Finding the Confidence to Succeed After a Layoff
Sixty year old Mary Everson had just been laid off from her job of 14 years when she came to Michigan Works! for help. She was feeling pretty low over her unemployment situation and started working with Talent Specialist Crystal Filley.
Crystal helped Mary sign up for her unemployment benefits and worked with her to create her resume. At first, Mary didn’t feel comfortable working on computers, so Crystal suggested Mary take a free one-on-one computer lesson at the local library to further her skills. With her new computer skills, Mary felt more comfortable working on her online job search at Michigan Works! and continued to come in for coaching and positive reinforcement from Crystal.
With her confidence building, Crystal convinced Mary to attend one of our Michigan Works! Job Fairs. This was difficult for Mary, as she was normally quite shy and not accustomed to handing out her resume to employers, but she was very glad she made the effort. At the fair, Mary had an on-site interview with the manager of Family Fare and shortly afterwards received the news she hoped for – she had landed the job!
Mary began working at Family Fare with limited hours and went through the employer’s training process. She recently returned to Michigan Works! with more great news – she loves her job and they’ve even extended her hours. The employer confirms Mary is doing a wonderful job and they are very pleased with her performance.
Thanks to Michigan Works! and Crystal’s dedication to her customers, Mary was able to build the confidence she needed to pick herself up and get back into the workforce.