I-search background

Introduction:
Growing up poor I always knew I wanted a better life; financially speaking. My mother raised me to be a very frugal and self sufficient individual, but I also witnessed her endure years of financial struggle. I knew at a young age I didn’t want to lead that life as an adult. I wanted an enjoyable career and one that would enable me to be in charge of my destiny.

Being the oldest of three, I watched over my siblings at a very early age so it was a given for me to earn money through my middle and early high school years babysitting. The money came in handy for me to purchase my own school clothes in the styles I liked and it also helped mom out, too. In high school, I was able to get a work permit and started my first “real job” at Bonanza. I worked my up to head broiler and wanted to do something different with better pay so I took a job waiting tables up the street at the Chuck Wagon restaurant, now known as Captain Nicks. The work was hard but the money was great! Before moving to Florida, I learned bartending at the Holiday Inn and continued to tend bar in Florida at two prominent restaurants; Shenanigans and Talk of the Town.

After living in Florida for a couple years, I relocated back to Maine, newly married and pregnant. When my daughter was little, I took a job at Brewer Vet Clinic as a receptionist. I also learned how to fill prescriptions, do minor labs, data entry, billing, and filing. From there, I got a part time job at EMMC in the lab and was trained as a phlebotomist. In the lab I learned how to process specimens, read reports and review patients charts. I transferred to the business office and became a billing technician and was promoted to patient account representative. I reviewed patient charts and assisted them with insurance, Medicaid and other public assistance.

In the early 90’s I moved to Norridgewock and worked at Senior Spectrum as a Resource Consultant which entailed interviewing elderly clients to evaluate their eligibility for various entitlement programs and follow up to ensure accurate processing. In under a year I was promoted to Regional Supervisor for Personal Care Services. I interviewed, hired, trained and scheduled all personal care attendants and also conducted home visits to elderly clients to ensure they had necessary care to remain in their homes.

During my time at Senior Spectrum I also sold Avon products for extra money and a position came up for a District Sales Manager in Maine. Being a Fortune 500 company, I couldn't wait to get started with Avon. Once hired, I was sent to Newark Deleware and went through the extensive training program they offered on products lines and selling techniques. I started out fast and furiuos and nearly doubled the annual sales in my market the first year. My Avon business brought in nearly a million in annual sales with approximately 300 sales representatives. I effectively recruited, trained and motivated independent sales staff while implementing field strategy to achieve and exceed direct selling goals. I conducted monthly sales meetings for the reps and went to some incredible conferences over the next few years. Things were going good up until the divorce.

Being a sales manger meant a lot of travel and being a single mom of a young teenager, I needed to find a job with less travel so I could be home more often. I took a job with Cumulus Broadcasting as an account representative. This entailed some travel but it was local and worked out well for the both of us. One of my clients I did advertising for offered me a job at her new business she’d recently opened in Bangor. Still wanting to give anything and trying to figure out my niche, I gave it a shot and took her up on her offer. At Something Different, everyday was a challenge; working under pressure, meeting deadlines, cooking, preparing for catering jobs, accounts receivable/payables, inventory, payroll and training new hires. I learned that patience is a virtue in that line of work. Unfortunately her business failed so she moved on and I took a job at the new casino in town; Hollywood Slots Hotel and Raceway as a slot attendant. Within six months, I was promoted to Slot Shift Manager. In this position I am responsible for overseeing various functions of casino operations. I maintain a clean and safe environment for customers and employees, follow all state and department policies and supervise the slot staff. Everyday brings a new problem, issue or dispute; no two days are ever alike. I train, coach, counsel and reward performance, conduct appraisals and maintain employee files and complete payroll. My current goal is to move up in the company into an executive position. I’ll be researching what the Director of Slot Operations qualifications are, and what need to bring to the interview for this promotion.