Alan* is 28 and resides with his parents and an older sister. Alan has struggled with motivation and, until recently, an undiagnosed mental health condition.
Alan first sought help from us in April 2020, and was put in touch with our Employment team. His initial contact with us made it obvious that Alan was committed to making positive changes in his life, and was proactive about doing so immediately.
“Long story short, my whole life is a mess. I’m 28 almost 29, never had a job, [and] graduated university in 2015,” said one of Alan’s first emails. “[I] had [mental health concerns], finally got it all sorted out and now I feel like it’s too late for me to find work. I am literally willing to take up any entry level job or any job for that matter.”
Alan holds two university degrees in applied science and technology but hasn’t yet had a chance to use his skills. As Alan found his motivation and confidence eroding, his coping mechanisms involved extreme self-isolation.
These issues, coupled with the prospect of looking for work with the COVID-19 pandemic, Alan was close to giving up hope.
Alan and his Recruitment Specialist, Jasmine, started from the basics. They worked together to overhaul Alan’s resume by highlighting the volunteer work and other transferable skills he possessed even with a limited work history. They also worked to develop Alan’s confidence in interview techniques and think about what he really wanted to aim for. As Jasmine says, the key was encouraging Alan to “Think outside the square.”
Within 8 weeks, and while contending with Stage 3 COVID-19 restrictions, Jasmine successfully placed Alan with an inbound call centre, capitalising on his past customer service volunteer work.
Jasmine kept in regular contact with Alan during the recruitment phase, ensuring that he was feeling comfortable with the process and answering any questions he had.
Alan has been employed at the centre since mid-June and feels as though his life has “turned around.”