Who are the Community Builders: Career Specialist
This post is part of a series in the RIC’s campaign, “Fund our Community Builders.” Our community welcomes your gifts. Being able to provide equitable pay and benefits not only honors the expertise, kindness and hard mental and emotional work of the staff, but also helps ensure longevity in these important roles. Support the fund today.
Em and Fabiha celebrate their birthdays together!
Several of the neighbor kids gather to help Em put up a tent
Em and Lyjio met when Lyjio attended Em's first Job Readiness Class at the RIC in 2020. Here they are enjoying time spent together at the Community Festival
Emily Miller's Experience as a Career Specialist
When Emily (Em) thinks about why she loves the RIC and the job she gets to do here, she thinks about her time working with Hussain. Hussain was one of many people who were let go from their jobs at one of the hospitals here in Columbus due to COVID-19 back in 2020. Since then, Hussain has been struggling to find more steady work that fits the schedule of his family and their needs. As the only person in his family with a driver's license and only one car, he needed specific hours of work so he could be available to drop off and pick up his child from school, since the school does not provide transportation. And with his wife about to give birth to their second child, he needed a job as soon as possible. Hussain, determined to make a difference for his family, came to the RIC for job help.
“I was so impressed that Hussain didn't let those feelings shut him down. Instead, he made sure he was meeting with me every week, and he always had a job in mind he wanted to apply for.” —Emily Miller
During the first two meetings Em had with him, it was difficult to find jobs that required little English and also worked within his schedule, until finally he was hired at Amazon! But when Hussain went for his orientation, they told him he was mistaken; there was no job for him. After some confusing phone calls to HR, Hussain decided to drop Amazon, and although he was frustrated, he did not give up and was determined to continue his job search. Together, Hussain and Em found a job that fit all his needs at Limited Brands. Hussain invited Em to join him for his onboarding session. She helped him complete paperwork, sat with him as he nailed his interview, and watched him smile so big when they told him he got the job and would start in a few weeks! When Hussain first came to Em to tell her he was let go back in 2020, he was shy and discouraged. Now, Hussain is confident, proud, and happy. He invites Em over for dinner with his family and texts her to say, “Work is good. I like it, and the people there are very nice.”
Fact: Career assistance at the RIC has Helped 61 people secure jobs so far in 2021!
“I love that it’s relational at the RIC, not clinical.” - Emily Miller
A Day in the Life: Our Career Specialist
Em arrived at work to meet Mohammed, newly arrive from Algeria last week, to help him practice interview questions for his upcoming interview at Amazon
Jamshid stopped by to ask for help fixing his email on his phone, so he could receive job messages
Rema handed Em her phone so Em could help her understand what the receptionist on the line was saying to her
While working, Em could hear one of the kids in the adjacent children’s room, playing in a little play car and loudly honking the horn
Em helped Mohand fill out the complicated new hire paperwork for his new job at Riverside Hospital
Em heard Hamida answering the door, to find young Ahmed eagerly asking, “Is it homework help time yet?,” like he does each day
Employer Relationship: Walmart
Over the past year, many neighbors have come to the RIC wanting help applying for jobs at Walmart. Em has assisted many neighbors with this application process and soon discovered that Walmart requires applicants to take a test, and if they fail it, they cannot apply again for 6 months. The test is very hard, and Em failed it herself, even though English as her first language! One day a neighbor she helped came to the office and said “Em! I know a very nice manager at Walmart who wants to talk to you and help with the tests!” Em called this manager, who speaks Arabic, and he understood the difficulty of the application process. He made a plan for Em to help neighbors apply and then send them to him, so he could help them with the test. He told Em that he is very grateful for the RIC because Walmart is always hiring . As of today, 5 neighbors from Riverview work at Walmart, with more applying each week!
“It has been SUCH a relief to work with a manager who cares and who is helping our neighbors with these tests.”
Why fund our Community Builders?
We want to continue to help our neighbors connect with employment, and we aspire to be an attractive and competitive employer. Being able to provide equitable pay and benefits is important to the RIC; this not only honors the expertise, kindness and hard mental and emotional work of the staff, but also helps ensure longevity in their roles, which allows for trust to be built with neighbors, partners, volunteers, and other staff. Your generous gift will help the RIC continue to hire and retain top talent, in order to build relationships and support our neighbors.
Who is our Community?
Our neighbors. Our volunteers. Our partners. Our staff.