After 28 years as a Jewish educator and librarian at Temple Emanuel, Rita Dahlke was ready for a career change. With a degree in nonprofit management, she went to school with the intent to work with high-risk teens, homeless individuals, and/or single moms.

Rita had been volunteering with the Gathering Place and recently shared her new professional aspirations with her friend, Carol Morris, a JFS employee. Carol told Rita about JFS’s Employment Services offerings and reminded her of our volunteer opportunities. “I went to the JFS website that night and signed up to volunteer in the Weinberg Food Pantry and enrolled in a Career Launchpad resume writing class,” Rita explains enthusiastically.

“The class had takeaways I could immediately apply. I brainstormed ideas of what type of job I was interested in and updated my resume. When I was volunteering in the pantry, I went across the hall to meet Heather (employment program coordinator who teaches Career Launchpad) in person.”

When she met with Heather, Rita told her she was interested in pursuing a case management position. She always enjoyed working one-on-one with students and she was good at connecting people with resources, so she had the transferable skills to excel in that type of role. Heather responded excitedly, “I know someone who is looking to hire a part-time case manager for his growing nonprofit!” The organization, Housed Working and Healthy (HWH), is a housing first model that incorporates culinary training and work with mental health counseling to bridge the gap between homelessness and self-sufficiency. Not only did the idea of part-time work appeal to Rita, but as she learned about the organization, she realized it fit her passions for serving the homeless and cooking.

Heather contacted the director, Brad Volin, and he asked to meet Rita later that week. “As I prepared for my interview, I applied a lot of the tips that Heather and Stacy (job readiness instructor) gave me, including to thoroughly research the organization.”

During the interview, Rita discovered that she and Brad had many personal connections and common interests. Her work through Temple Emanuel to connect students with community service programs, such as homelessness prevention organizations gave Rita relevant experiences, important contacts, and transferrable skills.

When Rita returned for a second interview, she was able to reference information and diagrams she had just learned in Career Launchpad classes and from a book she borrowed from Heather. After the interviews, she used the thank-you letter template JFS provided to follow up with the team at HWH.

Two weeks from the day Rita first met with Heather, she was offered the job! “Heather and Stacy were a fabulous team who prepared me so well for these interviews,” Rita gushes. “I can’t believe how easy it was to transition to a new job after 28 years in one place. I am ready for this change, especially after being in a virtual world for 18 months. I feel optimistic, energized, and excited about this new opportunity!”

If you are looking for a job or want to make a career change, check out our Employment Services offerings. If you are an employer seeking prescreened, viable, and qualified job candidates, learn more about partnering with JFS.