Category: The Goodwill Blog

National Employ Older Workers Week, held annually the last full week of September, recognizes the vital role of older workers in the workforce. It also showcases the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which provides on-the-job skills training to individuals 55 or older with limited financial resources. Since its inception in 1965, SCSEP has helped more than one million older Americans enter the workforce.Goodwill agencies in 14 states are providing services under the SCSEP program, and last year they helped more than 2,700 seniors put their years of experience and reliability to work in today’s workforce.

READ MORE from Goodwill® Celebrates the Contributions of Older Workers

It’s an exciting moment. After working on your résumé or application and doing everything perfectly, you get the call—the company wants to have you in for an interview. You have a foot in the door, but how do you go from getting the interview to getting the job? You’ll want to make the best impression that you can; here are just a few suggestions of things that you can do to have a successful interview.

READ MORE from Five Steps to Make Your Next Job Interview a Success

Earlier this summer, nearly 40 businesses and organizations collected more than 15,000 pounds of interview-appropriate attire in the annual Put Your Clothes to Work corporate clothing drive for Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries (Boston). The donated clothes are used at the Boston Goodwill’s quarterly Clothing Collaborative for Job Trainees.

READ MORE from Boston Goodwill, Businesses Collect 15,000 Pounds in Clothing Drive

By now, educators are noticing voids in their classroom supplies or annoyances regarding the organization of their space, yet the annual budget has probably already been spent or allocated for later purchases. It’s no secret that most teachers end up paying for many (if not most) of their classroom needs out-of-pocket, so costs need to be low. Cue Goodwill!

READ MORE from Revitalize the Classroom with School Supplies from Goodwill®

Many from Goodwill®, including myself, are attending the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) Assets Learning Conference in Washington DC. The timing couldn’t be better, or more ironic. Six years ago this week, the world was hurtled to the brink of an economic precipice it hadn’t seen in nearly 80 years when Lehman Brothers, one of the oldest investment firms on Wall Street, announced it was filing for bankruptcy. Today, we still face challenges caused by the Great Recession. Too many are still unemployed; many more are working, but earning far less than in 2006 or 2007. And while the stock market has rebounded and stands 2,500 to 3,000 points over its pre- Recession high of 14,100, the middle class has significantly declined.

READ MORE from Looking Back, Moving Forward

Traditionally, searching for a job meant face-to-face networking, going through classified ads in print publications, and attending job fairs. Today, using social media to network and find job opportunities can give you a big advantage over individuals who are only using print and in-person approaches to landing a job. Each social network has its particular advantages, but there are three sites that deserve special consideration from job seekers.

READ MORE from Three Social Media Sites to Use for Networking and Job Searching

Goodwill Industries of East Texas (Tyler) showcased the latest trends in school uniforms, casual dress and outerwear during its back-to-school fashion show held on August 14. The show was a part of the city of Tyler’s first #SchoolisCool event which helped prepare children and parents for the new school year.

READ MORE from Tyler Goodwill Shows Area Residents that #SchoolisCool through Fashion Show

If you’re looking to spruce up that one wall of your living room, or to extend a certain decor theme throughout your home in order to tie every room together, displaying a collection can be an easy and effective way of doing that. Creating your own gallery can be as easy as setting up some shelves and showing off your favorite treasures.

READ MORE from Goodwill®: The Ultimate Collection Resource

Recently I attended a discussion on citizen activism and coalition building. In order to advance the public policy priorities of Goodwill® and the people we serve, I often have to work within coalitions made up of broad interests. I also wanted to learn more about what motivates citizens to become engaged. Little did I know that the conversation would lead me to reflect on not only how the lessons learned can be attributed to my work and the work of Goodwill, but also my own personal experiences.

READ MORE from Coming Together to Ignite Change

Putting together a career plan means more than just thinking about what jobs you want to have. It requires you to think about your interests, values, skills and preferences; explore the life, work and learning options available to you; and ensure that your work fits with your personal circumstances. Learn more about how to include education in your career planning efforts in Goodwill's latest career advice post.

READ MORE from How to Include Education in Your Career Plan

Last month, recent high school graduates pursuing health care careers received a certification for completing the Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) training program run by Goodwill, Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County (Long Beach, CA). The Long Beach Unified School District collaborated with Long Beach Goodwill last year to start healthcare academy programs involving three different high schools. The academies provide a career path for low-income students who do not necessarily have college plans, but demonstrate an interest in working in the health care field. If students successfully complete their high school’s academy, they are eligible to enroll in the Goodwill CNA program, free of charge.

READ MORE from First Class of Long Beach High School Students Graduate from CNA Program

When it comes to buying vintage at a reasonable price, you can’t do better than Goodwill®. Although antique shops and curated secondhand stores may be more obvious places to browse when you’ve got vintage on your mind, their for-profit markups can be disappointing. Goodwill’s mission, on the other hand, is not to make a profit, but to better the local community. That means you will be able to get much more bang for your buck when shopping at Goodwill (and you can feel good about your purchases, too)!

READ MORE from Vintage Goodwill® Finds: The Possibilities Are Endless