Success Stories
Rose Madison
The Great Recession hit Maryland’s Eastern Shore especially hard. Layoffs and closings forced hundreds of highly skilled workers out of the workforce. Many had great work experience, but no recent job search experience, and found themselves completely unprepared for the challenge of finding a job in today’s fast-paced employment environment.
Easton resident Rose Madison found herself in that position when she lost her job at age 57 in a workforce reduction in February 2009. “I was always one to stay in a company for many years,” she recalled. “When I chose to change careers, I always had a new position before giving my notice. It was never a problem to get hired.” After five years as a Sales Representative at Cambridge International (a manufacturer of conveyor belts and wire cloth) and steady work for years before that, Ms. Madison “really had no idea where to start.”
Not one to stay at home, she began volunteering at Habitat for Humanity Choptank in April, while pursuing paid employment. A fellow Habitat volunteer (who happened to be the daughter of the Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board executive director) referred Ms. Madison to USWIB for help.
“Fortunately, the Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board [USWIB] came to my rescue,” Ms. Madison said. USWIB’s two-day “Dependable Strengths” workshop helped her identify her transferable strengths and taught her how to express those skills in a functional resume. She learned interview preparation strategies and practiced answering tough questions in a positive way. USWIB arranged for Mary Kraft Staffing and HR Solutions to provide a longer, more intensive “boot camp” workshop covering job search resources, networking, personal skills, job-specific cover letters and resumes, and more interviewing techniques.
Meanwhile, Ms. Madison continued to volunteer at Habitat, but with USWIB’s help she transitioned in September to the Office on Aging’s Senior Community Service Employment Program, funded by the federal Older Americans Act. That program enabled her to earn minimum wage for up to 20 hours a week at Habitat.
After completing the Mary Kraft boot camp, Ms. Madison put her new skills to work and landed four interviews immediately, two of which resulted in job offers at higher pay than her Cambridge International job, where she had earned $15/hour plus commission. Susan Devlin, Habitat’s executive director, had come to rely on Ms. Madison, so when she learned they were about to lose her, she offered a contract position at $12.50/hour, beginning February 1, 2010. Ms. Madison accepted, despite the pay cut, because “I love the job,” she says. “It’s so nice to work for a nonprofit and feel I’m doing something positive for my community.”
She credits her current employment to the skills she learned and the confidence she gained through the USWIB’s workshops, where she “learned how to stand out to prospective employers and how to sell myself as the best candidate.”
Ms. Madison’s experience highlights several lessons. First, volunteering can open the door to employment. In this case, Ms. Madison learned about USWIB through a fellow volunteer. Second, volunteering is a great way to make connections: Habitat’s executive director is a USWIB member, which helped ease the transition to the Senior Community Service Employment Program. And finally, Ms. Madison learned that the workforce investment system is a path to more than employment – through USWIB’s assistance, she is pursuing her longtime dream of higher education, attending Chesapeake College. Funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act paid her tuition last year; with those monies now spent, USWIB is using its dislocated worker funds from the Workforce Investment Act to cover Madison’s tuition and books. She is on her way to completing the 33 credits she needs to earn a Business Technology Certificate, which will help her in her current job as well as in future endeavors.
“All of my dreams have come true,” Ms. Madison concluded. “I am in a job I love and obtaining the education I have always wanted, thanks to the Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board.”
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