Page 6 - Summer 2016

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Herb Conroy, Certified Senior Advisor, owner of CarePatrol of Macomb County and St. Clair.
Reinventing a career: what you can learn from Herb Conroy
What’s the old saying? “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” But what do you when your life takes a path you weren’t planning to follow? If you’re like Herb Conroy, you reinvent yourself and your life.
Five years ago, Oakland County resident Herb Conroy would have told you life
I revamped my resume and learned many new resume techniques. I was surprised to learn that job seekers need to adjust their resume to fit each job description, pulling out key words from the listing and inserting these words into the resume. Most companies use a computer program to sort resumes by key words. By tailoring each resume using those key words, the resume can make it to the next round.
Were you up to speed with technology?
I was comfortable with technology but the social media piece was foreign to me. I took advantage of a three-part LinkedIn class (LinkedIn is a social media site that helps professionals connect and network) and a blogging class offered through JVS and that helped. Now I know just enough to
be dangerous.
What was something you learned that
surprised you?
I attended a networking event and I thought to myself, ‘I don’t want to go to a networking event.’ It wasn’t part of my comfort zone. I wasn’t one to go places where I didn’t know people and strike up conversation with someone I didn’t know. And then there was the stigma of losing my job. Even though I wasn’t worried about it, on the same hand I felt like maybe I failed. So I
drove there with a friend of mine and on the way he asked me to recite my elevator speech. I turned to him and asked what that was. Shows you how naïve I was. So he told me that the elevator speech is 20 to 60 seconds, the length of an elevator ride, and you pitch yourself by briefly explaining your expertise, experience and what makes you unique in that context. I went to JVS for help with my elevator speech.
I realized there were so many people out there just like me doing the same thing. Networking events became a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. Now I attend networking events as time permits. I actually enjoy them.
So how did all of this JVS training
pay off?
I realized a lot of things when I reinvented myself through JVS.
I decided that I’d like to be my own boss. So after a lot of research,
I bought a franchise business. Today,
I look at what I knew before JVS and what I know now and I’m amazed! It is a fabulous organization that truly cares.
Have you been inspired by Herb’s
story and want to see how you could improve your business and job seeking skills? Contact the JVS at 248-559-5000 or visit them online at www.jvsdet.org.
the expert
had finally become comfortable. He and his wife were enjoying the empty nest years, while continuing to work full-time. Herb was in a job he loved as the group marketing manager for
a leading global manufacturer. But this tranquil time didn’t last.
So Herb, what happened?
I was laid off the first week of December. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t surprised. I saw the numbers at work and they weren’t good. I knew the company couldn’t continue without making changes.
You were in your fifties when that happened. What challenges did this present?
Well, I hadn’t done a resume in ten years, and I didn’t know how to put
it together the way resumes are done today. I realized I needed help. I went to JVS in Southfield, a nonprofit organ- ization that offers career development and employment services to residents of Metro Detroit.
Did you find the help you needed?
Yes, JVS was wonderful! I got involved with their Job Seekers program where
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