Goodwill of the Great Plains

Preparing for a Phone Interview

By: Phoua Xiong, Job Center Representative

Are you having a phone interview with your dream job but don’t know what to do? We are here to help. Preparing for a phone interview can be hard because you will have to learn how to express your emotion and excitement through your voice.

Step 1:

Do your homework and still research about the job just as you would for face-to-face interview. Doing your homework will make you sound smarter and more interested about the job.

Step 2:

Make sure you find a quiet spot for the interview. Background noise can be a distracting and can make it hard for both you and the interviewer.

Step 3:

Create yourself a cheat sheet including important notes and have your resume so you can refer too.

Step 4:

Finally, get some good night sleep so you can feel more refresh and alert during the interview.

Phone interview usually don’t take more than 30 minutes. By knowing how to prepare yourself, you’re able to show the best side of you.

Goodwill of the Great Plains Awarded Grant from Taco Bell

Sioux City, IA (June 1, 2023) – Today, Goodwill of the Great Plains received a grant from the Taco Bell Foundation to support Youth Employment Services. The funds will go toward students working at Goodwill or one of our community partner’s locations to gain valuable work experience.

Goodwill of the Great Plain is one of more than 450+ youth-serving organizations that will receive a portion of the $15 million in Community Grants presented by the Taco Bell Foundation this year. The grants are an example of the Taco Bell Foundation’s mission to break down barriers to education and fuel young people’s boldest ambitions.

“We are proud that the work we do through our Community Grants program connects young people with the resources and opportunities they need to learn and drive change,” said Jennifer Bradbury, Executive Director of the Taco Bell Foundation.

Pictured from left to right are Goodwill participant Brendan, Job Coach Brian and participants Fred, Charlie, Tatania and Chris.

Goodwill of the Great Plains to hold 100 Year & Customer Appreciation Celebration

EVENT DATE: Thursday, May 18, 2023
EVENT TIME: 11:00am – 1:00pm (RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY @ 11:30am)
EVENT LOCATION: 3100 W. 4^thSt., Sioux City, IA
VIDEO & INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES

Sioux City, IA- To celebrate 100 years of creating dignity and compassion through the power of work, Goodwill of the Great Plains is hosting a customer appreciation celebration, featuring a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, at the Sioux City retail store at 3100 W. 4^th St. at 11:30am on May 18. Mayor Pro-Tem Dan Moore will also present a commendation to recognize the historic anniversary at that time.

From 11:00am-1:00pm, customers at both Sioux City retail locations (3100 W. 4^th St. & 5931 Gordon Dr.) will have the opportunity to enter a drawing to win a $25 gift card to the store, while the first 100 customers will get a coupon redeemable for 25% off their total purchase. Complimentary lunch provided, while supplies last, from 11:00am-1:00pm!

Starting as Wall Street Mission in Sioux City in 1890, Goodwill of the Great Plains joined the international Goodwill movement in 1923. The organization’s territory has since expanded, with 21 retail stores in a four-state territory; a 22^nd store will open in Vermillion, SD in 2024.

“Goodwill’s ability to tackle community needs would not be possible without the generous support of donors and shoppers,” said Goodwill of the Great Plains President & CEO Briget Solomon. “Our retail program provides jobs to community members, a place for job training opportunities for those enrolled in our programs and helps fund the work of Goodwill.”

Goodwill founder Edgar J. Helms (a Spirit Lake, Iowa native) explained it best – Goodwill is a business PLUS. It exists for service, not for profit. As such, Goodwill of the Great Plains operates mission programming throughout its territory, advocating for economic self-sufficiency through employment and education.

We accomplish this through various job training programs and placement services, which include four regional Job Centers, a new Career Cruiser (a Job Center on Wheels!) and more. In 2022, more than 400 people were placed into community jobs after utilizing our services.

About Goodwill of the Great Plains

Goodwill of the Great Plains is a community-based non-profit 501c3 organization headquartered in Sioux City, IA serving South Dakota and portions of Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. In 2022 Goodwill served over 30,000 people through mission programming funded in part by 21 retail stores. Goodwill programs received accreditation from CARF and a voluntary board of directors governs the organization. Please visit the Goodwill of the Great Plains website at www.goodwillgreatplains.org to learn more about our organization.

Preparing For An Interview

You’ve been offered an interview for a job! Now what? This is an opportunity to build an edge over other applicants for the job you want. Here are a few steps you can use to greatly improve the impression you give future interviewers and your chance to get the job!

When you apply for a job, it is wise to keep the posted ad for the job, that way you can go back to the post for the jobs you have interviews for and review exactly what they asked for. This is important because the interviewer will have this in mind when they are interviewing you and it will help you more advantageously shape your replies into job winning answers.

In addition to crafting your answered to tell your employer why they want you, this also gives you the chance to answer the interviewers almost inevitable questions as to why you want the job. To get the edge over others being interviewed you want to make your answers sound like you want this job and having the job post allows you to do that.

Another valuable way to get an advantage over your competitors is to research the company. This doesn’t have to be a major ordeal or even time consuming – just look up the company’s website and read who they are as a company and what they are about. Seeming familiar with a company will further help you shape your answers to show how you will be a boon for them and good fit for their company.

Lastly, look up and rehearse the most common interview questions. Building a great answerer to a predictable question is one of the easiest and most advantageous steps you can take in prepping for an interview, and it can and probably will blow the competition out of the running for your next job.

Expansion into Vermillion, SD Community

Goodwill of the Great Plains Announces Expansion into Vermillion Community

Vermillion, SD – Goodwill of the Great Plains is excited to announce the expansion of their service delivery and retail store to Vermillion, SD. On Tuesday, May 2^nd, the Vermillion Chamber and Development Company will be joining Goodwill for a Groundbreaking Ceremony at 11:30 AM on Goodwill’s future store site at 700 Bower Street in Vermillion. The community and public are welcomed to attend.

Goodwill’s mission is to serve as an advocate for economic self-sufficiency through employment and education. This is achieved through servant leadership values of compassion, achievement, potential, integrity, and dignity.

“We are thrilled to be joining the Vermillion community. Today is a special day as it lands in the middle of Goodwill week – a national celebration of the work and impact of Goodwills across the country. This year, Goodwill of the Great Plains is also celebrating its 100^th year as a Goodwill organization. Goodwill’s founder, Edgar Helms (a native of Spirit Lake, Iowa) set the foundation for our work not as a charity but a chance. As a Goodwill we are called to empower individuals and continue to be dissatisfied until every member of our community experiences abundant living. This new location will expand our footprint in South Dakota and further our mission to change lives.” – Briget Solomon, President and CEO of Goodwill of the Great Plains

The Vermillion store will become Goodwill’s 22^nd store in its four-state region and employ 12-14 people in the community. If you love shopping with Goodwill, you’ll love working at Goodwill! Career opportunities will be opened 60-90 days prior to the store’s grand opening. Applications for job seekers will be made available online as the date draws nearer.

To learn Goodwill’s construction progress and future grand opening slated for Q1 2024, follow Goodwill on Facebook and LinkedIn, and visit www.goodwillgreatplains.org to discover more on Goodwill’s history, community impact, and service delivery model.