Conference offers advice on finding a job, starting a business
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RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CALIF.
More than 300 people attended the free Performance Breakthrough Conference at the Santa Margarita California Stake Center on Thursday, Oct. 22, to receive advice on finding a job or starting a business.
The conference, open to the entire community, was jointly hosted by the Santa Margarita California Stake, the Mission Viejo California Stake and the Rancho Santa Margarita Management Society, which is affiliated with the BYU Marriott School. Ken Gibson, President of the management society, said, "There were many in our society that wanted to host the event after the holidays, but I was convinced the need was urgent and we just couldn't wait."
The overflowing attendance at the conference indicated he was correct.
Mormon Church member Peter Vidmar, the highest-scoring American gymnast in Olympic history, gave a vibrant keynote address on what it takes to win. He counseled attendees, "If you work on your goals for 15 minutes per day more than the competition, that would equal 91 additional hours in a year. Those 91 hours could be the difference between getting the job and coming in second. And as everyone knows, they don't give silver medals in the job market."
There were eight workshops ranging from Jason Lavine's "Online Social Networking Tools" to Jordan Law's workshop on "Provident Living in a Topsy Turvy Economy." Presenter, Gary B. Walburger, a principal at Burgess Leighton & Associates, a local recruiting firm specializing in executive search, taught a workshop on how to position yourself to a potential employer.
He advised that a job seeker should "create a personal marketing plan before you ever start a job search." He explained that most people just send out resumes without really knowing what they are looking for and without doing their homework. Homework is the key to a successful job search, he said.
