HIRED LEARNING: Paula Costlow – The Power of Persistence

By David Pastore
After over two years in transition, Paula Costlow recently landed at Delaware Township School, Sergeantsville, NJ Middle School, G & T/ Schoolwide Enrichment Teacher. Paula was very active with PSGCNJ, having been an important contributor to the Marketing Committee during her membership.
When asked how PSG helped, Paula said, “PSG kept me positive. I learned skills that would make me more marketable for the corporate world if I couldn’t find a job in education. The training is top notch and teaches principles that can be applied to everyone’s lives.” With the information that Paula learned from PSG, “I was able to get a training grant for a Graphic/Web Design course that helped me acquire new skills during my time in transition.”
In terms of how being persistent can pay off in the job search process, here is how Paula was able to secure this new position: “I was up late looking at all my school websites and I saw a position posted I interviewed for two years ago. [At that time,] the Principal told me she would hire me if it was just a middle school position because of my high school teaching experience. I called her in the morning and left a message reminding her of our interview and what she told me. She called me that afternoon and asked if I could come in the next day. When she interviewed me, she just took my resume and edited it to read the way she wanted it to for the Superintendant and the Board. She started explaining to me the position and what I would be doing. She basically was selling me to her boss. I interviewed with the Principal, and then came back for another interview with the Superintendant who offered me the position.”
Paula suggests: “As a teacher, I would suggest to other educators that they need to keep subbing and keep their foot in the door at local schools. Even coach or take a stipend position that can help make contacts.”
Persistence, follow up, staying positive and learning new job hunt techniques at PSG, all led Paula to a great new position. We thank Paula for her friendship and hard work during her time at PSG and wish her the best of success.
What you can do:

• Attend the PSGCNJ General Membership meetings at First United Methodist Church (Basement Meeting Hall), 48 West High Street, Somerville NJ 08876 on Mondays at 10:30 AM. To find the list of speakers, go to http://www.psgcnj.org and click the “Professional” button at the top of the page (current list of speakers included in this newsletter). Then, click the “Newsletter” button in the left column.
• Attend PSGCNJ’s “Power Networking” activity that begins at 9:00 AM, right before the 10:30 AM general meeting. This gives you a terrific opportunity to share your elevator pitch with other members, find out if they know anyone in your target company list and exchange business cards.
• Sign-up for the DoL’s job-search workshops, Career Beacons, which cover topics such as networking, resume writing and self-management skills. For more information, contact the Somerville One-Stop Center at 908-704-3000.
• Email your current resume to PSGCNJ_advresume@yahoo.com if you want your peers to offer feedback. The Career Training Committee, which meets at the DoL Building in Somerville, will schedule a one-on-one meeting to review your resume.
• Join the Transition Management Team (TMT) to support your job search. Contact Emmanuel “Manny” Inyang from the DoL for more info on this topic.