#PowerOfAJob: Lead from WorkSource lands customer a job in hospitality
This week we close out “Careers in Hospitality Month” with a story about Iris. After 23 years, she switched industries and found a rewarding management job in a new hotel in Wenatchee. The hospitality industry has opportunities at from entry level to management. It offers lifelong careers, second chances, career-connected learning and skills that transfer to and from other industries.
We hope you enjoy this week’s installment.
My name is Iris. I found myself unemployed when the business I was working for closed. So my first step was to sign up for unemployment. I went to SkillSource Wenatchee and they helped set me up with an orientation. Then they sent me here to WorkSource [Wenatchee Valley] as another avenue of finding employment.
I knew that when I lost my job, I wanted to switch industries. I really utilized the resources here at WorkSource — specifically learning how to look for work. I hadn’t had to look for work in 23 years. But I knew that I wanted to try something new.
So I took the Strategies for Success classes, which I found super, super helpful. They were encouraging and positive. I learned so much from them. SkillSource helped me find different industries to look at and then — combined with WorkSource — they really, really helped me out.
The fun part of my story is that I came in here one day to put in my three job-search contacts required for the week. And one of the front desk people said, “Hey, are you here for the job fair for this hotel that’s opening up in Wenatchee?” I said, “No, I’m just here to put in my contacts.”
But she said, “Oh, you would be so great. You should do it.” And I said, “But I’m not dressed for an interview today.” (I wasn’t dressed horribly, but I wasn’t interview-ready.) But she said, “They won’t care!” and she handed me an application.
She got me put on the interview list and introduced me to the vice president of HR for the company. I did my interview and walked out feeling fabulous.
The staff here at WorkSource believe in you and they really go above and beyond to help you. If you have questions, even if it’s really simple or something that you think has probably been asked a million times before, they don’t mind answering it. And they’re really looking out for you, too. They get to know you and you get to know them. They perceive strengths in you that you might not be sure you have. It was great.
So now I’m employed at that hotel. It’s a management level job — and completely different than the industry I was in before. I’m learning so much and I attribute a lot of that to WorkSource; they helped me out. They helped me get there!
As partners in Washington’s WorkSource system and the American Job Center Network, the Employment Security Department helps people — unemployed or not — find new jobs and learn new skills. We help them experience the life-changing power of a job. We also work with businesses to help them find employees because we know they are Powered by Jobs.
