Category: The Goodwill Blog

Six months after launching Goodwill’s Digital Career AcceleratorSM program with founding partner Google, Goodwill®Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc. has blown past all training and placement benchmarks. The program is part of a three-year$300,000 Google.org grant to provide technical training and employment services for individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Through this grant, Goodwill NYNJ provided information, assessment and digital training to 6,773 people (225% of the six-month goal set by Google) and placed 803 individuals in jobs using the digital skills they gained.

READ MORE from Goodwill® NYNJ Surpasses Digital Career Accelerator® Grant Goals with Google

It’s almost that time of year again. Stores have all sorts of decorations and gift ideas on display. We’re entering the holiday season. But wait! What does this mean for your job search? In short, it means you need to continue. Don’t let up. Today I’ll explain what happens from an employer perspective and both why you should press on and tips for doing so.

READ MORE from Don’t Quit Your Job Search During the Holidays

It's the most wonderful time of the year. I'm not talking about the holidays, well, not yet anyway. I'm talking about fall. It's the perfect time to showcase your individual sense of fashion, embrace layers and textures and create outfits that are both fashionable and functional for the weather.

READ MORE from 3 Fall Footwear Trends You Can Find at Goodwill®

We recently asked for you, our public advocates, to weigh in via a survey as the Goodwill Industries International (GII) Government Relations team crafts GII’s public policy agenda for the next Congress. The people have spoken. When asked to identify the top three policy issues of importance, labor issues (wages, paid sick leave, paid family leave, etc.) received the most number of responses. These issues impact local Goodwill organizations as both an employer where increases in operational expenses may impact the ability to provide mission services, but also as a provider of job-training and job placement services.

READ MORE from The People Have Spoken: Advocates Weigh in on GII’s Public Policy Agenda

At age 52, Timothy Zarzecki has found a place — and a purpose — through his job in food services at a military base in Virginia Beach, VA. Born with a physical disability and diagnosed with depression, he was out of work when he connected with Goodwill® at a career fair. The Goodwill team helped place him in a position he loves, and since his first day, he has demonstrated a positive attitude, a willingness to tackle any task and natural leadership ability. For those reasons, Goodwill Industries International honored Zarzecki as its 2018 Achiever of the Year.

READ MORE from My Story: Tim Zarzecki

All too often, many people face challenges when trying to find employment. One of these is having access to necessary skills training. To address the issue head-on, Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake has collaborated with CVS Health and Baltimore City Community College to open a “CVS Mock Pharmacy” to provide an innovative classroom experience for aspiring pharmacy technicians and retail associates.

READ MORE from Goodwill® and CVS Health Offer Workforce Training at CVS Mock Pharmacy in Baltimore

Often times the first step in an interview process involves the telephone. Additionally, companies elect to conduct video interviews before they’ll agree to meet in person. Are you as prepared as possible? In this week’s blog I’ll share some tips for putting your best foot forward.

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Halloween is like Christmas for thrift store lovers like me. It’s the one time of year we all get permission to get be as creative, bold, and funny as we can be-- and the abundant candy this time of year is just an added sugar-high bonus. When I was a kid digging through my pillowcase full of hard-earned sweets on the living room floor, I would already be imagining the possibilities for my costume for the next year’s festivities.

READ MORE from Easy Halloween Costumes for Procrastinators

October is National Financial Planning Month. One on hand it’s another “thing of the month,” and on the other, why not check on how individuals and families are planning for their future, saving for retirement, building generational economic security?

READ MORE from A Different Type of Financial Planning

Job searching, interviewing and hiring are all subjective processes. Add resume building to that list. There’s no 100% foolproof way to create a resume that everyone would agree is ideal. So how do you know what’s “best?” Today let’s look at the two primary types of resumes and some reasons why one might work better for you, given your situation.

READ MORE from Chronological vs. Functional Resumes

Fall is the season that brings to mind colorful leaves, pumpkin spice and – mending? Yes! If you haven't heard of the Slow Fashion movement by now, it's exactly what it sounds like-- the opposite of fast fashion. That means mending, making, reducing and appreciating the pieces in our wardrobe to be more in tune with our impact on the world.

READ MORE from Slowing it Down for Slow Fashion October

As we look ahead to a new Congress which will convene in January, the Goodwill Industries International (GII) government relations team is proactively working on our public policy agenda for the 116th Congress. While the party that ultimately controls the House and Senate may determine how much weight is given to a particular issue or how we will advocate around an issue, the issue itself is still important.

READ MORE from Tell Us What You Think! Lend Your Voice to the Goodwill Industries International Public Policy Agenda