Somewhat discouraged with her job search, Jean Klehm of Arlington Heights perked up at a recent meeting of Wheeling Township’s Job Club when leader Val Profit injected a strong dose of optimism.
“You aren’t looking for a job; you’re looking for an opportunity,” Profit said. “Life is about choices. Being temporarily unemployed is not terminal. As long as we have breath in our bodies, we can do something about it.”
In its fourth year, Wheeling Township’s free Job Club offers individual employment assistance; support for the unemployed as well as the underemployed; a job bank, which lists area employers who have open positions; group meetings the fourth Thursday of each month; and a Job Fair each fall (last year’s fair attracted 850 job seekers and 47 companies).
The Job Club welcomes people over 50 living within Wheeling Township, which includes Arlington Heights, Mt. Prospect, Prospect Heights, Wheeling and the Cook County portion of Buffalo Grove. According to Profit, Wheeling Township is the only township in the northwest suburbs offering personalized, comprehensive employment services for the 50 and over crowd.
“The Job Club is needed to assist people 50 years of age and older in getting back into the work force,” Profit said. “They say: `Every job always came to me. What do I say? How do I start the process?’ “
According to Profit, other townships may have some type of job listing, but none offers the personalized, comprehensive services such as teaching job readiness skills and resume writing.
As companies continue to downsize, restructure and consolidate, some of those in their 50s and 60s who planned to work for the same company until they retired are now seeking new jobs. Many of these older adults who have already climbed the ladder of success are now afraid of change, afraid of the unknown and may not even know how to write a resume. That’s where the Job Club comes in. Last year, the program helped 453 people find jobs.
The Wheeling Township Job Club was started in 1995. A similar program in Mt. Prospect had ended in 1994 and, knowing there was a need for this type of service, the township decided to start its own. Officials contacted Profit to head the program because of her reputation in the field.
Profit, a Schaumburg resident who has worked as an employment counselor for 13 years, not only runs the Job Club and Job Fair but is also available at the township building every Thursday to provide employment assistance.
“I have a passion for helping people, helping them make a better lifestyle for themselves and their families, helping them feel good about themselves,” Profit said.
Because the majority of people the Job Club works with lost their jobs when companies downsized, they already have marketable skills and a proven track record. They are motivated and ready to go to work. Many of them can just sit down and do the job; training is minimal.
“Some of them who come in feel really downtrodden,” she said. “They say, `What am I going to do now, flip burgers?’ But they leave here feeling good about themselves.”
During a 45-minute individual assessment, Profit talks with clients about what kind of work they did in the past and what they’d like to do now. If the employee was in an outdated position or dying industry, Profit and the client talk about transfer of skills, often something clients may not have thought about.
A half-hour into the interview, Profit often has in mind a suitable position for a client, even if the person has specific requirements such as not being able to stand or wanting to work mornings.
“I keep up to date on the job market,” Profit said. “As soon as I get to the township (office) Thursday morning, I look at the mail and faxes and return calls, so I know what new positions came in.”
Klehm said she recognizes that not being computer literate makes her job search a little harder, but working with Profit has been encouraging.
“Val is a very optimistic person to deal with, and although I’ve gotten a little discouraged, I believe there’s something out there for me that would be challenging,” she said.
Irene Eitermann of Arlington Heights, who accepted a retirement package two years ago, has interviewed with Profit and attended two group meetings. “The club offers a lot of information, and it does have leads,” Eitermann said. “It depends on what you’re looking for.
“I’m fortunate that I don’t have to work, but I thought if I found something interesting, I’d try it.”
Former client Harold Schirmer of Arlington Heights sold real estate for more than 40 years and worked for a bank for 3 1/2 years before he retired in 1991. The 74-year-old came to the Job Club because he and his wife had moved from a house to a condo and he wanted something to do. It took Schirmer only one visit with Profit before he was using his sales skills again employed as a community rep for RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) for Cook and DuPage Counties.
Schirmer puts in about 15 hours a week speaking at schools, hospitals and senior centers to recruit more volunteers for area organizations.
“I’m learning something new,” he said. “At first it was kind of mind-boggling, but I really like it.”
Another way to expose Job Club members to opportunities is through the monthly meetings. New this year, the meetings feature two human resource representatives from area companies who introduce their businesses and talk to members about employment opportunities.
“The nice aspect of the club is that we expose members to positions they otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to, and in a non-threatening environment,” Profit said.
Shirley Grobart, a Schaumburg-based recruiter with Salem Services Inc., a temp agency that offers benefits and free training to employees, was on hand at a recent meeting to talk about the concept of long- and short-term temporary positions.
“The advantage is that we offer the flexibility you need,” Grobart said. “Some seniors work for us in the summer and head to warmer climates in the winter. Our older workers are often our most productive workers. We have an 84-year-old woman retiring from Salem this year who has worked for us since she retired at the age of 72.”
Michelle Kuranty of Bank One’s human resources department spoke to the group about opportunities for mature adults at the bank in Arlington Heights and other locations.
“Service just isn’t the same these days,” Kuranty said. “We look for employees who have a smile on their faces, who like people and who want to greet customers.”
Although Profit provides encouragement and support to members and teaches them how to write a resume and conduct themselves in an interview, she puts the ultimate responsibility for getting a job with the client.
“This is . . . the first day of the rest of your life, and what you do with it is up to you,” she said.
———-
For more information about the Job Club, call 847-259-7730.
