As the newest member of the team here in Ottawa, I thought I would take the opportunity to tell you a bit about my first experiences in this new role. I’m an Employer Liaison/Job Developer and I see my role as being the bridge to potential employment for those who have difficulty managing their way through a competitive working environment. I lend my voice and expertise to guide candidates in finding their future employment. I engage employers and develop strong and trusting relationship in order help meet their employment needs. That’s the gist of it, and for the past month and a half I’ve been challenged with grasping this concept. It sounds simple, but when you’re dealing with government programs, the amount of training involved and a steep learning curve, it can get overwhelming; so I have to remember to ask myself what is my purpose here and why am I doing what I’m doing.
For me it all started to come together last week. I have a candidate looking for part time work who is a hard, diligent worker and overall wonderful person. She has had difficulty finding work in the past; we even had a placement for her a few months ago that didn’t work out as it was not a good fit for the employer. When she was put on my caseload, I was excited as she was one of my first candidates; I wanted to get her working as quickly as possible. I reached into my list of contacts and found an employer who I hoped would be a good fit. When I met with them to present this candidate I was blown away, not only was this employer a great fit, they were accommodating and understanding. The employer was able to offer the candidate a part time position, where hopefully she will gain experience and confidence in the workforce and add to her skills and abilities.
The gratitude I received from the candidate when she learned that she was going to have the opportunity to work in such a welcoming environment, with a team and manager who understood her skills and her needs made all the hard work that went into making this placement worthwhile.
I know this isn’t always going to be the norm in this role and I’m going to hit a lot of ups and downs, but I am ready for the challenges that lie ahead. I didn’t do this all on my own; the team that I am a part of is the most valuable tool. They are the most supportive colleagues I’ve worked with. So in turn I really want to say thank you for all the help, guidance and accommodation given to make me feel comfortable in my new home here at Agilec.
Sabir Mufti, Employer Liaison at Agilec
