September 1, 2025 • 38 mins
For Questions or Comments Send us a Text Message
The dreaded pink slip – that moment when your professional world suddenly turns upside down. In this compelling episode of Money Moves, host Steven Killfoil shares his personal layoff story from 2015, revealing how what initially felt like a career disaster ultimately became his greatest blessing.
Guest Foster Williams, a career transition expert with over 26 years of experience helping job seekers, cuts through common misconceptions about the modern job search. The most powerful revelation? Your next position likely won't come from endlessly scrolling job boards in your pajamas – it comes through strategic networking and personal connections.
Williams takes listeners behind the scenes of successful job hunting, explaining why the traditional "pray and spray" resume approach fails most candidates. He reveals how networking groups like the South Lake Focus Group and Frisco Connect have helped thousands land positions by providing comprehensive support systems, practical training, and access to vast networks of professionals who "know somebody who knows somebody."
The conversation tackles real challenges job seekers face: poorly prepared interviewers, outdated job descriptions, and the subtle but persistent issue of ageism. Williams offers practical wisdom for navigating these obstacles while highlighting why the fourth quarter presents unique opportunities as companies rush to utilize remaining budgets.
Whether you're currently between positions or simply preparing for future career transitions, this episode delivers actionable strategies and much-needed encouragement. The message is clear: with the right approach and support system, a layoff can become the catalyst for something far better than what you left behind.
Ready to transform a career setback into an opportunity? Listen now and discover why your next job is just one meaningful connection away. Share this episode with someone facing a career transition – they'll thank you for it.
Order your copy today of "Achieve Optimal Brain Health with Nutrition," by Stefan McDermott.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DYWMB929
www.stefanmcdermott.com
Would you like Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus to come to your home or office? Contact The Santa Steven at Steven@theSantaSteven.com or book a party on https://www.gigsalad.com/the_santa_steven_aubrey or call 469-230-5956 for more information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Steven Killfoil (00:28):
Crossroads Podcast welcomes you to Money
Moves for those who want to bein the know.
(00:53):
Good morning, Cross Roads.
This is your host, StevenKillfoil.
Welcome back to Money Moves Now.
Today's topic is something manypeople never think will happen
to them until it does.
(01:14):
Getting laid off.
I can tell you all about that.
This happened to me back inApril of 2015.
And at the time, I didn't thinkit was any fun, but I'm looking
back now, it was a blessing indisguise.
It's stressful, it's emotional,and sometimes it feels like
your whole world just flippedupside down.
(01:35):
But there are smart steps youcan take to get back on track
quickly.
To walk us through it, I've gotsomeone who knows this world
inside and out oh, fosterwilliams me yes foster's been
helping people in careertransition for years and is
(01:58):
deeply involved in supportgroups like the south lake focus
group, which was a godsend tome when that layoff did happen
we just had it this morning,absolutely, hey, foster, thanks
for coming on the show today.
Thanks for having me, you arewelcome.
So if we do this right, maybeyou'll actually laugh a little
(02:20):
bit while we talk about layoffs
Foster Williams (02:22):
That's me.
I'll always laugh.
Steven Killfoil (02:26):
That's the goal , because if we can't laugh
about it, we just cry.
Foster Williams (02:29):
Yeah
Steven Killfoil (02:30):
And nobody wants to hear us do that for 25
minutes.
Foster Williams (02:33):
Yeah, those know.
There's an incentive to getinto anything.
There's not some fun in it
Steven Killfoil (02:39):
Absolutely yeah , um back, uh, back in April of
2015.
I literally had been workingfor nine years for this company.
I'm not going to say who theyare yeah, but I was in the
procurement group.
I had saved this company over$750,000 annually.
(03:02):
I'd cut their budgets, trimmedthe vendors down, from 225 down
to 25
Foster Williams (03:11):
I did some of that you know
Steven Killfoil (03:12):
I thought I was doing a pretty good job, you
know, and I got them what theywanted when they wanted it.
On the fly, fast, you know, Ifound where some vendors were
doing stuff that they shouldn'thave been doing and called them
on the carpet.
So I thought, boy, my job'spretty much secure Not you and I
(03:32):
found out one thing People ingeneral don't like smart people,
and they get jealous.
Foster Williams (03:40):
Oh yeah,
Steven Killfoil (03:40):
they get angry and they get rid of you.
Foster Williams (03:43):
Yeah, they get rid of you, yeah.
Steven Killfoil (03:45):
So a lot of times it's interesting because
my wife was telling me.
She said yeah, in my country,when you have somebody that's
really smart like that and youwant to get rid of them, you
just promote them, yeah.
And she said that's how theyget rid of them.
A nd, she said it's very sadbut very true.
Foster Williams (04:06):
There was a time I saw some of that way back
in the day
Steven Killfoil (04:08):
So you know, just because you're an
intelligent person doesn'tnecessarily guarantee you, uh, a
grounded, solid position atthat company.
I knew many people who actuallythought.
One in particular was the vicepresident.
He swore and told everybody Ican never be fired.
(04:29):
They guaranteed me my job forlife.
Foster Williams (04:32):
Oh really,
Steven Killfoil (04:33):
He was one of the last ones to go.
I actually met South LakeFocus Group, oh yeah.
So I was like I thought yousaid you couldn't be fired and
he's, I don't want to talk aboutit, yeah, yeah.
Foster Williams (04:45):
So we got a handful of VPs and CEOs and CFOs
and see all these, see Dick run, see spot jump.
Steven Killfoil (04:55):
It's crazy, it's crazy.
Okay, so let's set the scene.
You've just been laid off Right.
What's the first thing mostpeople do?
Foster Williams (05:07):
wrong.
Well, one thing they do ispanic and they get on.
Oh, I got to apply for jobs andI got to get on the computer
and do all this stuff and youwill do that.
But what we want people to knowis that there's somewhere you
can go and meet other people.
That knows, everybody knowssomebody.
There's somewhere you can goand start what we like to call
(05:30):
networking steve and I call itnetworking.
Yes, and that's what it is.
You basically get out and andmeet other people, be yourself,
enjoy yourself but you mightwant to have some food and all
that kind of stuff and enjoyyourself and meet other people.
Steven Killfoil (05:42):
Let it flow yeah, definitely, and a lot of
people make the mistakes I knowI did until I met the group.
You know, I just took out andthrew out as many resumes oh man
, on, indeed that I
Spray, and pray is what we callit.
Yeah, and it didn't work.
Foster Williams (05:58):
No, it don't work.
Steven Killfoil (05:58):
No, it did not work, uh, until I met you guys
and you got my resume squaredaway and then it looked 100%
better.
It's the one I still have today, but I've added a few more
things to it since then.
But sure you know.
But if you don't know whatyou're doing and you're just out
there, like you just said,trying to throw a hail Mary yeah
(06:22):
, flailing.
Just it's terrible, you know.
So they do that.
Then they start sitting at home.
They're feeling sorry forthemselves, so they begin.
Been binge watching tv, youknow, wow, and I haven't seen
colombo in so long, and now I'vegot all the episodes and, oh
yeah, we got streaming tv now,so we get all kind of channels
(06:42):
right, yeah, it says so.
Nothing says job ready likeeating ice cream out of the
carton while watching csi miamioh man, you know I've done that.
Foster Williams (06:52):
That's interesting, you brought that up
.
I've done that before I'mguilty too, man.
Steven Killfoil (06:58):
Netflix came out and I hopped on board and I
was like um, I think one of mymost entertaining shows that I
saw on on the netflix was onecalled uh, once upon a time.
Oh, what was that about?
Well, this gentleman director,he took all of the fairy tales,
all the grimm's fairy tales ohyeah all the disney characters,
(07:20):
wizard of oz, and he threw themall together in this show so
that you, you, you saw peter pan, you saw captain hook, you saw
beauty and the beast.
I mean uh my god or garrisonkeeler yeah, uh, the, the fellow
that used to spin gold out ofstraw uh rumpleiltskin.
Foster Williams (07:41):
He was on there .
Steven Killfoil (07:42):
In fact, he was the evil bad guy in it.
And the wicked witch that wasthe mother to Snow White was the
second in charge, and I mean,the whole thing was just riddled
with it, and they'd cast thisgigantic evil spell on all these
characters, wiped theirmemories so they didn't even
(08:03):
remember who they were or whatthey did characters wiped their
memories so they didn't evenremember who they were or what
they did really, and they wereall living in this little town
in ohio in america, in the shoeright, all of them.
