Searching for a job can be overwhelming. The endless scrolling through online ads, the silence after sending off resumes, and the anxiety of interviews are tough hurdles. For 19-year-old Sienna, who lives with Autism and anxiety, these challenges felt even steeper.
After graduating from high school, Sienna found herself in a frustrating cycle of applying for jobs without success.
“It was chaotic,” Sienna said. “I was looking on Seek and I was trying hard to get a job, handing in my resume in lots of places. But yeah, it was pretty hard.”
Sienna estimates she applied for more than ten jobs during that period, ranging from hospitality roles to “random little jobs here and there.” But the job market in her hometown of Coffs Harbour is tight, and positions would disappear online almost as fast as they appeared.
Feeling stuck, Sienna connected with Social Futures and the Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) program. IEA is designed to support people with disability, an injury or health condition overcome barriers to work, helping them to find a job and build the skills and confidence to keep it.
Sienna was paired with an IEA Participant Engagement Consultant, Ngun, and with support from Team Leader, Lace, and Employment and Partnership Consultant, Todd, the difference they made was immediate.
“They definitely helped by connecting me to the right people,” Sienna explained. “I was finding it all pretty hard by myself. I could put in a resume, but I wasn’t getting anywhere.”
One of the first things the team did was review Sienna’s existing resume. Following this, Ngun took a proactive approach, searching for roles she thought Sienna would like, and helping her to prepare for them.
Photo: Todd, Sienna and Ngun
Overcoming fear of the unknown
For Sienna, the biggest barrier wasn’t a lack of capability—it was anxiety. The prospect of walking into a workplace and speaking to employers face-to-face was daunting.
But although intimidating at first, Sienna said with coaching and support from Ngun and Lace, she found the courage to approach employers. Meanwhile Todd approached Sienna’s current employer directly and obtained an interview for Sienna. Her bravery paid off – after the interview she was offered a position at a local takeaway shop, conveniently located close to home.
“It’s super good. It’s super chill,” Sienna says of her new role.
Lace has seen Sienna in action and is impressed by her growth over a short time. “Sienna is wonderful in a service role, she is friendly and comfortable chatting to customers, it is great to see her in her element.”
Since starting work, Sienna’s life has turned around, and boredom has been replaced with structure, social interaction, and financial independence.
“It’s a lot better,” Sienna says. “I have more routine. I’m not bored at home doing nothing… I’m meeting a lot of new people as well, and I’m getting paid. So yeah, it’s good.”
The income has allowed her to buy new clothes, but beyond the material benefits, the job has given her a sense of capability.
Support from the IEA program hasn’t stopped now that Sienna is employed. The team continues to support her with the “little pieces,” as Lace calls them. They helped her locate her Tax File Number, and they are currently working on getting her comfortable work shoes for shifts spent on her feet.
Next on the agenda is supporting Sienna to get her driver’s license, another step toward building her independence.
Now she has conquered the first step of entering the workforce, Sienna is starting to look further ahead. When asked about her dream role she talks about her love for animals and dreams of a career working with them.
The IEA team is already planning how to support these long-term goals. They are discussing Certificate II and III courses in Animal Studies and helping Sienna to map out a career path from her current role to her future dream job.
Social Futures is proud to deliver the IEA program in the wider Coffs region of Coffs Harbour, Nambucca Heads & Woolgoolga as well as Dubbo, Wellington, Coonabarabran, Orange, Young, Cowra and its surrounding communities.
If you would like support to achieve your employment goals, we have a friendly team ready to help. Contact Social Futures on 1800 719 625.
