2 minute read
Never too old to start a new future
“Who is going to want to hire somebody at 55?”
That was one of the first thoughts that popped into Nancy Speck’s mind after she was forced to choose between taking an early retirement or relocating for work several hours away. For the last 32 years the 1993 Clinton Community College graduate had been working for Xerox, servicing machines throughout the Eastern Iowa area, including at Clinton Community College. Since she was too young to actually retire, she knew taking the early out would mean finding another job to keep insurance coverage.
One day while working on a copy machine at CCC, she told an employee about her predicament. She had decided to take the early out and needed to start the job search, but didn’t know where to start. Luckily, she was in the right place to get some help. She was instantly introduced to Rob Schadt, CCC’s Career Services Advisor. “We helped her polish up her resume, look for jobs and then practice interviewing,” Schadt said. “It was great, he was excellent. He told me to write down what I did for Xerox and he took that and made it into an excellent resume. I would even hire myself!” Speck said with a laugh. “My husband said I would hire you, too! Rob was able to put those keywords in there. I was stunned.” With her impressive resume in hand, Speck landed a job in no time. She began work as an admissions clerk at the local hospital, which is just a five-minute walk from her house. She said after working the front desk in the emergency room proved to be emotionally challenging, she called on Schadt again to help her tailor her resume for another job opening in the hospital’s kitchen. Once again, her interview skills and polished resume helped her land a job working as a cook. “Without Rob I would not have been where I am today,” she said. Schadt said Speck had all of the right pieces to be successful in the job search. He just helped her bring them together. “Nancy is fantastic! She was one of the first job seekers I assisted after beginning in my role with EICC Career Services. She had amazing transferrable skills, and it really was just a matter of helping her realize her own potential!” he said.
For Schadt’s Top Five Job Search Tips!
