Taking Steps Towards Building a Strong Resume
When she first joined SPAN Boost, Maia was a quiet young 20-year-old wahine who had never worked before but was determined to break into the workforce. Her Case Manager had identified that she needed a gentle supportive approach and knew the SPAN Boost team could give her just that.
After taking the time to get to know Maia, it became apparent to the SPAN Coaches that she was very family orientated, responsible, intelligent and had an absolute heart of gold.
Maia had a large number of interpersonal skills already, which she had developed through school, marae and whānau. All of these contributed to her overall employability, despite her not realising they were valuable “skills”. The coaches made a point to add these to her CV and her overall confidence grew. She started to back herself and became keener than ever to find work.
Maia was encouraged by her SPAN Coaches to gain some life experience through volunteering, which she launched into with great enthusiasm. She signed up to volunteer at a local op shop, gift wrapping and even helped out at the Christmas parade.
Maia quickly realised the value of these experiences, building networks for future references and saw the positive effect this had on her CV.
Her coaches connected with a waste management company who were about to begin a contract, spanning over the Autumn months. The company was looking for fully licensed employees for three months, which was well timed as Maia had just completed driving lessons and successfully passed her full license test
Maia landed an interview for a role keeping leaves off the street and ensuring public areas were clean and free of rubbish.
She was very excited by the prospect of this interview, the coaches helped her prepare, and she was successful in getting the job!
The coaches kept up pastoral care after Maia began in her new role. Although it turned out this was not needed; she loved her new job and was getting along well with her coworkers.
Within just a few weeks she was in charge of driving a work truck alone and was even tasked with training a new staff member.
“It’s so cool here, the people are all amazing. I’m also training someone new with everything I have learnt”
As her fixed term contract came to an end the SPAN coaches meet with Maia and her employer. The employer advised that they LOVED Maia and were going to be offering her a full-time contract!
The SPAN Coaches felt honoured to be a part of Maia’s career journey, supporting her with real-life experiences and building up her confidence, which resulted in her successful transition into the workplace.
*Names and identifying details have been changed to protect client’s privacy. All other details are their true story.