2024 Business Women Awards
ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Charise Wilson
Workforce Ready Solutions owner
CHARISE WILSON KNOWS firsthand how valuable mentors are, especially for a job hunter who’s determined to move up but doesn’t know how to get there.
Mentors act as sherpas, offering guidance, contacts, creative feedback, and a place to vent.
Wilson brought that personal experience with her when she debuted her employment coaching business in 2019. Lincoln-based Workforce Ready Solutions, a minority- and woman-owned business, helps professionals get back in the workforce, advance or change careers. Wilson’s sessions range from polishing resumes and LinkedIn profiles to freshening up interview skills.
She also helps businesses and organizations with human resources issues, coaching their employees, creating employer handbooks, as well as advising with recruitment, conflict resolution, performance reviews and 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 position is making them take a hard look at their background and how it fits with their prospective dream job. Office culture has changed, she says. It used to be someone could stay in a company and work their way up; the emphasis was on how hard you did your job.
Today it’s different, she says. It’s not just about work ethic.
“It’s your brand and factors like your other activities and what additional impact you’re having, such as your role in the community, how you’re showcasing your skills and who you know,” she said. “Every industry is slightly different.”
As a solo entrepreneur, Wilson thinks about her business constantly, she says, juggling and managing her time, finding a quiet few hours to create content she wants to teach. She’s also recently hired a part-time assistant to help with administrative and programming needs. And she’s working on making more time for herself, she says with a laugh.
“I used to teach Zumba, but I needed to take a step back from being the motivator. I’m planning to take Afrobeats dance classes and roller skating. Now I’m a grandmother, I spend Fridays with my 15-month-old granddaughter,” she said.