click on the
Advanced Search link underneath
the Search button. Here, you have
all kinds of search fields that you can
use to find jobs in your field. For
example, you might enter Trainer
in the Keywords field, 33613 in the
Postal Code field and set the Within
field to 50 mi (80km). Then you click
on the Search button to initiate the
search. When the results are displayed,
you are often given some very useful
additional information to help you get
6
a Champion to help you get this job.
A job listing can tell you how many of
your connections can refer you to the
job poster and it may also tell you who
posted the job and if that person is in
your network. Way cool!
The second place to find jobs in
LinkedIn in the Jobs Sub-Group
inside a LinkedIn Group that has
a job board. To determine which
Groups have Sub-Groups, click on
Groups on the main menu and then
select Groups Directory. This will
display a list of all Groups available in
LinkedIn. To look for groups related
to Job Search only, enter Job Search
in the Keywords field on the upper
left of the screen. Then go to the next
field underneath called All Categories,
click on the down arrow and select
Networking Group. Then click on
the Search button. You will now see a
list of groups related to Job Search.
The one I’ll use in this example is
the Jobs (Job Openings, Job Leads
and Job Connections). If you look
at this Group’s listing, you’ll see two
lines at the bottom with some very
important statistics. The first line of
these two has Discussions (140) and
Jobs (571). Discussions tells you how
many active discussions are currently
going on in the group. Jobs tells you
that this group has a Job Board inside
the group (a Sub-Group). The second
line specifies the Owner of the Group
followed by the Number of Members.
If there are a large number of members
in a group, it has a lot of discussions
and it has a jobs sub-group, it’s a great
group to join. To join a Group, just
click on the Join Group button.
Once you’re in the group, you see that
there is a tab called Jobs. This is where
you go to see the job postings for this
group.
Add Marketing Materials to
Your LinkedIn Profile
You can add valuable job search
marketing materials to your LinkedIn
Profile. For example, you could
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
add Work Samples (along with a
compelling story for each), a brief
Strategic Business Value Presentation
(states your 3 areas of strategic value,
lists 3-5 ways you strongly contribute in
each of these areas and 3-5 ways you can
help your future employer), or anything
else that would help you win a job with
your future employer.
To upload and display these marketing
materials in your LinkedIn Profile
using the companion application
called SlideShare. With SlideShare,
you can upload up to 6 marketing files
into LinkedIn and then display them
in your profile. You have two options
for displaying them. With option 1,
you can display one of them in a large
viewer with next/back buttons to
navigate the pages/slides in your file.
The other files can be accessed via a link
under the viewer.
With option 2, you can display all your
files at once in your profile but they are
displayed as oversized icons. To access
the content of any of these files, you
have to click on the associated icon.
Anytime you add, change, or delete a
marketing file that you’ve uploaded
into SlideShare, all your connections
are notified of the change. You can
changes from all your LinkedIn
Connections on your Home page.
SlideShare is only one of many
companion applications available in
LinkedIn. You can use the WordPress
application to create a BLOG and
display the BLOG in your LinkedIn
Profile. Whenever you make changes
to your BLOG, all your connections are
notified. A BLOG is a great way to get
know as an expert in your field
You can also use Reading List by
Amazon application to post a list of
your favorite books in your LinkedIn
“Stepping Stones”
Job Readiness Training
THE STEPPING STONES JOB READINESS TRAINING
PROGRAM is a 1 week training program to help job seekers search for
employment, succeed in their job and move their career forward. If you
are looking for work but not sure where to start, the CDC of Tampa’s
Stepping Stones may be for you.
•Explore career options and identify opportunities for professional training
•Prepare a resume and practice interviewing skills
•Learn to conduct a traditional online job search
•Prepare to work effectively with job placement and training services
•Strengthen workplace communication skills
•Gain the confidence and professionalism to get the job
You must have a high school diploma or GED to participate.
Sposored by CDC of Tampa, Inc., Urban Enterprise Center
New 1-week sessions begin each month
For more information call 813-231-4362.
7
Profile and include your personal
recommendation for each. Because
this is an Amazon application, your
first select the books from Amazon
that you want to display and write a
recommendation for it. When you post
them on your LinkedIn Profile, other
LinkedIn users can see the cover of the
book and your recommendation. If
they like a book and want to buy it, they
can click on the cover of the book and
go to Amazon to buy it. This is another
great way to be seen as an expert in your
field.
