Client Stories

Linh Truc Nguyen

"I’m a very determined person. I have been looking for work [for several weeks], and it was very hard, but I never gave up, because I really want to work and take care of my family.

"My job coach at HIRED took me to an interview at Kentucky Fried Chicken. The interviewer was going to hire me for $6.75 an hour, but then he found out he didn’t have a position open. But he said, 'Linh, you’re a good person, I don’t want to lose you,' and he sent me to apply at another KFC. The manager there, Andy, wanted to interview me on Saturday. My job coach was going to go out of town that day, but he changed his plans so he could take me to the interview. After I talked with Andy, he hired me right away, for even more money, $7.25 an hour.

"I started working [the next] week and I really like my job. The first day, Andy showed me everything about my job and he was very surprised when I learned it all the first time. He didn’t have to tell me anything twice. Andy said, 'Linh, you’re a very good person. We’re very lucky to have you.'"

Steven Clark

For many years, Steven Clark owned and operated his own tiling business. He was good at the work, and an extensive client list provided steady employment. That changed with a criminal conviction.

Steven was referred to HIRED after being released from prison. Working with his HIRED counselor, Larry Anderson, Steven decided that although he wasn’t opposed to reentering the tiling industry, he wanted to explore career options that would match his new perspective on life. Unfortunately, Steven soon found that many careers are not options for ex-offenders. Steven said, “In a sense, I felt blacklisted, but I wasn’t about to let it get me down.”

After reaching a number of dead-ends, Steven decided to return to tiling. Through a network of connections from his prior business, he was able to find a company that would give him a job if he could provide his own tools and transportation. “And that’s where HIRED really stepped in and got me off to a running start,” said Steven. “Larry was able to use program funds to help me start up, get the correct tools and get my vehicle in working order.”

Evelyn Spencer

HIRED helped Evelyn Spencer find self-respect and a new career direction after she was laid off from her job as a warehouse worker. She’d worked with other agencies without success, but found what she needed at HIRED.

At HIRED’s job search workshop, Evelyn learned how to create a resume, write cover letters, fill out applications and interview effectively. “The workshops offered at HIRED have so much to offer that a job seeker can benefit from,” she says. “They give you a lot more than any other program out there.”

Evelyn’s employment counselor helped her identify jobs that fit her interests and then to pursue training, which included getting her boiler operator license, for her goal of becoming a qualified Maintenance Custodian. She is now working full-time in building maintenance at the Star Tribune production plant. “Working is fun and I am enjoying the process,” she says. “From my work with HIRED I have gained respect for myself and respect for others. I feel good about myself and what I have accomplished.”

Lynette Carlson

Lynette Carlson had been employed at SUPERVALU for more than 19 years when she learned that her job as a customer service representative in the IT department was being eliminated. The instability and uncertainty associated with unemployment was frightening enough, but what she feared most was that her skills would be too job-specific and she wouldn’t find a position that challenged her.

Diane Henderson, a counselor in HIRED’s Brooklyn Park office, focused on Lynette’s customer service experience and her “very strong organizational skills and an unabashed willingness to try news things.” Diane recommended two computer skills courses to round out Lynette’s IT background, and a class on being a leader and supervisor, which Lynette is quick to point out, has helped her develop more confidence as a manager. A temporary job at Laneco, a small janitorial service company in Brooklyn Park, was enough to show the project supervisor what Lynette could do. She was eventually offered a full-time position as the company’s Operation’s Manager.

Since leaving HIRED’s dislocated worker program, Lynette has taken the initiative to enroll in Spanish language courses to improve her ability to communicate with some of the employees. In addition to continuing her language courses, Lynette is currently looking into taking small business courses.

Lynette said, “When you lose your job in mid-career, you never dream this kind of opportunity will be available. HIRED has helped me challenge myself in new ways that are very rewarding. I have a lot of responsibility here at Laneco, and I really enjoy having the opportunity to work within many facets of the company.”

Sonja Karbo

Single mother Sonja Karbo had few life options on public assistance. With a referral from her MFIP counselor, she enrolled in HIRED’s MFIP program. “I received tuition assistance to attend Lakeland Medical and Dental Academy,” Karbo says. “After graduation, a HIRED counselor helped me with my job search. It was nice to have somebody on my side like that.”

