Persistence and Patience: Finding Employment in a post Pandemic World
By: Urban Upbound’s Staff Members
Like many, Jefferson Houses resident George Aviles’s life turned upside down when the pandemic hit in March of 2020. At the time Mr. Aviles had just secured a new job and was looking forward to beginning the next chapter of his life with stable employment. Unfortunately, Mr. Aviles lost his job weeks after the stay at home mandates were put in place.
Over the next two years, Mr. Aviles took on many part time jobs and went on countless interviews. He searched for full time employment for over a year with no luck and turned to Urban Upbound for help. Mr. Aviles took advantage of all the resources available to him through Urban Upbound. He met with a financial counselor, improved his credit, developed a savings plan and monthly budget, worked with the employment team to perfect his resume, cover letter, and soft skills.
“It’s hard to not get discouraged when you’re working so hard. I’m thankful for Urban Upbound because they coached me through it step by step. They never made it overwhelming and always knew what needed to be done to get me to where I wanted to be,” Mr. Aviles shared.
A key component to his success was attending a Trader Joe’s info session with Urban Upbound. Mr. Aviles was on time, well prepared and asked all the right questions which landed him an interview. After the interview, he excitedly returned to our East Harlem office to thank our staff and share how well his interview went. It was during this visit when he received a call from Trader Joe’s offering him a full time position. A heart-warming end to a hard-working story!
“I was so relieved when I got the call. I was emotional just being in the office that day because they never lost faith in me. I waited so long for that moment,” says Mr. Aviles.
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