Yeah, little red riding hood shewas running around turning into
werewolf herself and grandmaand oh man, geppetto was there
hey modern technology.
(08:23):
Jiminy cricket was in human formand I mean just, the whole
thing was just a riot.
I just and it was you had tokeep watching it because each
week they would reveal a newcharacter.
Oh, it was great, but it was ahuge time waster, oh yeah,
that's what it's there for mademe feel good, but in the I still
(08:44):
didn't have a job.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Do not think that Indeedcom isgoing to come knocking on your
door, because that doesn'thappen.
Foster Williams (08:55):
No, they don't come find you anymore, like they
used to.
Steven Killfoil (08:58):
Absolutely not.
So you know it's like what doyou tell somebody they're
freshly laid off before you tellthem to join southlake focus
group?
You know that's the first thingI should do tell them to stop
listening to tv.
Foster Williams (09:16):
And you want to get out amongst people?
There are plenty of jobs outthere, plenty and uh, and you
know you got to connect to thosejobs.
You connect those jobs to thepeople.
People have the jobs.
I tell everybody, as long as apeople makes the determination,
whether you get hired or not,then that needs to be a part of
(09:37):
what we do.
We, yes, we have a lot oftechnology to help us see jobs
and postings and things likethat.
We have a lot of technology tohelp us see jobs and postings
and things like that.
But number two step that youneed to take is connect with
someone that might know somebodyinside of that company that
you're interested in going towork for, that you've applied
for a job for.
And that's the number one,probably number one thing that I
(09:59):
do.
This network that we're talkingabout, that I created 26 years
ago, is the biggest one that Iknow in the United States.
Created 26 years ago is thebiggest one that I know in the
united states, and so it's hardto determine a company that we
don't already know.
10, 15, 20.
You got some big companies.
We might know 50, 60 peoplethat work there that are out of
this network yeah, it's justamazing, um, how well connected
(10:20):
they are.
Steven Killfoil (10:20):
Yeah, yeah, they, they do an amazing work.
I, I absolutely was reallyblessed to be a part of that,
that whole course, and then Ifinally decided, uh, okay,
corporate doesn't want meanymore, so I started my own
that's what I did job so andit's worked great it's worked
(10:41):
wonderfulwe love it.
I've got this podcast and I'vedo a whole bunch of other things
that I was never able to dobefore, when I was working a
9-to-5 job.
I would not have been able todo this or be Santa Claus.
I like being Santa.
Foster Williams (11:00):
You do a pretty good Santa.
I would imagine I'm going toget a chance to see that.
Steven Killfoil (11:04):
Yeah, you come out to the Christmas market
Definitely and we'll have somefun definitely.
Foster Williams (11:08):
We're getting nigh unto that time.
That's what my dad was a pastor.
He used to say nigh unto thattime Nigh.
Steven Killfoil (11:14):
Unto that time, okay, well, like you said,
southlake Focus Group isdefinitely a place.
You want to get into that groupand you want to network,
network, network.
Foster Williams (11:26):
Absolutely Just be yourself.
You'll meet people that you'llhave an affinity for, and you
just start talking, like me andStephen did.
Steven Killfoil (11:34):
Yeah, absolutely Definitely.
Okay.
Well, let's talk about the jobsearch itself, because a lot of
folks still think it's aboutthat scrolling the job boards.
You know you got to be onlinkedin.
You got and, yes, you do haveto be on linkedin and you got to
make sure your linkedin pagelooks like a business,
(11:55):
professional looking page andnot your facebook page.
That's right.
Um, yeah, and those guys atsouthlake Focus Group help you
do exactly that Right.
They got me squared away.
I got mine lined up, lookinggood and running great.
I actually have developed alistening audience by pushing my
(12:16):
episodes into LinkedIn as well.
Foster Williams (12:19):
Exactly.
Steven Killfoil (12:19):
And I've got people listening to me overseas.
Foster Williams (12:22):
Well, what a better place.
You know, if Job Seeker is whatwe're talking about today, my
goodness, what a better place,what a better tool than LinkedIn
to identify companies that arehiring and identify people that
you might want to connect withand build a relationship with.
That's my number one word inJobSeeker Absolutely.
Steven Killfoil (12:39):
Yeah, I mean it's crazy.
So what are some of the thingsthat people should do in in this
job searching criteria?
What, what would you recommend?
Foster Williams (12:52):
there are a number of tools.
One of them is you get outamongst other people and let it
flow.
You talk and you will meet.
We will teach you how to sit ata table and meet other people
that are looking for jobs andeverybody knows somebody and you
explain to those people what itis.
You do what it is you'relooking for.
Make it as simple as possible.
If you start using all theseacronyms and stuff, if the
(13:15):
people you're talking to are notin your area of expertise,
they're not going to know allthe acronyms are.
So explain all of that stuffand what's important for you and
what's important that you know.
You need to let companies knowthat you have experience in and
the fact that you're coming totheir company and you bring
ideas with you Absolutely.
Steven Killfoil (13:35):
And one one challenge that a lot of us guys
have come across is overcomingthis ageism.
Oh yeah, and it's going huge,Even in my wife's company where
she works no-transcript.
Foster Williams (14:04):
Most of the time you guys will be surprised.
Most of the time they can't dothat.
We bring and I say we peoplelike Steve and I, we didn't just
kind of get out of school,we've got a little bit of
experience we bring thatexperience.
We know how to get and sit inthat chair and make it work in
ways that maybe our managers atthe company didn't even know
were possible to do.
I didn't ever think about doingthat, and so that's why we make
(14:26):
sometimes the big bucks.
Steven Killfoil (14:29):
Yes, absolutely .
We make sometimes the big bucksyes, absolutely.
And and the the one one thingthat I really liked about the
south lake focus group was youactually had a group that came
in and they sat down.
You tell them what you wereapplying for so you were.
You were basically preparingyourself for the interview and
(14:50):
this panel.
They're familiar the.
The problem with most companiesis they'll take and grab this
guy out of this department, thisgal out of this department and
this guy over here and this galover there, throw them together
and say, okay, we want you tointerview this guy for this
position.
It still works that way, allfour of them.
They have no idea, so they lookat the paper and they go okay,
(15:13):
he's replying for the itdepartment and he's going to be
um, what is this?
A network guardian or aknock-off?
Okay, it says not right sowe're going to interview, but
they don't know what networkoperation.
Foster Williams (15:29):
They didn't even know you existed until five
minutes before that interview.
When you walk in the roomPrecisely, most of the
interviewers are ill-prepared tosit and talk to you about
what's going on.
They haven't had time tocoagulate, if you would, with
the hiring manager of thedepartment that they want you to
go to work for.
Steven Killfoil (15:48):
Yeah, it's funny, or they just got handed
the paper 15 minutes before youwalked into the door to sit down
for the interview.
That's right.
They're really, really, reallyill-prepared.
Foster Williams (15:59):
Oh, 15 minutes, man.
They got a lot of time, yeah.
Steven Killfoil (16:02):
So it's absolutely amazing what these
companies are still practicing.
And then they wonder whythey're having a hard time
retaining yes, good employees orfinding them.
Well, you know, they couldstructurally bone up that part
of the interview process andmaybe they could, uh, avoid a
(16:23):
few hiccups along the way yeah,we've got, we've.
Foster Williams (16:26):
we've had so much technology move in on what
we do.
It's not enough time in the dayto get your job done.
This technology, back at theinference of this technology was
supposed to make your jobbetter, but it actually.
You move so fast, you're ableto get things done so quickly.
It creates other things thatneeds to be done and at the end
of the day, you're like man, Iworked a whole day and I still
(16:46):
got a whole lot of work to do,absolutely.
Steven Killfoil (16:50):
Yeah, it's kind of almost scary it is.
Foster Williams (16:54):
It is scary.
I am a long time recruiter anduh, and yeah, it's scary most
recruiters are overworked.
They, uh, the companies,because companies now here's the
dynamic guys companies arethere to make money and what
they do is they use us.
I don't I hate to say use, butthat's what's happening.
(17:16):
We have the expertise to do the, the, the critical little
things that need to be done inorder to get this done, to serve
a client or to produce aproduct that we're selling, and
so we get so busy doing thatit's not enough time to do this.
