Welcome to My Website
I’ve worked as a writer since falling in love with poetry in seventh grade—not surprising as I come from a family of writers. This past year has been really exciting as I’ve integrated two major aspects of my life: writing and my work as a career or outplacement counselor. The piece that brings these two together is “The Book of Henry”. Check out his page for more details and a sample lesson. In addition, I write short fiction and give workshops in creative writing and readings of my work. You can hear samples of a few of my stories by clicking on “Short Fiction.” I hope you find this site helpful and fun, and please sign up on the Contact Me page if you’d like updates. My favorite quote is from Goethe, “Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin in. Action has magic, grace and power in it.” |
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The Book of Henry:
Lessons From an Optimistic Cat On Career Crisis, or, What To Do When Your Company Dumps You Out With the Trash! |
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If you combined the fable “Who Moved My Cheese?” with the fact-filled and immensely popular “What Color Is Your  Parachute?”, and added a cat’s perspective, you’d have “The Book of Henry.” Like the Cheese book, this is a story—a tale of loss, courage and change. And mirroring “Parachute,” “The Book of Henry” is full of practical advice on the emotional aspects of career crisis. This is not a how-to-write-a-winning-resume book, but rather a map or guide to help you through the ups and downs of job loss. It could be your best companion in the erratic and often discouraging search process, as it’s touching, funny and down-to-earth. Read more about “The Book of Henry”. |
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| Explore My Website |
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Short Fiction Jean reads excerpts from a few of her published short stories. |
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Jean's Blog Her thoughts on the creative process for writing and job searching. Questions and comments welcome. |
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Meet Jean Baur
 After majoring in English at Lake Forest College, Jean began her career counseling military personnel while also working as a freelance writer. She wrote for Time/Life Books, McGraw Hill and several other publishers. In the early 80’s, Jean joined Communispond, a corporate communications training firm, and taught Business Writing and Presentation Skills to middle and senior management. 
After moving to Pennsylvania in 1988, Jean continued her work as a writer -- this time with Educational Testing Service. She helped ETS publicize critical work on changes to the teacher’s exam and new instructional programs. At the same time, she had stories published in a wide range of literary journals and started winning awards for her short fiction. Her titles include “How to Love a Fat Man,” and “The Madwoman's Revenge.” See short fiction for more details and audio selections.
In 1994, Jean began her formal work in the outplacement industry and not only counsels clients throughout the job search process, but also creates seminars to enhance their skills. She is currently a Senior Consultant with Lee Hecht Harrison and also works as an executive coach.
Jean’s trademark is her energy, humor and creativity. An excellent listener, she partners with clients to create strategies that will help them reach their goals. She is currently at work on a book that brings her writing and counseling together—a book of lessons on how to survive job loss. See “ The Book of Henry” link for more details. |
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| Giving Back |
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| Jean is an active member of the ONE Campaign, a nonpartisan effort to combat extreme poverty and AIDS, and donates part of her income to their work. For more information see www.one.org. She is also involved with Kiva, an organization that makes loans to small businesses in developing countries. This is micro-lending on a personal basis. See www.kiva.org for details. |
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