Friday, July 30, 2010

“Hard work pays off for Naperville job seeker”

“Hard work pays off for Naperville job seeker”

Hard work pays off for Naperville job seeker

Posted: 30 Jul 2010 02:16 AM PDT

July 30, 2010

By KATIE MORELL For Sun-Times Media

Naperville resident David Weinstein is the poster boy for job seekers. After 27 years at General Motors, he was let go in May 2009, a mere 11 months before retirement. Around the same time, his pet died and his dad had a heart attack. To the outside world, things couldn't have been worse for Weinstein. But through it all, he stayed positive and worked his hardest at landing another job.

"As part of the separation agreement, GM sponsored me an in out-placement program," he said. "I hadn't looked for a job in almost 30 years. The experts in this program taught me to be methodical about my job search. They explained that my job now was getting a job.

"I took that information and worked 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day at job searching."
Weinstein frequented job clubs and most enjoyed passing out his hand bill (i.e. description of his skills and his career goals).
"We sat around a table and passed our hand bills," he said. "We would take a copy from the other people at the table, and if a job came up that would fit one of them, we would let them know. We looked out for each other."

Weinstein also joined an accountability group that met every Monday.

"We would go around the table and talk about what we'd done in the last week," he said. "We would discuss our frustrations, our successes, and give support and advice. It was nice to hear other people going through the same thing."

In February, Weinstein landed a temporary position as a sales coach. The job only lasted three months, but his short-term success motivated him to teach others how to search more effectively.

"I landed my job in a methodical way, so I was asked to speak at the Lisle Township Job Club," he said. "Then I was asked to speak at the Naperville Community Career Center's annual fundraiser."

At each event, Weinstein gave attendees job search tips and positive words of wisdom. His presentations became so popular that, to date, he's spoken more than 12 times in front of a variety of church groups and transition clubs.

"Dave is a great guy," said Joy Maguire-Dooley, director of the Lisle Township Job Club. "He is always so upbeat and positive. He is a great relationship builder and is always thinking of the other guy."

After three months as a sales coach, Weinstein was back on the job market. Even so, he continued giving presentations and networking, never giving up.

"After every networking meeting, if I met 40 people, I would walk away with plans to meet at least two people for coffee," he said. "I am also really involved in LinkedIn. I have almost 900 connections. Everybody I met, if I thought they were serious about their job search, I would send them a LinkedIn invitation."

Weinstein soon took his love for LinkedIn to the next level.

"I call myself the 'LinkedIn lunatic,'" he said. "I would tell groups that if someone needed me to spend one hour tuning up their LinkedIn profile, I would meet them for coffee. I would do it for free; I just told them that they had to buy me a cup of coffee.

"I met 125 people in nine months. It was my way of giving back."

The Ultimate 'Link'
Weinstein's work paid off in late May.
"LinkedIn recommended I connect with a guy I had known from GM," he said. "I connected with him and found out that he is the regional vice president for Nissan. He told me that someone had just left and they were looking for someone highly experienced."

It was the perfect fit. Weinstein landed the job just 32 days after making the initial LinkedIn connection.

"They wanted me, and I wanted them," he said, adding that his first day was June 28.

Although he has a job, Weinstein still gives back to job seekers by offering LinkedIn training and giving job tip presentations.

Advice
Weinstein said those looking for a job need to have "blind faith that they will land eventually." He also advises seekers to keep their heads up, no matter what.
"If you go moping into an interview, will they hire you or will they hire the person that comes in dancing after you?" he asks.

He also recommends turning to religious faith.

"There are a lot of people that turn to spirituality," he said. "I am not a very religious person, but I went to synagogue for the first time in a while and two weeks later got a job."

For Weinstein's job tips and job club resources, visit him on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/davidjosephweinstein

If you are a Naperville job seeker and would like to be profiled, contact Katie Morell at katie.morell@gmail.com.

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