Making the Job Search Fun: Career Preparedness Team Spotlight

When Ilana moved to Queens, she decided to use her newfound free time to help her new community. She came to Central Queens and with her expertise in job searching, we connected her with our Career Preparedness team.

For more than a year, Ilana has come to Central Queens on Monday evenings and met with clients. She helps rework resumes and make sense of the job search process. People come to her stressed, demoralized, scared, and nervous. Ilana’s superpower is taking all the negativity surrounding the job search process and distilling it into its essence—what do you want to do and how do you get there?

Once people are able to let go of all the contradictory information they are hearing, they can settle in, relax, and begin to enjoy the job search experience. One client came to Ilana dejected. He said he had been sending resumes out all over but wasn’t getting any responses. After his meeting with Ilana, he said, “This was awesome. When Ilana said that this was fun I thought she was crazy. But now, I am energized and excited and ready to go out there.”

Gratifying is the word Ilana uses to describe her work. She went on to say, “I’m so proud to be a part of the jobseeker journey. I’m here to be as helpful as possible and the staff helps me maximize my time. They are tireless in their advocacy for their clients which helps me know that the skills I can share will be put to very good use.”