Work Experience Paying off for Rotorua Job Seekers

Work Experience Paying off for Rotorua Job Seekers. Daily Post, Story Katie Holland.

For many job seekers, getting all-important work experience on their CV can prove frustrating.

Knowing that, Rotorua web-based business Look After Me recently gave 12 people from all walks of life the opportunity to take part in a work placement programme - gaining new skills while helping develop the fledgling accommodation business and relaunch its website.

One of the interns was Helen Cunningham, 22, who had spent the past 12 months as a fulltime carer for her sick mother. Wanting to get back into the workforce, but lacking experience, the newspaper ad seemed too good an opportunity to ignore.

After an interview she was taken on as founder Dr Julia Charity's personal assistant and over the past four weeks she has done everything from banking and postage to uploading properties onto the website - a brand new experience.

"I'd spent plenty of time on Facebook but this was completely different," she said.

"You had to have an eye for detail and focus on what you were doing."

The original plan was for the interns to work a total of 20 hours over four weeks, but most chose to do far more.
 

Ms Cunningham said she was now on the lookout for a paid office job but in the meantime was continuing to hone her skills at Look After Me.

Another on the programme was Rona Lau, an accountant and mother who was between jobs.

She applied as she wanted to keep her existing skills up to date and gain new ones - learning how to use a new accounting programme.

Ms Lau said she had no problem working for free.

"It [the money] will come later," she said. "You need to look long-term."

She said there had also been great satisfaction being part of a team helping an up-and-coming business take its next step forward.

Dr Charity said the success of the programme had exceeded her expectations.

Thirty people applied and those she took on were given specific projects covering publicity, sales and marketing, accounting, web design and data entry and all had made positive contributions.

"I wanted to create a win-work-win for the recruits. They lend me their time in return for an opportunity to train and work in a real-life situation."

A Scion scientist turned entrepreneur, Dr Charity is keen to repeat the programme in summer and give the same opportunity to a new batch of Rotorua work seekers.