TERRA Helped Us Find Our First Jobs—Together

By TERRA Staffing Group

Posted on August 11, 2023

Tomiko and Tokika Williams are twins who decided they were going to look for their first jobs together. Some twins just see themselves as two people who happen to be born on the same day—but these two embraced “togetherness” when it came to their job search. 

They began applying to various openings and wanted to see where it would lead them.

We’ll let them share their story.  

TERRA: I understand that you’re both looking for work. Was it a goal to get hired together?

Tomika: Our family only had one car at the time, so we wanted to work at the same place and have a similar schedule because it’d be easier for our parents to drop us off and pick us up.  

We started looking for full-time jobs after graduating last summer and ended up searching for an entire year! We just kept applying and no one ever responded to us.  

TERRA: How did you hear about TERRA?

Tokiko: We came across this warehouse job online and applied. Someone at TERRA called us the next day and scheduled a time to come into the Tacoma office. 

Tomika: We were interviewed separately and I talked to someone from their team about what we were looking for. I mentioned that we wanted weekends off, and then they pulled in Tokiko and introduced us both to Matt Boot, who told us all about these food production jobs at a soup dumpling company. 

Matt came right out and asked us when we could start. After learning more about the job, we kinda just looked at each other and were like, ‘Should we do it?’

We did! We accepted the job offers. After being unemployed for so long, we jumped on the opportunity.

TERRA: That’s awesome! So how long, then, did it take for you to start your first day at work?

Tomika: Only a few days after interviewing at TERRA.

TERRA: What was your first day at work like?

Tomika: We learned a lot. We were shown around by our lead who taught us how to use the different machinery that makes the dumplings. Our lead brought us up to speed and made sure we felt supported. 

TERRA: What is it like to work with your sibling?

Tokiko: Working together has definitely been interesting, that’s for sure. One of the things we’ve done together is washing trays and we’ve gotten irritated because we kept accidentally splashing one another. But it’s also fun because we have these little interactions while working. Like, Tomika will be across the floor and make a face at me and it makes me laugh. 

And our coworkers have trouble telling us apart, which has been interesting, too. We actually decided to wear different color tones to help our team identify us. I wear blue and cool colors and Tomika wears red and warm colors. 

There are a few people on the team who can actually tell the difference without needing to refer to our outfits, but the color coordination has helped some of our supervisors. Before, they’d ask one of us to do something, and couldn’t remember which of us they spoke with. 

I’d get asked ‘Are you done cleaning the dumpling machine?’ and I’d say, ‘You asked the other one!’ They’re super nice, though, and always apologize. And we reassure them that it’s okay. Even our parents still mix us up!

Overall, we really like it here. Everyone is very helpful and we all help each other. 

TERRA: What would you say is the best part about your job?

Tomika: It’s consistent. When everyone on the team arrives, we start the day with the same tasks. And there’s a calmness that I like when everyone goes on their last break. 

It’s like a relaxing silence. No machines are running and no one talks that much. 

Our coworkers, having a routine and the last break—those are the best parts about working here. 

TERRA: What advice would you give to a job-seeker like yourselves—a recent graduate looking for their first job?

Together: Go to a staffing agency!! 

Tomika: You’ll have more opportunities to find jobs versus finding a job on your own. 

Tokiko: And if you don’t end up liking the job or if you lose your job, they can help you find your next opportunity a lot faster and more easily. Plus, they know exactly what kind of job you’re looking for. 

Congratulations, Tomika and Tokiko! 

We’re so happy we could support you in this unique journey to find your very first jobs—together!

Team Up With TERRA

And if you’re searching for your first job, we want to help. We work with many leading companies across a variety of industries and can connect you to great jobs and help you start a successful career that you’ll love!

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

Categories: Success Stories

Tags: Success Story, tacoma, Tacoma Jobs

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