To do that, the otherSomebody's come along.
We need to hire somebody to dothis.
(17:37):
I want to get who's going tointerview this person, who knows
what it is that we need to belooking for, to know what to dig
out of this person that'sinterviewing.
Steven Killfoil (17:48):
Yeah, and don't even get me started on the job
descriptions.
Oh God, they don't even fit.
Foster Williams (17:55):
A lot of them are trash.
Steven Killfoil (17:56):
Well, it looked like they've been cut and
pasted off of something off theInternet, and a lot of them are
trash.
Well, it looks like they'vebeen cut and pasted off of
something off the internet.
Foster Williams (18:00):
And a lot of them have DOD.
I'm sorry.
I've spent a lot of time withDOD and aerospace and guys.
We have that problem.
Oh my goodness, we have somejob descriptions that are 20
years old and we haven't put thedetails into it to let someone
know.
This is what I need to havedone.
Steven Killfoil (18:17):
Yeah, they're still wanting you to put the
incandescent light bulb on theboard with the number five moon
nut.
That's it.
And you're like, where do youget a number five moon nut?
Speaker 1 (18:27):
I don't know what is a number five moon nut, they
don't even use those anymore.
Steven Killfoil (18:29):
No, yeah.
So why is that in thedescription?
Right right, it's funny, butit's sad at the same time.
It is, yeah so.
So basically, you don't want.
You, just you get laid off.
You don't want to sit around inyour pajamas hoping that
indycom is magically gonna handyou that six-figure salary.
(18:52):
Okay, although at Walgreens youcan do that, isn't that right?
They say it's in a perfectworld.
Foster Williams (19:03):
Well, I'm still looking for that perfect world.
Steven Killfoil (19:05):
I know I haven't found that store yet
that can do that.
But man, that'd be nice.
Sit around all day in the PJs,yeah.
Foster Williams (19:13):
And guys, remember, those PJs are not
going to go with you at the doorwhen it's time to go to work,
but don't forget that you havethem on too, exactly because we
got zoom and these other bluejeans and teams and all this
technology that we use tointerview people.
Now they'll be sitting at thehouse.
Well, there's certain thingsthat you need to know when
you're going to interview.
(19:33):
You want to be comfortable, youknow.
You want to be in a place whereyou can think.
You know you don't want to havea mirror behind you because you
may have decided not to wearpants.
You're just gonna wear a shirtand a jacket, yeah, and you
don't want folks seeing whatthey're not supposed to see.
So we don't need to be next toa window that's got a lot of
sunlight coming through it andwatching everything out.
(19:54):
We don't need mirrors aroundand behind us and all that kind
of thing.
Close, close the door so thekitty cat won't come in there
and walk across.
Steven Killfoil (20:02):
And jump on the keyboard and disconnect you.
Yeah, yeah, so you cover all ofthis in different training
classes?
Yes, at the South Lake FocusGroup, this network has every
component that you guys imagine.
Foster Williams (20:14):
We'll teach you how to interview.
We'll teach you what yourresume needs to look like, the
formats that work on the ATSsystems and all of that sort of
thing, and the attitude thatneeds to go with someone that's
trying to sell themselves to acompany.
Hey, I am the one you need tohire.
But if you look like this andyou barely get your words out of
(20:35):
your mouth, they're not goingto hire you If you're.
What is itbie downer or danieldowner?
Steven Killfoil (20:41):
yeah, that doesn't work too good.
No, yep.
So this is where the south lakefocus group really really
shines, right yeah, and I gottathrow frisco connect.
Foster Williams (20:51):
This coming tuesday in frisco was 15 years
ago.
I created a group called friscoconnect and it is is the South
Lake Focus Group, the premiumnetworking group over on the
Dallas side.
Now South Lake serves both.
It serves Fort Worth and Dallas.
Frisco does too, but Frisco isin Frisco and that's over on the
(21:13):
North Dallas side of thequadrant if you want to look at
it like that.
And we will be there.
Tuesday 9 o'clock in themorning.
Guys Go to FriscoConnectorg andyou will see our speaker that's
going to be there and you knowwhat time to show up and all
that stuff and look for Foster.
Steven Killfoil (21:31):
Yes, definitely look for Foster, the guy with
the big beautiful grin.
Man, I'll have a big beautifulgrin and I got a big mouth, so
you guys want to have me, but Ireally don't need in the
microphone oh, man, yeah, theyhave all the all the bells and
whistles that the south lakefocus group have over there,
(21:53):
right, the networkingopportunities that you got, the
practical training that we weretalking about.
Foster Williams (21:58):
And we have a theme that we covered each
meeting.
We bring in a speaker that'sbeen in that arena forever and
that's what he does and she does, and we have those people give
us the gory details on whythings work the way they do.
Tuesday guys is going to be.
Why is it taking companies solong to make a decision to hire
(22:21):
people and why is it so manyinterviews going on for one job,
when it used to be maybe two,maybe three interviews A company
might be making?
I know a person has beenthrough nine interviews and
still didn't have the job rightnow.
Steven Killfoil (22:34):
So why is?
Foster Williams (22:35):
all this stuff?
What's generating all of thisstuff?
What's going on?
And the speaker we're going tohave is Kurt Vandermatter.
He is in the Forbes top fiverecruiters in the whole United
States and a tremendous guy tolisten to.
You'll get into it and you'llbe there, and we have question
and answer as well.
So after we bring things up,those things will generate
(22:58):
questions in your head.
You will have an opportunity toask hey, why?
This.
Why that?
Steven Killfoil (23:03):
definitely so.
That's this coming to.
This is coming to you all rightguys.
Foster Williams (23:07):
Second of september.
Steven Killfoil (23:09):
As you're listening to this, today, Monday
, Tuesday is tomorrow, so youneed to go.
What?
What's the address?
Foster Williams (23:17):
it is now you caught me.
I normally throw that addressout there.
We are on legendary drive infrisco, which is right off of
lebanon parkway over there, andour address eludes me right.
I can't pull it out of my headand I say it all the time yeah,
oh, my goodness I must benervous.
(23:39):
You guys were listening to methat's over there.
Steven Killfoil (23:43):
Um, that's over there by my friend's uh grocery
store called the Euro Deli Too.
Foster Williams (23:49):
Oh okay, it's at Stonebriar Community Church.
You guys, now I think everybodyhas google you can google up
Stonebriar, you can just go tostonebriar.
com and it will give you whatyou're looking for address times
, all that sort of stuffexcellent.
Steven Killfoil (24:05):
So be there or be square, I mean come on.
Foster Williams (24:08):
I can't believe , I can't think of the address.
I'm showing my age Steve
Steven Killfoil (24:13):
But you have accountability, you've got
emotional support, you gotbrothers and sisters.
They're in the same bucket.
You're in, yeah, and some thathave been there done that, and
they're back again.
So I mean you're not alone,yeah don't ever feel like you're
alone because you're not alone.
Foster Williams (24:33):
At the beginning of the meeting I like
to tell everybody what makes upthese and some of the people,
some of the wonderful servantsin this network that make this
network what it is, becausethere's nothing in this network
that you can't go to to find out.
Each and every little component, every little thought process
that you have about your jobsearch, you can find an answer
(24:53):
for so both these groupssouthlake focus group and frisco
connect, frisco connect.
Steven Killfoil (25:00):
So they're kind of like a career gym right,
pretty much.
Yeah, you show.
So both of these groupsSouthlake Focus Group and Frisco
Connect, frisco Connect.
So they're kind of like acareer gym right, pretty much.
Yeah, you show up, you work outyour resume, flex your
networking muscles.
Foster Williams (25:08):
Learn how to do your LinkedIn profile all kinds
of stuff.
Steven Killfoil (25:11):
And avoid the donuts.
Foster Williams (25:15):
Yeah, that's probably a smart idea If you got
one of these things like I gotcalled a belly down here, but
they do have donuts, oh man.
So here's the deal, guys youbring when you get a job, and
everybody does.
In 26 years I've not seenanybody come through this
network that has not landed ajob.
It may take a while for some,some it may.
Last week we had a lady thatshowed up and two weeks later
she had a job.
(25:35):
So, uh, we like to bring donutswhen you get a job.
Now we have a little funnything and it's only funny to us.
It is corny, is all get out.
