Dan's Story

Walking alongside: Dan’s journey back into work

Dan came to Workwise through The People’s Project, where employment is one of the goals tāngata whai ora can choose to work on once housing is in place. He met his Workwise employment consultant / kairapu tūranga mahi in the same week he was housed, already knowing he wanted to start his own business in repairs, maintenance and lawn mowing.

“It’s your journey, I just walk alongside you.” That is how his Workwise employment consultant describes her approach from the very first meeting. With Dan, it meant they could get moving straight away. He had already put his business proposal together and had heard about the MSD business start-up grant. With his employment consultant’s support, he contacted MSD “and asked them what he needed to provide and got it all together.” He also signed himself up for IRD in-person workshops on topics such as GST, tax and business, and completed them before his MSD appointment. So he arrived with everything in place.

When the grant didn’t progress, Dan wasn’t put off and was ready for what came next. He already had other options in mind. “What he used really well with our service, was clarification around what he was thinking, and what his next steps were.” His plans shifted from job to job, but the pattern never did.

 He is so motivated…if we put a plan together, he would always go and get it done. And he always turned up. He had the goods!

Together they widened the net. Dan signed up with recruitment agencies and kept in regular contact with MSD about the kinds of jobs that interested him. Kimi Mahi Mai – an MSD job search website – combined with Workwise’s MSD relationships, opened the door to the option of flexi-wage subsidies for a few roles. Interviews started coming quite quickly.

To keep the momentum, his Workwise employment consultant also took him out on the road with a fellow employment consultant to hand over CVs kanohi-ki-te-kanohi, face-to-face. The drive in itself was valuable. “You get a lot out of tāngata whai ora when you’re in the car, just driving around. They’re in the back and there’s no pressure.” That kōrero gave them more clues about where he’d be a good fit. The result was two conversations with hiring managers, including one who “more or less gave him an interview on the spot”.

Dan also turned his interest toward support work and, with lived experience rather than formal qualifications, secured a job trial. One recruitment agency kept him busy with work for a good month.

Over five to six months, the biggest change has been in his independence. “He’s quite confident in applying for jobs now.” He has refreshed his CV, has cover letters ready, and keeps in touch with his employment consultant by text and email instead of choosing to come in once or twice a week. “Because he gained the tools from us, and that’s probably in all aspects, he didn’t need us as much.” Even so, “he keeps coming back because of what I can help him with.” Dan sees it the same way. Asked what made a real difference, he pointed to “the amount of support” he was given, and how it helped him find work.

His employment consultant has seen the bigger picture in him from the beginning. “From the first time I met him, he was already looking ‘that way’.” The range of roles he is going for is part of what she loves about his journey. “It’s really good what he’s done. He’s going to interviews and they’re across so many different industries, that’s the cool thing.” Even better, “he still keeps going. And he still tries and applies, and applies, for jobs.”

That persistence paid off. Dan recently interviewed on a Friday and started his new role the following Monday. Before the interview, his employment consultant said “I know he’ll get a job. I know that” with absolute confidence. Dan proved her right.