He's hired hundreds, now let him help you find work

PORTLAND, Ore. - One day, while sitting inside St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in northeast Portland, George DeWitz was listening to people complain about the economy when he got an idea.

“I’m listening to what is being said, and nobody is doing anything about it,” said DeWitz, who will turn 82 this month. “They’re talking the talk, but they’re not walking the walk.”

With his job-training background, he knew he could - and should - do something.

"I have this experience and know-how, and I know how to make it work," he said. "I’ve hired people. I’ve trained people. I’ve been a very fortunate person. I’ve made my life very comfortable financially, so I thought, 'Well, you’ve got to do it.' "

What DeWitz did was design a seminar for people looking for work. The seminar, which is free and ongoing, will start Thursday, May 21, at the church, where he has been a member for 20 years.

The seminar will include information on how to look at the hiring process from the employer’s point of view, which DeWitz knows a lot about.

During his 40-year career, he owned an ad agency, two radio stations (KRDR, a country western station in Gresham, and KAAR, an FM country music station in Yakima, Wash.), trained potential job hunters and hired about 600 people.

He also presented numerous job seminars in Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona and Alaska, for people looking for work.

So he understands what employers are looking for.

The importance of packaging

"You have to package yourself, and you have to package yourself properly," DeWitz said.

Case in point: Some years ago, DeWitz was working with a young man who wanted to become a high school principal. The man had the appropriate college education, as well as experience playing college football.

"He had a good background for it, but he wasn’t packaged correctly," DeWitz said. "I told him, 'Listen, you’ve got to get a tailor-made suit because you’re a heavy guy and you look like you’re busting out from that suit. You’ve got to get something that fits you, so when you walk through the door you look pleasant and appealing.' "

DeWitz also advised the young job seeker to revise his resume.

"Your resume talks upfront too much about football," DeWitz told him. "You’d better talk about education."

The young man took DeWitz’s advice and, at his next opportunity, landed a job as a high school principal.

Retired now and living in East Portland, DeWitz is as aware as anyone about the current state of the economy. He’s read about it in the newspaper and heard about it on the TV and radio.

"The financial situation is devastating in this country. You read about it every day. Every day it’s worse," DeWitz said.

That is why he came up with the idea of offering the job seminar, to which anyone looking for work is welcome to attend. Participants do need to bring a copy of their resume and a list of prior jobs.

During the seminar, which will include plenty of individual help, participants will learn how to make a good first impression at a job interview, research a company they want to work for, and make an employer take an interest in them. Seminar participants will go home knowing what to say to a prospective employer and how to anticipate job requirements.

Sharing the abundance

The members of St. Aidan’s aren’t immune to the downturn in the economy.

"I don’t think there a person in the congregation who hasn’t been affected by it, whether they’re scared by all the news they’ve heard or they’ve lost a job or the company they work for has had to cut hours," said the Rev. Scott Dolph, who’s been rector of St. Aidan’s for 14 years. "The financial crisis touches everyone in one way or another."

Though St. Aidan’s isn’t in the position to offer people financial support, by taking part in the seminar, Dolph said, participants "will know that there are people willing to walk down that road with them and trying to show support and give advice. That we have in abundance."

DeWitz’s hope is that seminar participants "take away enough from the seminar to get a job."

On a personal level for DeWitz, especially during difficult times, it was important for him to get involved.

"What the President said is that people should be sharing and helping and giving of their skills and abilities, and that’s what I’m doing," DeWitz said.