Marilyn lost her position at a government agency in October 2024 after the grant money that funded her position ended. She immediately turned to CareerForce, remembering when the program assisted her in a previous job search in 2012.

"I've gone through other sources for job coaching but what I've always found going through CareerForce is that I got more support," said Marilyn. "CareerForce is more structured, it gives more practical guidance and it gives us emotional support – you need to be seen and heard when you are in job search mode, you need to have validation that you have valuable skill sets and that there are opportunities out there."

Marilyn utilized a variety of CareerForce services in her search, including individual appointments, online workshops and the Creative Job Search Guide. She also participated in an online job club. Advice she received from her CareerForce advisor – and heard reinforced in the job club – encouraged her to approach the job hunt differently. After being rejected for a job, Marilyn reached out to a contact at that organization via LinkedIn. That outreach led to a contract position and eventually a full-time permanent position with the organization in November of 2025 – nearly a year after starting the search. While it was a long search, she landed in the right place and hopes to work there until she retires.

Marilyn says she'll continue sharing information about CareerForce with people she knows who are out of work. She explains that any way she can encourage someone else is rewarding to her. She finds CareerForce staff the most valuable part of the experience: "[CareerForce staff] instill in us the power to go after what we want. We provide the knowledge, we need to do that, but we also need the empowerment, confidence and courage from others."

To jump start your job search and find your next career, explore education, training and retraining opportunities at CareerForce.MN.gov.