George Schonewolf

by Lizzie Stricklin

What does it take to find the perfect career? Career management professional George Schonewolf devotes himself to teaching others exactly how to do so. In fact, helping others secure their ideal careers is exactly the career Schonewolf always wanted.

“Empowering to land new, full-time positions in this new economy is something that I’m extremely passionate about,” said Schonewolf. “It’s something that motivates me and I wanted to find another way that I could give back to society in terms of broadening my outreach.”

Having been a career management professional for 28 years, Schonewolf is the founder of Career Directions, a career assistance firm in Huntingdon Valley. When the opportunity arose to create a new career help group, he felt it was his calling to help others secure their ideal careers. In 2013 he created the Career Networking Group, which meets at the William Jeanes Memorial Library in Lafayette Hill every Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. Providing information on job opportunities and training group members in the skills necessary to secure full-time positions, the group quickly outgrew its original location as it became more popular.

“Being in transition, being unemployed, can be very frustrating – can even be somewhat depressing at times – and to be able to at least get up one day a week and come out to a meeting does an awful lot to keeping the individual positive,” Schonewolf said. “It provides them with the support and the networking and the information they need. And I’m happy to say that in the three years this September that I’ve been the director, organizer, and event host for this group, 30+ individuals who have come to the meetings have landed full-time positions.”

The meetings consist of providing time for group members to network with one another and share information regarding job opportunities and upcoming job fairs. Schonewolf also brings in at least two guest speakers a month to speak to the group. When there is not a guest speaker for a meeting, Schonewolf creates a presentation for the group. One of the topics he focuses the most on is networking.

“I have a saying that, in terms of networking, they should continue to network until they either die or retire, whatever comes first!” he said, laughing. “That’s how vital it is.”

During meetings, Schonewolf guides through different networking exercises. They also work on creating resumes, prepare elevator speech, and even do mock interviews – which, according to group member Jo Ann Walborn, are extremely helpful.

“He does something called mock interviews where he’ll videotape you,” she said. “I can see what I look like and how I present myself in a practice environment. Practice is so important.”

Having returned to the group after taking a seasonal job in the fall, Walborn hopes the group will help her secure a job in marketing or advertising, a field in which she has considerable experience.

“I’ve been learning a lot from George and his presentations and building skills, but I think it’s going to be a little challenge for me because of my age,” she added. “I’m not a young person anymore, and I’ve been out of the business, so I need to brush up on skill sets, like social media – and the industry’s changed, I’m sure, quite a bit since I’ve left.”

Although the majority of the Career Networking Group’s members are unemployed or in transition, some are also underemployed – working part-time jobs while they look for more full-time positions – or professionals looking for a career change. Group members range between young and old, with varying levels of experience in the job market.

According to Schonewolf, a group like this is necessary to keep many unemployed individuals motivated. He also reminds group members to take care of themselves while they are unemployed, saying that it heavily affects their job search.

“If they’re not taking care of themselves, then the message that they’re going to communicate nonverbally would not be a desirable message and certainly will further augment their level of frustration,” he explained. “And since 93 percent of all communication in any one-on-one meeting is nonverbal, if an individual is not taking care of themselves, and allowing themselves to get depressed, frustrated, because of being in transition and job searching, then it’s going to negatively impact the message they’re going to be putting out for others. And that invariably is going to work against them.”

Walborn has found the group helpful and encouraging while she has been a member. She specified that the most valuable aspects of the group meetings are Schonewolf’s informative presentations and the skills he teaches.

“It’s very inspiring and it’s very motivating,” she said, “and especially when you’re discouraged with your job search, it’s an excellent way to get out and be with people and to get support.”

As she looks toward the future, having just started a new job, Walborn advises fellow job hunters to “get out and meet people,” “join groups or associations,” “read industry publications,” and “get together with hiring managers to find out about the industry.”

“It’s not always easy,” Schonewolf admitted, but securing the perfect career is not impossible. With a group as supportive and informative as Schonewolf’s Career Networking Group, the path for unemployed individuals to an ideal profession not only is possible but reachable – as long as they take it one step at a time.

For more information about the Career Networking Group, please contact George Schonewolf at careercounselor1@comcast.net.