Linda
From the priority area Training & Education for Jobs

When Linda’s husband became very ill, she knew she had to spend the last months of his life with him. She took a leave of absence from work as a housekeeper and was eventually forced to quit her job. After her husband passed away, Linda was faced with the challenge of being self-sufficient. “I wanted a position,” Linda says. “Not just a job, and I wanted to be able to support myself.” To accomplish that, she had to get up to speed with the latest office technology and polish her job-seeking skills.

Linda saw an ad for OIC of New London County in the newspaper and a whole new world opened up for her. In the agency’s computer classes she learned all of the newest software programs to help her get a living-wage job. While mastering this technology, she also perfected her interviewing skills and her resume at OIC.

Throughout the program, students may be required to wear business dress as if they were going to a real job. They also must perform a series of mock interviews. The agency even offers a clothing closet for students who cannot yet afford business attire and offers their classes free to income-eligible applicants. “All of those things contributed to me being more confident,” Linda says.

OIC has prepared Linda well for her future career. Selected from a field of ninety applicants, she has a full-time position as an Administrative Assistant. “I set a high standard for myself,” Linda says. “And I think I’m going to be able to make it.”