But if you get a contract, someof you guys have good areas of
expertise and a company mightwant to hire you on contract and
I get excited because I cancharge them a little bit more
money for me contractuallybecause it's not a full-time job
(25:58):
.
Well, if you get a contract,you bring a donut hole because
it's not a whole job.
There you go.
There's the lameness of it all.
Right there, guys.
Steven Killfoil (26:09):
Okay, yeah, I remember that.
Foster Williams (26:10):
Yeah, yeah, you remember that don't you?
Steven Killfoil (26:12):
All right?
Well, let's talk a little bitabout the people behind it.
Who makes this group work?
Foster Williams (26:23):
the people behind it.
Who makes this group work?
Well, a number of people thathave been in areas of executive
spots, like myself, recruiters,people in HR, pete Hernandez and
I.
Every first and third Wednesdayof every month, we have an HR
focus group that was started byrecruiters me and other
recruiters and we like for folksto come in and meet with us
(26:45):
because we recruiters we're theones trying to find people to
hire and the HR people that arebehind that scene.
So we we focus a lot on HR jobs, things like that.
Recruiters, you meet therecruiters, what are y'all
looking for?
Ok, you know we might have 5060 people one at one of my
meetings uh, on zoom is thismeeting so you can be in new
(27:08):
york, you can be in berlin,germany, and you can see, and we
do have people that join usfrom all over the world.
If you're not already asleep,you know time zones are involved
in this thing
Steven Killfoil (27:18):
Yeah, so you're kind of like the Avengers, but
instead of saving the world
Saving the careers, saving thepeople.
All right, there you go.
No capes, just resumes andPowerPoints.
Foster Williams (27:29):
Uh-huh, uh-huh Right, and some of us might work
a cape for comical purposes.
Steven Killfoil (27:34):
Right?
Well, Foster, give ourlisteners some encouragement
because, let's be real, beinglaid off can feel like the end
of the world.
Foster Williams (27:43):
Guys, I'm going to tell you something to be
excited about.
Right now is a time of the yearwhere we're about to go into
the fourth quarter and companieshave to get things done before
they lose their budgets and allthat sort of thing.
So a lot of jobs are beingposted.
You see a lot of jobs out onthe LinkedIn and zip recruiter
(28:03):
and indeed, and all these placeswhere we find that companies
post their jobs.
Now there's a lot of activitybecause this year there have
been slowdowns along the way,because the companies get
concerned about what's going onin Washington DC, all of these
type of things.
But we have just completed atime of slowdown, so companies
(28:25):
cannot afford to slow down fortoo long because they're going
to lose their customers andthey're going to not be making
the products that they need tobe making.
The people are buying in themoney, guys.
Corporations are concernedabout bringing that money in the
door Now on our side.
When I say our, I mean jobsearch.
It's survival now for us.
So that's the dynamic.
So this network has beencreated for people to get the
(28:48):
help that they need to get toget through, be the one that the
company decides they're goingto hire.
There may be 30 other peoplethat applied for the same job
usually is hire.
There may be 30 other peoplethat applied for the same job
Usually is.
And we recruiters, we have togo through all of that stuff to
get down to the number of peoplethat are a fit.
And if you have a jobdescription in the network, you
(29:12):
will meet people like PeteHernandez and other ones that
will teach you what your resumeneeds to look like to let these
companies know you have whatthey're looking for to step into
that position.
Steven Killfoil (29:21):
That is amazing .
I love that.
And if you're listening to thisand you're Pajamas and it's
noon on a Tuesday, shame on you.
You should have got up early inthe morning, brushed your teeth
and got over there to.
Frisco yeah, drink thatchlorophyll.
Join a networking group, sotell our listeners out there how
they can get in touch with theSouthlake Focus Group.
(29:42):
What's the website?
Foster Williams (29:43):
You know what?
If you guys go tosouthlakefocusgroup.
com, it's a wonderful website.
It'll show you everything youneed to know about Southlake.
Where are we, what time does itstart, what does it look like
when we get in there?
And the same with Friscoconnect.
org.
You guys go to Friscoconnect,org.
(30:03):
We tape all of our presenters.
We have a number of presentersof that have been recorded.
And when you go into the mediasection of frisco connect.
org, you can look at thesepresentations.
So if you're in New Yorkbecause at Frisco we only meet
in person, we don't have theZoom component anymore the
church made the decision to getpeople involved, get them out,
(30:26):
get them doing what they need tobe doing instead of hiding
behind technology.
And guys, you can see wonderfulpresentations from people that
have brought things like uh, howto utilize AI in your job
search.
You know how to.
What's the ATS system all about?
(30:47):
Why do you cut like?
We're going to talk about this?
come to just coming this, comingto you tomorrow to, for, yeah,
for the folks who listen to this, on Monday it'll be tomorrow,
and so, uh, uh, Kurt Vonermatteris going to come out and tell
us how companies work.
Why does it work the way thatit's working?
Why am I not hearing?
What do I need to do to letthese folks know?
(31:07):
We need to have a conversation,because you posted a job and I
do exactly what it is in thatjob that you're looking to do.
So, in this network is everycomponent of what you guys need
to know to get where you need toget.
Absolutely, and hey, Foster, Iwant to thank you for joining us
today South Lake Focus Groupand Frisco Connect is like an
(31:31):
amazing place for anyone that'snavigating a layout.
Yes, absolutely.
And to our listeners, if you'vebeen laid off, don't lose hope.
Take a breath, get strategicand don't do it alone.
Um, get involved in one, two orboth groups.
It won't hurt, it'll do nothing, but help you get ahead faster,
(31:54):
absolutely you guys.
A lot of people get out there and they get so
enthralled, they get so excitedabout what they see, they want
to become a part of, and theydon't even want to go to work.
Absolutely so we havevolunteers all over the place
that help people find what theyneed to find in the network to
get those answers to thosequestions that they have.
Steven Killfoil (32:12):
Oh yeah, well, this has been Money Movers, with
Steven Killfoil.
Following the show.
Share it with somebody whoneeds encouragement and remember
your next opportunity is justone connection away.
You can reach out to CrossRoads Podcast at
crossroadspodcast2023@ gmailcom.
(32:32):
And now for a few announcements.
Don't forget to go on Amazonand get you that book by Stefan
McDermott, Achieve Optimal BrainHealth with Nutrition.
Man, when you're going throughthis, you really need to keep
that brain going good and strong.
This book will help you do that.
It's not a big technical book.
(32:53):
It's written for the Averagelayman guy Is the chlorophyll in
there, the chlorophyll's inhere, yes, everything you need
to know to keep the ticker goingand the brain working good.
Definitely get it.
Christmas is just 115 days awayand if you want some holiday
fun, hire the Santa Steven.
And now for a commercialannouncement from our man from
(33:16):
the North Pole, the Santa Steven.
He's coming soon.
He's coming soon.
You better watch out, you betternot cry, you better not pout.
I'm telling you why?
(33:37):
Why, santa Claus is coming totown.
Gather round.
He's making a list, checking ittwice, he's gonna find out
who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
This holiday season.
Bring the magic of Christmasright to your doorstep with the
(33:59):
Santa Steven.
Imagine the joy on your child'sface when Santa and Mrs Claus
step into your home for apersonal visit.
Stories, laughters, photos andmemories to last a lifetime.
Ho ho, ho, merry Christmas.
(34:22):
And don't forget, we even bringsweet holidays cheer for parents
too.
Hosting a party, big or small,the Santa Steven brings the
holiday sparkle.
From the family gatherings tocorporate events.
We spread joy in every setting.
One-on-one with your little oneor a crowd of excited children,
(34:46):
the Santa Stephen makes everymoment magical.
Bring holiday spirit to yourcommunity.
Parades, festivals and treelighting ceremonies grow
brighter with the Santa StephenSanta.
Santa Santa.
(35:09):
And for the sweetened surprise,your child can receive a
personalized letter straightfrom Santa's desk, signed,
sealed and delivered with atouch of Christmas magic Every
letter is filled with love, joyand just a sprinkle of North
Pole sparkle.
(35:30):
Whether it's your home, youroffice, your school or your town
.
Let the Santa Stephen make thisholiday unforgettable.
Ho ho ho, we'll see you thisChristmas.
Because every family and everybusiness deserves a little extra
(35:52):
holiday magic.
The Santa Steven, whereChristmas comes to life.
time a big fat man with a longwhite beard.
