“Tell me about yourself.”

Many who hear this question in a job interview might find it easy to think of accomplishments and goals that an employer should know.

Connections to Success works to change that.

“One of the things all of our participants learn and practice is a 30-second commercial,” Stacey McKnight, Marketing Manager for Connections to Success, said. “If you’ve had a variety of experiences, and you’re just coming out of incarceration or you’ve been unemployed for a long time, that can be a challenging question. Where do you start? The 30-second commercial provides a structure for saying who you are, what you’re interested in, what your strengths are, what you’ve been recognized for in past positions, and what your goals are in employment.”

Connections to Success is based in St. Louis and Kansas City to help those coming out of incarceration and poverty achieve economic independence. Their 3-week training program provides their participants with professional development skills and business clothes to aid in the job search process.