Bill Erben

In the early 80s, a dependency on marijuana, then methamphetamine, kicked off my tour of the county jail system. What started with minor infractions quickly advanced to assault and battery, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a loaded gun. By 1987, I’d graduated to a new league, the federal system. I was convicted of aiding and abetting an unarmed bank robbery and sentenced to six years. When I was paroled to a federal halfway house in 1991, I decided there was only one thing I had not tried – to stay clean and sober and stay out of the system. I looked for employment everywhere, filled out applications, went on job interviews, and tried to convince any employer that I’d served my time and was ready to be a new member of society. My search went on unsuccessfully for about four months, until someone told me about the Calidad Industries program. I applied to Calidad and, in October 1991, got a job as a grocery shelf stocker at the Alameda Naval Air Station. I finally had the opportunity to prove I had something to contribute. I dedicated myself to the job, and in 1994, was promoted to a lead shelf stocker in charge of training. Three years later, an unexpected door opened when a manager at Goodwill Academy recruited me into the case management field. I was hired as Goodwill’s apprentice services coordinator and life skills instructor. In this role, I helped others as I had been helped years earlier. It also gave me so much more positive experience that I could include in my CV. Having a strong CV is half the battle when applying for roles, but the quality of the writing is just as important as its contents. This is why so many people use things like this missouri resume writing service to help them start their application on the right foot. That was the start of my career. I soon became Alameda County’s work experience program manager, offering welfare recipients the skills and knowledge necessary to earn a sustainable wage. Since then, I have been promoted several times and am now Goodwill’s director of employment and retention services. I also have 29 years of being clean and sober. Along the way, I’ve been guided and mentored by many supervisors, VPs, and co-workers. I’ve also had the opportunity to be a mentor to my employees. I’m proud of the people we serve every day through Goodwill’s mission. I am happy where I am. I love my job.