Jelnachea Goes from College to Career with GoHealth

Jelnachea graduated with her Bachelor's degree in December 2020, at the end of a tumultuous year. While in school, she had been working in maintenance. But when the pandemic struck, she—like countless others—was laid off. At first, she appreciated the extra time to focus on her school work. With children to care for, though, she had to make sure she was employed. She found some success with staffing agencies, but all the jobs ended up being short-term placements.

Then, thanks to our weekly Hot Jobs newsletter, she discovered Skills' College to Career program. Jelnachea recently caught up with us about her experience: "I thought it would be a long-term process, but I was surprised it was so quick!" She met with team members Terry and Brandon, who told her about the program and explained all the open positions she was qualified for. "At the time, I didn't think I'd be interested in the role with GoHealth. But during my interviews with Terry and with the hiring manager at the company, it started to sound more and more interesting. I wanted to be able to work from home because of safety concerns during the pandemic and because I still have a young son at home."

While she may not have envisioned a career in sales & customer service, Jelnachea feels quite at home at her new company. "GoHealth has been a very, very supportive environment. They supply everything. Medical insurance, laptop and equipment, training. They pay for you to take the certification tests. And once you pass the test, they award you points you can trade in to set up your home office. All you need to do is be present and willing to learn, and willing to do the work. They are a great company to work for."

Jelnachea values the commitment GoHealth has made to her professional development. "They have great training where they want to make sure you feel comfortable and confident in the job before they put you on the phones. I feel more invested in—they make more of an investment for you to become successful." 

She also credits their inclusive culture. Even with a remote work environment with teammates working separately from home, she notes that they don't leave anyone behind. They make sure all teammates are "in the know." Even with colleagues working in different groups, GoHealth makes sure everyone is introduced and has a chance to get to know each other. 

To her support system at Skills, she extends a big THANK YOU! "To Terry and Brandon, thank you for the opportunity. For giving me a new beginning. Great job to the recruiters and everyone sending emails and updates about available jobs. I got those emails once a week, and it was awesome. That is a great service."

Reflecting on her time transitioning out of college, she remembers hearing horror stories about her classmates not being able to find jobs. But now she knows first-hand that Skills is a great opportunity for people who have a degree and are struggling to kickstart their career. 

"This is a place where I can keep learning and growing. Some people have been here only a year, and they're already managers. I feel like I could move up, too. If I got the opportunity, I'd take it. Whatever you want to be, you have to opportunity to get there at GoHealth."