Meet Rodney. He spent twenty-two years at a local internet company. That is a long time employed with any company.
Unfortunately, after twenty-two years, Rodney found himself unemployed due to a reduction in force. When Rodney enrolled in the Thrive workshop, he had only been unemployed for a few weeks. Then the pandemic hit.
During the workshop, Rodney gained a lot of confidence. He had not interviewed in over 20 years and was scared. Now he says, “I am so confident that I feel like I may come across conceited, but that is how much confidence I gained.” Watching everyone go through the 60-second commercial was empowering. And I got stronger once I started my own commercial, and he learned how to sell himself.
After the workshop, Rodney was paired with his coach, Dan, who he has found to be upbeat, a good listener, and has the right words to encourage. Dan helped remind Rodney to keep his faith, keep praying.
COVID-19 made the job search difficult as many employers have been on a hiring freeze. He had an interview scheduled, and it was canceled due to the shutdown of facilities.
However, he did not let the difficulty of this uncertain time stop him from finding a job. Rodney found interest in working for the City and County of Denver. He liked the idea of working in the city where he lives. Rodney interviewed for the job one Sunday morning. It only took 20 minutes, and it went well. He was able to share his past customer service experience and the training he had with his previous employer.
Rodney is excited and is blessed to have a job when many of his friends are unemployed. He is hopeful that this first step will lead to a promising career. When asked about Thrive, he says, “I am overwhelmed. Everyone is so caring, compassionate, and professional. I believe the staff is really invested in making us all successful.”