He's coming to town.
To book an event party or someone-on-one time with The Santa
(36:30):
Steven, call 469-230-5956 oremail steven@ thesantastevencom.
That's s-t-e-v-e-n@thesantasteven.
com, and we hope you have a verywonderful holiday season.
(36:56):
Hire Foster to help you withyour job search.
Absolutely Well, you have agreat day.
Foster Williams (37:03):
Steve, thanks for having me here.
We need to tell people there'ssomewhere to go.
There are about 200,000 activejob seekers in this network and
there are more people out therethat don't even know anything
about the network.
And there's a place for peopleto go, and my job is to let
people know that it's there andthen, when they get there, I
(37:23):
show them how it works.
Steven Killfoil (37:25):
Absolutely Well , you take care and thanks for
coming on the show.
Foster Williams (37:28):
Thanks for having me.
Steven Killfoil (37:29):
You bet.
Money moves For those who wantto be in the know.
(37:56):
Who's your daddy?
Crossroads Podcast welcomes you to Money
Moves for those who want to bein the know.
(00:53):
Good morning, Cross Roads.
This is your host, StevenKillfoil.
Welcome back to Money Moves Now.
Today's topic is something manypeople never think will happen
to them until it does.
(01:14):
Getting laid off.
I can tell you all about that.
This happened to me back inApril of 2015.
And at the time, I didn't thinkit was any fun, but I'm looking
back now, it was a blessing indisguise.
It's stressful, it's emotional,and sometimes it feels like
your whole world just flippedupside down.
(01:35):
But there are smart steps youcan take to get back on track
quickly.
To walk us through it, I've gotsomeone who knows this world
inside and out oh, fosterwilliams me yes foster's been
helping people in careertransition for years and is
(01:58):
deeply involved in supportgroups like the south lake focus
group, which was a godsend tome when that layoff did happen
we just had it this morning,absolutely, hey, foster, thanks
for coming on the show today.
Thanks for having me, you arewelcome.
So if we do this right, maybeyou'll actually laugh a little
(02:20):
bit while we talk about layoffs
Foster Williams (02:22):
That's me.
I'll always laugh.
Steven Killfoil (02:26):
That's the goal , because if we can't laugh
about it, we just cry.
Foster Williams (02:29):
Yeah
Steven Killfoil (02:30):
And nobody wants to hear us do that for 25
minutes.
Foster Williams (02:33):
Yeah, those know.
There's an incentive to getinto anything.
There's not some fun in it
Steven Killfoil (02:39):
Absolutely yeah , um back, uh, back in April of
2015.
I literally had been workingfor nine years for this company.
I'm not going to say who theyare yeah, but I was in the
procurement group.
I had saved this company over$750,000 annually.
(03:02):
I'd cut their budgets, trimmedthe vendors down, from 225 down
to 25
Foster Williams (03:11):
I did some of that you know
Steven Killfoil (03:12):
I thought I was doing a pretty good job, you
know, and I got them what theywanted when they wanted it.
On the fly, fast, you know, Ifound where some vendors were
doing stuff that they shouldn'thave been doing and called them
on the carpet.
So I thought, boy, my job'spretty much secure Not you and I
(03:32):
found out one thing People ingeneral don't like smart people,
and they get jealous.
Foster Williams (03:40):
Oh yeah,
Steven Killfoil (03:40):
they get angry and they get rid of you.
Foster Williams (03:43):
Yeah, they get rid of you, yeah.
Steven Killfoil (03:45):
So a lot of times it's interesting because
my wife was telling me.
She said yeah, in my country,when you have somebody that's
really smart like that and youwant to get rid of them, you
just promote them, yeah.
And she said that's how theyget rid of them.
A nd, she said it's very sadbut very true.
Foster Williams (04:06):
There was a time I saw some of that way back
in the day
Steven Killfoil (04:08):
So you know, just because you're an
intelligent person doesn'tnecessarily guarantee you, uh, a
grounded, solid position atthat company.
I knew many people who actuallythought.
One in particular was the vicepresident.
He swore and told everybody Ican never be fired.
(04:29):
They guaranteed me my job forlife.
Foster Williams (04:32):
Oh really,
Steven Killfoil (04:33):
He was one of the last ones to go.
I actually met South LakeFocus Group, oh yeah.
So I was like I thought yousaid you couldn't be fired and
he's, I don't want to talk aboutit, yeah, yeah.
Foster Williams (04:45):
So we got a handful of VPs and CEOs and CFOs
and see all these, see Dick run, see spot jump.
Steven Killfoil (04:55):
It's crazy, it's crazy.
Okay, so let's set the scene.
You've just been laid off Right.
What's the first thing mostpeople do?
Foster Williams (05:07):
wrong.
Well, one thing they do ispanic and they get on.
Oh, I got to apply for jobs andI got to get on the computer
and do all this stuff and youwill do that.
But what we want people to knowis that there's somewhere you
can go and meet other people.
That knows, everybody knowssomebody.
There's somewhere you can goand start what we like to call
(05:30):
networking steve and I call itnetworking.
Yes, and that's what it is.
You basically get out and andmeet other people, be yourself,
enjoy yourself but you mightwant to have some food and all
that kind of stuff and enjoyyourself and meet other people.
Steven Killfoil (05:42):
Let it flow yeah, definitely, and a lot of
people make the mistakes I knowI did until I met the group.
You know, I just took out andthrew out as many resumes oh man
, on, indeed that I
Spray, and pray is what we callit.
Yeah, and it didn't work.
Foster Williams (05:58):
No, it don't work.
Steven Killfoil (05:58):
No, it did not work, uh, until I met you guys
and you got my resume squaredaway and then it looked 100%
better.
It's the one I still have today, but I've added a few more
things to it since then.
But sure you know.
But if you don't know whatyou're doing and you're just out
there, like you just said,trying to throw a hail Mary yeah
(06:22):
, flailing.
Just it's terrible, you know.
So they do that.
Then they start sitting at home.
They're feeling sorry forthemselves, so they begin.
Been binge watching tv, youknow, wow, and I haven't seen
colombo in so long, and now I'vegot all the episodes and, oh
yeah, we got streaming tv now,so we get all kind of channels
(06:42):
right, yeah, it says so.
Nothing says job ready likeeating ice cream out of the
carton while watching csi miamioh man, you know I've done that.
Foster Williams (06:52):
That's interesting, you brought that up
.
I've done that before I'mguilty too, man.
Steven Killfoil (06:58):
Netflix came out and I hopped on board and I
was like um, I think one of mymost entertaining shows that I
saw on on the netflix was onecalled uh, once upon a time.
Oh, what was that about?
Well, this gentleman director,he took all of the fairy tales,
all the grimm's fairy tales ohyeah all the disney characters,
(07:20):
wizard of oz, and he threw themall together in this show so
that you, you, you saw peter pan, you saw captain hook, you saw
beauty and the beast.
I mean uh my god or garrisonkeeler yeah, uh, the, the fellow
that used to spin gold out ofstraw uh rumpleiltskin.
Foster Williams (07:41):
He was on there .
Steven Killfoil (07:42):
In fact, he was the evil bad guy in it.
And the wicked witch that wasthe mother to Snow White was the
second in charge, and I mean,the whole thing was just riddled
with it, and they'd cast thisgigantic evil spell on all these
characters, wiped theirmemories so they didn't even
(08:03):
remember who they were or whatthey did characters wiped their
memories so they didn't evenremember who they were or what
they did really, and they wereall living in this little town
in ohio in america, in the shoeright, all of them.
Yeah, little red riding hood shewas running around turning into
werewolf herself and grandmaand oh man, geppetto was there
hey modern technology.
(08:23):
Jiminy cricket was in human formand I mean just, the whole
thing was just a riot.
I just and it was you had tokeep watching it because each
week they would reveal a newcharacter.
Oh, it was great, but it was ahuge time waster, oh yeah,
that's what it's there for mademe feel good, but in the I still
(08:44):
didn't have a job.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Do not think that Indeedcom isgoing to come knocking on your
door, because that doesn'thappen.
Foster Williams (08:55):
No, they don't come find you anymore, like they
used to.
Steven Killfoil (08:58):
Absolutely not.
So you know it's like what doyou tell somebody they're
freshly laid off before you tellthem to join southlake focus
group?
You know that's the first thingI should do tell them to stop
listening to tv.
