Posted on May 27, 2021
Adam Dodd is ready to jump back into the workforce, and chances are, with COVID restrictions easing, the economy slowly rebounding, and daily life returning to some normality, he will land his dream job soon.
A Penn-Mar resident since 2002, Adam, 40, has begun actively looking for work again with the support of Penn-Mar’s Customized Employment (CE) program – a highly successful, community integrated employment program that matches the skills, talents, and career goals of an individual with the needs of an employer.
Although the pandemic put a halt to Adam’s earlier job-hunting efforts, as it did for many in Penn-Mar’s CE program and elsewhere, it gave him the time to update his resume and further sharpen his skills as a data entry clerk and administrative assistant.
“Adam wants a chance to showcase his skills,” said Penn-Mar Career Counselor Anthony Bubczyk, who has been working with Adam to jumpstart his job search. “He knows what he wants to do and has taken the initiative to prove himself.”
Finding His Career Path
After graduating from the Benedictine School in 2001, Adam took on a janitorial position at Penn-Mar, which he held for a few years. It wasn’t until he got his first computer, however, that he discovered where his true talents lay, and where they could lead him in terms of employment.
“I started working at the computer on my own at first and found that it came easy to me,” said Adam.
It wasn’t long before he decided he wanted to take his new-found skill and apply it to working in an office setting. With some additional training and support from the CE team, Adam landed a job as a data entry clerk at Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT), the civil engineering firm headquartered in Hunt Valley, Md.
After two years with JMT, Adam took on a temporary, one-year data entry position with the Central York School District that involved other clerical duties like filing, scanning and shredding.
“Adam is computer savvy and a self-starter,” said Anthony. “He’s respectful, smart and a team player, who is looking for the opportunity to apply all of his solid clerical skills and experience to advance with a company.”
“I’m a fast learner,” added Adam, who is looking for a 20-hour a week data entry position to start, preferably in and around Hunt Valley.
When the Baltimore native isn’t job-hunting, he’s either at the computer surfing Wikipedia or YouTube, two of his favorite sites, enjoying movies, or visiting with his younger siblings and parents.
Anthony and the CE team are positive Adam will find a good position soon. “There are a lot of great companies looking for the kind of skill sets Adam has; it’s only a matter of time before we find the perfect match.”