From time to time we interview a client or former client about his or her career transition and their experience with Kelleher Associates. 

KAI: Can you give me some insight into your career history? 

Coyle: Since graduating from college in the late 1980s, I've held various management positions in the service industry. I started out in banking, moved to telemarketing, made the switch to automotive, moved to publishing and finally ended up in healthcare. 

I came up through the financial service ranks, cutting my teeth in banking. From there moved to an operational finance role, becoming a director of business planning and analysis. Then I made the leap to become a general manager responsible for running a small start-up business. That business was later purchased by a company based in Ohio that was interested in melding our team's experience with its existing structure. Ultimately they brought our upper-level management to Ohio. 

I made a decision to pursue other opportunities locally in Philadelphia. I was able to source an opportunity as a General Manager for another start-up business in the Philadelphia area, this time in the publishing industry. The company was based out of the United Kingdom and I was responsible for starting up and running the US operations. I spent two and a half years getting its US arm up and running before an organizational realignment was announced. The realignment resulted in the shifting of much of the functional responsibility back to the United Kingdom. 

After being involved in small business and start-up environment, I was looking for an opportunity with a larger organization that would be able to provide opportunity for both my personal and professional growth. I was able to realize that opportunity by taking a position with Aramark in their Healthcare Management Services. 

KAI: Why did you choose to move to a larger company? 

Coyle: Most of my recent experience was rooted in small businesses and start-ups. I found that I had progressed as far as I could in the small business environment, without actually owning a small business myself. In the last two experiences my boss owned the company I worked for. I wanted more overhead for professional growth and I was ready for upward mobility. 

KAI: What is your role at Aramark?

Coyle: It's an evolving role. Aramark, through recent acquisitions, grew a new segment of their service industry in Healthcare Management Services. I was brought in to the team to learn the lines of this new business, preparing me for a leadership position. Like any general management position, the role requires that we keep our customers happy while understanding the impact of our actions on the bottom line. 

KAI: What led you to work with Kelleher? 

Coyle: During the organizational realignment within our company, we decided that the long term strategy called for reorganizing along functional lines. Consistent with this decision was another decision to move from being a geographically separate business in the US to being a single business centralized in the United Kingdom. Essentially my position was eliminated and we made a mutual decision to end the relationship. 

At this point, I began to revisit my network of opportunities and attend networking functions to look for other opportunities that matched my career goals and skills. One of the first functions which I attended was a networking workshop at the American College hosted by Kelleher Associates. It was at that workshop that I met Mitch Wienick. I left feeling like we had connected. I did some background research on the organization and found that a person whom I trusted and looked to for advice had worked with Al Kramer and the team at Kelleher. The team, and Mitch, came highly recommended to me - it was the seal of approval. 

KAI: You've held various roles in a number of different industries. How did Kelleher help you position yourself in the marketplace? 

Coyle: I had a general idea of what I liked and where I excelled. I felt confident with my start-up experience that we could position me as a change agent. What was difficult in my search for a career, was qualifying my specific experience into the skill sets recruiters and headhunters preferred. This is where my relationship with Kelleher really helped. 

Mitch helped me single out specific skills based on my industry experience. Our meetings and discussions gave me the tools and direction for managing my job search. We worked through key messages, ultimately crafting a strong set of skills I could comfortably present. Organization of these ideas helped me confidently position myself in the workplace. 

KAI: What were some of the tactics Kelleher used when working with you?

Coyle: The most effective tactic really wasn't a tactic at all. The most value came from just talking with Mitch. It was what I would best describe as a series of coaching sessions. We would talk about a particular skill or event, and through a series of questions, answers and conversations, we would ultimately drill down to the essence of the event. Conducting these sessions helped to clarify in my mind and on paper the unique selling proposition for my personal marketing campaign. We uncovered items that I could use effectively when presenting myself. 

One tactic that worked well was a specific problems-actions-results exercise. We reviewed the problems I encountered in my past experience, the actions I took to solve the problems, and the results that were generated. 

KAI: What was the value of doing the Problem-Actions-Results exercise? 

Coyle: The value of doing the exercises was to help me single out my common experience throughout my career history. It also brought to the forefront, a number of the talking points that could be used during an interview or a networking meeting. Having gone through this process, it became easier to pick out a story, a situation, or an experience, and speak to my strengths in handling it.

KAI: What were the key benefits you derived from working with Kelleher?

Coyle: First, and foremost, I had a support system. This was crucial. If there was anything I wanted to review or discuss I had a team of supporters at my fingertips. Working in their office environment helped me move my career transition along. 

Having a coach like Mitch as a sounding board was another key benefit. I could walk through any of the steps of my transition, and he would give me constructive feedback and fresh ideas. It was an opportunity to compose my ideas on a positive level, talk them through with a trusted professional, and refine them through constant iteration and improvement. Working with Mitch also provided the language to efficiently present myself to a prospective employer clearly and concisely while capturing my unique experiences. 

KAI: Would you recommend Kelleher's services to others?

Coyle: Absolutely. I think that the team at Kelleher is an incredible group of people. They are an A+ outfit and I would recommend them to anyone going through the career transition process.