All the applications that you use in your
LinkedIn Profile are in a section called
Applications. When you first add an
application such as SlideShare, the
Applications section will appear near
the bottom of your profile with your
SlideShare file in it. Since we’re putting
marketing material in this section, we’d
rather have the Applications section
up at the top of our Profile underneath
the Summary section. To do this, first
put your mouse over the Applications
section title and you’ll see the mouse
pointer turn into a 4-way arrow. This
means you can move this section up or
down in your Profile by holding down
the left mouse button and dragging the
section to where you want it. In this
case, move it up under the Summary
section. Voila!
Now, one last thing regarding the
Applications section. If you have
three applications you want to display
in the Applications section, such as
SlideShare, WordPress and Reading
List by Amazon, how do you control
the order that they display in the
Applications section? Here’s the trick!
If you want WordPress at the top,
then SlideShare underneath that and
Reading List by Amazon last, create
these applications from the bottom up.
In other words, create Reading List by
Amazon first, SlideShare second, and
WordPress last. Bingo!
Good luck and go win that job!
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
8
2013 Real Estate Lives Training Schedule
Upcoming Training:
Completed in 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Speaker: Ed Kobel
President of DeBartolo
Development Company
Trainer: Larry LaBelle
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Trainer: Gregory L. Morgan, Principal, CB
Sage
How to Win the Salary
Negotiation Game
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Speaker: Mark Sharpe
Hillsborough County
Commissioner
Trainer: Gene Hodge, President,
Hodgepodge Training Inc.
Hodgepodge Formula To
Enjoyable Employment
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Pancake Breakfast – No Speaker or
Training
Top 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Guest Trainer: Tonya Devane, The Omnia
Group
The Power of Behavioral Profiling—
Selling Your Strengths
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Trainer: Larry LaBelle
How to Show Up Higher in LinkedIn
Search Results
Thursday, April 4., 2013
Speaker: Bruce Erhardt / Cushman/
Wakefield
How To Get The Most Out of Real Estate
Lives
Panelists:
Ellen McDonald—New REL Website; and
the Moderator
Jodi Wilkeson—Resume; Elaine
Kennedy—Employment Resources;
Jan Chaffee—First Needs & Rebuilders;
Steve Swann—Small Groups & Mentors
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Speaker: Dick Greco, Former Mayor of
Tampa
Trainer: Kendra Rosplock, Director of
Admissions, New Horizons Computer
Learning Center
Strike Gold! Dig and Learn These Top 12
Nuggets to Shape an Interview That Gets
You Hired
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Speaker: Jim Shapiro - Downs and Ups in
Real Estate
Trainer: Maggie Sabatier-Smith, Owner,
Call to Action
Health -— Critical to a Successful Career
Transition
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Speaker: Julia Rettig, VP of Operations,
Penn Florida Companies
Trainer: Jim Shapiro
A Whole New Way To Identify Your
Accomplishments
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Speaker: Bill Eshenbaugh, President
Eshenbaugh Land Co.
Trainer: Larry LaBelle
How to Target Your Top 20 Companies
Real Estate Lives Annual
Fall Festival Picnic
September 14, 2013 at Philippe Park, Safety
11:00 to 5:00 pm. — Shelter #6
Softball game after lunch! Sign up today for either
Team Salary or Team Negotiations! RSVP to
[email protected]
Bring a dessert to participate in the Dessert Swap after the game.
Invited are Friends of Real Estate Lives (Rebounders with children and pets,
volunteers, and sponsors). Activities will include traditional picnic fare, games,
contests, swimming for both humans and dogs, and enjoyment of a great park in
our community. For information or to volunteer in the planning, contact tara@
mastersconstruct.com or [email protected].
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
9
ABSO LU T E LY A BBY
Wall of Shame
In the past few weeks I have been
reading more than my fair share of
cover letters. What amazes me is that
despite all of the information available
on the internet and in the bookstores,
the same mistakes are being made over
and over again. I, Absolutely Abby,
am hereby doing my part to rid the
world of all poorly written cover letters
and to restore the faith the hiring
managers have in the job seeker to
express themselves appropriately.
Remember the last time you went
shopping for a big ticket item such
as a car? In many cases, the salesman
showed you a shiny, polished piece of
collateral that explained the item in
great detail. Can you learn about the
car without the collateral? Of course,
but the collateral is part of the sales
pitch - it explains the features and
benefits of the car and tells you why
you should buy it. Your cover letter
is your resume’s collateral so it must
highlight your strengths to the reader.
