Arvilia J. thought it was too good to be true when she saw one of her Facebook friends share a post about the opportunity to work at Walgreens and become a Certified Pharmacy Technician through Skills’ Pivot to Success program. She was enrolled in school full-time pursuing a degree in Health Administration but was looking for a job that would help her better understand her major.
Arvilia applied for the program and was accepted. She started working at Walgreens part-time while taking courses at the Paul Simon Job Corps Center and also receiving mentorship through Skills. This past January, she passed her exam and is now a Certified Pharmacy Technician. We talked with Arvilia to learn more about her experience working with Skills and Walgreens.
How was your experience working with the Skills staff?
We had Zoom calls with the Skills staff that helped prepare us for our interview with Walgreens. Before that, they reviewed my resume and made sure it was clearly formatted for the Pharmacy Technician role. They also gave us practice questions before our interview, which was really helpful.
How did it feel when you were offered the position with Walgreens?
I was really nervous to hear back from them because it’s really a competitive position, but I felt really excited when they offered me the position. I previously went to school for nursing and knew that wasn’t for me, but I think I finally found something that I really like.
How has Skills and Walgreens helped you grow?
I feel really good about my job so far. I’m getting the hang of it. It was hard in the beginning, but I feel like being in pharmacy classes helps me to understand the customers’ questions in order to help them better.
The Skills’ Pivot to Success program is a great thing and I love the program. The staff is really invested in their students, and they give us the opportunity to check in to talk every other week. They were really great in giving me advice since I’m juggling a lot with work and school.
Would you recommend Skills to other job seekers?
Yes, and I already have recommended some people to Skills. I have a co-worker at Walgreens who wants to become certified, so I told her about Skills’ program and how it works for me. I would definitely recommend it because of the support the Skills staff provides along the way.
