“I got the job!”

What a wonderful email to receive from one of our local veterans.

Navy Gulf War veteran Sherri Henry was seeking a professional position with better benefits for herself and her family. Henry approached AmeriCorps veterans representative, Sheila Kopczynski, for assistance with her job search.

Meanwhile, Mike Greco, an administrative officer with the Army Corps of Engineers Lower Granite Dam, contacted Kopczynski about filling an office automation position, a position similar to an office manager.

He wanted to know if Kopczynski knew a veteran who would be qualified for this position, and she immediately thought of Henry. After contacting Henry to see if she was interested, Kopczynski contacted Greco and provided him with Henry’s professional summary and contact information.

Greco contacted Henry and scheduled a telephone interview the following Monday. Henry left a solid impression during the interview and Greco invited her to visit the Lower Granite facility that Wednesday.

One week later, Henry was officially offered the permanent, full-time position, and she accepted. Henry has built her professional skills through education and experience, which was easily showcased in the federal resume format she filled out with Kopczynski’s assistance.

The power of networking cannot be underestimated when working to find positions for veterans within our community. This success story was a direct result of the Department of Labor’s outreach to local employers during a veterans job fair and active contact between the Army Corps and veterans representatives in the Lewiston office. A list of veterans representatives can be found here.

– Nichole Brown, Lewiston workforce consultant