You should include a cover letter as
often as possible, but at least when
you are applying for a job that you are
extremely interested in. I continue to
hear stories about people who landed
in positions that were far less qualified
than their competition. In almost every
case, the job seekers wrote a stellar
cover letter to get their foot in the
door, that by the time they interviewed
they were half way there.
Make an attempt to address your letter
to an actual person rather than using
Dear Sir or Madam. To find the name
of the hiring manager, try searching on
Google or LinkedIn. Even a good guess
scores you points because it indicates
that you tried harder than everyone
else.
Make sure that you mention the name
of the company in the letter followed
by an explanation of why you are
interested in working for them. Make
sure that you really mean what you say.
Recruiters have a way of sensing when
you are being less than truthful. Our
goal is to hire people who sincerely
want to work at our company - it’s the
job of your cover letter to convince us.
At the same time as you are writing
creatively, be sure that you are writing
grammatically. In other words, have
an English savvy friend check it for
you and offer suggestions on how to
improve it. When recruiters are faced
with large stacks of resumes for new
positions, you’ll never make the first
cut if they notice even one spelling
or grammar mistake on your resume
or cover letter. These mistakes are
the eye’s equivalent of “nails on a
chalkboard”.
Over the years, I’ve saved a dozen or
so resumes that had comical mistakes
on them. I refer to these affectionately
as my “Wall of Shame”. Here are just a
few examples from resumes that ended
up in my collection:
absolutelyabby.com
Abby spoke at one of Gregory L.
Morgan’s Small Group meetings
and she offered great insights into
the hiring process from a recruiter’s
perspective. Everyone at the meeting
was extremely impressed. Sign up
for her newsletter at absolutelyabby.
com and participate in any of her
free weekly calls. You can submit
questions ahead of time. The calls
will be well worth your time.
A fast paced company is not the same
thing as a “face paced”, a “fast paised”,
or even a “fast paste” company.
Perhaps someone who uses the
keyboard shortcut CTRL+V believes
that they are working at a “fast paste”
speed. I think not.
The abbreviation for Assistant is Asst.
Please don’t ever forget that. When
you drop the “t” from “Asst” you aren’t
leaving much to be proud of.
Hiring is not the same thing as
“highering” or “hiering”
Double check, triple check and
quadruple check your cover letter. And
then check it again. You can never be
too obsessed about getting the details
right.
Abby Kohut, who is known on the web as
Absolutely Abby, has held positions from
recruiter to Senior Director of Recruiting.
Her website www.AbsolutelyAbby.com, her
speeches, and her books teach candidates
secrets about the job search process that other
recruiters won’t tell you. Since 2010, Abby
has been on a mission to educate one million
job seekers, and is currently driving around
the USA on a nationwide tour to accomplish
that goal, which you can learn more about
at www.AbbyAcrossAmerica.com
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
10
P UTT ING TAMPA BAY BACK TO WORK
Five Year Anniversary and Salute to Sponsors
staff. Andre has
donated one
of the hotel’s
ballrooms
for the First
Thursday
General Meeting
every month for
nearly two years.
Steve Ernst, Harvard ‘83
Although
not speaking,
another friend
of REL, Ron Alicandro, General Manager of
the Westin Tampa Bay, was seen enjoying the
celebration. Ron has donated meeting space
at his hotel the past several years for REL’s
annual Christmas party.
Founder Ron Weaver and Special
Events chair Tara Harris
This gala event was held Thursday evening
August 15 in the luxurious Vault in
downtown Tampa. This historic venue was
donated by Carolyn Wilson, president of the
Wilson Company. The presenting sponsor
was Bill Carlson president of Tucker Hall,
one of Florida’s largest public relations firms
and an early sign on with Real Estate Lives.
The opening of the event took on the same
format as the standard First Thursday
General Meetings. Gregory L. Morgan
led a group sing of “God Bless America.”
Bruce Jonas followed with a blessing
which is typically followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance but alas, there was no flag. The
ever resourceful founder of REL, Ron Weaver,
quickly scanned the crowd and noted Dan
Woodward was wearing a red and white shirt
under a blue blazer and he was instantly
anointed the “designated” flag.
