HIRED LEARNING: Jackie Dockery Lands at The Newark Group
By Cynthia Lewis
Jackie Dockery joined The Newark Group, Inc. as Assistant Corporate Controller on April 9th. A recognized leader in innovative paperboard packaging solutions, The Newark Group is located in Cranford, New Jersey.
Jackie job-searched for six months. She served on the Programs & Networking Committee for two months, facilitating the Monday morning General Meetings and working on the Job Fair. Jackie’s level of involvement was greatly appreciated.
“PSGCNJ helped me to stay engaged with other business professionals, which does not happen once you are out of the workforce,” said Jackie. “The Monday speakers were very impactful and had insightful advice on professional development and how to navigate being unemployed. I think some of those tips helped me to be savvier about my job search.”
Jackie became a more effective candidate through talking with others about how they were managing their job search and which networking events they were attending. “I even bought a few books that people said they were reading!” she shared.
The position was posted in the Financial Executives Networking Group’s newsletter (http://www.thefeng.org/). Jackie networked with FENG members to access the right people in her target company.
The hiring process went quickly. A few minutes after a phone interview with Human Resources, Jackie was asked to come in for an interview. “I checked my calendar—of course it was empty, but I didn’t want to appear too available—and scheduled the interview for two days later. Seven people interviewed me. It went exceptionally well; I was having a good day. They made me an offer on the following day, Thursday. I thanked them and asked that they send it in writing. I got back to them on Monday to negotiate the offer. The negotiation took two to three days.”
Jackie recommends that job-seekers, “stay positive, know your value and be able to sell what makes you unique. Be likeable, relaxed and friendly in the interview. No one wants a ‘Debbie Downer’ on the team. Ask questions about what each individual you meet with does, what challenges they face. As they talk about their challenges, tell them how you handled a similar situation in your last role. I was not nervous on my interviews because I believed that I was bringing value to them. I saw it as a business transaction where they were looking to buy what I was selling. I just needed to convince them that I was the right person.”