Randstad nationally have a long-established history with equipping the Federal Government with highly talented people and we pride ourselves in our ability to partner with national clients to provide permanent and temporary recruitment services.
In 2019, Randstad supported the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ (DVA) achieve success in launching the rollout of their community engagement program by recruiting Community Peer Advisors throughout Australia to join their Open Arms division.
Open Arms, formerly known as the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS), operates as a service delivery agency within DVA to provide mental health services to former and currently serving ADF members and their families (over 27,000 members annually).
services include:
- direct counselling and referral services
- an outreach counsellor program for clients unable to attend an Open Arms centre
- group treatment and psycho-educational programs
- after-hours telephone counselling
- community development and liaison
- peer support, and case management for clients with complex needs.
As recruitment frontrunners in the Darwin market, our team on the ground are passionate about matching local and skilled candidates with our valued clients.
We caught up with Samantha, Regional Community & Peer Advisor in Darwin to find out how she is settling into her new role with Open Arms:
tell me a fun fact about yourself?
- I love cooking
what are your passions outside of work?
- Experimenting in the kitchen! Both my partner and our little girl love to eat! So it works out well to have them as my biggest critics but also my biggest supporters!
what was your first day like with Open Arms?
- I was so nervous, but everyone made me feel really welcomed and helped me settle in.
tell me about your best day on the job so far?
- My best day thus far was the day I was allocated my first peer to work with. At the end of our session, he spoke about how he was grateful for our chat and looked forward to working with me to set out some goals for his future plans. (This is the response that needs a contextual piece at the beginning)
have you made a work best friend?
- I do! His name is Dave. We were sent to Canberra for our induction training last November and met on the plane. Best way to get to know someone is being locked on a plane together.
is this role what you thought it would be?
- Absolutely, and more! No day is ever the same in my role.
are you happy you made the decision to work there?
- Best decision I’ve ever made! I’m so proud of the help and support I get to provide to those who are serving, have served and families who support our members past and present.
tell us the best thing about working with Randstad during the recruitment process?
Laura was amazing to work with! Her contact with me was constant, even when there was no new update, she still provided me with that information. She understood the application process and the information they were asking for was in depth and needed my undivided attention. She encouraged me to take my time and even provided me extra time right up until the deadline.
From application submission to being offered the role, I cannot fault Laura or the Randstad team at all! I look forward to working with them well into the future.
