Mark Alarie lands at Ultra Clean Technologies! Read his story

After seven months of discussions and an extended string of interviews, I
have returned to work as an Account Manager for Ultra Clean Technologies. I
was hired to support the East Coast customers of this
California-based company and will be working out of my home office.

Many of us have seen an increase in the number of suitable opportunities
during the past month or so. I was actively working
on several opportunities when this offer was extended and was in the early
stages of negotiations with another company when I chose UCT.

This position did not require a financial step backward from my previous
job. Everyone's situation is different and some companies are healthier
than others, so there is no single "right answer" to questions about pay.
There are clearly people finding lower compensation, some the same and
others, higher pay, in their new positions. If you just assume that your
next position will pay you less than what you used to earn, it probably
will. I believed this for far too long. Fortunately, I decided to test
this during my final interview. The lesson I learned is to avoid unfounded
assumptions based on fears rather than facts.

While between jobs, I took a few training courses to upgrade my skills and
extend my list of certificates. I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity
and took a part-time contract job that allowed me to meet new people and
phase myself back into the working world. All of these things helped me
during my interviews with potential employers.

Networking factored into my search in several important ways. I became
aware of the UCT opportunity on the day before my separation from my
previous employer. I called some of my key customers to let them know that
I would no longer receive their e-mails or phone calls and I provided a way
for them to contact me if an urgent need arose. Within 20 minutes, I
received a call back from one of them to let me know about this unposted job
with one of their suppliers. Several days later, that customer submitted my
resume to UCT for me and strongly recommended me over my competition for the position that was finally approved and funded last week.

I attended a significant number of networking meetings including AN, John
Nojeim's outstanding Lowell Lowell Networking Group, Hopkinton Networkers
and others. On several occasions, the brain power, creativity and emotional
support offered by members to other members during these meetings sent
chills up my spine. If two heads are better than one, what can 80 heads and
hearts do?

Several networkers connected me with people who helped me figure out which
companies and industries held promise for someone with my skills and which
were dead ends. I am confident that I helped at least one person to land
and that was very rewarding.

I sincerely thank the founders and current leadership teams that manage and
facilitate our networking groups. Without them, the groups could
not continue to exist. The next time you go to a meeting, please make a
point of telling these dedicated people that you appreciate their hard
work. And while you're at it, ask them how you can help. Even if you
can't facilitate or be a board member, just about everyone of you can
put their labor where their mouth is by washing even a dozen coffee cups or
loading a dozen chairs on the rack after an AN meeting.

Regardless of your field of expertise, there are extremely interesting
professional groups that hold monthly meetings. Many are open to
non-members and it can be very enlightening to go to meetings that are
unrelated to your field of specialization. The networking and professional
contacts I made plus the education I received always exceeded the cost of
admission to these events.

Thank you to all of you who helped me in my search through your advice, help
with connections and emotional support. You helped me to hone my resume and interviewing skills while maintaining a positive attitude.

I wish every one of you success in your search.

Best regards,

Mark Alarie - AN Alumi
Marketing and Business Development for High Tech Products
"Transforming Technical Challenges into Profitable Solutions"