Alberta (whose name has been changed) is a 50-year-old female from a migrant background, experiencing long-term unemployment (over 13 years) relating to having a role caring for her children and a physical injury that has left her with a disability that precluded her from returning to her pre-parenting role.
Alberta engaged with COTA for support to rejoin the workforce, having little idea of what area of work she was interested in. Alberta had no resume and had not applied for a job since she had had children. Alberta reported feeling ‘frustrated’ at herself and ‘not confident’ that she had skills or abilities that would enable her to gain employment. She was particularly focused on the barriers that impacted on her ability to return to work, and said her self-esteem had been affected by her circumstances.
COTA Victoria worked with Alberta, firstly to build self-confidence through understanding her strengths, and helped highlight what abilities she had gained through her life experiences. We then supported Alberta to explore some areas of work she would be interested in, aligning with her skills and long-term career goals.
COTA Victoria helped Alberta identify that she was a very effectual communicator, had excellent organisational skills and was adept at finding information to support herself, her family and friends. COTA Victoria suggested that these skills would be beneficial to someone working in service navigation, a term that Alberta had not heard of before.
With this new information, Alberta was proactive for searching for roles in this area, finding an open position at an organisation that shared her values and fit in with her lifestyle.
COTA Victoria supported Alberta to prepare a resume and cover letter that resulted in her being selected to move onto the psychometric and task-based testing phase of the recruitment process for the role. Alberta worked with COTA Victoria to prepare for these phases and was successful in gaining a position.
Alberta provided feedback that “without COTA’s support, I wouldn’t know what my options were”. Alberta stated she was “…so happy I can work again and show my children what I am capable of.”
Alberta feels confident she will continue on in this position and hopes it is “something I can do until I retire”.
Do you need employment support?
COTA Victoria’s Employment Support program assists those aged 50 and above on their training and employment pathway.
At present, our Women Working Together program focusses on women aged 50+ from the south-eastern and western suburbs of Melbourne who have been out of the workforce for some time, or who want to train for more sustainable employment or volunteer opportunities.
Names have been changed for anonymity. Photo at top for illustrative purposes only.