Foster Williams (09:16):
And you want to get out amongst people?
There are plenty of jobs outthere, plenty and uh, and you
know you got to connect to thosejobs.
You connect those jobs to thepeople.
People have the jobs.
I tell everybody, as long as apeople makes the determination,
whether you get hired or not,then that needs to be a part of
(09:37):
what we do.
We, yes, we have a lot oftechnology to help us see jobs
and postings and things likethat.
We have a lot of technology tohelp us see jobs and postings
and things like that.
But number two step that youneed to take is connect with
someone that might know somebodyinside of that company that
you're interested in going towork for, that you've applied
for a job for.
And that's the number one,probably number one thing that I
(09:59):
do.
This network that we're talkingabout, that I created 26 years
ago, is the biggest one that Iknow in the United States.
Created 26 years ago is thebiggest one that I know in the
united states, and so it's hardto determine a company that we
don't already know.
10, 15, 20.
You got some big companies.
We might know 50, 60 peoplethat work there that are out of
this network yeah, it's justamazing, um, how well connected
(10:20):
they are.
Steven Killfoil (10:20):
Yeah, yeah, they, they do an amazing work.
I, I absolutely was reallyblessed to be a part of that,
that whole course, and then Ifinally decided, uh, okay,
corporate doesn't want meanymore, so I started my own
that's what I did job so andit's worked great it's worked
(10:41):
wonderfulwe love it.
I've got this podcast and I'vedo a whole bunch of other things
that I was never able to dobefore, when I was working a
9-to-5 job.
I would not have been able todo this or be Santa Claus.
I like being Santa.
Foster Williams (11:00):
You do a pretty good Santa.
I would imagine I'm going toget a chance to see that.
Steven Killfoil (11:04):
Yeah, you come out to the Christmas market
Definitely and we'll have somefun definitely.
Foster Williams (11:08):
We're getting nigh unto that time.
That's what my dad was a pastor.
He used to say nigh unto thattime Nigh.
Steven Killfoil (11:14):
Unto that time, okay, well, like you said,
southlake Focus Group isdefinitely a place.
You want to get into that groupand you want to network,
network, network.
Foster Williams (11:26):
Absolutely Just be yourself.
You'll meet people that you'llhave an affinity for, and you
just start talking, like me andStephen did.
Steven Killfoil (11:34):
Yeah, absolutely Definitely.
Okay.
Well, let's talk about the jobsearch itself, because a lot of
folks still think it's aboutthat scrolling the job boards.
You know you got to be onlinkedin.
You got and, yes, you do haveto be on linkedin and you got to
make sure your linkedin pagelooks like a business,
(11:55):
professional looking page andnot your facebook page.
That's right.
Um, yeah, and those guys atsouthlake Focus Group help you
do exactly that Right.
They got me squared away.
I got mine lined up, lookinggood and running great.
I actually have developed alistening audience by pushing my
(12:16):
episodes into LinkedIn as well.
Foster Williams (12:19):
Exactly.
Steven Killfoil (12:19):
And I've got people listening to me overseas.
Foster Williams (12:22):
Well, what a better place.
You know, if Job Seeker is whatwe're talking about today, my
goodness, what a better place,what a better tool than LinkedIn
to identify companies that arehiring and identify people that
you might want to connect withand build a relationship with.
That's my number one word inJobSeeker Absolutely.
Steven Killfoil (12:39):
Yeah, I mean it's crazy.
So what are some of the thingsthat people should do in in this
job searching criteria?
What, what would you recommend?
Foster Williams (12:52):
there are a number of tools.
One of them is you get outamongst other people and let it
flow.
You talk and you will meet.
We will teach you how to sit ata table and meet other people
that are looking for jobs andeverybody knows somebody and you
explain to those people what itis.
You do what it is you'relooking for.
Make it as simple as possible.
If you start using all theseacronyms and stuff, if the
(13:15):
people you're talking to are notin your area of expertise,
they're not going to know allthe acronyms are.
So explain all of that stuffand what's important for you and
what's important that you know.
You need to let companies knowthat you have experience in and
the fact that you're coming totheir company and you bring
ideas with you Absolutely.
Steven Killfoil (13:35):
And one one challenge that a lot of us guys
have come across is overcomingthis ageism.
Oh yeah, and it's going huge,Even in my wife's company where
she works no-transcript.
Foster Williams (14:04):
Most of the time you guys will be surprised.
Most of the time they can't dothat.
We bring and I say we peoplelike Steve and I, we didn't just
kind of get out of school,we've got a little bit of
experience we bring thatexperience.
We know how to get and sit inthat chair and make it work in
ways that maybe our managers atthe company didn't even know
were possible to do.
I didn't ever think about doingthat, and so that's why we make
(14:26):
sometimes the big bucks.
Steven Killfoil (14:29):
Yes, absolutely .
We make sometimes the big bucksyes, absolutely.
And and the the one one thingthat I really liked about the
south lake focus group was youactually had a group that came
in and they sat down.
You tell them what you wereapplying for so you were.
You were basically preparingyourself for the interview and
(14:50):
this panel.
They're familiar the.
The problem with most companiesis they'll take and grab this
guy out of this department, thisgal out of this department and
this guy over here and this galover there, throw them together
and say, okay, we want you tointerview this guy for this
position.
It still works that way, allfour of them.
They have no idea, so they lookat the paper and they go okay,
(15:13):
he's replying for the itdepartment and he's going to be
um, what is this?
A network guardian or aknock-off?
Okay, it says not right sowe're going to interview, but
they don't know what networkoperation.
Foster Williams (15:29):
They didn't even know you existed until five
minutes before that interview.
When you walk in the roomPrecisely, most of the
interviewers are ill-prepared tosit and talk to you about
what's going on.
They haven't had time tocoagulate, if you would, with
the hiring manager of thedepartment that they want you to
go to work for.
Steven Killfoil (15:48):
Yeah, it's funny, or they just got handed
the paper 15 minutes before youwalked into the door to sit down
for the interview.
That's right.
They're really, really, reallyill-prepared.
Foster Williams (15:59):
Oh, 15 minutes, man.
They got a lot of time, yeah.
Steven Killfoil (16:02):
So it's absolutely amazing what these
companies are still practicing.
And then they wonder whythey're having a hard time
retaining yes, good employees orfinding them.
Well, you know, they couldstructurally bone up that part
of the interview process andmaybe they could, uh, avoid a
(16:23):
few hiccups along the way yeah,we've got, we've.
Foster Williams (16:26):
we've had so much technology move in on what
we do.
It's not enough time in the dayto get your job done.
This technology, back at theinference of this technology was
supposed to make your jobbetter, but it actually.
You move so fast, you're ableto get things done so quickly.
It creates other things thatneeds to be done and at the end
of the day, you're like man, Iworked a whole day and I still
(16:46):
got a whole lot of work to do,absolutely.
Steven Killfoil (16:50):
Yeah, it's kind of almost scary it is.
Foster Williams (16:54):
It is scary.
I am a long time recruiter anduh, and yeah, it's scary most
recruiters are overworked.
They, uh, the companies,because companies now here's the
dynamic guys companies arethere to make money and what
they do is they use us.
I don't I hate to say use, butthat's what's happening.
(17:16):
We have the expertise to do the, the, the critical little
things that need to be done inorder to get this done, to serve
a client or to produce aproduct that we're selling, and
so we get so busy doing thatit's not enough time to do this.
To do that, the otherSomebody's come along.
We need to hire somebody to dothis.
(17:37):
I want to get who's going tointerview this person, who knows
what it is that we need to belooking for, to know what to dig
out of this person that'sinterviewing.
Steven Killfoil (17:48):
Yeah, and don't even get me started on the job
descriptions.
Oh God, they don't even fit.
Foster Williams (17:55):
A lot of them are trash.
Steven Killfoil (17:56):
Well, it looked like they've been cut and
pasted off of something off theInternet, and a lot of them are
trash.
Well, it looks like they'vebeen cut and pasted off of
something off the internet.
Foster Williams (18:00):
And a lot of them have DOD.
I'm sorry.
I've spent a lot of time withDOD and aerospace and guys.
We have that problem.
Oh my goodness, we have somejob descriptions that are 20
years old and we haven't put thedetails into it to let someone
know.
This is what I need to havedone.
