HIRED LEARNING: Debbie Hixson – Working the Hidden Job Market

By Rick Verbanas
The General Membership meetings won’t be the same without Debbie Hixson to greet members on Monday mornings when signing in. After 15+ months since her last full-time position, Debbie landed her new role, as Office Supervisor for Right at Home in Hillsborough.
In fact, Debbie received offers from two different companies on the same day! How did she do it?
“PSGCNJ taught me the new way to job search: network, network, network,” she explained. However, Debbie didn’t stop there. Looking for the hidden job market, Debbie cold-called companies to see if they had any current openings for her skills. “This job opening was found by calling my target companies. The position I landed was not posted on their website,” she revealed.
Debbie said the follow-up tips she received at PSGCNJ helped her land the offer. “After learning of Right At Home’s open Office Supervisor position, I submitted my resume and followed up five days later. After the initial interview, I sent a thank-you email and followed up again a week later by phone and sent another thank-you email,” she said.
Her assertiveness and persistence paid off. “I kept following up every week. The total time from initial contact to signing a job offer was four weeks.”
As one of the Co-Chairs of the Membership Committee, Debbie recommends PSGCNJ members to get involved with a committee. She added attending the TMT (Transition Management Team) meetings on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month was very helpful. “It was the feedback I received at TMT that prompted me to expand my target companies,” she said.
Congratulations, Debbie! While PSGCNJ will miss you here every Monday, we’re sure you are Right at Home with your new spot for Monday mornings.