Mihi Arthur – A Determination to Succeed

I was totally absorbed as Mihi was telling me her story. My mocha sat forgotten and was cooling rapidly as this confident and driven woman was telling me about her time at Capital Training and the success that she has achieved since completing her course there. As she was explaining how the interview training that she received at Capital Training was invaluable to her success, I was imagining how far Mihi has the potential to go in the workplace. I took a sip of my now tepid mocha and asked “so, what were you up to before you enrolled at Capital Training?”

For 30 years Mihi Arthur worked as an Executive Assistant to a CEO. She had seen it all in the workplace and was absolutely crushing it. She had the great job, the great family and the great life. After 30 years she left the rat race to have her last child. When the time came to get back in to the workforce, Mihi received rejection letter after rejection letter from employers. Years passed as Mihi became frustrated with job hunting; all while the workforce and the skills needed to be successful in it evolved and moved on. As a side note, I personally am stunned that Mihi was unable to find work as she strikes me an immensely driven, capable and friendly person who would be an asset in any business.

In this situation, it is easy to sit back and stay on the benefit. It is easy to say that no one is hiring and that there are no jobs out there. Doing that is understandable, it really is. It takes a toll to spend years trying to get a job and having no success. It takes an emotional and mental toll on a person and it is easy and understandable to stop trying. Mihi didn’t do this however; Mihi wanted to be back at work and was determined to do what she could to get back in to employment.

Mihi called up her Case Manager at Work and Income and said that she was determined to get back in to the workforce and was prepared to do whatever it takes. I have to make a note here that Mihi did say that she didn’t want to get back in to the world of Administration. She had been in Administration for 30 years and really wanted to try something which involved working with the public. She wanted to interact and help the public in a meaningful way. Her Work Broker suggested the Employment Preparation course at Capital Training.

Mihi signed up at Capital Training and absolutely loved it. I took a sip of my now cold mocha and eyed one of the marshmallows that was sitting on the saucer and asked Mihi what she enjoyed about her time at Capital Training. Without hesitation, Mihi replied to this question by pointing out the staff involved with her course, Jaxs and Barb. Words like vivacious, amazing and dedicated were thrown around.

Mihi worked hard on the Employment Preparation course and learnt what she needed to know about working in a contact centre. Her dedication and work ethic got Mihi through the course easily and she deftly picked up all of the technical knowledge that she needed to be able to succeed in a contact centre environment. Mihi explained that it was the interview training that she really found to be invaluable because the entire process had changed since she had last participated in a job interview. The workplace had evolved and the recruitment process had changed so much that when Jaxs went through simulated interviews in preparation for workplace job interviews, the skills and knowledge that Mihi gleaned was invaluable. On top of the interview experience, Mihi found that her tutor Jaxs had helped her shift her mindset from working with senior managers in a corporate environment to being more public focused and in line with what Mihi wanted.

Changing your entire mindset is not an easy thing to do. It is something that you need to consciously want to do and work towards. The staff at Capital Training certainly helped Mihi, but it wouldn’t have happened if Mihi hadn’t been determined to do it.

Upon leaving Capital Training, Mihi went on holiday to Australia for a week. After enjoying her quick jaunt across the ditch, Mihi was contacted by a contact centre that Capital Training had put her forward to and asked to interview for a vacant role. After roughly 10 years out of the workforce, Mihi had an interview and felt prepared for the recruitment process that was ahead of her.

It’s been a few months since Mihi has started at her new role and she is loving it. She loves being a part of a professional community and treasures the friendships that are beginning to blossom with her colleagues. Mihi’s inherent dedication, work ethic and friendly disposition has meant that she is really flourishing in her new role. Three weeks into her new role, New Zealand went in to lockdown to prevent Covid-19 from spreading and decimating our country. Working from home for so long in a new role would be a challenge for anyone; however Mihi made it look easy with the support of her new employer coupled with her tenacity.

We here at Capital Training are very proud of what Mihi has achieved and are confident that she will continue to grow and excel in the workplace in the future. We would like to wish Mihi the best of luck; however we know in our hearts that she really doesn’t need it.

Mihi’s got this!