"Just" Another Day at Goodwill

[By Katie Kornreich]

I love what I do. Some days are better than others, as with any job, but the good days are so worth the occasional rough day. My job as a career specialist is to support people in their career paths and assist them in whatever ways needed. I am a people person, and I love meeting new people from all backgrounds and walks of life. The stories they share often inspire me and renew in me a passion for what we do at Goodwill. We are in the business of changing lives, but often, clients change my life.

My favorite part of my job is working with someone to create a resume. Resumes can be stressful and overwhelming. Before I worked as a career specialist, I hated making resumes. A wonderful team of people took great care and had an extraordinary amount of patience to train me in career coaching and resume building.

Now, I train people to create resumes. Many people I have worked with tell me, “Oh, it was just fast food.” or “I was just cleaning.” What they have done is always more than “just” something. They share with me what they did, and I coach them how to word their experience professionally on a resume. After a while, most of them get the hang of it. Seeing them not only build their resume but increase their self-confidence is so rewarding. When they are almost done filling in their information and right before they view their resume, I love watching them. Their resume pops up and their whole countenance changes. Some become emotional. Others have laughed, but most say, “Wow. That’s mine.” I worked with a lovely lady one time who said, “I did not know I could be all that.”

Something as simple as a resume can make a profound difference in a life. A resume can make or break’s someone’s chance at getting an interview, and thus a job. A job is never “just” a job. The skills you learn and the people you meet are unique to that place. We have seen how jobs can profoundly change a life. Employment can pave the way for more skills, certifications, licenses, education, raises and even better opportunities.

In addition to aiding in resume building and helping Arkansans search for employment, our career services offer interview preparation and empower individuals with information about community resources. We can also help connect them with other programs at Goodwill that can help expand their career potential such as:

• The Excel Center® at Goodwill.

• Transitional Employment Opportunity (TEO) program.

• The Academy at Goodwill.

Here at Goodwill, we believe in changing lives through education, training and employment. As a career specialist, I am blessed to be a part of a team that lives out that belief every day. Even though I coach my clients not to minimize themselves with the word “just,” I affectionately say about my job, “just another day at Goodwill.”