ven during rough economic conditions, success stories nonetheless exist among Northern Indiana job-seekers who remain ded-icated to boosting their skills until they earn a position on an employer's staff.

We will convey some of these bright stories here — successes from job seekers as well as from local employers.

WorkOne received a November 2012 Business Services Satisfaction Survey from a north-central Indiana employer, as explained below.

Please rate the level of business services from one to five, with five (5) being the best level of service:        ANSWER — Four (4);

Which WorkOne services offered to employers did you utilize:        ANSWER — Candidate Referrals.

Did you hire someone WorkOne referred? and  Would you recommend WorkOne?        ANSWERS — Yes and Yes.

Additional comments: 

  "Prompt, good candidates, great attidtude.  Thanks, WorkOne."  

 WorkOne received this Business Services Satisfaction Survey from a local employer in November 2012.

Please rate the level of business services from one to five, with five (5) being the best level of service:        ANSWER — Five (5);

Which WorkOne services offered to employers did you utilize:        ANSWERS — Job Order Assistance; Candidate Referrals; and On-the-Job Training Grants.

Did you hire someone WorkOne referred? and  Would you recommend WorkOne?        ANSWERS — Yes and Yes.

Additional Comments:

  "Lorna [a WorkOne Business Services Team member] has been a great help to us and has made my experience with WorkOne great!  Thank you, Lorna!" 

A WorkOne staff member who presents workshops to Hoosiers submitted on Oct. 19, 2012, the following information to WorkOne managers about a customer conversation.

"Good morning: I wanted to share a conversation I had with a customer ... [who said] she'd just recently started taking our workshops and how much she enjoyed them ALL! In fact, she shared ... [a story of] telling her friends about how much she was learning at WorkOne and recommending that they start attending also....  The thing she likes best, and what she shared with her buddies, is that the WorkOne workshops don't treat customers like they are stupid. [Rather, she noted the work-shops] present information as though the customer has never had an opportunity to see it before — not that they are stupid for not already knowing about it. 

"I thought you guys should know that people do like our workshops and part of the reason is because we treat our people as though they're not stupid — because, as we all know, they are not."

— Nancy,
Job Transition Specialist/Workshop Instructor.

 A customer reported on Oct. 10, 2012, that WorkOne's services helped greatly in her job search and, ultimately, in securing full-time employment with a company in Elkhart.

"I got a job!  ...  Starting next Monday.  I just want to say a huge THANK YOU for all you do.    Most recently, for the mock inter-view you led me through.  I got a couple of those same ques-tions during my interview and apparently I nailed them.  And previously, for the seminars you've done.  Those computer seminars gave me the confidence to know I could go back to school.  I just want to make sure you know how very much you are appreciated.  I always tell people how wonderful the staff is at WorkOne.  Keep doing what your are doing!   

"With sincere thanks,
LeAnne T."

 WorkOne received this customer comment about a visit
on Sept. 10, 2012.

"Martin ... suggested the workshop to help improve my resume and helped me discover other resources that would help me find a job."

"WorkOne helped me realize that going to career fairs is a significant help in finding a job.  Since I was able to continue my visits to WorkOne, I decided to work with one of their counse-lors in helping me find the key to get my career up and running. I worked with Martin ... and it seemed things opend up for me and everything began to make sense on what I was missing and what I needed to do. So, first I attended the workshop because I wantec to improve my resume and interviewing skills. Then, I attended WorkOne's job fair event at IUSB.  Ever since then, I started to get three responses from my revised resume and began receiving calls for an interview from employers at the job fair.   Now, I got hired and began working at ... [a local company] as a dietary aide. The kind of job that I've been hoping for to help start my career off right. I thank WorkOne for helping me!"

— Comments from a Service Satisfaction Survey from a customer who visited WorkOne in South Bend and who took advantage of the following services:

				Met with a WorkOne staff person for one-on-one assistance;
				Participated in a job-search, resume, or other workshop;
				Used a WorkOne computer to seek employment; and
				Applied for a specific job through WorkOne.

 WorkOne received this customer comment on July 29, 2012.

"Hi Guys,

"My new job at ... is going really well!!! I’m learning new things everyday and my supervisor has already asked me if I would take over the purchasing for the department once I learn the Bill of Material process.

"I’m also rewriting policy documents, one of which was pre-sented in a quality audit for Toyota. The president of [my new employer] was impressed with the layout and the format of the document.

