Danielle LeCouteur is known for going the extra mile for her participants and employers.
She is Jobfind’s Recruitment Consultant in the Workforce Australia program in Inner Metropolitan Melbourne and Gippsland regions. Beyond her job title, Dani is a coach, ally and advocate for hundreds of job seekers she assists into work each year. She was recently named as a finalist for Employment Consultant of the Year in the 2022 NESA Awards for Excellence.
Once an elite tennis player and then a tennis coach, Dani knows firsthand that hard work and perseverance pays off.
Here are some of her top tips for securing a job you love:
1. Permission to dream
Dani is often surprised when she asks her participants what their future job looks like and they promptly burst into tears. “It’s the first time they have dared to dream,” says Dani.
Simply articulating your goal is the first step to landing the job, says Dani.
“When a young client told me she wanted to be a hairdresser, I lined up an opportunity with a local hairdresser that afternoon.”
With an end goal in mind, you can start to build the pathway to employment.
2. Small steps matter
The task of finding a job can seem huge, especially if you’ve been out of work for a long time. Start small, is Dani’s advice – attend your employment service appointments, get your documents in order, and do one thing today that you didn’t do yesterday. “Every step forward puts you one step closer to getting the job,” says Dani.
Source: Unknown
3. Go the extra mile
Leading by example, Dani always challenges her job seekers to go the extra mile to impress employers and be competitive for the job.
“When other candidates are emailing in their applications, I will ask my job seekers to drop off their resume personally and introduce themselves,” says Dani.
The extra effort creates a great impression but is also a great opportunity for her participants to practice their employability skills.
4. Challenge your self-doubt
Dani purposefully helps her job seekers to reframe their view of themselves. Many of her job seekers have limited work experience, a criminal record and low skills levels. This can undermine their confidence to work and self-belief.
But for many employers, a willingness to work is much more important than a qualification, says Dani.
“I help job seekers focus on their strengths and the qualities that make them employable. It’s what employers value,” says Dani.
5. Have courageous conversations
Dani’s job seekers are often challenged by multiple barriers to employment— vocational and non-vocational—which can derail their journey to a job.
“I make sure they have important numbers in their phone, including mine – people and services they can reach out to for help,” says Dani.
Dani reminds her participants it is an act of bravery to seek help when you need it.
That’s why, you’ll often find Dani having a conversation with her participants about their general wellbeing. “We look at the whole picture of the individual, it all matters on the journey to a job,” says Dani.
To see if Jobfind can support you into work, contact us here: https://jobfind.com.au/contact-us/