Steven Killfoil (18:17):
Yeah, they're still wanting you to put the
incandescent light bulb on theboard with the number five moon
nut.
That's it.
And you're like, where do youget a number five moon nut?
Speaker 1 (18:27):
I don't know what is a number five moon nut, they
don't even use those anymore.
Steven Killfoil (18:29):
No, yeah.
So why is that in thedescription?
Right right, it's funny, butit's sad at the same time.
It is, yeah so.
So basically, you don't want.
You, just you get laid off.
You don't want to sit around inyour pajamas hoping that
indycom is magically gonna handyou that six-figure salary.
(18:52):
Okay, although at Walgreens youcan do that, isn't that right?
They say it's in a perfectworld.
Foster Williams (19:03):
Well, I'm still looking for that perfect world.
Steven Killfoil (19:05):
I know I haven't found that store yet
that can do that.
But man, that'd be nice.
Sit around all day in the PJs,yeah.
Foster Williams (19:13):
And guys, remember, those PJs are not
going to go with you at the doorwhen it's time to go to work,
but don't forget that you havethem on too, exactly because we
got zoom and these other bluejeans and teams and all this
technology that we use tointerview people.
Now they'll be sitting at thehouse.
Well, there's certain thingsthat you need to know when
you're going to interview.
(19:33):
You want to be comfortable, youknow.
You want to be in a place whereyou can think.
You know you don't want to havea mirror behind you because you
may have decided not to wearpants.
You're just gonna wear a shirtand a jacket, yeah, and you
don't want folks seeing whatthey're not supposed to see.
So we don't need to be next toa window that's got a lot of
sunlight coming through it andwatching everything out.
(19:54):
We don't need mirrors aroundand behind us and all that kind
of thing.
Close, close the door so thekitty cat won't come in there
and walk across.
Steven Killfoil (20:02):
And jump on the keyboard and disconnect you.
Yeah, yeah, so you cover all ofthis in different training
classes?
Yes, at the South Lake FocusGroup, this network has every
component that you guys imagine.
Foster Williams (20:14):
We'll teach you how to interview.
We'll teach you what yourresume needs to look like, the
formats that work on the ATSsystems and all of that sort of
thing, and the attitude thatneeds to go with someone that's
trying to sell themselves to acompany.
Hey, I am the one you need tohire.
But if you look like this andyou barely get your words out of
(20:35):
your mouth, they're not goingto hire you If you're.
What is itbie downer or danieldowner?
Steven Killfoil (20:41):
yeah, that doesn't work too good.
No, yep.
So this is where the south lakefocus group really really
shines, right yeah, and I gottathrow frisco connect.
Foster Williams (20:51):
This coming tuesday in frisco was 15 years
ago.
I created a group called friscoconnect and it is is the South
Lake Focus Group, the premiumnetworking group over on the
Dallas side.
Now South Lake serves both.
It serves Fort Worth and Dallas.
Frisco does too, but Frisco isin Frisco and that's over on the
(21:13):
North Dallas side of thequadrant if you want to look at
it like that.
And we will be there.
Tuesday 9 o'clock in themorning.
Guys Go to FriscoConnectorg andyou will see our speaker that's
going to be there and you knowwhat time to show up and all
that stuff and look for Foster.
Steven Killfoil (21:31):
Yes, definitely look for Foster, the guy with
the big beautiful grin.
Man, I'll have a big beautifulgrin and I got a big mouth, so
you guys want to have me, but Ireally don't need in the
microphone oh, man, yeah, theyhave all the all the bells and
whistles that the south lakefocus group have over there,
(21:53):
right, the networkingopportunities that you got, the
practical training that we weretalking about.
Foster Williams (21:58):
And we have a theme that we covered each
meeting.
We bring in a speaker that'sbeen in that arena forever and
that's what he does and she does, and we have those people give
us the gory details on whythings work the way they do.
Tuesday guys is going to be.
Why is it taking companies solong to make a decision to hire
(22:21):
people and why is it so manyinterviews going on for one job,
when it used to be maybe two,maybe three interviews A company
might be making?
I know a person has beenthrough nine interviews and
still didn't have the job rightnow.
Steven Killfoil (22:34):
So why is?
Foster Williams (22:35):
all this stuff?
What's generating all of thisstuff?
What's going on?
And the speaker we're going tohave is Kurt Vandermatter.
He is in the Forbes top fiverecruiters in the whole United
States and a tremendous guy tolisten to.
You'll get into it and you'llbe there, and we have question
and answer as well.
So after we bring things up,those things will generate
(22:58):
questions in your head.
You will have an opportunity toask hey, why?
This.
Why that?
Steven Killfoil (23:03):
definitely so.
That's this coming to.
This is coming to you all rightguys.
Foster Williams (23:07):
Second of september.
Steven Killfoil (23:09):
As you're listening to this, today, Monday
, Tuesday is tomorrow, so youneed to go.
What?
What's the address?
Foster Williams (23:17):
it is now you caught me.
I normally throw that addressout there.
We are on legendary drive infrisco, which is right off of
lebanon parkway over there, andour address eludes me right.
I can't pull it out of my headand I say it all the time yeah,
oh, my goodness I must benervous.
(23:39):
You guys were listening to methat's over there.
Steven Killfoil (23:43):
Um, that's over there by my friend's uh grocery
store called the Euro Deli Too.
Foster Williams (23:49):
Oh okay, it's at Stonebriar Community Church.
You guys, now I think everybodyhas google you can google up
Stonebriar, you can just go tostonebriar.
com and it will give you whatyou're looking for address times
, all that sort of stuffexcellent.
Steven Killfoil (24:05):
So be there or be square, I mean come on.
Foster Williams (24:08):
I can't believe , I can't think of the address.
I'm showing my age Steve
Steven Killfoil (24:13):
But you have accountability, you've got
emotional support, you gotbrothers and sisters.
They're in the same bucket.
You're in, yeah, and some thathave been there done that, and
they're back again.
So I mean you're not alone,yeah don't ever feel like you're
alone because you're not alone.
Foster Williams (24:33):
At the beginning of the meeting I like
to tell everybody what makes upthese and some of the people,
some of the wonderful servantsin this network that make this
network what it is, becausethere's nothing in this network
that you can't go to to find out.
Each and every little component, every little thought process
that you have about your jobsearch, you can find an answer
(24:53):
for so both these groupssouthlake focus group and frisco
connect, frisco connect.
Steven Killfoil (25:00):
So they're kind of like a career gym right,
pretty much.
Yeah, you show.
So both of these groupsSouthlake Focus Group and Frisco
Connect, frisco Connect.
So they're kind of like acareer gym right, pretty much.
Yeah, you show up, you work outyour resume, flex your
networking muscles.
Foster Williams (25:08):
Learn how to do your LinkedIn profile all kinds
of stuff.
Steven Killfoil (25:11):
And avoid the donuts.
Foster Williams (25:15):
Yeah, that's probably a smart idea If you got
one of these things like I gotcalled a belly down here, but
they do have donuts, oh man.
So here's the deal, guys youbring when you get a job, and
everybody does.
In 26 years I've not seenanybody come through this
network that has not landed ajob.
It may take a while for some,some it may.
Last week we had a lady thatshowed up and two weeks later
she had a job.
(25:35):
So, uh, we like to bring donutswhen you get a job.
Now we have a little funnything and it's only funny to us.
It is corny, is all get out.
But if you get a contract, someof you guys have good areas of
expertise and a company mightwant to hire you on contract and
I get excited because I cancharge them a little bit more
money for me contractuallybecause it's not a full-time job
(25:58):
.
Well, if you get a contract,you bring a donut hole because
it's not a whole job.
There you go.
There's the lameness of it all.
Right there, guys.
Steven Killfoil (26:09):
Okay, yeah, I remember that.
Foster Williams (26:10):
Yeah, yeah, you remember that don't you?
Steven Killfoil (26:12):
All right?
Well, let's talk a little bitabout the people behind it.
Who makes this group work?
Foster Williams (26:23):
the people behind it.
Who makes this group work?
Well, a number of people thathave been in areas of executive
spots, like myself, recruiters,people in HR, pete Hernandez and
I.
Every first and third Wednesdayof every month, we have an HR
focus group that was started byrecruiters me and other
recruiters and we like for folksto come in and meet with us
(26:45):
because we recruiters we're theones trying to find people to
hire and the HR people that arebehind that scene.
