Daniel’s Story
When Workforce Australia Employment Consultant Emily first met Moe client Daniel Hay his anxieties were quite prominent. Daniel voiced this concern openly as a barrier that was holding him back in life.
Experiencing knock back after knock back, Daniel had become majorly discouraged with his job search and felt a lack of direction and the ‘know-how’ to navigate the job market. Recognising his definite employability underneath his barriers, Consultant Emily worked with Daniel to put together a new resume and taught him how to write a cover letter that highlighted his work qualities.
Following this Daniel was referred to complete an accredited Retail skill set to not only assist him in upskilling but to give him a chance to get comfortable in group settings again.
Daniel himself said that this was the beginning of a transformation in his self-confidence.
Finally catching a break, Daniel took up an employment opportunity. However after 2 weeks he fell out of employment. When Emily called to gain feedback on the circumstances it was identified that the employer was concerned about Daniel’s lack of self-confidence which, as imagined, only affected his anxieties further.
With a bit of encouragement, Daniel continued to search for jobs with the help of Emily and the Sureway Moe team when he met with Sureway Employer Relationship Coordinator Cassandra.
“Daniel looked extremely beaten down. Even though he was trying to smile, his exhaustion levels where really evident – I absolutely had to change this so we began chatting about his dreams and career path.” she said.
“He was so nervous, he barely looked me in the eye, but underneath that he was extremely work-ready – we just needed the right employer and the right supports to make it happen.”
As a team, they introduced Daniel to some positive language techniques that gave him the confidence to phone potential employers about job opportunities.
“He spent a couple of hours making phone calls and left the office with a visible spring in his step as he had managed to do this for himself.” Cassandra said. “Before he left he told us that things were about to change.”
Not long after, Steve Jones, Manager of Solomon’s Flooring, contacted the Sureway Moe team looking for staff. Steve and his team at Solomon’s are very community-focused and were open to taking on participants under the Australian Government’s National Work Experience Program as a way to not only trial the candidate/business fit for their opening, but to provide some much-needed workplace experience to locals who had not had an opportunity previously.
“We contacted Daniel about the opportunity and he jumped at the chance.” Cassandra said.
From the day Daniel met Steve and the the rest of the Solomon’s team, he was the perfect fit and he commenced full-time employment with Solomon’s following his two-week placement.
After just one week into his new role Daniel had already made great changes to his life.
“It’s been less than a week in my new role. But a week is all it’s taken to get myself into a good mindset after years of anxiety issues,” Daniel said “all because a couple of people realised my worth when I couldn’t”.
Daniel said that not fitting into a new place of employment was one of his biggest fears following previous experiences, so he could not be happier to have found a team that supports his career goals as well as his personal development.
“My new role has been pushing myself – but in a good way. It feels rewarding to do so.” Daniel said, “The culture of the team and business environment is exactly what I needed.”
Daniel said that he appreciates all of the support he has received from the Sureway team and said that if not for the support of Steve and the Solomon’s team it would have been a long haul to get to this point on his own – if at all.
“Emily communicated really well with me,” Daniel said, “She was wonderful in ‘talking my language’ and breaking things up into manageable components to navigate my anxieties.”
When asked about his number one piece of advice for other PARTICIPANTS Daniel said “open your eyes through educating yourself and thinking outside the box for new opportunities. It’s terrifying to go into something that’s not normally your style and give it everything you have got. But it could be the change you’ve needed. Relax and breathe.”
In the future, Daniel is hoping to undertake a Flooring Traineeship with Solomon’s once a training provider can be secured.
