Tag Archives: career

My Parking Career Wasn’t Over After All

I love my job concepts with text on light box on desk.By David Horn, CAPP

In March 2020, the beginning of the pandemic, life began to change quickly and the outcomes were a mystery to all of us. My family and I took a summer trip in late July. Upon returning to work, I was told my position would be eliminated at the end of August. Knowing the condition of the industry due to COVID, my future looked dim.

I reached out to my network, sharpened my resume, and began looking for my next opportunity, wondering if I might have to leave the industry I love so much. After months of applying, interviewing, and dead ends, my outlook grew grim. My friend of 30 years who works in automotive, invited me to join him in Texas at the plant he manages building sub-assemblies. He assured me I would be successful. On Jan. 1, I left for Arlington Texas, for what would be a four-month contract role that became permanent. To say I was overwhelmed would be the understatement of the decade.

By early March, I reached the conclusion that I probably was not a good fit for automotive; I just did not feel a passion for it. I longed for my first love—parking! I gave notice later that month and agreed to work through the end of the contract.

I began looking for my next opportunity. The last week of April, Tim Hoppenrath sent me a note asking if I still knew anyone in Jacksonville. This was the opportunity I had hoped for. Forty-five days later, I joined an awesome team and returned to the industry I love. My career in parking wasn’t over after all.

David Horn, CAPP, is market president, Jacksonville, at Premium Parking.

Frontline Fundamentals: Never Stop Learning: Why Professional Development is the Key to Success. Presented by Josh Cantor, CAPP

REGISTER HERE.

View training summary and speaker information, and register for free today.


We have launched your new IPMI member portal.  Click here to login, reset your password, and register for these free trainings. If you have questions, or need assistance, please contact us here.

  • Member Rate: Free; pre-registration required,
  • Non-member rate: $35 registration fee.  Click the register link above to attend as a non-member.
  • Join today and find out more about member benefits here.

Flowbird_LogoFrontline trainings are provided free of charge to all IPMI members, and are generously supported by our exclusive Frontline Sponsor, Flowbird.

 

Frontline Fundamentals: Find Your Potential, Develop Your Path. Presented by Kim Jackson, CAPP

REGISTER HERE.

View training summary and speaker information, and register for free today.


We have launched your new IPMI member portal.  Click here to login, reset your password, and register for these free trainings. If you have questions, or need assistance, please contact us here.

  • Member Rate: Free; pre-registration required,
  • Non-member rate: $35 registration fee.  Click the register link above to attend as a non-member.
  • Join today and find out more about member benefits here.

Flowbird_LogoFrontline trainings are provided free of charge to all IPMI members, and are generously supported by our exclusive Frontline Sponsor, Flowbird.

 

Recruiting Professionals into Parking: A Conversation

the parking podcast“I fell into parking.”

“I never thought I’d work in this industry.”

We hear it all the time–longtime parking and mobility professionals say they never saw themselves in this industry but loved it once they fell or backed into it. But what if there was a concerted effort to make people pick parking–to make working in parking a career goal?

Kevin White, AICP, Parking and Mobility Consultant with Walker Consultants, talked to some top experts about that very question and came up with some great answers and strategies for recruiting top professionals into parking. It’s eye-opening and offers terrific takeaways and might just land you your next great staff member. To read the article published in the July issue of Parking & Mobility, click here.

Kevin talks about the article, Walker Consultants, and parking in the latest episode of The Parking Podcast (IPMI is a strategic partner of The Parking Podcast). Click here to listen.

Five Great Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn has long been known as the place to socially network to hire, improve professional knowledge, network, and bump up one’s career. But it’s also one of the biggest search engines on the internet and people visit it to find all sorts of things. If your profile’s not optimized, they might not find you–and if you’re hoping to be found, that’s a problem.

In this month’s Parking & Mobility magazine, we look at five great ways to improve your LinkedIn profile to make it more engaging, interesting, and findable on that giant, social search engine. It’s a quick read–find it here and get moving!

