Success Stories
In December 2009, my husband and I decided to move back to Colorado. My husband was laid off work and my current job wasn't going to keep us afloat much longer. Relocating is never an easy task, but leaving a job in this economy and moving has been a real leap of faith. Although my employment history has given me the job skills necessary for administrative positions, I have only had the funds to dress for the job I had, not the job I wanted and now I am on the competing side of the unemployed. A very unsettling thought!
I walked into the Women's Resource Agency to take a closer look at the business attire on the racks, at the time; I thought they were for sale. A staff member explained what the Women's Resource Agency is and how it helps women with career development and professional attire. She gave me a brochure and said if I needed their assistance to please feel free to call.
After receiving a call to interview for a very professional firm, I called the Women's Resource Agency and asked for assistance with an interview outfit. Not only did they set me up with a beautiful interview outfit, but the ladies were kind and sensitive to my needs and comfort level.
My experience was so pleasant that I asked for further assistance. In this technology age, you have one chance to sell yourself with a resume that catches the employer's attention – online at that. The Resource Agency critiqued my resume and went through mock interviews with me. This has given me the look, and the skills to walk in to my interviews with confidence in myself.
Thanks ladies for all your support.
Donna Piña
Venessia Ravenell, a recently widowed, single mother of three, didn't know what she was going to do after she lost her job as a medical assistant in April 2009, and her unemployment ran out.
"The unemployment came and went, and I wasn't hearing about any jobs," she says. The seemingly bleak situation got brighter after Venessia came across the Women's Resource Agency.
"I called and set up an appointment to get resume counseling, and everybody was so nice and friendly," she says. Venessia also used the computers at the Women's Resource Agency inside The Citadel mall to search for job openings and fax applications. She snagged a few interviews and got two professional outfits through Dress for Success, the organization's free clothing boutique for clients.
"I got two outfits for interviews, a dress suit and a pants suit. Someone helped me picked out the right styles, and the clothes really helped me feel more confident," she says. Venessia landed a new job as a medical assistant for the New Year. "I don't think I would have found anything without their help," she says. "I'm so grateful."
She's continuing to take computer classes at the Women's Resource Agency to improve her skills. Venessia also received a donated computer for her home through the Women's Resource Agency. "I didn't know anything about computers before, but now I have a few certificates and am working on a few more to help me enter data in my job," she says.