Roena Davis

“Restructure” and “redesign” are two very bad words in the mind of Roena Davis.

Those two adjectives recently cost Roena her job as a sales coordinator at McGraw Hill.  “They were basically trying to save money,” says Roena.  McGraw Hill shut down two of its nine regional offices, one here and one in New Jersey.

Just one day after Roena had hand surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, she received a letter in the mail announcing her layoff.  “It was pretty devastating—when you get near retirement and you’re a dedicated worker,” says Roena.

Roena planned to retire in three short years when she got the pink slip.  “You work at a place all that time…now I’m back at the beginning,” she says. 

To start off her job search right, Roena signed up for Goodwill’s Microsoft Office Computer class.  “I was basically self-taught on the computer,” says Roena.  She wanted to hone her skills and learn the right way to use the software before starting an intensive job search. 

“Now I know buttons will take you certain places—there’s an easier way to do it,” says Roena.  She took the Microsoft test and earned her Microsoft Office Certification in late March.   “I’ve loved the class and David [Kitchen] is a great instructor,” says Roena. 

With this certification listed on her resume, Roena is ready to find a great job.