It's graduation week at Year Up Chicago for the July 2020 class, and with that, Ian and Larry team up to lay out keys to the job search. Whether you just graduated or are re-entering the job market after some time away, tune in to ensure you leave no stone unturned in the journey.

Staffing agencies are the most common way Year Up alumni find work after graduation, aside from conversions. In this week's episode, three of Year Up Chicago's closest staffing partners join the podcast to discuss the summer job market, how to best leverage their support, and why they love working with Year Up grads.

Sidney Lease at Tek Systems ([email protected])

Sammy Gorbett at Brooksource ([email protected])

Talia Persico at Medix ([email protected])

Mindfulness coach and longtime friend of Year Up, Susan Lucci, joins the podcast to discuss the importance of practicing mindfulness regularly--especially in these times--and suggests a few simple ways to start. Later in the episode (23:45), Susan leads a ten-minute breathing and meditation exercise.

See Susan's website at https://www.2big4words.org.

Faith Alaribe joins the podcast as Associate Director of Recruitment to talk about the value of Year Up during these difficult times. Later on, she describes the referral process and how alumni can earn $100 for a successful referral.

Potential trainees can apply here. Any questions about the referral process can be sent to Faith at [email protected].

Amidst the country's mourning and outrage over the murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans, Reggie Cason of Year Up Atlanta joins the podcast to share about his work in the community through the Positive Arts Movement, his blog Positive Mindset Motivator, and at Year Up.

Reggie can be contacted at [email protected].

Ian and Larry welcome special guest Foram Sheth, Chief Coaching Officer at Ama La Vida, to share what it means to have (or create) a growth mindset and how to maintain it when results are disappointing. Later on, Foram shares how a growth mindset can lead to effective virtual networking and making conversations mutually beneficial.

Foram can be reached at [email protected]

Special guest and long-time volunteer with Year Up, Steve Smith, joins the podcast to talk about saving, spending, and investing money wisely to build wealth and live the life you want to live.

Contact Steve at [email protected].

Colleen Costello, Sean Neilsen, and Johnathan Hill join the podcast to talk about an upcoming opportunity to join the Relativity Fellows program. More information can be found below:

Relativity Fellows Information

Information Webinar Signup - Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 5pm

Special guest Pieter Van Sciver, Year Up's National Employment Placement Director, talks about how to work from home well (starting at 6:20), learning what works best for you (19:38), maintaining a job search even in when jobs seem scarce (24:20), and virtual networking strategies (30:12).

Special guest Paul Wallenberg at LaSalle Network joins Ian, Larry, and Michael to discuss the Chicago job market in the age of COVID-19 and best practices for gaining employment.

Email Paul at: [email protected]

For more information about LaSalle Network, visit https://www.thelasallenetwork.com/