HIRED LEARNING: Steve Lewkowitz on What Worked for Me

By Steve Lewkowitz
1.    What is the name of your new company and your job title; when did you start?
Innoveer Solutions. The company is one of the top Salesforce.com platinum partners. It is based in Boston but I will be home-office based. The company specializes in customer strategy and solutions consultancy and provides advanced customer management services in the areas of planning and strategy, technology implementation, CRM, Marketing Automation, Social Media strategy and optimization.
My title is Senior Solutions Sales Consultant and I started after Labor Day.
2.    How long had you been looking?
I had been looking for the right opportunity for eight months.
3.    What worked for you?
Networking worked the best for me, including checking in with people that I had not had much contact with over the recent past.
4.    What was the hiring process?
I went through a rigorous interviewing process starting with four phone interviews. Then I spent a day in Boston, interviewing with about six people including the company’s president. As part of the interviewing process, I was asked to do a presentation. I found out later that the purpose of the presentation was to not only observe my presentation skills, but to see how I handle myself under pressure, and respond to a variety of different types of questions and personalities. About three weeks later, while I was on a cruise, I received the offer.
6. How did this job opening come about for you; e.g., job board, personal contact, networking, etc?
I applied to this company a while back but did not hear anything (I guess that my resume hit the “big black box”). Two months ago, an ex-coworker contacted me, saying he was very close to getting a job offer and asking if I would provide a reference for him. The next day he told me that he had received the job offer and it was contingent on the reference. I provided the reference and at the end of the conversation, I mentioned that I was also interested in joining the company and that I felt that I was a good fit for another position that they had posted. My interviewing process started shortly thereafter.
7. How did PSGCNJ help?
PSGCNJ helped in many ways. When I first lost my job, my morale was very low. I met many great people in PSGCNJ and the group really helped enhance my morale and attitude.
I learned a lot during the five day training and the weekly meetings and used those techniques immediately during the job search. I only hope that I was able to give back a fraction of what I was able to gain from the group and its members. I look forward to continuing to be involved in the group and to help those still looking for an opportunity.
8. What committee did you serve on and how did the experience help you land your job?
I was a member of both the Training and Marketing Committees. The experience that I gained from both committees (and the teaching of classes) definitely helped me to land my job. I also took a Mini MBA in Social Media at Rutgers CMD that helped me to get interviews and land this job.
9. Did you learn anything at PSGCNJ that has helped you in your current job?
I just started but I am sure that I will be able to use a lot of what I learned.
9. Any suggestions for job-seekers?

• Network as much as possible.
• Reach out to at least five individuals a week that you may have lost contact with. Don’t be afraid to let them know that you are seeking a new opportunity. Most people are happy to help out.
• If you have not taken the five days of training yet, take it as soon as possible. You will learn so much that you can use in your job search and beyond.
• Attend the PSGCNJ meetings. They help from both morale and learning perspective. There really are a lot of great, talented people in the group. Just about everyone wants to help as much as they can.
• Continue to network even after you find your job. You never know when you may need to look again. It is great to keep a strong network of friends and acquaintances.

I definitely would like to continue to stay involved with the group moving forward. Thanks everyone for all of your help and support.