Workforce Ready Solutions’ Wilson Shapes Clients’ Futures

CHARISE WILSON KNOWS personally how valuable mentors are, especially to a job seeker who is determined to get ahead but doesn’t know how to get there. Mentors act like sherpas, offering advice, connections, creative feedback, and a place to vent. Wilson brought that personal experience with her when she launched her job coaching business in 2019. Lincoln-based Workforce Ready Solutions, a minority- and women-owned business, helps professionals re-enter the job market. work, progress or change careers. Wilson’s sessions range from polishing resumes and LinkedIn profiles to brushing up on interview skills. She also helps businesses and organizations with human resources issues, coaching their employees, creating employer handbooks, as well as advising them on recruitment, conflict resolution, performance reviews and of salaries. Clients range from the Community College of Rhode Island and the I-195 Redevelopment District to Leadership Rhode Island and Foster Forward. Part of helping individual clients find the perfect role is getting them to carefully examine their background and how it aligns with their dream job. The office culture has changed, she said. It used to be that someone could stay at a company and move up the ranks; the focus was on how hard you were doing your job. Today is different, she said. It’s not just about work ethic. “It’s about your brand and factors like what other activities you do and what additional impact you have, like your role in the community, how you showcase your skills and who you know,” she said. -she declared. “Every industry is slightly different.” As a solo entrepreneur, Wilson is constantly thinking about her business, she says, juggling and managing her time, finding a few quiet hours to create the content she wants to teach. She also recently hired a part-time assistant to help with administrative and programming needs. And she’s trying to make more time for herself, she says with a laugh. “I used to teach Zumba, but I needed to step back from my role as a motivator. I plan to take Afrobeats dance classes and roller skating. Now I’m a grandmother, I spend Fridays with my 15-month-old granddaughter,” she said.