The Bobby Bones Show - Objective Unlocked!

Episode Date: June 6, 2023

Tune in to hear an EEP Employment Specialist (Recruiter) who is now an Operations Manager, as well as one of the Associates, Leon Allbritton, they've helped find a position for to learn what it's like to get placed in a new job.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target.

He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe, on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever.

He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck.

Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to On the Job. Can you believe we're at episode seven already? Where does the time go? Well, after all these wonderful profiles of people in the midst of their careers, We thought we'd switch things up just a bit for this episode and take a look at the challenges that many of us face when looking for a job. So today, we're going to hear about one-man's search for work and how that path to employment helped him to discover a whole new approach to life. Let's face it, looking for a job sucks. It does. It's a painful experience in so many ways.

It's a moment of humility, of anxiety, and depending on how much money you have saved from the last time you worked, oftentimes it's a moment of sheer desperation. Whether you're searching online or in the newspaper, or driving around town looking for now hiring signs and handing out resumes, searching for a job literally begins to feel like a job itself. And one man who knows exactly how that goes is Leon Albron. Tell me, everybody, it's a job looking for a job.

And if you're like Leon who doesn't live in a big city, your options are that much harder. Because you have to go real far to get something, you know, halfway decent. And then, even if you get lucky and find a gig that sounds of interest, you've got to go through the whole application process, which means updating your resume, writing a cover letter, reaching out to the hiring person, and half the time, maybe way more than half the time. After all that work, nothing.

And you can't help but think that maybe that application you've just spent all that time working on wasn't even red. But fortunately, there are places like Express and people like Olivia Merrifeld. And I am the operations manager for the Valparaiso, Indiana and Sherrible Indiana Express offices. And Olivia totally knows how hard it is to get a job. Because prior to working at Express, she was in the exact same position that Leon was in. And you get so caught up in applying for jobs online or using those different avenues. You so many times don't ever get to speak to a real person. You're submitting resume after resume after resume.

But fortunately for both Leon and Olivia, they called their local Express office. I came into Express, had my interview. They ended up placing me at a property management company where I was the leasing agent. And I was there about five years. While Olivia got lucky with that first job, Leon was having a harder go of it. How many different jobs did they try to get you in it? Over a dozen, right? More than that.

Yeah. Did you ever get discouraged going after all these different jobs and them not working out? It was some days, man. I was feeling just like you said, too. It was, hopelessly. It was stressful, man. At Express, while it's their goal to place job seekers in long-term positions, they're also realists. I know that sometimes it takes a few tries until you find that perfect match.

As much as it's about a client interviewing a candidate, it's also a candidate interviewing the client, interviewing them to make sure it's something that they're good at and want to do. I tell people daily that not every job is a right bit for every person, just because something doesn't work out that time around doesn't mean it won't the next. You're playing the long game here with these people. It's not just like, okay, you failed at doing this job. We're done with you. It's let's keep working until you find the right fit.

Exactly. And as long as someone is willing to go to work, show up every day, do their best, that's what matters to me. It's not a matter of if they're good at it or not good at it. Are they willing to try and put in the effort? And Leon was definitely willing to put in the effort. He went to job after job, showing up ready to work. He has done everything from working in a facility that did laundry for hotels,

to dairy corporations, to even a packager at a candy factory. It's quite the range there. It is. But he was always willing to go and always willing to try something new. Even if he was going into something that he had never done before, he was always willing to give it a shot. He wasn't easy because some of them jobs, man, they should send me to. It was brutal. Leon acknowledges that they were hard jobs.

But if we're being honest here, he puts the blame mostly on himself. Because at that time in his life, with the stress of trying to find work, piling bills, and a feeling that he was letting people down, Leon turned to alcohol. And anyone who has ever used drugs or booze to cope with life's challenges knows, things can spiral out of control pretty quickly. Did you lose a lot of jobs because of your drinking? Yes, I did.

