Changing lives…building businesses…increasing service capacity
Meet Ms. Belai. Dedicated 25-year-old mother of two. Hospitality professional. Dreamer. Achiever. Ms. Belai is a portrait of perseverance in the face of insurmountable obstacles. To Ms. Belai, the word "can't" is an invitation to not only do, but also triumph! Her rise from an uncertainty of joblessness and potential homelessness to a promising career in hotel hospitality is an excellent example of the resilience of the human spirit.
When Business Interface was introduced to Ms. Belai in July 2005, she was a diamond in the rough - as so many of the working poor. She was working with the New York Parks and Recreation Services Human Resources Division via its welfare-to-work program, which provided seasonal employment for a period of six months. The program provides part-time employment for public assistance recipients transitioning off the welfare rolls while they search for full-time jobs. Looking beyond the six months, Ms. Belai’s future was bleak. With no job prospect on the horizon, where would she go after her seasonal job ended? Inevitably, the road led back to public assistance.
This story goes much deeper than just a statistic aimlessly relying on public assistance. Like many underserved populations, Ms. Belai has a specialized skill that had been overlooked. But for the atrocities of 9/11, which threw our economy into a tailspin as with many working class Americans, Ms. Belai would still be dutifully employed as a hospitality manager of a boutique hotel in Manhattan, New York. On September 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers were hit, so was her employer. Sweeping temporary lay-offs went into effect immediately and eventually led to permanent lay-offs. What was a young mother of two whose career was on the rise to do? The only thing she could do...survive.
"I could not believe it! I never thought that I would end-up without a job. I never thought that I would end up on public assistance," exclaimed Ms. Belai in amazement. While she was under-prepared for the struggle financially, her spirit to survive and provide for her family remained relentless. To avoid the dissension into homelessness, Ms.Belai sought public assistance, all the while sending out scores of resumes to no avail. "I couldn't believe that I wasn't even able to get an interview," intimated Ms. Belai. "I was quickly beginning to lose hope," she said with her eyes turned downward.
Ms. Belai worked where and when she could to provide for her two small children. Eventually, she gained access to the wait list for the New York Parks and Services Program. As the season rounded to an end this past summer, Ms. Belai was directed to Business Interface Inc. to find more viable career options, not available through the New York program.
When we met Ms. Belai, we quickly recognized her many virtues. She was talented. She had a prior career in hospitality. She had ambition. She had a great attitude. All key traits of employable personnel. Now, Business Interface Inc. was her advocate and a champion of her untapped talents. Business Interface Inc. saw in Ms. Belai something more than a hotel hospitality specialist or a front desk attendant, which is the gateway position Ms. Belai wanted to target. We saw in her an ability to thrive under extraordinary circumstances, while maintaining a level head. We saw in her a commitment to personal growth and a desire to grow with an organization. We saw in her a deeper vision for herself.
In the six months prior, Carmen DeJesus, Business Resource Consultant (BRC) in the New York City Business Resource Center began contacting a Human Resource Manager (HRM) at a major hotel in downtown Manhattan in an attempt to recruit the hotel as part of our employer network. As a BRC, Carmen’s role is to identify businesses within the community willing to hire from nontraditional populations. Once recruited, the BRC conducts a business needs analysis of the employer that captures key hiring criteria, gains a thorough understanding of employer’s expectations of the position, benefits, career paths and the workplace culture. The BRC uses this information to prescreen candidates to present for hiring consideration.
Initial contacts with this potential employer did not go well. Carmen was told over and over again that the hotel was of high caliber; therefore, demanded the same level of quality in its employees. She was also told that the hotel normally hired and promoted from within the company.Nevertheless, Carmen did not give up. She believed that if she conducted a business needs analysis on this employer she could find a qualified candidate to meet the employer’s needs. Carmen also understood that if she were successful at finding a suitable candidate, the individual would be connected to a well-paying job with excellent benefits and the potential for career growth. This job had the potential to make a significant life change for someone deserving of the opportunity.
One day, Carmen decided to stop by the hotel to see if the HRM would allow five minutes of her time. The HR manager, frustrated because of Carmen’s persistence but impressed with her unwillingness to give up, gave Carmen the five minutes. Carmen took the time to intoduce Business Interface Inc.’s services and how we could be of significant value to the hotel. Carmen also conducted a business needs analysis with the manager, which turned out to be a complete success. The HRM agreed to give Carmen an opportunity the next time there was a vacancy. Excited about the opportunity, Carmen immediately began contacting her network of provider partners, faith-based organizations and others in the community to start the search for a potential candidate. Carmen had stringent hiring criteria to work with but was determined that she would find the right person. The individual had to possess extraordinary customer service skills, be able to work an unpopular schedule, the second shift and work Saturday through Wednesday.
Several weeks later, Carmen got the call from the HRM of the hotel. The job was for a housekeeping coordinator, which meant an individual would enter the job with supervisory responsibilities. This made finding the right individual even more difficult. However, Carmen knew that this was her one chance with this HRM; therefore, knew she had to find a match. As luck would have it, Nora Ferguson of the New York City Parks & Recreation Program contacted Carmen to recommend Ms. Belai for consideration. Ecstatic that a potential candidate had been found, Carmen proceeded to schedule a meeting with Ms. Ferguson and Ms. Belai to assess the candidate’s suitability for the job. Carmen’s hard work had paid off. A potential match was found. And, for the next several weeks, Carmen worked with Ms. Belai to prepare her to meet the prospective employer. Carmen used the criteria established during the business needs analysis to develop Ms. Belai’s interviewing techniques, presentation skills and ability to communicate relevancy of work history. There were frank discussions about image, requirements of the job, shift schedule, days worked, supportive services needed,and the development of a plan to care for her children.
Within in two weeks of meeting Ms. Belai, she was amply prepared to interview with a resume, a great attitude and good sense of self-worth in-hand. She landed a first and second interview on the same day with the major hotel chain and was hired a week later. Her new employer expected someone who was polished, ambitious and customer service oriented - that's exactly what it got with Ms. Belai. Her evoked talents coupled with Business Interface Inc.’s ability to make a good match, has put Ms. Belai on track.
Today, Ms. Belai can clearly envision a future. The days of hopelessness and slammed doors to opportunity are over. With a job paying more than $19.00 an hour and a promising career with a major hotel, Ms. Belai looks forward to going to work. Her dream is manifesting before her own eyes. "My goal is to become the General Manager." "I know I am on track to do it," she affirms. "This corporation believes in me as Business Interface did."
"I know now that I can do anything I set my mind to," Ms. Belai boasts with profound humility. "That which does not destroy you will make you stronger. And I am certainly stronger today."
"What do you look forward to Ms. Belai," we asked. "I look forward to simply getting up everyday," she said. "I look forward to life."
After Ms. Belai was placed, Carmen went back to the HRM of the hotel to thank her for the opportunity. The HRM commented that most of their employees are long-term - they never leave.
Carmen hopes that it will be the same for Ms. Belai.
When Business Interface was introduced to Ms. Belai in July 2005, she was a diamond in the rough - as so many of the working poor. She was working with the New York Parks and Recreation Services Human Resources Division via its welfare-to-work program, which provided seasonal employment for a period of six months. The program provides part-time employment for public assistance recipients transitioning off the welfare rolls while they search for full-time jobs. Looking beyond the six months, Ms. Belai’s future was bleak. With no job prospect on the horizon, where would she go after her seasonal job ended? Inevitably, the road led back to public assistance.
