Established at the beginning of the Recession in 2008, CareerHandlers was developed to give job seekers an edge in today's increasingly competitive job market. Our team has years of experience in working on successful branding campaigns for companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Live Nation, MasterCard International, NBC Universal, MTV, H&R Block.... and the list goes on.
Our mission at CareerHandlers is to assist in giving clients every advantage possible to compete. The company mantra at CareerHandlers is "Everybody Works!" and we won't stop trying to assist our clients, in every way possible, to achieve that end result.
CareerHandlers is a group of design and marketing professionals who have worked for some of the most prominent brands in the world.
Chris Hand
Founder & President
Chris is the founder of CareerHanders and brings with him 19 years of experience in marketing, advertising and branding. The company he founded in 1999, YellowCouch, was most notable for it's selection as a Roster Agency for The Coca Cola Company and handled the visual branding efforts for their largest global sponsorship, World Cup in 2002 and 2006. For 8 years YellowCouch developed numerous branding projects for Sprite, Fanta and Diet Coke to name a few. In 2007, when early recession tremors began to rumble, he changed careers to work with LeaderFinder Inc. in the recruitment of marketing executives. In November 2008, realizing that people needed more and more assistance in their job search, he started CareerHandlers, a service designed to assist job seekers with their personal marketing efforts. .
Ken Thompson
Chief Technology Officer
Ken brings over 25 years in advertising to CareerHandlers, both as an agency principle and creative director. He founded TDSI Design in 1991 and ran the agency successfully for 15 years, serving the branding needs of clients like MasterCard International, Cannondale, Hogan Golf and Yoplait. He was most recently Executive Creative Director at 360i in New York, one of the world's leading interactive agencies. His work for clients NBC Universal, MTV, H&R Block and Red Roof Inns brought the agency numerous awards and accolades during his tenure as creative leader. Dedicated to branding and brand strategy, Ken is helping individuals to realize the power of branding as a personal step towards differentiation in a tightening job market.
4 steps to creating a personal brand
1. Look over your shoulder. If you are "in between successes" or just looking for a better opportunity, this is prime time to review your past experiences and reevaluate your career goals. At Careerhandlers we hear frequently that candidates forget more about their past job experiences than they remember. Now is the time to fully review the valuable past.
2. Become a storyteller. Within your job history is a compelling story waiting to be told. Once you have completed your past career reflection and reestablished your goals, review all the elements in your past that will be key in communicating your story.
3. Blaze a path. You have many tangible methods available to use in communicating your story from networking to resumes to online portfolios. Your particular needs may be industry specific and have their own nuances. Determine the "comfort zone" of your industry and decide on the right vehicle to start your journey.
4. Go tell it on the mountain. With the proper tools in place, it's time to rally your personal and professional networks and begin to carry your message forward. Experts agree that the more exposure you have in the job market, the higher your chances for landing a position.
January 31, 2009
CareerHandlers:
Personal branding for job seekers
As a solution to the ever increasing job losses hitting America, branding experts Chris Hand and Ken Thompson formulated a plan to help people personally brand their job search.
February 9, 2009
CareerHandlers featured on Recessionwire
Chris Hand, founder of CareerHandlers was recently interviewed on how job seekers are shifting their focus from traditional job searches.
February 15, 2009
CareerHandlers site launch
Our first site is posted and is in testing phase.
