Unemployed executives find support

In his 25-year career, Mark Freund of Sparks had interviewed for jobs exactly twice and the last time was a long time ago.

So the 52-year-old expert in geographic information systems was adrift after he was laid off last autumn. He wasn't certain how to search for a job in today's environment, and his confidence was shot.

Freund is part of a growing cadre of laid-off professionals along with their underemployed compatriots who have turned to ProNet, a nonprofit networking association that helps them get back into the job market.

The organization these days numbers more than 120 in Reno, and participants are staying with the program longer than past years as available jobs have dried up.

Pieter Droog, ProNet's branch manager in Reno, says the recession has struck particularly hard at middle managers and professional staff.

Companies that are unwilling to cut too deeply into the production-level workforce that generates revenues instead look to trim the middle management ranks and shift some of those workers' duties upstairs into the executive suite.

Typically, Droog says, the unemployment rate for professionals and managers runs 1.5 times higher than the core unemployment rate during economic downturns.

That means, he says, the jobless rate among executives and professionals in northern Nevada these days is probably close to 18 percent.

Whatever the reason for their job loss, newly unemployed managers and professionals face a combination of psychological and practical issues. ProNet deals with both.

After job loss, unemployed workers generally go through a grieving process, complete with denial, anger and depression.

"You need to be engaged in life," says Gregory Wimmer, an unemployed accountant who serves as the president of ProNet members at least until tomorrow, when he hopes to land a job.

Wimmer, who was a ProNet member a decade ago after an earlier job loss, says members become a strong source of networking and encouragement for one another.

They share tips on job leads. They conduct mock interviews with one another in preparation for the real thing. They share stories of anger and grief. They celebrate successes.

"It's the ProNet edge," Wimmer says.

Each member commits to at least four hours of volunteer work a week with ProNet in jobs that range from information technology to marketing.

That work is particularly important to out-of-work executives whose self-esteem depends on their accomplishments, says Droog. And those accomplishments, in turn, show potential employers that the executives have put their time out of work to good use.

Wimmer says, too, that ProNet members often use their volunteer time with the group to develop new workplace skills and interests.

The group also hooks its members into other workforce training. Wimmer, for instance, has undertaken training in advanced management and in entrepreneurship in preparation for his next job.

Even the organization's interview-ready dress code shirt and tie for men, business apparel for women was developed to keep members engaged in the world of business rather than slipping into a life of sweatpants and fuzzy slippers.

Weekly classes build the job-search skills of ProNet members and deal with other issues as well.

Members learn how to use social media in their job search, and they get detailed training in creation of resumes. At one recent class, a real estate expert talked about foreclosure, short sales and other options that face an out-of-work executive who struggles to make payments on a home mortgage.

To jump-start members' search for new jobs, ProNet posts mini-bios of its members on its Web site (www.pronetreno.com) and encourages employers to give the site a quick look when they have openings. If employers see an interesting candidate, ProNet provides a full resume in a service that's free for employers and workers alike.

The mini-bios, Droog says, often are staying on the ProNet site longer than ever before.

In previous years, he says ProNet members typically found work within six weeks. Today, the search is likely to take several months.

And unlike previous downturns that centered on one industry group or another mining geologists in the late 1990s, information technology executives in 2002 the current downturn cuts across industries and job classifications.

Another difference this time around: ProNet is seeing more laid-off professionals and managers in their 30s than ever before.

ProNet' parent organization is the nonprofit JOIN Job Opportunities in Nevada which receives federal funding through Nevadaworks.