FEBRUARY 17th, 2020  BY COMPASS CAREER SOLUTIONS

I came to Compass Career Solutions in November of 2018. I heard about their employment program from my mental health counselor and decided to drop in on my way home from that appointment to see what they were all about. What I found at the Kelso office initially almost convinced me to abandon my plans. See, at the time, I was struggling with my mental health and did not feel comfortable around people, especially being the center of attention. So, of course, I walked in while the Kelso office was holding a staff meeting. As I sat nervously in the waiting area, a door opened and a half dozen pairs of eyes all focused on me. At this point, Joe came out and took me back to his office to talk privately about how Compass might be able to help me. We completed the initial assessment that morning, and soon after we started working together to find me a job.

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Over the next several months, Joe and I met regularly to work on my job search. We developed a resume that highlighted my experience and worked on interview skills so that I could be more comfortable and confident in my answers. We talked at length about what sort of work would be a good fit for my skills and gifts, and then focused our search on those opportunities. In May of 2019, I submitted an application to the Indy Way Chevron. It seemed like my skills and demeanor would be a good match for this position, and it turned out that the hiring manager thought so too. I was hired in June to work three days a week.

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I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle 24 hours a week physically, and it was tough initially. As time went on I grew accustomed to the work and was doing well. When an opportunity to move inside to a dishwasher position became available, I was able to approach management and make my interest in the position known. I transferred to the dishwasher position and have been there since.

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Joe and the rest of the people at Compass are great. I’ve really enjoyed working with them. They work at a pace that I’m comfortable with and are always here to help. I don’t know if I would have been able to do this without them.

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—Monte, employed over 1 year, Indy Way Chevron