Ricardo was an ambitious worker ready to take on a new challenge.
He got his start by working in customer service and clerical roles. These roles and his goal-oriented nature helped him advance in his career.
As often happens, personal issues and an illness led to Ricardo experiencing unemployment. He knew he wanted to leverage his past experience for a customer service-focused role. That’s when Ricardo came across a job available through Skills for Chicagoland’s Future.
Ricardo was pleased with how easy it was to work with Malaysia, a recruiter at Skills. She guided him through the hiring process, giving him pointers along the way, and matching him with the perfect employer, which ultimately led to him getting hired.
“Everything happened really smoothly,” Ricardo told us. “They gave me a step-by-step process. They prepared me for the interview process and gave me pointers about the application and hiring process. She helped me throughout the whole process!”
After working with Malaysia, Ricardo was hired by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of IL. He was a great fit for the role thanks to his efforts to develop strong communication and professional skills.
“They loved his unique personality!” Malaysia shared. “He had great energy and a great personality, and the employer noticed. His turnaround time was faster than expected. They made him an offer within two weeks!”
“I was so happy [when I got hired]!” Ricardo beamed. He was happy to be with a large company like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of IL and was excited by how great of an opportunity this role was.
Ricardo is now working as a Customer Advocate where he can continue to build on his communication and customer service skills.
“I’m definitely passionate about getting to help people!” he explained.
Since starting with BCBS, he’s gained even more familiarity with medical terminology, and this role is even inspiring him to go back to school so he can learn even more about healthcare, which will be supported by BCBS of Illinois’ benefits, which include tuition reimbursement.
Ricardo has been especially pleased by his experience working with Skills staff and we’re so happy to see him thrive at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.