Some good jobs, too. Then, in a moment of pure desperation, Leon decided to leave his home in Indiana and move to Seattle. Because I gave up, you know, I left my apartment here. I sold my car, and I just left thinking things is going to be different. There may have been a woman in a woman. involved, but this is a business podcast, people. So Leon found himself out there in Seattle with no job, no car, and since I know you're

curious, that woman didn't work out either. And while Seattle is a beautiful city, it doesn't exactly have the kind of weather to brighten your spirits. And so Leon's desperation only grew, and what started out of some drinking to cope became a full-fledged addiction. When we come back from the break, Leon hits rock bottom. Strong work ethic takes pride in a job well done. This is the kind of person you need. Express employment professionals can help because in good times or bad, we understand how critical it is to manage your business for today with the right workforce.

We offer hiring solutions to fit changing demands. Express knows jobs. Get to know Express. Go to Expresspros.com to find a list. location near you. We're back with Leon Albrun, who at this point in our story is out in Seattle, jobless and womanless, wondering why he ever left Indiana. And I just left thinking things is going to be different, but it got worse.

What started as a few drinks to combat life stresses quickly turned into a full-fledged dependency. Any money Leon was making went straight to buying a bottle. But as Leon's life was spiraling downward, he found out that at that same time, his son's life was about to change for the better, in a very dramatic way. Somebody showed me that my son was getting drafted in the NBA. Really?

Yeah. His name Brandon Dawson. Leon felt an obvious sense of pride that his son Brandon's dreams of turning pro were about to come true. But he also felt a deep shame for where he'd let his life lead him. Leon had hit rock bottom.

Or actually, he didn't hit rock bottom. He tried to walk into it and buy a drink. The name of the bar was Rock Bottom. And then I looked at the top of it and said, Rock Bottom. And somehow that was what did it. The realization that just as his son was about to become a professional athlete, Leon was about to walk into a bar named Rock Bottom to have a few drinks and feel sorry for himself. That's when he accepted that he needed to turn his life around,

that he needed help. Yeah, I went to rehab and got they got me back in the swinging things out there. And after getting sober, Leon decided to go back home to Indiana. And they told me, they said, Leon, when you go back in Indiana, surround yourself around people that's generous,

and I take it. And Leon did just that. He built up a positive community, established a healthy routine, and rekindled his relationships with his family. And then, of course, he needed a job, and Leon knew just where to go. When he got there, though, there was a new face in the office, because in the time that Leon had gone out to Seattle,

Olivia Merrifeld went from being a job seeker at Express to being a staff member there. I had no idea that they were looking for someone for the front office here. I ended up getting an interview on the spot, meeting with the franchisee, and then started the next day. Amazing. Right, it's such a cool thing to have been in the associate's shoes in the past. I know exactly what they're facing and what they're looking for.

And right off the bat, Olivia could see that this was a new and improved Leon. Leon 2.0. It's been such a cool opportunity to see him grow, to see him change, to see the things that he's overcome in his life. Very quickly, Olivia had Leon back out in the workforce. doing a few days here and there, but all the while, her goal, as it is with all her associates, was to eventually land Leon that keeper.

I think part of our goal, and one thing our staff really focuses on is the fact that we aren't just like any other temporary agency. My goal is to find long-term permanent placement for these associates. So I want to place them where their skill sets are going to be valued and where they're going to do the best long-term. we want them to find a home and find a career. And with this new and improved Leon,

a Leon that is sober, clear-headed, motivated, and always willing to do the work, it didn't take long before Olivia made good on that. She's kept her word, and that's how my mom ever told me, wherever you're going, like, if you don't have nothing else, I always keep your word. Because after all the jobs it didn't work out, Leon has finally found the job for him.

working in the industrial industry for the last seven months has given Leon not only an income but a healthy routine and a sense of purpose. Like all of us, he has his days, has afternoons when the clock drags, and mornings when he just doesn't want to get out of bed. But then, he reminds himself how far he's come and how hard he and the folks at Express

have worked to get him where he is today. Express brought me back. You feel a human again. That's the way I'm going to put it. They're giving my life back. For on the job, I'm Avery Thompson. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot.

But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck.

Listen to Thanks Dad on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.