Teresa Neidenbach worked quietly for a labor relations consulting firm for the bulk of her career until the owner decided to retire. Teresa was well-known for meticulous attention to detail and keeping the office extremely organized. Definitely not an extrovert, Teresa enjoyed working behind the scenes to ensure her team was supported and clients were happy. Looking for a new job after 20+ years was downright intimidating to her, but Teresa found resources at the Kenton County Public Library to help her including the Northern Kentucky Accountability Group. Teresa took the time to take our Transferable Skills Workshop, Resume Basics for Today and Create a Marketing Plan for Your Job Search classes. She reached out to me personally for assistance to review her resume, made all the suggested changes and sent it back to me immediately, confirming my gut feeling that she had a very strong work ethic. She noted, “I have done a lot of thinking about the direction I would like to pursue moving forward. My strong suit is administrative support. Using these skills, I would like to work for a non-profit or charitable organization in the Northern Kentucky area.” Teresa received glowing written professional recommendations from her firm’s former partners that I could easily share with her resume when making connections for her to hiring managers. Teresa has accepted the role of Parish Administrative Assistant to Reverend Baiju Kidaagen, V.C, Pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Edgewood. Teresa commented, “I want to express my deepest gratitude for your assistance/advice over the past few months. The program you are spearheading at the Kenton County Public Library is phenomenal! I will always have fond memories of all the coaches, instructors, and everyone I have met at the Accountability Group.” We hope you come back and visit, Teresa! Congratulations!
To quote Scott Sendelbach, a former colleague of David (Kent) Andersen ,“Kent was an amazing person to work with. If he didn't know the answer, he knew who would. He was very professional and if the business needs were met, everything was fine. He led by example and welcomed feedback and questions. Kent was one of the best directors I worked for in my career, upfront and straightforward.” With a bevy of excellent LinkedIn recommendations like Scott’s, Kent fought ageism quite thoroughly as he searched for a new role after being “reorganized” in the latter phase of his career. Kent joined the Northern Kentucky Accountability Group, sunk his oodles of energy into taking as many KCPL job search classes as he could, and it showed. Kent created an excellent resume followed by a marketing plan to use in networking meetings, and a first-class portfolio to utilize in job interviews. Kent identified the classes that helped him the most as Resume Basics for Today with Nichole Sims, Ace Your Next Job Interview with Alisha Copley, Build Your LinkedIn Profile with Carolyn Dickerson, the Transferable Skills Workshop with Dr. Angie Taylor, the Elevator Pitch Power Plan with Nancy Knauf, The Fine Art of Job Search Correspondence with Karen Cornelissen, and the Interviewing Skills Workshop with Steve Tracy. Kent has landed at KYOCERA SENCO Industrial Tools as an Electronic Data Interchange Coordinator through VACO. The team at VACO, including Meagen Krift, Brendan Fowler and Brad Pasek, have helped quite a number of NKYAG participants land “contract-to-hire” roles. Congratulations to Kent on his excellent command of resources and new job!”
Educators often beat themselves up and have the hardest time finding a new role, especially those working in the very competitive higher education industry today. Dr. Erika Jay was no exception. Erika’s experience with Career Coach Dr. Angie Taylor’s workshops on Transferable and Core Skills at KCPL made all the difference in helping Erika present her case to employers questioning her experience. Not accustomed to interviewing, Erika devoured Matthew Marvin’s tome Nailed It!: Ten Keys to Crushing the Interview and put Matt’s worksheet to use before every new interview. Erika completed a mock interview with Volunteer Coach Lisa Denham that built her confidence in being able to think ahead and anticipate employer’s questions. Carolyn Dickerson gave Erika the tools she needed to start effectively using LinkedIn, not just spending time on her profile elements. When Erika scheduled an informational interview for a potential new vocation, Career Navigator Aaron Wilson helped her prepare a list of questions and “pushed her out of her shell” to pull off a successful networking meeting. Volunteer Coach Dave Schlacter kept Erika hopeful about eventually ending up back in the university world. And that she did! Erika is now ensconced at Xavier University as the school’s new Assistant Director, Commuters and Off Campus Living. Congratulations, Erika!
Michael Fabin relocated his family out-of-state for a new job opportunity, only to be downsized in a company reorganization five years later. Compounding the situation, he learned that his father was diagnosed with lung cancer that took his life a few short weeks later. As the old saying goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Michael joined the Northern Kentucky Accountability Group, learning weekly from individual speakers. He enjoyed the breakout conversations available via Zoom with our Volunteer Coaches. After getting his resume in top form, Michael took Sarah Uhlenbrock-Heath’s class on Creating a Spotlight Document that he could use in virtual networking meetings, conducive to his nationwide search. Michael hit a turning point when he read “The 20 Minute Networking Meeting” by Nathan Perez which greatly helped him streamline his approach when contacting past colleagues, friends and acquaintances to learn about hidden job opportunities. Michael even talked directly with Nathan, a very engaging author. Volunteer Coach Joe Binder assisted Michael with developing a target company list in his industry using Data Axle at KCPL. Michael created a Career Moves Tracker in Excel to manage his job applications and networking activities that he is happy to share. A lifelong learner, Michael earned his Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) certification through ATD to add to his toolbox. Ultimately, Michael learned about a medical device company suffering growing pains in the marketplace that he knew his prior experience could help from an old college friend. He heavily researched the company following Matthew Marvin’s advice in “Nailed It! Ten Keys to Crushing the Interview” to prepare for an interview. After going through an extensive interviewing process for one job, whereby he submitted his “out-of-the-box” ideas for change, the company decided to create a unique separate role that took advantage of Michael’s extensive skill set. Michael is now ensconced at CDx Diagnostics as their new Director, Sales Effectiveness & Commercial Training. Congratulations, Michael!