Steps to Employment - A Local Good Center Success Story
Meet Magy: a wonderfully charismatic, vivacious, bilingual mother of one who has a big heart for people. She came to see me at our offices when she heard we had opened and were offering Job Readiness services. Magy had been a student of our English as a Second Language Classes and heard about the new services available to ESL students. We took her through the following steps.
Getting a Clearer Picture
“I just don’t know what I want to do, or who will hire me!” she said in our initial intake meeting. After spending some time reviewing her background, skills and giftings, we decided the first thing to do was a strengths assessment.
Having a good understanding of your strengths and weaknesses is an important starting point in the job search journey. It allows you to avoid making mistakes when looking for employment opportunities, because knowing what your strengths are allows you to focus on positions where you are more likely to be successful.
Once we discovered Magy’s work-related strengths and weaknesses, communication style, and preferences, we were able to hone in on some possible careers that might best suit her. Then, we came up with a plan.
Preparing the Resume
From there we moved to the resume make-over.
Resumes are a tool used to introduce yourself to potential employers, detail your qualifications and secure an interview. They help employers to determine eligibility and qualifications for a job. That's why it matters how a resume is structured and what information is included. Employers also use resumes as a script to get a deeper understanding of a candidate during an interview.
Charlene Long, a Local Good Center volunteer and professional recruiter, was able to help give Magy a personalized review of her resume. Charlene met with Magy to discuss her goals, experience, and education. Together, they worked to come up with a compelling new look and format to achieve those goals.
Coaching Toward Success
Next, Magy needed some encouragement and direction. Armed with a newfound confidence, focus, and a new resume, she was ready to find open positions in her desired area of employment. With some networking and further coaching, Magy went on several interviews. After receiving an offer, she decided to accept a position in a school.
During Magy’s initial meeting with our Local Good Job Readiness staff, she shared her hopes for what kind of a job she’d like to find but wasn’t sure she had the experience or knew in which direction to focus her search. Through several coaching sessions, Magy was able to get clarity on jobs she would be qualified for and industries she might find a good match for her skills and experience.
With that clarity, LGC was able to share our network of employers and make some referrals for informational interviews and connections with hiring managers. She was now ready to embark on her job search armed with confidence, encouragement, and clarity. It didn’t take long for her to secure several interviews and soon receive an offer of employment.
Afterward, she shared her excitement with the Local Good Center team, exclaiming, “It was so amazing to hear the words from the hiring manager, ‘You are perfect for this job!’ Thank you, Local Good Center, for all you have done for me!“
Increasing Skills
Magy is looking forward to starting her new role and continues to use the services offered at the Local Good Center to increase her job skills. She is currently attending our Excel Class and will expand her learning of the Google Suite of products.
We couldn’t be more pleased for our friend Magy and look forward to opportunities to help others prepare to step into new employment opportunities.
The Local Good Center Job Readiness Program helps train, coach, and empower individuals to advocate for themselves in the employment arena. Our services are available to our program participants and referrals from our community partner organizations.
Interested in volunteering with the Job Readiness Program? Find more information at www.localgoodcenter.org, or contact Maya Quinn at mquinn@localgoodcenter.org.