Author name: FirstWeb

Who Is Cynthia B. Okonkwo? I am a wife and a mom who is a people person by heart. I live in metro-Atlanta and work as a Human Resources professional and have over twenty-four years experience in the field. My experience includes Compensation, Training, Recruiting, Employee Relations, Benefits, and Selection Procedure Development; however, Employee Relations is my passion because I enjoy interacting with others and helping them to solve problems. I became interested in Human Resources while on a work-study assignment during my sophomore year in undergraduate school. I chose management as my major because I was not quite certain what I wanted to do after college and I knew that an off-shoot of Business Administration was a safe, general choice that could help me get into a number of career fields. My work-study assignment was as an assistant to the campus Director of Career Services. There, I learned to make cold calls to area businesses to seek out employment opportunities for students and alumni. I also learned how to format vacancy announcements and resumes. Since writing had always been one of my strengths, I enjoyed my assignment so much that I requested to be reassigned to that department for most of the remainder of my undergraduate career. My Director also provided resources on job interview preparation and she allowed me to type resumes for students who did not have one and charge $1 per page to make a few extra bucks. I got a full-time job immediately after graduation, but it wasn’t in Human Resources; however, I had a Vice President who took me under his wings and allowed me to review employment applications for job openings at the Distribution Center where I worked, so this helped to strengthen my resume. It took me about two and a half years to secure my first full-time job in the field of human resources where I became a trained test developer for the State’s Government Merit System. From there my career has continued to grow. My blog was born out of my desire to write a book that provides practical job search tips and advice, from a spiritual, holistic perspective. After having drafted about three chapters, I got busy with grad school and obtained my MBA; got married and started a family. In 2013, I became SPHR (Sr. Professional in Human Resources) certified. I started seeing other people’s blogs, became interested and thought that blogging might be a great alternative, or spring board to completing my book, so here we are today. My sincere hope is that what I write will help someone. Enjoy!

Eliminate Distractions

Eliminate Distractions

INTRODUCTION: Welcome to this motivational moment entitled, “Eliminate Distractions.” MOTIVATIONS: I have lost count of the number of times I’ve set personal or professional goals only to have my plans derailed. I wonder why that happens so often. For me, it’s usually due to my getting distracted. The shiny new object syndrome lures me away …

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Background Check

Four Reasons Why An Employer Might Rescind a Job Offer To A Candidate

INTRODUCTION: A job seeker asked, ‘Will an employer hold a job offer while waiting for a background check to clear?’ SUMMARY RESPONSE: Some mistakenly think that a pre-employment background check is for criminal history only. Pre-employment background checks can also verify a candidate’s employment history, driving record, education, credit, residential history, and/or their character. Before …

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Communications Is The Key

Communication Is The Key

INTRODUCTION: Welcome to this motivational moment entitled, “Communication is the Key.” I’m Cynthia O. MOTIVATION: I recently pondered how important communication is to our success throughout life. Nevertheless, we all know that communication can go wrong when not handled properly. And when it does, those involved are often  left feeling confused, hurt, angry, or misunderstood.  …

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Be Your Own Hero

Be Your Own Hero

WELCOME: Welcome to this motivational moment entitled, “Be Your Own Hero,” with Cynthia O. MOTIVATION: You know, we often admire others. We admire their looks, their abilities, their intelligence, or their accomplishments. There is absolutely nothing wrong with admiring others. We should always readily recognize the unique value that we each bring to this world. …

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Four Facts About the Employment Probationary Period

INTRODUCTION: A job seeker asked, “What is job probation?” RESPONSE: Probationary period, provisional period, orientation period, onboarding period, etc., all refer to the same thing. It is generally the first three to twelve months of a new employee’s time with their company. The probationary period is mostly seen as the employer’s time to decide if …

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