“We were all women going through struggles within our different industries, but we were going through them together.”
Karen never wanted to be a bus driver, but it was the highest-paying job she could find. Driving a bus was strenuous on her body and was not a sustainable career as she got older. After getting injured at work, Karen was forced to take a year off while she recovered. She knew she had to do something different to switch up her career, so she started taking classes to become a Phlebotomist.
Making the Transition
As Karen worked to finish her classes, her then-supervisor and now friend suggested that she check out Dress for Success Triangle to help her transition career fields. Karen signed up for the Going Places Network, a weekly job acquisition class. She met with advisors to help her tailor her resume and fit her skills from working as a bus driver to working in the medical field.
“It helped me to see professional women between the ages of 30 and 60,” says Karen on her experience taking the Going Places Network. “It wasn’t just young people looking for a job, but women of all ages. It was nice to see that I wasn’t the only 60 year old looking for employment.” Karen talks about how there were engineers, chemists, and women with master’s degrees and PHDs in her class alongside her. “It was a warm feeling to know that I wasn’t alone; we were all women going through struggles within our different industries, but we were going through them together.”
Karen also says the mock interview practice she received from the Going Places Network was invaluable to her interviewing experience. She hadn’t been on an interview in some time and found herself stumbling through some questions. She received feedback from volunteer interviewers who helped her to work through commonly asked behavioral questions like, “what are your weaknesses?”. By the end of her mock interview practice, interviewers were telling her that she answered questions as though she had prepared for them, but not rehearsed them. She also gave excellent story examples that helped her to excel in her interviews.
Ready for a New Journey
Before the class ended, Karen was ready for the real interview. She applied to several places and about a week before the end of class landed a job as a Phlebotomist. She loves the work, finding it both challenging and rewarding. She’s been able to secure a higher level of income and be able to give back to the community in her new career where she cares for sick patients.
Karen continues to support others who are looking to make a career transition. She even hosted a group of women interested in making the same change and walked them through how to answer commonly asked interview questions.
Are you looking to make a career change? Read more about the Going Places Network and sign up here.