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Harriett's Story
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Goodwill Program: Gaston County Basic PC Skills Training and Job Connection
“I think Goodwill is a lifeline. You don't know where to begin when you lose your job. People who really want to help are there.”
Getting laid off was a painful experience for Harriett.
The pain, she says, wasn’t around for long though.
She knew there was a place ready to help – Goodwill’s Gaston County Job Connection.
“I never thought it would be me,” says Harriett, 52, about losing her job with Citi Financial in Shelby last November. “I was really upset. I just sat there and cried. I loved my job.”
The job search started that afternoon. A week later, the Gastonia resident was visiting the Job Connection.
Computer class: check.
Resume help: check.
Job leads: check.
What Harriett really benefited from was something not on any brochure – a confidence boost.
“Goodwill helped me build my confidence. I never had been laid off or fired before,” Harriett says. “Here I was at 51 looking for a job. It was scary thinking I was going to retire with my last company.
“Goodwill staff members were supportive – like a cheerleader.”
Within five months, Harriett was back to work. She was hired by a healthcare company to work fulltime at a Charlotte call center. The job helps her support her husband of 27 years, who can only work part time because of a disability, along with her 24-year-old daughter, Brynn.
Today, Harriett takes 50 to 75 calls a day, helping people with their health coverage. She says the best compliment is getting a call from someone who had insisted on only talking to her.
“I have always been a people person. It’s very satisfying to know you are helping someone,” Harriett says.
Harriett says she will always keep Goodwill close to her heart and refer others who need employment assistance.
“I think Goodwill is a lifeline. You don’t know where to begin when you lose your job. People who really want to help you are there,” Harriett adds.
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