Donald Trexler, an experienced professional in the insurance industry, recently experienced a rapid transition in his career.  In July, Donald took on his new role as Claims Manager for Dearborn National, and relocated to the Dallas area.

Why did you choose Kelleher Associates for your recent transition?

When my position at Penn Mutual was eliminated, part of my separation package was outplacement services.  I’ve had previous experiences with outplacement firms, but working with Kelleher was completely different.  The entire process took two months to the day I started working with Kelleher, a very quick turnaround. 

Can you share some of the process you went through with Kelleher?

An opportunity opened up quickly for me, so my coach, Sandra Ford, took a non-traditional process.  First, Sandra helped me prepare for my telephone and face-to-face interviews and updated my resume, then we worked on ways to tell my story.  Things moved quickly for me right from the start, and Sandra helped me focus on the tasks at hand, remaining positive.  Because I had some strict personal timetables, I became anxious at times.  Sandra helped me keep things in perspective, ensuring that I did not get off task.  She always took the time either with a timely phone call or an e-mail or a face-to-face meeting.

What differences did you find with Kelleher that you might not have experienced in your earlier outplacement program?

Probably the single most important take-away was an area I found really unique, the personal board of directors.  Kelleher encourages you to find a team of mentors in your life and career, your own personal board of directors, who can give you an honest assessment of your past performances, a fresh perspective of your resume and your objectives.  I tapped into my personal board of directors as much as I could to shape my search and keep me focused on the things I needed to do to find a new position. 

Kelleher also emphasizes the value of networking.  Networking has to be a lifelong commitment, it has to be nurtured.  I had never really worked at it before, but Kelleher’s approach had me going back over my life and career to make connections I hadn’t thought of before, and to pursue contacts with former colleagues, friends and new people.  Recently I was able to share some contacts with a former co-worker to help him get started.

You transitioned quickly.  How is it going?

Dearborn National is a major player in group insurance products.  There are obviously a lot of similarities to my old job.  However, I’ll now have responsibility for group disability insurance claim processing, which is a different product line for me. Additionally there is a new set of corporate objectives and policies to put in place.  Dearborn National is going through some significant organizational changes right now, which is one of the reasons this position was so attractive to me.  There is new leadership in place and part of my role is to help facilitate process and personnel changes in this division.  I’m experiencing personal and professional changes, which gives me credibility within the organization when I’m working with my new colleagues.  They know I understand the pain of change and necessity of change, and I am truly enjoying the challenge.