In February the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired - Goodwill Industries of Greater Rochester, Inc. was looking to quickly fill a position that they had not completely fleshed out.

When Erin VanDamme, Business Services Representative at RochesterWorks, got the order she remembers ABVI-Goodwill wanted to start interviewing as soon as humanly possible.

Initially the non-profit was looking for someone familiar with their software and payroll programs but "there was not enough time to find that person," VanDamme says.

From RochesterWorks!' job seeker pool, June Mitchell stood out. "When I looked at her resume, June had a lot of HR software management," VanDamme says.

Mitchell, who had been laid off from Xerox in 2002, was then in her eighth month of looking for full time employment. With a Bachelor's degree in business management, 10 years of information management experience at Xerox, and work as an HR information systems coordinator at Frontier, a Citizens Communications Co., Mitchell's background looked promising.

VanDamme felt Mitchell could quickly be trained on the ABVI-Goodwill HR system and she strongly encouraged the organization to consider Mitchell. She also spent more than an hour on a conference call with ABVI-Goodwill representatives to help them weigh the opportunity.

"Erin understood what we were looking for," says Jennifer Suppe, Human Resources Generalist at ABVI-Goodwill. "(Mitchell) fit the bill."

Just days after posting the job, Mitchell was hired as an ABVI-Goodwill HR specialist and is now part of Suppe's team. "She works well within the organization."

For years Suppe has posted job opportunities with RochesterWorks! and calls the organization "very responsive." She started using RochesterWorks! more when VanDamme came aboard because the two had built up trust when they worked together in the past at different organizations. That background helped save a lot of time in this hire.

Mitchell credits RochesterWorks! with helping her learn how to get her foot in the door and who to contact. "I would not have found this current position if it weren't for Rochester Works!"

The ex-Xeroxer found herself in a tight and very competitive job market. "The interview process is becoming more complex. Hiring mangers and HR departments are following stricter new hiring guidelines ... and being more selective in their process," Mitchell says.

She attended one of RochesterWorks! job club meetings. The clubs have around seven job seekers who help each other with advice, feedback, emotional support, and sharing contact information, says Jim Graham, RochesterWorks! Career Services Advisor.

Mitchell says the other job seekers helped her stay focused and laughter helped lift their spirits.

"I think June practiced persistence and patience as well; she kept doing what she needed to do, kept plugging away," Graham says. For example, she took a seasonal, low-paying job preparing taxes to keep busy, learn some new skills, and build her resume. "She researched and discussed with me possible training that she could take to make herself more employable," he adds.

This is Mitchells second time working with RochesterWorks! ABVI-Goodwill is the long term opportunity she had been looking for. "My new job is a perfect fit for me," she says.

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