Feeling Unemployable
A 55 year old real estate executive was caught in a rapid downsizing. When he came to PowerTransitions in January 2003 he believed he was unemployable in the then-current job market because of his age and income requirements. His first reaction was to consider selling his house and moving to a less expensive place. He was preparing to ‘downsize’ his lifestyle and start over at something new.
Reality Check
We said “Hold on a minute! With your skills and experience, we will help you get a better job than the one you left.”
How PowerTransitions Helped
He worked with our career coach on a full set of skill and personality assessments that helped him identify and articulate the strengths he had been using for years in his successful career. We wrote him a resume that showcased his many achievements. He worked with our communications coach on how to network on his own behalf (as opposed to his employer's behalf), and on current interviewing strategies. Thus prepared, he hit his network and after a fairly brief search, he called to say “You guys were right, I did, indeed, get a better job!”
Laid Off & Evicted
In mid-2003, a San Francisco based public organization implemented cutbacks that resulted in staff reductions. One of the employees let go was a highly trained professional whose expertise was quite specialized. She was devoted to her job and the impact of her job loss was made worse due to the additional loss of her subsidized housing. As a single parent, the simultaneous loss of job and housing was extremely traumatic—she was in tears when she arrived at our offices and felt like she could barely get out of bed.
How PowerTransitions Helped
We immediately got busy: We helped her set priorities, work out a personal budget, rewrite her resume, assemble a portfolio of her work, and research potential employers. We scheduled daily counseling and coaching sessions to insure that she woke up with a purpose each day and felt supported in her job search. We set her up in an office, provided administrative support, and followed up with her when she did not come in.
A Success!
In just a few weeks she secured a number of interviews that led to two job offers. We worked with her through the negotiation process, and provided her with feedback and additional perspectives on which offer would work best for her and her child.