Video conference: Career Transition Advice, Working with a Recruiter and Understanding Unemployment Benefits

Terrill A. Wilkins, Lynn Hazan and Nicole A. Meyerson

The coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic has hit newsrooms particularly hard as uncertain financial times threaten the future of journalism.

To make sure our community has all the best information, we held a video conference about career transitions, working with a recruiter and updating your LinkedIn profile and personal branding. We also talked about unemployment benefits and understanding severance packages.

Watch the video below:

Panelists included:

Terrill A. Wilkins (employment attorney) is a partner with the Chicago law firm of Abrahamson Vorachek & Rdzanek. Terrill counsels employees in a variety of private-sector matters, including employment disputes involving workplace discrimination and harassment, family and medical leave, disability accommodations, retaliatory discharge, contract disputes, and employee benefits and executive compensation. Terrill has represented employees before the federal, state, and local employment law enforcement agencies (EEOC, IDHR, CCHR), as well as in federal court litigation. He has also represented numerous employees in both private and court or agency-led mediations.

Lynn Hazan (recruiter) has worked as an executive recruiter for 35 years. She specializes in communications, marketing and consulting searches for clients throughout the U.S., with a special emphasis on the Chicago area and Midwest. She is the president of Lynn Hazan & Associates, Inc. and her philosophy as a recruiter represents what she calls “relationship marketing.” She maintains long-term relationships with both clients and candidates to ensure successful placements. Her clients are Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial companies, PR and advertising agencies, trade associations and not for profits. Clients represent companies in technology, consulting, publishing, advertising and many other industries.

Nicole A. Meyerson (marketing consultant) has spent 11 years telling stories. She started as a journalist writing featured obituaries for the Orlando Sentinel, then moved to Chicago for a career in digital marketing. She’s built marketing campaigns from the ground up for Google and Groupon, and cultivated online communities for startups. Now, as a marketing consultant, she works with women-owned and purpose-driven businesses. Having changed industries a few times, Nicole knows how to rebrand herself – and how to get a recruiter’s attention. She’s created businesses to develop new skills and grow her network, and thrives off constant self-improvement. One of her favorite services to provide as a consultant is defining – or redefining – someone’s personal brand.