As a finance and operations executive with the same NYC-based company for 30 years, Jane led a comfortable family life in Northern NJ. A wife and mother, Jane was filled with excitement as her son was starting his freshman year at college. But elation slowly turned to panic when Jane’s life took a downward turn. In 2015 Jane’s husband became unemployed, and then in 2016, Jane’s mother became ill, requiring hospitalization and Assisted Living. And then… Jane’s job was eliminated.
Facing unexpected unemployment after having worked steadily for 30 years was something for which Jane was utterly unprepared. Jane had severance and unemployment benefits, but these programs quickly dried up, and the day-to-day rejections were often tough to handle. After navigating the job search process by herself and not achieving her goals, Jane turned to JFCS. Years earlier Jane had been a Meals-on-Wheels volunteer and had remembered that the agency provided other life support services as well.
Through JFCS Re-Launch, Sandra Leshaw met with Jane multiple times to update her resume, ramp up her cover letters and re-tune her interview skills. As a 50+ job seeker, Jane felt like it was an uphill battle to convince potential employers that she was as technologically savvy and agile as younger workers. Sandra provided Jane some “tough love” to get her unstuck and to help her view this juncture in her life through a different lens.
After many ups and downs, Janice landed a new job – a challenging role – at a new company in New York City. Sandra expected Jane’s story would end there, but to her surprise, a few months later, Jane called again.
Her company was expanding, and Jane was starting to build her team. Grateful for the help she received from Re-Launch, and eager for the opportunity to “pay it forward,” Jane wondered if there were any current Re-Launch clients who would be a good fit. As luck would have it, Sandra had just begun coaching a young woman who was seeking just the type of job Jane was offering. After a series of interviews, Jane hired this client, and the two continue to work together.
A fan of Bernard Meltzer, Jane has always passionately felt that “There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and helping to lift someone up.”