The formal part of the evening began with
presenting sponsor, Bill Carlson of the
aforementioned Tucker Hall, welcoming
one and all to this very special event. Bill’s
company was an early friend of Real Estate
Lives and made a generous donation of his
company’s time and talent to help launch
REL.
Bill was followed by Paul Tash, CEO of the
Tampa Bay Times and newly elected chair of
the Pulitzer Prize board. He was lavish in his
praise of what REL means to the Tampa Bay
community. He had previously addressed the
group at last year’s annual Pancake Breakfast.
The Pancake Breakfast will be held again
this year at the Howard Johnson Downtown
Plaza Hotel, thanks to another friend of REL,
owner Andre Callen, and his magnificent
The last speaker of the night was an early
friend of REL and one of its first volunteers.
Steve Ernst brought levity to the night
emerging from behind the scenes wearing
his old Harvard football helmet. Steve was
an All- Ivy running back for the Crimson
and his older brother was his fullback. The
room became somber and yet motivated, as
Steve shared the true courage exhibited by
his brother, although suffering with Lou
Gehrig’s disease, how he faces each day with
strength, stick-to-itiveness, and character,
without losing hope…a striking resemblance
to the attitude taught and embraced by the
REL family.
What follows is a synopsis of Steve’s very
moving remarks which he titled “The Heart
of REL”:
The Warrior
• Taking initiative and action. Getting out of
the stands, not being a critic, put on the
gear and fight the battle to make a difference
• Being intolerant to inaction toward
misfortunes of others, get in the arena
• Luke 12:48b: “For everyone to whom much
is given, from him much will be required;
and to whom much has been committed,
of him they will ask the more.”
• John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give
to you, that you love one another; as I have
loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The Shepherd
• Caring for other, who are lost (in need of
help)
• Stepping out of the comfort zone to pull
up the needy
• Matthew 18:11-13: “For the Son of Man
has come to save that which was lost.
What do you think? If a man has a hundred
sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he
not leave the ninety-nine and go to the
mountains to seek the one that is straying?
And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to
you, he rejoices more over that sheep than
over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.”
The Teacher
(Reference: his brother Mike with ALS)
• Instructing, leading, edifying.
• “Never, never, never, never, never, never,
never, never give up.” — Winston Churchill
• “It ain’t over till it’s over.” — Our Pal Yogi
Berra
• Psalm 55:16-18: “As for me, I will call upon
God, And the Lord shall save me. Evening
and morning and at noon I will pray, and
cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. He
has redeemed my soul in peace from the
battle that was against me, For there were
many against me.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19: “Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing, in everything give
thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.”
• Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will
uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
• Psalm 25:4-7: “Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths. Guide me in your
truth and teach me, for you are God my
Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
Once again we’d like to thank our
magnificent sponsors, our loyal friends
and our caring volunteers who make
Real Estate Lives what it is…an open
doorway to hope and a pathway to
renewal!
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
11
We’re Glad We Could Help
Dear Real Estate Lives,
What can one say about Real Estate
Lives and their mission?
To me, it has been a shining example
of love, caring and commitment.
The individuals that founded this
organization, and those that have
joined in with them along the way,
have a deep sense of Community. They
have provided invaluable support for
their fellow brother and sister and have
offered their time, experience, support,
wisdom, connections, encouragement,
leadership, and have demonstrated a
generous spirit of giving.
The group also offers tangible
opportunities for training, resources
for improving one’s circumstances,
inspirational speakers, networking
and the ability to stay connected with
others. The members continually
offer an ear for listening, a shoulder
for crying, words to comfort and
smiles to uplift. It is their goal that
everyone that comes in to contact with
Real Estate Lives feels valued and
worthwhile, and it is made known to
them that their current circumstances
do not define who they are as a human
being.
Each one of these individuals has
touched my life in ways that are
immeasurable and precious to me,
and I will forever be indebted to
them. More than that, I have gained
profound respect for their gifts and
their willingness to share them. I will
continue to strive to live the lessons
that they have shown to me and those
around me. — Diana
Dear Real Estate Lives,
I accepted the Logistics Manager
Position with L.M.P. Landscape
Maintenance Professionals two weeks
ago. I haven’t felt this good and
satisfied inside about working hard and
contributing to a team in a very long
time. I’m very optimistic about moving
up and making a sustainable salary so
we’ll see what happens.
In any event, I wanted to thank you,
Greg, and everyone else at REL for your
friendship, advice, and understanding.
