Joe Wintsch is a Sales/Marketing/General Management Executive who was seeking a comparable role, preferably without having to relocate.

How did you come to Kelleher?

I was referred by a former Kelleher client who had been a peer associate of mine at the same company.

What was it like to work with Ed?

Very good.   Ed is a warm-hearted person and sympathetic to what his clients are going through.  At the same time, he was diligent as far as keeping me on task and focused on where I wanted to go.

What challenges did you face in your search?

I hadn’t put a resume together for 15 years, had never gone through a transition.  I was hoping that an outplacement service could walk me through each of the processes along the way, from getting a resume generated, to searching for jobs and networking, to suiting me up to go into the first interview after 15 years.  I found the online modules quite helpful.  Before an interview, I’d read the online training as a refresher.

Did you have an opportunity to sign on with any other outplacement firm?

My company gave me $10,000 to select the outplacement service of my choice.   I chose Kelleher  because I had a close associate who recommended Kelleher highly and after meeting Ed I knew that Kelleher would exceed my expectations.

How was Ed most helpful to you in your search process?

Ed was able to walk me through each step.  He helped me determine what I wanted to seek for the next career step and coached me on how I would ask for it.  He helped me know what to expect and how to respond through each step.

How long were you with Kelleher before you landed?

Less than five months.

How was Ed responsive to your needs?

Ed was always very responsive.  A couple of things came up with recruiters and I could count on Ed to advise me on how to proceed.  One of them was for the first job I interviewed for.  It had come down to three candidates and there was an extensive form I had to fill out to show how I would react in certain management situations.  I met with Ed, who said that I was being asked to do a lot of the recruiter’s work in this case but advised me on what to do.

How did working with Kelleher help you expand your network?

Ed sponsored me to join GPSEG, among other things, and I attended three ExecuNet networking meetings.

Would you recommend Kelleher in the future?

Absolutely.

How would you describe your landing experience?

I didn’t want to relocate and there were certain parameters critical to where I wanted to go.  I did land locally.  I had wanted to do one of two things, either  lead  a small to medium organization or go back into a role similar to what I had which was leading a sales department.  I did end up as a Director of Sales.

In the five months that you were with Kelleher, how did your outlook change?

I learned balance.  At my previous job, I had 70 hour weeks – all I did was work.  Going from 70 hours to no hours put a new perspective on things.  Unless you’ve gone through a transition, you can’t appreciate the experience, and I’m more sensitive to people going through the same situation that I did, and I reach out more.  It can be a very difficult time.  There were days when I’d wonder what I was going to do that day.  For the most part, I think I did pretty well, but I saw others in transition who were having a hard time keeping a positive attitude.  Through GPSEG, I was able to sponsor a couple of folks and help them through the transition.  What Ed and others did for me was to help me know what to expect.  For example, Ed would say that I would probably get some quick hits, but it wouldn’t be exactly what I wanted, and that’s exactly what happened.

What would you want to share with others about your experience?

I’d tell them to network, to keep their routine, e.g., I still got up at 6:00 a.m.  And if you find you still have time on your hands, go volunteer.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Ed is a great guy – always available, likes what he’s doing.  He made a difficult time bearable.