Charlene is an Army veteran who honorably served our country from 1985 to 2015. During her 29-year tenure in the military, Charlene worked as a human resource specialist, helping soldiers develop their Army career. She provided personnel support and assistance with promotions, training, transfers, travel orders and salary details. After a successful military career, Charlene was off to her next endeavor, and in June of 2017, she earned her master’s degree in social work.
Upon completing her master’s degree, Charlene began seeking employment and made every effort to secure an opportunity. She remained proactive with her job search, applying online and sending out resumes often. After several months of trying to secure employment, Charlene came to the realization that credentials don’t always guarantee a job. At that point, she decided to seek assistance.
In November of 2017, Charlene came to the Goodwill Opportunity Campus and registered as a client. She began working independently in our Job Resource Center, utilizing the various resources offered there. Soon thereafter, she learned about Operation: GoodJobs, Goodwill’s job training and employment services program dedicated to military and veteran families. During the next several months, Charlene worked with a couple of career development specialists who assisted with her career exploration, online job search, goal planning and resume development.
Charlene’s hard work – coupled with the dedication of her career development specialists – eventually paid off! She recently secured employment with Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Charlene is not giving up on her dream of one day working as a social worker, but now, she can continue to job search while earning family-sustaining employment in the meantime.
When you donate and shop at your local Goodwill, you help individuals like Charlene reach their full potential through the power of work. In fact, 87 cents of every dollar you spend in our retail stores and through shopgoodwill.com® and other e-commerce platforms is reinvested in your community to create employment placement, job training and career support services. Find the location closest to you or make a monetary donation to show your support
NOTE: As originally posted on Goodwill Southern Piedmont.