It was an essential part of my keeping
a good attitude through this grueling job
seeking process. Please let me know if I
can help. — Simon
Dear Real Estate Lives,
Hey just wanted to update you that I
accepted the Sourcing Manager position
at Bright House and I start tomorrow
(Monday). Please give thanks to the
group on my behalf for all the great
help and support they have provided
me through this very fun and culture
shocking experience of working with
companies in Florida !!!!!! The group
you host is wonderful and thank YOU
for your contribution to helping others
and making a difference. —Tara
Dear Real Estate Lives,
I wanted to let you all know that the
reason I have not been to your meetings
recently is that within the past three
weeks, I have had an upswing of
interest in my job applications and
have had a number of interviews. They
always seemed to be on Tuesday and
Thursday. One of them was a winner!
I will be returning to work full-time on
July 15th.
I can’t thank you enough for all the
things that REL has done for me and
for others who need employment. My
greatest regret was not knowing about
your group earlier in my layoff and
coming sooner. It would have been
such a help in my job search during
the past year and a half. All of
you go above and beyond the call of
duty in reaching out and helping so
many people like myself in a tough
job market. It lifts the spirit to know
that people care and are there to help.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart.
Regardless of whether the result was
a job or not the training, caring and
encouragement during this time is so
appreciated and did so much to lift my
spirits and helped me put things into
perspective. You all do the things that
the state and county should be doing
for the unemployed and aren’t. What
you do is an invaluable service and I
will do everything I can in the future to
spread the good news about your group
to people who need to know. You are all
my heroes! — Coleen
Dear Real Estate Lives,
I really enjoyed attending my first
meeting with you, Sharon and Janice
yesterday. I think I am starting to
see what I need to do moving forward,
and with the kind of encouragement I
received in such a short time, it made
me feel like there is hope.
I am presently waiting to hear from a
national insurance company relating
to a Facility Manager position I
interviewed for. They requested info
for a background investigation and
now I am hoping for the opportunity
for a second meeting. I am working on
researching some additional companies
as we discussed.
I am looking forward to attending
many more meetings and hoping I may
find the position I am looking for with
your help. — David
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
12
Employment Resources
New Source for Job
Leads
Wullo.com
Extensive lists of job openings
in specific areas (you specify)
and job categories; extensive
job descriptions and applicant
requirements. Use Larry’s trick
to get past the computerized
screenings
New Resource
The 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
Jobs
Translation 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 Alerts
Want 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 preestablished sales pitch? See
Larry LaBelle because it’s
essential that you do.
Community
Resource Guide
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
has published a community
resource guide with a wealth
of resources. www.crisiscenter.
com/Portals/0/CrisisCenter_
CommunityResourceGuide.pdf
Healthcare
Medical 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-income and uninsured
women can get free or low-cost
mammograms through a Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention 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.clinicaltrials.gov. To
talk to a licensed counselor or
psychologist, starting at $1.60
per minute, check out www.
mytherapynet.com. Online
counseling is also available at
www.etherapistsonline.com.
Medical Care at the
Best Price
The nightly news and the local
papers have recently focused
on the unbelievable disparity
for medical procedures in the
same geographic area; many
with hospitals located within
a few miles of each other. ABC
Nightly News showed the
spread for a simple tonsillectomy for children ran from a low
of $2,800 to $21,000. It isn’t
like the surgery was performed
by a board certified doctor for
$21,000 and a witch doctor for
$2,800! The doctors’ qualifications and the hospitals’
certifications were identical! To
learn what any given procedure
“should” cost in your/our area
go to medicalbluebook.com
To see the whole story click on
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/
health/2013/05/13/real-money-ways-to-save-families-onhospital-costs/
Children’s
Healthcare
www.kidcare.org
Oldsmar has discounted drug
cards for residents and pets
The 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.
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
13
Employment Resources
Free Dental
Assistance
The 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.
Save Money on
Prescriptions and
Treatments
• Get coupons- you can find
that at the drug manufacturer’s website, your doctor’s
office or the pharmacy itself.
• Some pharmacies attract
customers by offering up to a
14 day supply of certain
versions of antibiotics for free;
among them are pharmacies
at Publix, Giant Eagle, and
ShopRite stores.
• Join your drugstore’s loyalty
program and earn points
toward discounts.
• Need a procedure? Go to
healthcarebluebook.com . To
see what the average cost is
for your area and then call
around. The price for the
same procedure can vary
wildly from hospital to
hospital or surgery center to
surgery center. You could save
yourself thousands of dollars.