Within six months of graduation, Karbo obtained full-time employment as a medical coding specialist. She and her daughter found a two-bedroom house and daycare near work. “We’re enjoying a new life,” adds Karbo.

Kotfa Dama

Kotfa Dama and his wife, Kharviata, arrived in the United States from Senegal with three children and a fourth on the way. Kotfa was an avionics technician in Senegal, but to do the same work in the U.S. he needs an FAA license, for which he is not yet qualified. The family eventually was placed in the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Minnesota’s welfare reform program, which helps families work their way out of poverty by expecting, supporting and rewarding work. Kotfa applied for many jobs, but the application and interview processes were unfamiliar to him, and he had no success.

Kotfa was referred to the Ramsey County MFIP program at HIRED, and attended a two-week job-search skills workshop. He recalls, “We were taught how to fill out application forms and how to pass through an interview, and I started again to apply for jobs. I went back to some of the same places I had applied before, and I got some interviews, and after the first interview I was offered a job.”

Kotfa is now working full-time for Aircraft Service International Group as an aircraft service technician, providing ground handling services at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. He has also taken on a part-time job cleaning for Sun Country Airlines. The family’s income has increased sufficiently that they are now transitioning off MFIP.

He notes with appreciation that HIRED continues to help him with his transportation expenses, and he is grateful for the organization’s role in helping his family find their feet in a new country. He says, “I’ve seen so many people who have made it because they passed through the teaching and the counseling at HIRED.”

Rosalee Burke

Rosalee Burke, her husband Jeremy and their toddler recently moved to Minneapolis from northern Minnesota. Up north, Rosalee had on-again, off-again jobs in a casino, but she wanted a more stable life and the opportunities the city offered. It wasn’t an easy transition. Work was hard to find; the family moved in and out of several apartments and shelters. In the midst of it all, Rosalee learned she was pregnant with a second child. Her MFIP case worker provided a referral to HIRED to help Rosalee develop more effective job search skills.

“At the orientation [my employment counselors] helped me work on my resume and practice my interviewing skills,” says Rosalee. “I went on lots of interviews, but didn’t get the jobs. I kept trying and found a job with Bachman’s.”

According to Rosalees’s counselor, “Rosalee is an exceptionally upbeat person, but she’s very, very shy. One of the things we work on when we meet is helping her find ways to be comfortable with projecting a more outgoing personality. In an interview setting, where she has only a few minutes to make an impression, she is at a disadvantage. She has so much to offer, but you don’t see that right away.”

The depth of HIRED’s commitment to its clients is working: “The staff at HIRED is really friendly and very supportive. Sometimes it is discouraging to go on so many interviews, but my counselor is always helping me,” said Rosalee. She is still working hard to balance her current job and family, but with her great attitude and HIRED’s support, she knows she’ll make it.

Gao Xiong

The Minneapolis Teen Parenting Program at Broadway Community High School in Minneapolis is one of HIRED’s several neighborhood-based programs for youth. The Broadway program is a collaboration between HIRED and the Minneapolis Public Schools, and offers a high school completion program, a GED curriculum, parenting classes and onsite childcare.

Gao Xiong was still a year away from receiving her high school diploma when she became pregnant. Soon after quitting school to care for her newborn, Gao realized she’d made a mistake. “I knew that I wouldn’t be able to succeed without a good education, even if it would be hard to do with a child. It is very important to me to have a career and take care of my family,” she said.

“Broadway offers teens opportunities they won’t find at other schools. The program staff helps us focus on developing the skills necessary to provide for a family, plus our GEDs and career counseling to help us find good jobs.”

Working with her HIRED counselor, Gao found a job in the produce department at Rainbow Foods. She took advantage of Minnesota’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options program to begin taking college classes, and is now enrolled at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, studying child development. She plans to become a kindergarten teacher.


Chaw Moua

Chaw Moua, a senior at Edison High School in Minneapolis, is well on her way to developing the skills for success. She is secretary of the Hmong Club, a member of the National Honor Society and a student in the education magnet program. Chaw also attends English Command classes at the University of Minnesota. After school, she works two part-time jobs, tutoring younger Hmong children for the Minneapolis Public Schools and for a nonprofit.

When Chaw began planning for her future — she’s considering elementary education — she connected with HIRED’s Patty Armstrong, who staffs a career center at Edison. Patty worked with her to develop her resume, support her college search and help identify scholarships. She also helped Chaw turn a volunteer job into a paid position.