Boot Camp Success Story: Patti Black
Last October’s CRC Boot Camp was the catalyst that led to Patti Black’s job-hunting success. Patti heard about the free Boot Camp through a relative who was well acquainted with CRC. She was a little skeptical at first that the Boot Camp would be valuable because of her non-traditional work background and what she was looking for. In the end, it gave her tools and a sense of confidence that led to multiple job offers!
Black is an artist who has translated her musical skills over the last 35 years into several non-corporate venues. Having recently finished an educational program focused on mental health and substance abuse counselling, she was eager to find a job that took advantage of her interests and capabilities.
At first Patti thought she’d be “a round peg in a square hole” given her background and that the Boot Camp “wouldn’t give me the same take-aways…or be applicable to my job search”, but she soon found that the program content was what she needed to get focused and gain confidence.
“The first thing I did after the Boot Camp was create a viable resume with the right content and that was visually correct…Having a second set of eyes to go over my resume was helpful…it really is how you get in the door”. In addition, “I worked on my cover letter and my stories” (Situation/Action/Results) which boosted her interviewing confidence and allowed her to respond most effectively to job postings that interested her. The Boot Camp interview class also raised her interviewing confidence and enabled her “to know that to expect in meetings and how to be prepared”.
Immediately after the Boot Camp, and once Patti had her resume in shape, she used social media to find jobs posting in the geographic areas she sought and that sounded like good career options. What happened next was truly fantastic. She targeted 15 jobs, sent out resumes/cover letters, and got 10 immediate responses indicating interest. By the end of January she had received no less 20 responses to 25 targeted cover letters and 4 job offers (pretty amazing considering this all happened during the height of the holiday season)!
Black believes much of the positive response to her inquiries was due to “compartmentalizing” her efforts. “Being able to focus on what I really wanted to do…I felt like I had control” over the process thanks to the lessons learned from the Boot Camp and her own focused efforts.
Patti now faces the enviable task of deciding which “best” offer to accept. She appreciates the knowledge she gained from the CRC Boot Camp – “it has a lot of value and purpose for someone with real time goals and even for someone like me who may not be your typical” job seeker.
- Interview and story by John Strauss, CRC Board Member
