The change in mindset started when I saw my Army colleagues finding new employment. Seeing how excited they were motivated me to look at my own situation.
- Rebekah Nugent
Meet Rebekah
Rebekah was a Psychological Examiner and Soldier in the Australian Army Psychology Corps for seven years. During her service, she was deployed to the United Arab Emirates for seven months where she did fly-in and fly-outs to Afghanistan.
Despite enjoying her time in the Army, Rebekah began to feel she wanted to try something new but wasn’t sure where to begin.
“Towards the end of my time in the Army I was no longer satisfied with my career, but I stayed anyway because I knew I was good at my job, it was secure, and I didn’t know what else to do. I had quite a fixed mindset on what my skills and talents were within my niche Army trade.”
Rebekah's journey
Rebekah shared her concerns about leaving the Army with a former Sergeant who told her about WithYouWithMe. After investigating online, she saw they helped veterans find new careers, using psychometric and aptitude testing to match them to jobs.
Given her role as a Psychological Assistant, this concept wasn’t new to Rebekah, it was one she’d used many times in the military to help others determine which career to pursue on the outside.
“The change in my mindset started when I saw some of my Army colleagues find new employment. Seeing how excited they were motivated me to look at my own situation.”
Rebekah signed up for the Potential platform, completed her testing and was matched to roles in Human Resources, Learning and Development and Business Analysis.
“Even after joining the military, I had always doubted myself. I didn’t put my hand up for roles I could have done, and I held back from applying for others. I didn’t think I was suitable or good enough, but now I had the data to prove I could be successful in these roles.”
Embracing a growth mindset
Rebekah applied for an internal role in WithYouWithMe’s Career Success team, at the time, referred to as ‘Pathfinders’. By deliberately shifting her mindset away from fear and towards growth, she was able to successfully secure the position
I got an interview based solely on my testing, I was never asked for a CV. I also met with another team member to assess culture fit and was ultimately hired and out of the Army in about six weeks.
A tech career built on positive impact
Rebekah’s testing results, coupled with the skills she’d gained in the military made her an ideal fit for the Pathfinders team, where she set about supporting other veterans through their own transition.
“We are founded by veterans and a lot of us are veterans. We’ve gone through the same process that everyone else has, the discharging, trying to find employment, getting knocked back and rejected. We’ve been through that and now we want to help others.”
In the five years Rebekah has been with WithYouWithMe, she has moved through several roles in Career Success, ultimately becoming Vice President of Delivery.
She now works alongside government and industry to secure roles for veterans and other individuals from underrepresented backgrounds who sign up for the Potential platform.
Are you an Australian Army reservist or current serving member?
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