Free Online Shoptalk: How to Not Suck at Virtual Networking

Friday May 15, 2020  11 am-12 pm ET

 

Free to all industry professionals

Access Recording here

 

Networking is such a personal activity—it is not a one-size-fits-all practice. It’s easy to get bogged down in the details and miss out on the foundation of how to build and retain a retain an effective network. At the end of the day, no one cares what you do as much as whether you know and like them and whether you can be trusted.

In an industry built on the power of connecting face-to-face, establishing and growing meaningful relationships is undeniably critical to long-term success. During the current pandemic, networking has shifted from onsite to fully online.

Are you prepared to nurture your network this way? Are you prepared to take advantage of online opportunities to learn, collaborate, and grow through platforms like the 2020 IPMI Parking & Mobility Virtual Conference & Expo and IPMI’s ongoing free industry Shoptalks?

Get registered for this interactive webinar (it’s free!) and get ready to grow your personal and professional network, with lots of takeaway value and strategies you can use right away.

In this presentation, networking concierge Ashley Owens shares ways to nurture your current business relationships to create your own tactical, individualized approach. Save time by recognizing the best strategic partners and effectively engaging contacts through email, messaging, social media, and other digital tools. Dive in and engage with your peers in this highly interactive keynote, and learn how to balance your strengths, network strategically and with confidence, and craft an authentic, powerful, professional networking process to achieve a wildly successful career.

 

Ashley Owens Bio picPresenter: Ashley Owens

Ashley Owens is the first and only networking concierge who puts you in the right situation or gets you out of the wrong one. Ashley works as a strategic partner, attending events with professionals as an extension and champion of them. Starting her career as a personal and executive assistant to two celebrities in New York City, her experience in networking grew as she obtained positions in customer service, business analytics, and account management. Since 2017, she has grown her business into something she could have never dreamed of. Ashley is a host of two digital TV talk shows on RVNTV and This is It TV, speaking and interviewing on the topic of tactical networking. She has taken more than 700 introduction phone calls with business professionals looking to grow their network, and has made close to 1,000 introductions. She has spoken to over 50 networking groups, organizations, companies, and conferences, including the coveted Pennsylvania Conference for Women. She has been interviewed on the Mel Robbins Show on CBS, produces and hosts a podcast talking to entrepreneurs about their screw-ups, raises thousands of dollars for local nonprofits at her Cocktails and Conversation networking event, has over 185 referral partners,and has keynoted around the U.S.

Seven Quick Ways to Kickstart Your CAPP

1. Check your eligibility.

  • Do you have a high school diploma or GED?
  • Do you have a minimum of three years of managerial or supervisory experience in the parking, transportation, or mobility industry?
  • Have you completed at least 25 hours of professional development in the previous five years?

2. Review the handbook and download all the details.

The CAPP Candidate Handbook answers your questions! Download it here and curl up with a great read.

Everyone wants to know what’s on the exam and we’ll let you in on a secret—the CAPP Resource Guide is here to help. This essential guide tells you what to study, offers tips and tricks, and what to expect on exam day.

3. Sign up for CAPP Track.

CAPP Track is perfect for all members who would like to pursue the industry’s leading credential. Free and open to all IPMI members who want to learn more about CAPP, sign up to be added to our new CAPP Track, and we’ll be in touch with resources, free programs, and more.

4. Talk to a CAPP. 

CAPPs are a friendly crew—reach out to someone you know and pick their brain about the program (don’t worry–they like it!).

5. Practice makes perfect.

Our practice exam helps you envision the testing format and gets your comfortable with the kind of questions you’ll encounter—experience that’s invaluable before exam day.

6. Do the (darn) paperwork.

Get the paperwork ready. You’ll need to fill out a short application and submit a signed endorsement letter. Check out the application. (You’ll need your official CAPP candidate letter to set up a test date.)

7. Commit to a date.

Commitment’s not so scary—get that date on the calendar—it’s the best way to set up a realistic timeline to prep!

Questions? Want to talk it all through? We’re here to help. Gather your questions and schedule a 15-minute prep session with IPMI staff to get you started.  Email us at capp@parking-mobility.org