Tammy Tanck Lands on Her Feet After K-Mart Closing
When the Janesville K-Mart announced it was closing at the end of 2014, most of its workers were caught by surprise and shocked at the announcement. After working there for more than 34 years, 52-year-old Tammy Tanck of Janesville was no exception.
“I had no idea this was coming,” she said. “It caught all of us off guard.” But she didn’t sit and mourn or wallow in self-pity. She knew she needed to change direction so she utilized the services of the Rock County Job Center and worked with her Manpower Career Specialist Cyndi Pohl to develop a plan to get her back into productive employment as soon as possible. “I have family here, including children and grandchildren, so I knew moving wasn’t an option,” she said. “Plus, my husband’s job was here.”
Cyndi worked with Tammy on honing her interviewing skills, updating her resume and cover letter, and providing other services such as numerous job leads. “I had many job interviews, but the one with SSI Technologies really ‘clicked’ for me,” Tammy explained. Her first contact with SSI came at a Job Fair at the Rock County Job Center. “I really enjoyed working with Cyndi,” Tammy said. “She understood what I was going through, knew I didn’t want to return to school to re-train, and provided the appropriate services and options for me.”
Tammy wasn’t sure whether she wanted to remain in retail or move in another direction. At K-Mary she had served as the manager at their Customer Service Desk, and later as a manager at two different departments within K-Mart.
“I kept my options open, except for the relocation aspect, and SSI worked out very well for me,” Tammy said. She is a control worker on SSI’s assembly line. “It’s all new to me but as I get more practice and keep honing my methodologies, I’m improving my job skills,” she said. “Tammy is a very energetic individual and will offer her past experience along with professionalism, dedication and loyalty to her new employer,” said Cyndi.
After 34 years at one company, it takes a major adjustment to move on, but Tammy Tanck has made that successful transition.
