Alan's attention to detail complements his intelligent personality, making him an observant thinker and teacher. Although he struggles with anxiety, his determined attitude drives him to succeed—Innovative Placements helped him find the motivation he needed to get his job search started. Alan's background is in film studies and film history, and he has always excelled at many aspects of the communications field. He is currently employed by Hearst Publications as a Digital Quality Assurance specialist for their Local Edge website. His job involves checking the aesthetics and ease of use of the site, a job for which he is ideally suited.
From a young age, Alan grew up with a deep appreciation of movies, art, research, and communications. This led him to major in Media Studies at the University at Buffalo where he graduated with a BA in 2012. He then attended the Georgia State University where he continued his studies in the same field. He discovered his passion for teaching as an instructor and lecturer at Georgia State. When asked what he enjoys about that vocation he said, "It's a great feeling to expose people to a new thing for the first time. It reveals a lot about a person—who they are, and how they react to an idea or concept." Alan believes this provides a platform for students' own self-discovery. It is for a similar reason that he loves the medium of film. "It allows you to see the world through someone else's eyes in a very specific, often new, kind of way." With this passion for teaching, Alan understood what he cared about and started looking for what he could do with this specific skillset.
Alan has always struggled with anxiety. Getting started and finding motivation has often eluded him. He needs a small push. His anxiety increased following his graduate studies as he struggled to find the job he wanted—or any satisfying type of employment. This feeling frustrated him and hindered his progress. Over the years he has worked with a therapist and learned coping mechanisms to help manage symptoms. Alan practices meditation and takes stock of his perspective regularly. It was his mental health counselor who referred him to ACCES-VR and from there, Innovative Placements.
Alan was immediately impressed, and somewhat taken aback, by the helpful nature of everyone at both organizations. Andrea's attention to detail, her dedication to dig into the nitty gritty of the process, and her ability to elucidate specific steps toward employment success proved to be immensely reassuring. This reassurance and understanding bolstered Alan's confidence, propelling him in the right direction. He also mentioned that Andrea's expertise at crafting a resume did a fantastic job of highlighting his unique qualifications, further increasing his confidence and motivation.
This new state of existence allowed Alan to develop a sense of resourcefulness. He realized he was able to use the knowledge he possessed to solve problems that had previously overwhelmed him. This led to a shift in his job search parameters. He began looking for opportunities that combined his computer aptitude and dedication to organization, which resulted in him landing a rewarding position.
In his current role, Alan is responsible for evaluating websites' appearance and suitability. He copyedits, looks for ease of navigation, and manages the aesthetics of each and every page, image, and blurb of text. His analysis of images and text working together, and what makes that confluence appealing, is second to none. The work is challenging and fast paced, helping him remain focused on producing high quality work and reducing his anxiety due to lack of boredom. He also states that he is being used to his fullest potential, which leads to a sense of fulfillment and completion at the end of each project. More importantly, he is excited about the work!
As of now, Alan is just one day away from completing his training and will start working next week. He is highly impressed with the company's culture, which fosters curiosity, encourages asking questions, and emphasizes problem-solving - all of which align perfectly with his "process-oriented" personality. The mentors at the company are incredibly supportive and always ready to assist until he fully grasps the concepts. Alan found one particular tool, taught by the interview training coach Andrea Samra at Innovative Placements, to be extremely beneficial - the realization that he can ask questions of potential employers. Now, armed with this newfound capability, he feels comfortable continuing to ask questions throughout his training period.
Alan admits that his anxiety had made him feel isolated and like the odd person out. However, when he joined Innovative Placements, he discovered that many others shared similar feelings, and this realization helped alleviate his worries. Knowing that the organization had successfully supported numerous young individuals with similar concerns reassured him. Alan understands that anxiety may never completely disappear, but acknowledging it is the first step in learning to live with it. Andrea's passion, dedication, and belief in him further convinced Alan of his own potential. He is now prepared to continue progressing and moving forward.
Someday Alan hopes to return to teaching, either in an academic setting, or some other. He misses it a lot. He will now be able to incorporate all this job search has added to his skill set. He has a great support network in his family (parents and sister) and maintains many hobbies (running, reading, watching movies, writing, and playing video games) in addition to his new employment. He is off to a great start! One step at a time is what allowed him to achieve this much, and Alan plans to continue with this mindset. He would recommend Innovative Placements to anyone who fears finding a satisfying job. With IP's help, he found the job and an even higher level of satisfaction in his own talents.
— Martin Kilroy, Writer for Innovative Placements