Gary’s road to Working Wardrobes was long and filled with seemingly insurmountable twists and turns: a premature high school exit, scraping by with odd jobs, homelessness, and drug addiction that led to incarceration. When September 11th, 2001 devastated our nation, it evoked something within Gary. As he sat with other inmates not knowing the country’s fate, he realized how much he wanted his freedom, and put forth the effort to create a future worth living.
Upon his release, newly drug-free and with a GED, he found himself a job in sales. Though he hit some bumps along the way, he continued to take responsibility for his actions, completely eliminated alcohol and cigarettes from his life, and consistently maintained employment.
But this past February, his employer of 12 years rebranded his position as an “independent contractor.” Losing his guaranteed salary and benefits was terrifying. While concerned about his own livelihood, it was his devotion to helping care for his stepdaughter, as well as his canine trio, that inspired him to secure a new, better position ASAP.
He asked his friend, Working Wardrobes’ Job Developer Samantha, to take a peek at his resume. While she knew he had experience and drive, it was also clear that his resume and interview skills needed help. She immediately set him up with her colleagues.
The Working Wardrobes Team guided him through it all: streamlining and finessing his resume, filling out applications in a more direct fashion, generating a simplified email address, creating profiles on LinkedIn and Indeed, and recognizing which additional trainings and certifications would be most beneficial to expanding his career. He then applied to a Bachelor’s degree program to drive up his earning potential.
Gary empowered himself with every available resource Working Wardrobes had to offer, even the success suit. “I had one, but it was kind of outdated,” noted Gary. “I then came back for some interview training sessions. They taught me how to do elevator pitches and other really useful things. The help that I got here lined me up perfectly with my next career.” Thank YOU, Gary, for taking the first step and asking for help when you needed it, being diligent in your search, and advocating for yourself. We’re so proud of you.