Mary Koester entered the employment program at Learning Opportunities/Quality Works, Inc. through a referral from Vocational Rehabilitation with a goal of becoming a Wal-Mart Greeter. After successfully completing four community-based job assessments, Mary entered the Job Development program and officially began her job search with LOQW, Inc. Mary applied for several jobs in the Hannibal area, but remained interested in a job at Wal-Mart. Mary worked with her Employment Training Specialist to fill out the online application to Wal-Mart. Also, since Wal-Mart would require Mary to attend an interview without the support of her Employment Training Specialist, they worked together beforehand on interview skills by conducting mock interviews at the LOQW, Inc. office and at the Missouri Career Center. When Wal-Mart called Mary to schedule an interview, she was ready!
Shortly after her interview, Mary received a call from the manager at Wal-Mart saying that she had been hired as a Greeter! Today, Mary has been working for Wal-Mart for over a year. Her employer has reported complete satisfaction with Mary as an employee, and Mary has reported that she loves her job.
Within the next year, LOQW, Inc. placed two additional consumers in positions at Wal-Mart, one in the Frozen Foods department and another as a stocker and loading dock worker. Wal-Mart also allowed LOQW, Inc. staff to provide on-site job coaching services for the first time.
Wal-Mart is a major employer in the Hannibal area, with numerous job opportunities for many different career interests and skill levels. With the help of Mary and the employment team, LOQW, Inc. has been able to form a great working relationship with Wal-Mart and will look forward to making more successful job matches, like Mary’s, in the future.