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February 2003
Nancy Hunter was just about to start her new job, as Vice President of Technology Program Management at Bank One (Wilmington, DE) when we spoke with her. Nancy came to Kelleher Associates in September 2002, after she was "downsized" from her position at Intracorp, the Managed Healthcare division of CIGNA. Nancy is a veteran project manager with expertise in IT. She was with CIGNA for four-and-a-half years; previously, Nancy spent 12 years with CoreStates Bank.
KAI: Congratulations on your new job. What will you be doing?
Nancy: I start my new position as the Vice President of Technology Program Management/Middleware on Monday, February 3 at Bank One in Wilmington, Delaware. I came out of technology, where I used to manage a tech team, and I have experience in project management, so this position marries the two, and is truly a wonderful match.
KAI: Can you tell us a little bit about your career history?
Nancy: I was most recently the Director of the Strategic Project Office at Intracorp, which is the Managed Healthcare division of CIGNA in Philadelphia. I had been in that position for 18 months, and as their business project manager I was responsible for the top 25 projects throughout the organization. I had previously been a Senior Project Manager with Intracorp, and before that a Project Manager at CIGNA. I joined CIGNA after 12 years at CoreStates Bank.
KAI: When did you start working with Kelleher Associates?
Nancy: I started visiting them in September, but my last official day on the job at Intracorp was October 11.
KAI: Was this your first experience in working with an outplacement situation?
Nancy: No, not at all. I left CoreStates when it was bought by First Union, and they downsized. They used Manchester for their outplacement services, and I felt like a mere number. They didn't remember my name from week to week, and I don't think I ever saw the same person twice. Nobody had a personal interest in me. There was a stark difference when I worked with Kelleher Associates. Intracorp made an agreement with me to provide executive outplacement services, but I could choose where I went. I could have gone back to Manchester, or Right Associates, but someone I worked with at both CoreStates and CIGNA recommended Kelleher Associates from their experiences. I was told that it was small, a boutique, and that I wouldn't feel like a number. I met the team at Kelleher Associates, and felt right away that they would take the time to get to know me. While it's small, they are quite professional, very knowledgeable, and have a lot of contacts and gave me a lot of one-on-one counseling that I never had before.
KAI: What were some of the things they worked on with you?
Nancy: They worked with me on my strengths, and what I needed to improve upon, before we even got to my resume. They emphasized with me that it wasn't just about getting a job, but getting the right job - they assured me that I would be able to feed my family! I wasn't in a complete panic - we had saved enough for six months of mortgage payments, and I had known for a few weeks that I was going to be downsized. We worked on interviewing techniques, and taped those sessions. It was funny, because everyone knew I hate to be photographed or videotaped. Ed Kelleher was interviewing me, and he had the camera going and I never even knew it. I saw myself in the interview process and learned a lot. Interviewing was always something I enjoyed doing, so that part of the process was a pleasantry. We went through a number of iterations of my resume. We then went through a list of my references, and sent the resume to those references asking for their feedback. We got a lot of wonderful feedback from them. Then I began to apply for jobs, after targeting industries that I wanted to be in, like IT, banking or healthcare. I also wanted to stay in the Philadelphia area. I gathered a lot of contacts by networking. I always had homework to do - I would go in to their offices, and had assignments that kept me busy. There was no time to wallow; I had specific things that I had to accomplish. It's to your benefit to keep moving. We did the Myers-Briggs test, and I created my "elevator speech."
KAI: What did you learn towards the end of this process?
Nancy: You need to have that elevator speech ready, because you never know who your next contact will be. My networking included practice with other Kelleher Associates clients in their regular Tuesday networking meetings. Those are wonderful, informal sessions. Maybe you heard something in your travels that could help someone else - it was a good time to share information. I also went to the ExecuNet meetings. I found those very good opportunities to network, met some good contacts, and even started going to ExecuNet meetings in Wilmington.
KAI:
How did you get your new position at Bank One?
Nancy: Networking is what landed me my position. I tracked down a colleague that I used to work with in the past at both CoreStates and at CIGNA, who is now at Bank One. He offered to put my name in the mix for two different positions there. Between early November and January 13, I spoke to over 20 people at Bank One. It was a long process, but in the end the management decided that the position they offered me was one in which I would make an impact on the company. It was very flattering - I ended up being offered a lot more money, getting the same vacation time, and a wonderful commute. It was a total win-win situation. At the time, I had more than one offer, and didn't burn that bridge, either - I went back to the other company and told them what I was going to do. I'm ready to work, and I've been doing some things already so that I can hit the ground running when I start on Monday. The people at Kelleher Associates were incredibly positive at a difficult time in my life, and kept me focused. They got me moving; if I hadn't started looking when I did - I interviewed all through the holidays, when most people say nobody is hiring - I would have missed this great opportunity.
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