So we we focus a lot on HR jobs, things like that.
Recruiters, you meet therecruiters, what are y'all
looking for?
Ok, you know we might have 5060 people one at one of my
meetings uh, on zoom is thismeeting so you can be in new
(27:08):
york, you can be in berlin,germany, and you can see, and we
do have people that join usfrom all over the world.
If you're not already asleep,you know time zones are involved
in this thing
Steven Killfoil (27:18):
Yeah, so you're kind of like the Avengers, but
instead of saving the world
Saving the careers, saving thepeople.
All right, there you go.
No capes, just resumes andPowerPoints.
Foster Williams (27:29):
Uh-huh, uh-huh Right, and some of us might work
a cape for comical purposes.
Steven Killfoil (27:34):
Right?
Well, Foster, give ourlisteners some encouragement
because, let's be real, beinglaid off can feel like the end
of the world.
Foster Williams (27:43):
Guys, I'm going to tell you something to be
excited about.
Right now is a time of the yearwhere we're about to go into
the fourth quarter and companieshave to get things done before
they lose their budgets and allthat sort of thing.
So a lot of jobs are beingposted.
You see a lot of jobs out onthe LinkedIn and zip recruiter
(28:03):
and indeed, and all these placeswhere we find that companies
post their jobs.
Now there's a lot of activitybecause this year there have
been slowdowns along the way,because the companies get
concerned about what's going onin Washington DC, all of these
type of things.
But we have just completed atime of slowdown, so companies
(28:25):
cannot afford to slow down fortoo long because they're going
to lose their customers andthey're going to not be making
the products that they need tobe making.
The people are buying in themoney, guys.
Corporations are concernedabout bringing that money in the
door Now on our side.
When I say our, I mean jobsearch.
It's survival now for us.
So that's the dynamic.
So this network has beencreated for people to get the
(28:48):
help that they need to get toget through, be the one that the
company decides they're goingto hire.
There may be 30 other peoplethat applied for the same job
usually is hire.
There may be 30 other peoplethat applied for the same job
Usually is.
And we recruiters, we have togo through all of that stuff to
get down to the number of peoplethat are a fit.
And if you have a jobdescription in the network, you
(29:12):
will meet people like PeteHernandez and other ones that
will teach you what your resumeneeds to look like to let these
companies know you have whatthey're looking for to step into
that position.
Steven Killfoil (29:21):
That is amazing .
I love that.
And if you're listening to thisand you're Pajamas and it's
noon on a Tuesday, shame on you.
You should have got up early inthe morning, brushed your teeth
and got over there to.
Frisco yeah, drink thatchlorophyll.
Join a networking group, sotell our listeners out there how
they can get in touch with theSouthlake Focus Group.
(29:42):
What's the website?
Foster Williams (29:43):
You know what?
If you guys go tosouthlakefocusgroup.
com, it's a wonderful website.
It'll show you everything youneed to know about Southlake.
Where are we, what time does itstart, what does it look like
when we get in there?
And the same with Friscoconnect.
org.
You guys go to Friscoconnect,org.
(30:03):
We tape all of our presenters.
We have a number of presentersof that have been recorded.
And when you go into the mediasection of frisco connect.
org, you can look at thesepresentations.
So if you're in New Yorkbecause at Frisco we only meet
in person, we don't have theZoom component anymore the
church made the decision to getpeople involved, get them out,
(30:26):
get them doing what they need tobe doing instead of hiding
behind technology.
And guys, you can see wonderfulpresentations from people that
have brought things like uh, howto utilize AI in your job
search.
You know how to.
What's the ATS system all about?
(30:47):
Why do you cut like?
We're going to talk about this?
come to just coming this, comingto you tomorrow to, for, yeah,
for the folks who listen to this, on Monday it'll be tomorrow,
and so, uh, uh, Kurt Vonermatteris going to come out and tell
us how companies work.
Why does it work the way thatit's working?
Why am I not hearing?
What do I need to do to letthese folks know?
(31:07):
We need to have a conversation,because you posted a job and I
do exactly what it is in thatjob that you're looking to do.
So, in this network is everycomponent of what you guys need
to know to get where you need toget.
Absolutely, and hey, Foster, Iwant to thank you for joining us
today South Lake Focus Groupand Frisco Connect is like an
(31:31):
amazing place for anyone that'snavigating a layout.
Yes, absolutely.
And to our listeners, if you'vebeen laid off, don't lose hope.
Take a breath, get strategicand don't do it alone.
Um, get involved in one, two orboth groups.
It won't hurt, it'll do nothing, but help you get ahead faster,
(31:54):
absolutely you guys.
A lot of people get out there and they get so
enthralled, they get so excitedabout what they see, they want
to become a part of, and theydon't even want to go to work.
Absolutely so we havevolunteers all over the place
that help people find what theyneed to find in the network to
get those answers to thosequestions that they have.
Steven Killfoil (32:12):
Oh yeah, well, this has been Money Movers, with
Steven Killfoil.
Following the show.
Share it with somebody whoneeds encouragement and remember
your next opportunity is justone connection away.
You can reach out to CrossRoads Podcast at
crossroadspodcast2023@ gmailcom.
(32:32):
And now for a few announcements.
Don't forget to go on Amazonand get you that book by Stefan
McDermott, Achieve Optimal BrainHealth with Nutrition.
Man, when you're going throughthis, you really need to keep
that brain going good and strong.
This book will help you do that.
It's not a big technical book.
(32:53):
It's written for the Averagelayman guy Is the chlorophyll in
there, the chlorophyll's inhere, yes, everything you need
to know to keep the ticker goingand the brain working good.
Definitely get it.
Christmas is just 115 days awayand if you want some holiday
fun, hire the Santa Steven.
And now for a commercialannouncement from our man from
(33:16):
the North Pole, the Santa Steven.
He's coming soon.
He's coming soon.
You better watch out, you betternot cry, you better not pout.
I'm telling you why?
(33:37):
Why, santa Claus is coming totown.
Gather round.
He's making a list, checking ittwice, he's gonna find out
who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
This holiday season.
Bring the magic of Christmasright to your doorstep with the
(33:59):
Santa Steven.
Imagine the joy on your child'sface when Santa and Mrs Claus
step into your home for apersonal visit.
Stories, laughters, photos andmemories to last a lifetime.
Ho ho, ho, merry Christmas.
(34:22):
And don't forget, we even bringsweet holidays cheer for parents
too.
Hosting a party, big or small,the Santa Steven brings the
holiday sparkle.
From the family gatherings tocorporate events.
We spread joy in every setting.
One-on-one with your little oneor a crowd of excited children,
(34:46):
the Santa Stephen makes everymoment magical.
Bring holiday spirit to yourcommunity.
Parades, festivals and treelighting ceremonies grow
brighter with the Santa StephenSanta.
Santa Santa.
(35:09):
And for the sweetened surprise,your child can receive a
personalized letter straightfrom Santa's desk, signed,
sealed and delivered with atouch of Christmas magic Every
letter is filled with love, joyand just a sprinkle of North
Pole sparkle.
(35:30):
Whether it's your home, youroffice, your school or your town
.
Let the Santa Stephen make thisholiday unforgettable.
Ho ho ho, we'll see you thisChristmas.
Because every family and everybusiness deserves a little extra
(35:52):
holiday magic.
The Santa Steven, whereChristmas comes to life.
time a big fat man with a longwhite beard.
He's coming to town.
To book an event party or someone-on-one time with The Santa
(36:30):
Steven, call 469-230-5956 oremail steven@ thesantastevencom.
That's s-t-e-v-e-n@thesantasteven.
com, and we hope you have a verywonderful holiday season.
(36:56):
Hire Foster to help you withyour job search.
Absolutely Well, you have agreat day.
Foster Williams (37:03):
Steve, thanks for having me here.
We need to tell people there'ssomewhere to go.
There are about 200,000 activejob seekers in this network and
there are more people out therethat don't even know anything
about the network.
And there's a place for peopleto go, and my job is to let
people know that it's there andthen, when they get there, I
(37:23):
show them how it works.
Steven Killfoil (37:25):
Absolutely Well , you take care and thanks for
coming on the show.
Foster Williams (37:28):
Thanks for having me.
Steven Killfoil (37:29):
You bet.
Money moves For those who wantto be in the know.
(37:56):
Who's your daddy?
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.