Sean McCaffrey Revealed
My name is Sean McCaffrey, and I decided to venture out on my own as an employment coach at the beginning of the year. There were two driving influences:
- The initial prompting was the lack of assistance available to help skilled and unemployed professionals get back into the workforce.
- A mentor I closely work with asked me when I was going to stop complaining about it and fill this gap.
In my most recent “job” as an employee, I spearheaded a workforce development program helping the unemployed of our community position themselves for employment. In my front row seat, I saw first hand what was really missing in the trenches of re-employment training.
In that position, I created a curriculum of relevant workshops enhancing soft skill development, computer skills, personal branding, etc. and initiated partnerships with the business community. It did not take long to recognize this was my true passion. Shortly thereafter, I also realized that I would not be able to provide top-flight services to the unemployed from my position within an agency. With that in mind, I strapped on my parachute, took my mentor’s advice and leapt out on my own.
I am uniquely qualified because I have been on all sides of the table. As a traditional employee, I have had jobs from middle management to upper management in a wide variety of industries. This experience included the construction industry and financial services. Then I moved into both the education and non-profit arenas.
Before leading the workforce development program, I worked in higher education as the Director of Graduate Services for a local career college. When I took over the department, their performance metrics were hanging significantly below the national standards. Using a specific and detailed three-month game plan, my team and I worked hard to raise the bar, helping graduates and alumni get hired within their field.
One of our major focuses, and in turn successes, was linking the degree and certificate programs with the corresponding sectors of the local business community. In addition, I identified what each employer was looking for in potential candidates. This allowed us to be more detailed, accurate, and appropriate in matching jobs for graduate/alumnus within each individual employment opportunity.
Through this specific and targeted effort, we strengthened our business and community relationships, and the career college became a significant business partner in tune with the needs of the community. This job helped me gain valuable experience as a recruiter, and it allowed me to discover what both the potential employer and potential employee look to gain from one another.
As a traditional employee, I have had more than my share of jobs. Some were a great fit, while others proved less fulfilling. With the positions I have had the privilege of filling, more than half came to me through personal relationships. The balance I learned of through recruiters- two of which were via online job postings.
There has only been one instance of interviewing for a position, where I was not offered the job. Suffice to say, I have had incredible success in earning employment. For me, it was never important for me to have one employer or one career. I enjoy learning and trying new things.
Because of my financial success, I have had the luxury of being able to dabble a little bit. This knowledge and job experience continues to help me as an employment coach. From helping clients’ better position for employment opportunities to better understanding work dynamics and other subtleties on the job, this decision to help others has been more rewarding than I ever anticipated.
As far as formal education, I have a Bachelors Degree in History followed by a Masters Degree in Business Administration. No doubt about it, having these academic degrees has created opportunities for me. However, I have come to believe that one’s academic background is just one single component of their self, experience, and employment package. And unless your profession is technical by nature, this component can be overstated.
Treating everyone with the same level of respect, building relationships and continuously learning are just as important. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and helping you get the job you are most uniquely suited for.
Sincerely,
Sean McCaffrey
Employment Coach