Business Cards
www.vistaprint.com. Pay
postage of approximately $6
for 250 cards.
Foreclosure
Prevention
Florida Hardest-Hit Fund
& FlaHardestHitHelp.org
This blog contains information
about Florida’s Hardest-Hit
Fund program, designed to
help financially distressed
homeowners avoid foreclosure.
The national program provides
federal funding for innovative
measures to help families in
the states that have been hit
the hardest by the aftermath of
the housing bubble. In each of
these states, the average price
for all homes in the state has
fallen more than 20% from the
peak. The Florida program
should begin the pilot phase
in the autumn of 2010 and
should go statewide early in the
spring of 2011.
Keep checking FlaHardestHitFund.org for continual
information updates about this
helpful program for financially
distressed homeowners seeking
to avoid foreclosure.
Bank of America Offers
Assistance to “Upside Down”
Borrowers
If your mortgage is with BofA
and your house is worth 20%
less than what you owe, you
may be eligible to have that 20%
or more forgiven. Learn more at
www.bankofamericica.com.
Foreclosure Assistance
Mortgage Modifications for
homeowners: 888-995-4673.
Qualifications: www.treas.gov/
press/releases/reports/guidelines_summary.pdf
City of Tampa Making Home
Affordable Program through
Housing and Community Development division (HCD) can
reduce mortgage payments if
mortgage is held by Fannie Mae
or Freddie Mac. Information:
www.tampagov.net/foreclosure
Save on Cell Phone Bills
(text and data included)
Consumer Cellular, the #1 cellphone service 3 years
running. Prices below include text and data.
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Help for Tenants in
Foreclosed Properties — New
Federal law may help tenants
in foreclosed properties stay
for 90 days after foreclosure or
through the end of the term,
whichever comes first, if you are
qualified. Information: www.
makinghomesaffordable.gov.
Help for Tenants in Foreclosed
Properties
New Federal law may
help tenants in foreclosed
properties stay for 90 days
after foreclosure or through
the end of the term, whichever
comes first, if you are
qualified. Information: www.
makinghomesaffordable.gov.
Tweeners
If you can’t make our 1st
Thursday General Meeting give
Tweeners a try on any Thursday. They share our goals and
objectives.
About Tweeners: If you are
unemployed, underemployed
or trying to get back into the
workforce, we invite you to join
the Tweeners group; a faith
based, prayer supported group
formed to provide support and
assistance to help you get your
“next” job. No reservations are
needed.
Tweeners information page
at: http://tweeners.typepad.
com/ . Contact: Jim Kissane at
813.264.3316 or e-mail: [email protected]
Tweener meetings are held
at St. Paul Catholic Church,
12708 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. Meetings are held
every Thursday from 8:30 to
11:00 a.m. with the following
exceptions:
June 13, November 28, December 26th, January 2, April 17.
Real Estate Lives News | September 2013
14
Community Resource Guide
CRISIS CENTER OF TAMPA BAY SERVICES
• 2-1-1 Tampa Bay – Information & Referral and Crisis Counseling – 2-1-1; TTY 969-4944
• Trauma Recovery Services – Trauma Counseling Services for Children & Adults – 264-9955
• Telephone Reassurance – Daily Reassurance & Safety Checks – 964-1577; TTY 969-4992
• Family Stabilization/Travelers Aid – Case Management/Financial Assistance – 264-9949
• Sexual Assault Services – Sexual Assault Forensic Medical Unit – 2-1-1
• Tampa Learning Connections - Training & Community Education - 969-4958
• TransCare – Emergency Medical and/or Mental Health Transportation - 681-4422
• Volunteer Services - 969-4997
Suicidal Callers...................................1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Poison Information Center......................................1-800-222-1222
ABANDONED BABY PROGRAM
For Help or Information Call.....................................................2-1-1
ABUSE - CHILD & ADULT
Abuse Reporting Hotline.......................................1-800-96-ABUSE
Child Abuse Council...........................................................673-4646
Child Protection Team..... . . . . . . . . . . . ..................................250-6670
Family Justice Center of Hillsborough County... .. .. . . . . . . . . . ...935-2015
Hillsborough Kids, Inc. ......................................................225-1105
Joshua House.......................................................................263-3469
The Spring of Tampa Bay.................................................247-7233
ADDICTION & SUBSTANCE ABUSE
ACTS....................................................................................367-2315
Al-Anon / Alateen.................................................................881-9372
Alcoholics Anonymous (24hrs)..............................................933-9123
The Centre...............................................................................251-8437
DACCO...................................................................................984-1818
Florida Substance Abuse Hotline...............................1-800-662-4357
Gambler’s Anonymous.…......………....………...........……...811-0969
Narcotics Anonymous.....................................................879-4357
Operation PAR..........................................................1-888-727-6398
Phoenix Houses of Florida – Adult Residential. . . . . . . . . . . 352-595-5000
Phoenix Houses of Florida – Teen & Adult Outpatient.….…881-1000
Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center.......................972-0471
