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Updated: April 19, 2011 4:53AM

June 1 was a difficult day for Naperville resident Chuck Jamieson.

After years of working as vice president of marketing and consumer sales for a Norfolk, Va.-based company, he was laid off when the economic downtown forced his organization to downsize.

“Last year our company got hit very hard by the recession,” Jamieson said. “During the first half of this year, we had to lay people off and then in the middle of the year, they started laying off executives.”

Originally from Mount Prospect, Jamieson earned a degree in communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and had dreams of hitting it big in radio, television or film production.

“After college, I went to the East Coast and the West Coast, but I didn’t know anyone,” he said. “So I came back to Chicago and fell into marketing after my second job. That was 1983 and I’ve been working in the marketing field ever since.”

Throughout his career, Jamieson worked in marketing roles at Ameritech (now AT&T), General Electric and for a privately owned company that helped nonprofits put on events. His role was to help with the marketing arm of these events, something he found rewarding and enjoyable.

“When you are meeting with an organization that desperately needs money for a cause like breast cancer or suicide awareness, to be able to take what you’ve done for 20 years from a marketing perspective and help them raise awareness is a great thing,” Jamieson said.

What is Jamieson’s dream job?

“I would like to head up a marketing and business development team for a company that assists nonprofit organizations reach their goals,” he said.

In the late ’90s, Jamieson interviewed for a marketing executive role at GE. Dennis S. Roy, a Wilmette resident, was sitting on the other side of the table.

“I met Chuck in the job interview process,” Roy said. “I was looking to hire a marketing director for our group and he fit the bill. As a boss, I look for two qualities in an employee — if they are capable and if I can count on them. He scored extremely high in both dimensions.”

What made Jamieson a great employee?

“He was someone you could always count on to get jobs done well,” Roy said. “He was a good supervisor, great to work with and great to work for.”

After working together for two years, Roy left GE to work for a start-up in California. Today, he is back in the Chicago area.

“Chuck is a very capable marketer, a smart guy and a hard worker,” Roy said. “If I had a position available someday, I would certainly hire him again.”

Would you like to contact Jamieson?

E-mail him at chuckj@wideopenwest.com.

Are you a Naperville-based job seeker interested in being profiled in our “On the Hunt” column? Contact Katie Morell at katie.morell@gmail.com.

Chuck’s Tips

Get organized

“You need to treat your job search like a job,” Jamieson said. “Think of how you operated when you had a job. You might have had a to-do list, for example. Whatever you did when you were successful in a job, you need to transfer that to your job search. You need to have a plan and structure.”

Limit Internet time

“Give yourself 30 minutes in the morning or 30 minutes in the evening to look at e-mails and websites,” he advised. “Try not to sit in front of a computer all day. It is easy to do and oftentimes, you might get distracted. Limit your time in front of the computer as much as possible.”

Be bold

“Don’t hide that you are in transition,” Jamieson said. “Instead, join a network group. You need to get out there. The more you talk to people, the more your network grows.”

Enjoy yourself

“Get out and do things that you enjoy,” he said. “You need to take care of yourself and take a mental break. If you don’t, you can really get down. Also, realize that if someone doesn’t call you back, it isn’t personal. You will get a job. Your job search will come to an end.”

Stay upbeat

“As tough as it might be, you need to stay positive,” Jamieson said. “Sharing your concerns with someone you trust can help.”