When Jools, 62, began looking for work last December, she was worried that her age might hurt her chances of landing a job. That didn’t happen – and company hiring freezes, layoffs, and closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t impact her job search either.

In fact, she started her new job March 30 as a product engineer project manager for a global IT company based in Los Angeles. Living in the Twin Cities, Jools can work remotely not just during the COVID-19 pandemic, but on an ongoing basis. She’s helping a team that is building software to serve the health care and financial industries.

“This position was a perfect fit for me and my goals for the future,” says Jools. “And I'm making $30K more a year than I was at my previous job.”

What is the secret of her job search success? In a word: CareerForce.

“My success story is due to the assistance I received from the talented and caring people at CareerForce,” she says. “I’m an older worker, and they supported not just getting me any job, but helping me land the job that fit with my future goals and expertise.”

Especially useful, says Jools, were the classes she took through CareerForce that focused on creating a personal brand and leveraging LinkedIn for a successful job search. “The CareerForce team and their session leaders were really confident and empowered me not just with training and skills, but with a sense of confidence that I could accomplish my goals and get a better job,” she says. “It helped me feel more relaxed during my interviews and to present myself in a more polished manner.”

“I was open to all their suggestions and guidance. I did everything they suggested, and I got exactly the results the session leaders and job counselors said were possible,” she adds.

“My heartfelt thanks to all of the great people who are on the CareerForce team, including CareerForce partners HIRED. You have significantly changed my life for the better, and I really could not have accomplished this without the support and job search knowledge I gained through the counseling and training sessions.”

In the end, Jools says, the emphasis on the importance of networking was key – as well as the emotional support from CareerForce in Bloomington staff. “Tom, Gina and even the receptionist were so welcoming and supportive. Some days, I would arrive to sessions feeling beaten down and rejected, and they’d just lift me up.”

Any Minnesotan looking for looking for work – or looking for workers – can find help online or on the phone through CareerForce. Visit CareerForceMN.com/locations for the phone number and email address of location near you.

To find out more about virtual services offered through CareerForceMN.com - all of our services are  now remote – please visit careerforcemn.com/virtual-interactive-services-career-seekers.