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Goodwill’s mission is a differentiator in staffing. Wait, staffing? Yes, you read correctly! It’s interesting to meet so many people who have never heard about Goodwill Talentbridge. It intrigues me because I learned about Goodwill Talentbridge long ago as a young job seeker and it was truly life altering – this is my story.

Millennials are a hot topic of discussion nowadays and I happen to be one. Yes, I have had my fair share of jobs but they weren’t careers. Through high school and college I worked as a sales associate at various retail shops (to include a time-share company at Bass Pro), a chef at HuHot Mongolian Grill, a phlebotomist for plasma donations, a fireman & EMT-B at a volunteer fire department; as well as a scheduler, receptionist and ER technician at a local hospital. Heck, I was even in construction and manufacturing. I had no idea what I wanted to do for a living, although I knew I wanted to positively impact the lives of others.

I started my college education in the fire science program at Gateway. At first glance this path seemed to embody my desire to positively impact people’s lives and play a pivotal role in helping my community. However, the path seemed to have a large unforeseen hurdle. To gain experience in emergency situations the degree path had me transition in a hospital setting working as a C.N.A. Although this work can be fulfilling for many, I soon found that I personally couldn’t handle certain aspects of the job.

Back to square one. My whole life I’d always been told by my peers and family that I was a natural salesman, so after a little research I decided to change my degree path to business management. I supplemented my education by working in sales roles for a time-share company and car dealerships. Still, something was missing. I was beginning to feel discouraged and defeated, but along came a phone call from the Goodwill Talentbridge team. Long story short, they took the time to understand my character, talents and work history. I was given the opportunity to interview for a position with Goodwill Talentbridge which ultimately was filled by someone more qualified than me. Other organizations would have let me fall by the wayside, but the recruiters at Goodwill TalentBridge didn’t give up on me. They offered me an interview for a different position, which I didn’t get either— LOL! Regardless, I was hired on contract to screen resumes which didn’t last long because they saw the potential for my success as a business development manager.

I whole heartedly believe that these experiences shaped who I am today, but Goodwill Talentbridge is responsible for aligning me with a job I excel in— correction: a career that I excel in. Goodwill Talentbridge is an extension of the Goodwill mission in that we look to align the character, skills and talents of our candidates with common interest organizations to create work place happiness and foster professional growth. That is the difference.

Our team understands the different intricacies of a successful employee because of our adept understanding in workforce and our commitment to understanding the type of candidates an organization needs. That is the difference. The Goodwill mission is a testament to our diversity and inclusion initiatives. One of the great things about working for Goodwill, while being presented the opportunity to find people work, is the fact that we directly impact the diversity and inclusion efforts within corporate America in a positive direction. That is the difference. We strive to improve quality of life, through work.