My New Job Turned Into A Fulfilling Career

By TERRA Staffing Group

Posted on February 23, 2024

The right job can unlock something that you didn’t even know you were passionate about. 

That’s what happened to Erika Hillman. 

We’ll let her share her story.  

Back in 2021, I was living in Florida where I worked at Disney World in a few different roles. I worked in a restaurant as a Hostess, I worked on one of the rides and I worked in some of the retail stores. It was mostly the appeal of working at Disney and interacting with people having fun.  

I knew I wanted to transition from the tourism industry to a different line of work. And I wanted a change in climate. I had been to Oregon before, and I really liked the Pacific Northwest. 

I started searching for jobs in Oregon and Washington, and that’s how I got in touch with TERRA’s Tacoma office, who told me to contact them once I had moved—which I did. I kept in touch with them. 

I was looking for some kind of administrative job. Within a few weeks, TERRA called me about this Administrative Assistant position at a local non-profit, which definitely appealed to me.  

After working in retail for many years, the constant emphasis on sales and profits became trying. I thought joining a non-profit could be a great way to get to know my new community and be part of doing something positive.  

It just sounded like a cool, meaningful place to work. Plus, I was eager to get a job. 

I interviewed and, sure enough, landed the position! When I first started, it was hectic. We were in the midst of a huge landlord-tenant project and got lots of calls every day. I worked at the front desk and had to learn quickly because I was giving information to the public.  

I liked it a lot. This job was new to me in a lot of ways, but also familiar in that I was talking to the public and it had that customer service element.  

The landlord-tenant project ended in June of last year and there were a lot of extra staff members that had been hired on just for the project—myself included.  

At that point, I had transitioned from working at the front desk to working exclusively on that project. And as it happens, they had a Facilitation and Training Assistant opening.  

I applied and interviewed for the role, and I got it! It happened pretty organically; the project created a need for this role.  

But I really feel so much pride in the fact that they decided to keep me and promote me to one of the core positions in the organization. Plus, I genuinely like the work that I do. We create mediation and conflict trainings for the public and I customize those trainings to different businesses’ needs.  

I love seeing how our trainings affect the people who are taking them. They’re so excited, enthusiastic and empowered by their new ability to tackle things that may have been difficult for them before regarding conflict. 

Having even a small part of making people empowered in that way is the best part of the job for me.  

So, if you are looking for a job in a new field, have an open mind about where you end up. I had never heard of this organization, and now it’s turned out to be this amazing career.  

Congratulations, Erika! We’re so happy we could find you a job that is fulfilling and ignites your passion for good!  

Looking for a job in a new field? Consider reaching out to TERRA! We work with many leading companies across a variety of industries and may be able to help.   

Give us a call to connect with a recruiter today or check out our job board! 

Categories: Success Stories

Tags: success stories, tacoma, Tacoma Jobs

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