Tampa Crossroads (Offender Services). . . ............................238-8557
Turning Point of Tampa.............................................1-800-397-3006
Windmoor Healthcare................ . ...............................1-888-834-2946
CHILD CARE & YOUTH SERVICES INFORMATION
Big Brothers & Big Sisters........................................................769-3600
Boy Scouts, Gulf Ridge Council...............................................872-2691
Boys Initiative..........................................................................514-9555
Boys & Girls Club.....................................................................875-5771
Child Care Resource & Referral .............................................744-8942
Girl Scouts Suncoast Council....................................................281-4475
Haven Poe Runaway Center.....................................................264-3807
Healthy Start..............................................................................301-8016
Hills. County Child & Family Counseling ext. 136..................264-3807
Hillsborough County Head Start/Early Head Start..................272-5140
Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation.................................635-3500
Hillsborough County Public Schools Head Start.....................744-8941
Kid Connection Network...................................................837-7714
Ophelia Project….……………………………...............…….514-9555
PACE Center for Girls.... .......................................................739-0410
Phone-Friend Program- Reassurance & Homework Help......681-6543
TeenLink Information Helpline.............................................236-8336
Youth Advocate Programs…………………….........……….248-3980
YMCA..................................................................................224-9622
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Interpretes disponibles en 150 Idiomas
COUNSELING & MENTAL HEALTH
Adult Emergency Services......................................................272-2958
Camelot Community Mental Health…..........………………..635-9765
Catholic Charities................................................................631-4370
Children’s Crisis Center..........................................................272-2882
Life Center of the Suncoast....................................................237-3114
Northside Mental Health Center..............................................977-8700
Tampa Jewish Family Services.................................................960-1848
Veterans Counseling Program...............................................238-8557
EDUCATION
Adult & Community Education...............................................740-7750
Hillsborough Community College...........................................253-7000
Hillsborough County Public Schools……...............................272-4000
Hispanic Services Council......................................................936-7700
Public Library Cooperative...............................................273-3652
EMPLOYMENT
AARP Senior Community Service Employment Program......962-4600
The Centre..............................................................................251-8437
Career Resource Center- CDC of Tampa....................231-4362 ext. 301
City of Tampa Employment Services........................................274-8911
Employment Opportunity Program......................................272-5040
Goodwill Industries..........................................................727-523-1512
Hillsborough County Civil Service Job News Line Recordings...272-6975
Vocational Rehabilitation.........................................................233-3600
Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance...................................................930-7400
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
ACCESS Florida Information Line/DCF............................1-866-762-2237
Lee Davis Neighborhood Service Center...................................272-5220
Plant City Neighborhood Service Center....................................757-3871
Ruskin Neighborhood Service Center..........................................671-7647
University Area Neighborhood Service Center...........................975-2153
West Tampa Neighborhood Service Center..................................272-5074
Salvation Army Family Services Program ext. 300.................226-0055
Social Security Administration.......................................1-800-772-1213
Women, Infants, & Children - WIC..........................................307-8074
FIRE DEPARTMENTS
Hillsborough County Fire Department........................................272-6600
Plant City Fire Department.............................................................757-9199
Tampa Fire Department.............................................................274-7011
Temple Terrace Fire Department..............................................506-6700
FOOD
Community Food Bank................................................................960-1848
Cook’s Hat.................................................................... . ........236-6237
ECHO Emergency Care Help- Brandon.................................685-0935
Food Stamps......................................................................1-866-762-2237
Meals on Wheels -Tampa.......................................................238-8410
Meals on Wheels - Plant City...................................................754-9932
Metropolitan Ministries - Outreach & Prevention.. .. .............209-1044
United Food Bank & Services of Plant City.............................764-0625