"Over ... 3½ years, I sent 932 resumes, had 51 interviews and three very short-term jobs. I’m very happy to land this one. I just wanted to thank everybody at WorkOne for putting up with me and keeping me focused on my job hunt. There were many days and weeks that I was ready to give-up. Dave, Robin, Deb and Barb were always there to get me back on the right track. To everyone in Job Link — never give up!! You will find the right job. Just keep showing up to Job Link and taking the classes, (Word and Excel) they do help. Also, keep Deb smiling and Robin dancing. Fight the good fight and good luck.

"Many Thanks."  — Scott W.

 On July 19, 2012, a customer told WorkOne this story.

"Hi Mark,

"I was offered the position at ... on Tuesday and I accepted it! I will be starting on Monday July 23rd. Unfortunately, I will miss the Networking Group Meeting.

"Thank you and the group for your support. I believe with the tips from others in the group and the very informative hand-outs, I was able to go to interviews well prepared and present myself in a very positive way. Keep up the fantastic work that you do! You should try to get the word out about The Network-ing Group to others needing employment via newspaper or television. It is such a great tool. It made me feel better know-ing I was not the only one without work, facing the same struggles.

"Sharon ... contacted me about the Lean Manufacturing Training from Purdue. I told her I was very interested and signed up. However, I need to call her and cancel my appoint-ment since I have found employment. I wish I could have got this certificate opportunity earlier. It would have been a real asset for me. Thanks again Mark for recommending me.

"Best Regards,"
Steve B.

Please direct your attention to a customer's March 14, 2012, letter (shown below), which was received by staff members of WorkOne Kosciusko County in Warsaw.

"Dear [WorkOne Warsaw]:

"Now that I have finally obtained employment after applying for 220 different jobs and attending 32 interviews, I want to thank you and your staff for everything that you did to assist me during a very difficult time.

"When I originally came to WorkOne last July, several questions went through my mind: How did I end up here? What did I do wrong? How quickly can I find another job? I also recalled my previous dealing with the unemployment office about 25 years ago — a cold, impersonal experience that added one more reason to dread the circumstances that I was facing.

"[Today,] I could not have been more pleasantly surprised with what I found. Beginning at check-in, each individual is treated as a real person and not merely as a case number in a computer file. Furthermore, there is a real family-type atmosphere where all of the staff takes a personal interest in each client, making every attempt to assist wherever possible. I will always remember the concern that everyone showed to me when my situation seemed to be at its absolute lowest after [a particular] opportunity fell through. The fact people traveled to your office from as far away as Columbia City and Elkhart speaks highly of the care, quality and profession- alism of your entire staff!

"At this time, I want to extend my sincere appreciation and thanks to:

		"Linda and Jessica ... for making the check-in process a smooth and pleasant experience;
		"Ernie ... for answering any claims questions that arose;
		"Robin and Shannon ... for all the ex-cellent workshops that I attended; these allowed me to update my com-puter skills and update my resume-writing and interviewing skills — [which, in turn,] allowed me to better compete in seeking employment; and
		"David and Deb ... for all of your efforts to help me find a job: whether by passing-on job leads that were appropriate for my background, making contacts on my behalf, and offering encouragement when I needed it most.

"I would mention at this point that I could not have composed this paragraph without the knowledge that I gained from taking a Word workshop. Thanks, Robin!

"As I take the next step in my employment career, I have great respect for and will always remember all that you have done for me. Please contact me if there is anything that I can do for you in the future. Thanks again!

"Gratefully and humbly, — P.H."

A customer sent the message below on March 2, 2012, to a WorkOne Veterans Representative.

"Good Morning,

"I am thrilled to say that I am going to [a South Bend employer] this afternoon to accept an offer they are extending to me, regarding a full-time position, in their Granger office phone center, starting this coming Monday! I am starting out, in this entry level position, at what I was making after 11 long years in optical! There is much room for advancement, and it is a wonderful company to work for, as my husband has worked there (at the SB location), for the past six years, and they have been wonderful to him/us.

"I am so excited to start this next chapter in my life, and want to thank you wholeheartedly for all of your assistance. I pray that this position will be a door-opener for a long, full career for me, helping others, as I've been accustomed to do. I plan to continue with my IC3 [Indiana Career Connect.com] class, as I am told that Ivy Tech will try to accommodate me for the testing, which I can only do on Saturdays, or evenings, as my new job is M-F 8-to-5.

