Joshua Redfield is the reemployment services regional manager at the Lincoln area Nebraska Department of Labor location, serving Lancaster and Saunders counties.
Tell us a little about your business. – Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL, dol.nebraska.gov) reemployment services offers a full range of programs and resources to 1) help employers find the talent they are looking for; 2) help job seekers connect with their next opportunity; and 3) partner with community partners as part of a wrap-around community approach to self-sufficiency. I oversee a team of workforce professionals including business service experts who help employers recruit qualified applicants, career counselors who assist local job seekers in developing individual employment plans, a team to assist our veteran population obtain suitable employment, and a resume/interviewing specialist.
How did you get started in the business? – I was hired in a temp role with NDOL in the spring of 2012 in the Beatrice job center. I conducted workshops each week to train job seekers on resume building. My family moved to Kansas for four years and then came back to Nebraska, at which time I took another position with the NDOL as a business service representative in the Lincoln job center.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Adjudicating unemployment claims during the pandemic. I worked with an amazing group of professionals that trained me quickly on how to perform this task and provide continuous support as we served Nebraska citizens.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Receiving my Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification presented by Governor Pete Ricketts.
Tell us a little about your family. – My wife and I have been married for 16 years, and we have four children.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – My temporary position with NDOL working in the Beatrice office.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I love to play to football with my kids, watch football games, and play board/card games with my family.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – I am also a credentialed minister who has served in youth and children’s ministry for 18 years.
Who inspires you? – My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and my wife.
What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” –Rocky Balboa
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Honorable.
If you had a theme song, what would it be? – “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor.
What is your favorite book or the last good book you read? – Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: The Battle That Shaped America’s Destiny.
What is your favorite movie? – The Rocky series.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – (402) 471-2275; dol.nebraska.gov.