Overview
Arriving in Australia in 2008, Farah is a 35 year old from Afghanistan with two children. In 2018, she started to look for employment in her field of science or a role in a government office. She had strong qualifications with a bachelor’s degree in science. Farah wanted to support herself and her family to be more financially independent and use her qualification if possible.
Client situation
Farah was engaged with a financial counsellor at South East Community Links (SECL) due to some problems with debt. During the initial assessment, Farah advised the financial counsellor that she had been seeking employment for about three years but had yet to be successful with her applications.
Farah was referred to the Community Employment Connectors program and our
Women’s Mentoring Program for more ongoing, tailored employment support and to expand her networks.
Women’s Mentoring Program for more ongoing, tailored employment support and to expand her networks.
Farah needed to be more confident with her interviewing skills and sought support in updating her resume. She also wanted to expand on how she was looking for employment. She shared how her mental health was impacted due to unsuccessful job applications, and she was losing hope.
Outcomes
Improved job searching skills
Farah’s mentor worked with her to develop a LinkedIn profile and to expand her job search skills by introducing her to different job search platforms. Farah also improved her resume and built her capability to tailor cover letters to each job application.
Gained meaningful employment
Farah successfully obtained employment at the Australian Tax Office after six months of support from her mentor. She was very excited to finally get this opportunity. Farah felt she had hope again, and finding work has improved her overall wellbeing.
Built greater confidence
When Farah initially engaged in the mentoring program, she rated her confidence in her interview skills a two out of five. However, after receiving support for about three months from her mentor, Farah rated her confidence a 4 out of 5. She also stated feeling more confident to apply for work due to her mentoring sessions.
SECL’s Women’s Mentoring Program is a Strategic Engagement Coordinator program initiative funded by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing