Gabrielle was charged with a felony in 2019 for possession of a controlled substance. With Honest Jobs, she found employment within three weeks. We are excited to see her thrive in her new role as Remote Customer Service Representative.
As Gabrielle put it:
"Bad things happen to good people. And sometimes, you just have to go on with your life and just keep pushing through. Don't go back and do it again; go live your life the best you can. But it's okay that your past is your past, you know. Your past is what makes you into your better future."
Learn more about her experience in the video below:
Read the whole interview with Gabrielle here:
What experience do you have with the criminal justice system?
Gabrielle: "I was arrested in 2019 for possession of a controlled substance. I gave the cops permission to search my car. At the time, I was a sophomore in college. So I would give rides out to everybody on campus for like 10, 15 bucks. So I had a lot of traction in my car. I didn't clean my car out personally. There was a handlebar pill, which was mine, and an ecstasy pill, which was left in my car. It was like a little corner of a piece that was found in the middle of the seat in a little baggy. And it was me and my boyfriend. So, of course, I'm not going to let him take a charge for me giving out makeshift Uber's to make extra money on the side. So I was just like, "Yeah, it's my car and my stuff." And [the officer] was like, "Yeah, you'll be charged with a felony tonight." I cried myself to sleep in the cell and bonded myself out in the morning time."
What was your job searching experience like after you found Honest Jobs?
Gabrielle: "I was relocating from Georgia to Houston. You know, it's easier to get jobs in Georgia. I just knew that coming back home to Texas; I would have to just search a little bit harder. So about, I'm gonna say, a month and a half before my move, I filled out about two applications with you guys. I filled out my job application on October 18, and I got an interview on October 29, and my offer letter was sent on November 2. So pretty quickly, not even three weeks turnaround, I started working on the eighth. I think it was pretty easy, straightforward to navigate the site. It was very easy to add your information. Everything is very self-explanatory. The site is very tech-friendly and very accessible."
Tell us about your new job!
Gabrielle: "I work for a company called Wine.com. I'm a customer service agent, a remote customer service agent. It's seasonal part-time. I make $13 an hour. It's pretty cool, laid back. If you get hired on full-time, then there are more benefits, more opportunities. So that's a good thing with the company that they are offering to keep some of us full time and see how we do further on."
Would you recommend Honest Jobs to other formerly incarcerated job seekers?
Gabrielle: "For people who have backgrounds, just because it does give us some type of hope. You know, we are limited in so many different things. And to get the opportunity to actually work and try to build ourselves up financially too, it's a good opportunity. Bad things happen to good people. And sometimes, you just have to go on with your life and just keep pushing through. Don't go back and do it again; go live your life the best you can. But it's okay that your past is your past, you know. Your past is what makes you into your better future. And it's just how you take your everyday life and how you mold yourself to do things, you know. It's how you're going to succeed. So just keep working hard."