Mel

Restarting with Purpose

I moved four times since graduating from college, all to different parts of the country. Partially because of these moves, I didn’t hold any of my earlier jobs for more than a few years, so my resume didn’t show the kind of longevity employers tend to look for. Additionally, though I had obtained a master’s degree in TESOL & Intercultural Studies, I decided that I didn’t want to pursue a career in that field.

When I relocated to Rochester, I took a retail position as a transitional job until I could find something that would be a good long-term career fit. I then worked in retail for almost two years. When my employment ended there, I became chronically unemployed for 8 months, despite actively seeking another position.

RochesterWorks provided me with so many helpful resources that provided me with direction and purpose as I looked for a new career. I worked with a career advisor to identify my strengths and what kind of roles that my background and skills might be well-suited for. This was accomplished through meetings, online assessment inventories, and professional development materials. Through the resources RochesterWorks provided, I began to understand myself better and to be very intentional with what kinds of positions I applied to and how they could fit in with my personal goals.

The 5-Steps to Rapid Employment Program was by far the most valuable resource I used while seeking a new career. Although I participated in many of the online workshops via Zoom and also watched a lot of the pre-recorded workshops on the e-learning platform, I found that the 5-Steps Program covered the wealth of information available in an especially helpful, integrative way. It equipped me to approach my job campaign with positivity, purpose, and patience, and it kind of put all of the pieces together in a way that I wasn’t able to by just picking and choosing individual workshops.

All of the live Zoom workshops I participated in were also very helpful. Participating in live workshops with other job seekers was encouraging and validating, and all of the facilitators were helpful with answering questions, providing feedback, listening, and providing resources.

Having a career advisor helped me manage my overwhelm at the vast amount of information out there and helped me narrow my attention to only the resources that were tailored to my specific needs and interests. My career advisor also provided me with so much encouragement and support. He helped me to have confidence in myself again and to believe that I could achieve what I was looking for.

I used a lot of the resume writing skills I learned through RochesterWorks to improve my resume. I also think the networking skills that I acquired were key to getting an offer in my current role because I consistently attended workshops and talked with other job seekers and many different employees at RochesterWorks over quite a long period of time. I also attended several job fairs. All of those networking activities are things that I never did before using resources through RochesterWorks.

RochesterWorks made me believe in myself again and become confident that I have valuable contributions to offer.

– Mel

After several months of unemployment, I was discouraged and depressed. I felt like I needed to take the first job that was offered to me-no matter what it was, regardless of whether it was a good fit for me. Through the guidance of the many available workshops, and especially through the support of my career advisor and other RochesterWorks Career Center staff that I met through the workshops, I learned how to use my background, skills, and goals to seek out positions that were in alignment with my values. It completely changed my approach to finding a new job. I had given up on finding a career that I thought I would enjoy or find rewarding. The support I gained through RochesterWorks made me believe in myself again and become confident that I have valuable contributions to offer.

Give RochesterWorks a chance, even if you think the resources they provide aren’t for you. When I initially found out about RochesterWorks and was encouraged to give them a call, I was hesitant. As a highly educated individual who has successfully held many different roles, I didn’t think that the resources they had were things that would be useful to someone like me. I already knew how to research and navigate job boards and write a resume. But when I finally started attending workshops and applying the knowledge to my own situation, I found that there is truly something for everyone to learn. Especially as someone who is relatively new to the Rochester area, the location specific information was very helpful.