The Lifes Journey of a Global Job Search Coach
Hi Everyone}, - Ken Zwerdling Here – Founder and CEO of Global Expansion. I’m really excited about our ability to help people find jobs around the world and to truly transform lives. It has been an incredible journey for me. Personally, professionally, spiritually, physically and emotionally.
I have gone through phenomenal periods of growth coming out of excruciating periods of tragedy and heartbreak. In the past 3 years my 23 year marriage ended. As a result, I endured tremendous physical, financial and psychological trauma, fell into a deep and dark depression. Shortly thereafter, my mother passed away, I was out of work, my good friend was shot and killed in a senseless tragedy, and my best friend of 53 years died after a struggle with stage 4 liver cancer. (we went to 1st grade together)
It is very difficult to come back from any of these traumas let alone all of them in such a short period of time. All of this has caused me to look at the world differently. To walk through life with compassion, empathy and to be on a mission to help others during a very important period in their life – finding a new job.
I wanted to create this article today to let you know a little more about me, my background and how I came to be a Global Career Job Search Coach.
I was born in New York City (The Bronx), grew up on Long Island and graduated college from the State University of New York (near Buffalo), I spent the first 15 years of my career working in Manhattan in Accounting and Finance, taking two trains and a subway to get to work every day.
My first job in 1984 was at Goldman Sachs as a Travel and Entertainment Accountant. I then worked as a Financial Analyst for a Publishing Company, a Financial Controller for a Global Architecture and Engineering company and then a Manager of Finance for a Transportation and Logistics company in Miami, FL. It was during that time that I went back to school and earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) in Finance and Entrepreneurship taking 2.5 years to complete as I was working a full time position.
About 25 years ago I started my first of what is now my 4th company. It was a Management Consulting firm called New VentureZ Business Solutions, where I wrote business and strategic plans for startup companies, helped raise capital and then put the structure in place to start and grow companies from an idea.
During my 6 years running this company, I wrote over 100 business plans and was exposed to hundreds of different industries, revenue models, technology and human resource structures.
My second company, Foreign Translations, Inc., was started out of a spare room in my home in Fort Lauderdale, FL. It was a language translation company providing translation and interpreting services for companies around the world along with the United States Government during both Gulf Wars. Over 15 years, I grew it to over 3000 translators in 50 countries and ultimately sold the company.
My 3rd company was called Foreign Staffing, Inc. and we were a Global Staffing and Recruiting firm recruiting locally in over 100 countries. From Supply Chain and Logistics Professionals in Brazil to Mechanical Engineers in Paris, to University Presidents in South Africa, to Computer Programmers in China. I once recruited a Chief Technology Officer in Siberia, Russia. After 6 years of running the company, I decided to close down the business.
It was then that I decided to take a break from entrepreneurship, and I went to work as the Director of Human Resources and Technology for a local (South Carolina) non-profit. However, after a year of working there, I realized that I couldn’t work for anyone else after being an entrepreneur. So, it was then that I realized what I wanted my 4th and current company to be.
After personally going on over 100 interviews, hiring hundreds more and placing hundreds more around the world as a global recruiter, along with reviewing over 500,000 resumes, I decided what I wanted to do… Help others around the world with their Careers and Job Search. In the past 2 years I have help 101 people, one on one find work around the world.
On a daily basis, I interact with job seekers of different races, religions, ages, philosophies, economic backgrounds and living under a variety of political and oppressive regimes. I have learned to be optimistic and gained a great deal of confidence in the ability to bounce back from adversity. We are living in very difficult times. There are assaults on our very way of life (Health, Economic, the Rule of Law, Education). During my journey back, I had help from my two best friends that have since passed away. I sometimes forget that they are not here anymore and want to reach out to talk to them. I want to be there for others as others have been there for me. Career and Job Search is what I do. It’s the only thing I do. It’s the world I live in and I do it very well.
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