"I have learned a lot in this class, and some of the information I have learned, was on a computer-basics assessment test I had to take for entry into the [employer]. I really want to complete it and receive certification.

"I give all the glory to God, and His timing, that he knows what's best for us, even when we do not. Being unemployed has been a very humbling learning experience for me, and I really needed that time to see things in a new, fresh perspective, so I could do a little 'me' work, to be a better employee in my next position, especially in the area of taking instruction and being managed by those younger and with perhaps less experience.

"Fortunately, my new manager has done the position I am taking and has worked her way up, which I truly respect. Please let me know if there is anything more I need to do regarding the VWIP [federal Veterans Workforce Investment Program], or any loose ends I need to tie-up @ WorkOne.

"Thank you! — Louise."

 Please see the following successes highlighted in a customer's Nov. 10, 2011, email to a WorkOne staff member.

"Hi Kathy —
 
"Thanks. This has been a lot tougher than I thought. I have to believe there is a new place for me to apply my skills and talents where I can get paid a fair salary. I need to keep plugging away. Many of the people at WorkOne have been very helpful to me, and I know to many others as well in my situation. I have taken many of your workshops, which have been great for building and enhancing my skills, and also helping me to get my act together! My last boss was one to intentionally annihilate my self-confidence, and publicly ridicule me.

"THE WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY VALUABLE IN HELPING ME TO RESTORE MY SELF-IMAGE. Currently, I am working through Mindleaders to learn Dreamweaver so I can build websites. I have done some of this before, but now going much deeper. I am a member of the Michiana Engineers' Week Executive Planning Board, where I volunteered to be their webmaster. I am developing their website at www.E-Week.net. It's a work in progress. This now enhances my resume, plus there are lot's of networking connections!

"Thank you for all your good work!" — D.

 Below is a Sept. 23, 2011, email received by a WorkOne manager from Lesley, a Northern Indiana resident.

"To The Supervisors of Sharon,

"I was a nursing student (GRADUATED and WORKING NOW) when I used the services offered at WorkOne. I was considered 'low income' and sacrificed to get through school and strived to manage my home life. WorkOne helped me pay for some schooling and even my NCLEX exam. I felt truly blessed to have been assigned to Sharon, a great supporter and now friend.

"I must tell you that you should feel very lucky to have such a wonderful woman working on your team. I want to reflect on the kind of service I received from her. It was second to none! In fact it is so rare nowadays to find a person like her who is devoted to the role she plays in her job. SHARON WAS ALWAYS QUICK, EFFICIENT, AND VERY SUPPORTIVE. I FELT LIKE I ACTUALLY HAD SOMEONE 'IN MY CORNER' ROOTING FOR ME TO SUCCEED. Whatever she said she was going do, she actually followed through on her word in the most timely manner! I was truly impressed. Sharon always had a great attitude and is a very sincere person, a very rare jewel!

"I hope that you take the time out of your busy day to congrat-ulate and reward her for her service. She is so deserving of it! Sharon has earned my respect and I'm sure the respect of many others, just like me. Thank you Sharon!

Sincerely, Lesley
LPN :)"

In a Sept. 1, 2011, memo, a WorkOne business services repre-sentative presented the following success story to a WorkOne manager.

"We are so happy for her .... The Plymouth WorkOne team assisted her with a training plan and made it financially possible to attend school for a degree in database management. Several team members worked with her to give her job leads and referrals; while she was diligent in seeking work, she was unsuccessful in securing employment.

"After all public assistance was exhausted, she was being finan-cially supported by friends at her church. Her situation was so serious, she had begun packing her household belongings because she believed eviction was in her immediate future. She told us she was 'praying for Jesus to come.' Further, she dropped 40 pounds because she was using her limited funds to ensure her daughter was provided for, and in so doing, she went without.

"I had referred her to a local opportunity with an employer here in Plymouth for a driver position. In a follow-up call with the employer, I was told they may have an office position opening-up. I told the employer about her and the services she had received through WorkOne. The employer told me to send her in. THEY HIRED HER! Her financial situation was very dire and this opportunity happened just in time. Since then, she has changed her training program and now is working towards a degree in Administrative Management with a focus on Healthcare Services — which will assist in job advancement.

"In a follow-up visit, the employer told me, 'thank you so much for sending her our way, we love her!' She is ecstatic in her new role and is thriving. Emotionally, there wasn't a dry eye in our office when we received her call that she was offered the job. STORIES LIKE THIS ONE ARE THE REASON WE DO WHAT WE DO."