Planning, pivoting and persistence pays off for Kieran

Kieran knew what career path he wanted to take, but when Covid hit, he had to think about a backup plan while his goals were put on hold. Now, after months of persistence, his dream job became a reality.

Kieran’s workforce partner Brendan shares his story of success.
When Kieran* came to CoAct / SkillsPlus in 2020, he had more than just a job in mind. He knew what career path he wanted to take. He was passionate about his ideal role and employer. And for an employer in this field, you couldn’t find a keener or more suitable candidate.  

Kieran loves trains and all he wanted to do was work in the rail industry. He had his sights sets on a station assistant role and was willing to do anything he could to get it. 

Together we found a role he was perfectly suited to. The recruitment process was a long and multi-stage affair. Despite this, Kieran had a sure chance of being successful for the role.  

Then, Covid hit. 

All recruitment is now on hold. 

Kieran didn’t give up, but with no sign of how long “on hold” would be, we needed another plan.  

When supporting our customers, our priority is getting them to a point of independence – not only financially, but psychologically, emotionally and vocationally. We’re always keeping an eye on the future, too, because you never know what’s around the corner. So we set a short-term goal of finding a find a role that gave him some income, further work experience and allowed him to meet his Centrelink requirements.  

This led to a job with a mechanic in his area, where he started working one day a week. It met his Centrelink requirements and was a great opportunity for him to gain some skills in mechanics that would be valuable for a future in the rail industry.  

He was upfront and open with his employer, telling them that it was a job he’d stay in until he could get back to his career goals. With his honesty and a commitment to working hard and being flexible with his time, the employer took on Kieran. 

While working, we helped Kieran with his long-term goal of edging closer to his chosen career. He kept an eye on his application for his dream job over the coming months. It wasn’t always clear what was going on with the role and employer. There were even times when he started to despair that he would never get back to the recruitment stage he’d reached before. He persevered though.  

For six months, he sent emails and made phone calls. He kept a close eye on the employer’s website for any news about recruitment. He made sure that his application was kept active and updated.  

Then Covid restrictions eased, big companies started recruiting again and the recruiters in this instance knew that Kieran was still keen. 

Now Kieran is working in the role he has wanted for years. He’s still in the early stages of his career, but it’s exactly that – a career – not just a job. He’s well on the road to sustainable employment.  

He could have given up, he could’ve very easily changed direction and given up on his dream career, but he didn’t.  

He also didn’t have to worry about letting anyone down. Being upfront with his original employer meant when it came time to move on to bigger things, they were prepared and happy for him. 

Kieran’s story shows how we can do what is possible at the time and then pivot to what is ideal when the opportunity arises. 

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*Jobseeker name changed