Christina grew up in Maryland and was raised by a single
father.
“My dad is my hero. He is a construction worker and never
completed high school, but he always worked hard and when he set his mind to
something he made it happen. I think that is where I get my work ethic from.”
After Christina graduated high school, her plan was to
become a Marine. Instead, she became pregnant. A year after her daughter’s
birth, she started working nights at a convenience store.
Four years later in 2007, she relocated to Oakfield, Maine,
and began taking classes at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
When looking for a job, she turned to the Presque Isle
CareerCenter for help.
“I first met my career counselor when I was doing work study
at the Houlton Higher Education Center. I talked to him about helping me work
on my resume due to an assignment I had for college,” said Christina. “Then,
because of his helpfulness, I just kept going back. He has turned out to be a
pretty good mentor as well as a friend.”
Christina is thankful for her counselor’s genuine help when
she uses the CareerCenter for job seeking.
“He was very personable and made me feel very comfortable. I
didn't feel like I was being judged at all. He assisted me with my resume and
my cover letters and helped me with re-wording and condensing things down.”
Her counselor has also helped members of Christina’s family
with their resumes and application preparation as well.
“He has always been very supportive and very interested in
the plans that I have regarding my career, and has always been very excited
both with me and for me.”
Some of the challenges Christina had when finding a job was the
feeling of rejection after failed interviews.
“I hate when I feel like I didn’t give it my all or that I
could have tried harder. I think one of my weaknesses is that I tend to beat
myself up over things like that – especially if I really wanted the job.”
Luckily, her CareerCenter counselor taught Christina how to feel
more comfortable during interviews. The day before her interview for her
current job, she went to him for help.
“We sat down in a conference room and he immediately asked
me a hard question…I just drew a blank and then he coached me to calm down and
take breaths and take it slowly, then he started to ask me questions again and
made me more comfortable. He showed me that I was confident in myself and that
I could do this,” she said. “I went to the interview the next day and I felt
like I nailed it. And I did! I got a call the next day and was offered the job.
I was so excited. I called my counselor and he was excited with me.
Christina now works as a clerk at the court.
Christina now works as a clerk at the court.
