It was the beginning of March, just weeks before Jill would be celebrating an entire year at her new place of work when she heard the dreadful news. Coronavirus was picking up speed and the governor’s order would soon shut down dine-in restaurants throughout the state of California. Some restaurants, like Outback-where Jill worked simply couldn’t bounce back, and closed their doors forever. Jill was suddenly without a job.
Because of her strong spirit of perseverance, Jill endured four months looking for work on her own. “It’s part of my spirit,” Jill said, “I never gave up.” After countless failed attempts looking for work on her own, Jill received help from the Department of Rehabilitation, which connected with a company named Dream Catchers that helps you to find work through the help of a job counselor. Her counselor had a unique approach to finding work: list the three places you most want to work and let this drive your job search.
Jill’s number one choice was that she really wanted to work for Cookie Shoppe in Chico. They provide on-the job training, you get tons of free cookies she can share with friends, and most important they offered weekends off. Schedule is important to Jill. She missed claiming a dishwasher position at Pelican Roost because she was unable to fill an evening position.
Her second choice was working as a cafeteria aide. This job again is during the day when Jill is most alert. She would only need to work four days a week and of course have weekends off!
Her third choice is working is working as a dishwasher. Right now she has three job opportunities at Upper Crust Pizza, Red Lobster and Chiles in Chico. They are all is hiring for a Dishwasher and this is something that Jill is really good doing. At Outback Steakhouse, she was promoted to dishwasher her last few months of employment. She is a quick learner and when she is given a task, she sticks to it through completion.
Jill found these opportunities through a job search website call Indeed. Indeed lets you search for jobs in the areas you are most interested in. It then sends you an email with job listings that are similar to your interest.
Right now, Jill is waiting patiently to hear back from Upper Crust, Red Lobster and Chiles as to whether she got the job. When it comes to landing a job, sometimes getting the job you really want becomes a waiting game. “I just have to be patient. The hardest thing is having patience, “Jill said.
It’s been a half a year that Jill has pushed on looking for work. One of the hardest jobs out there is looking for a job. But, I know that with Jill’s unconquerable spirit and a willingness to keep trying, no matter what, Jill will succeed in finding the job she is hoping for.
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