Did you know that 51% of Australia’s population is female, but they only makeup 12.5% of the Australian Defence Force? That’s something the army wants to change and officers will be actively seeking more recruits at the Mundella EveryWoman Expo.
The Defence Force is just one exhibitor looking for staff at a time when jobs are getting harder to secure. You never know you may leave the Expo with a job as well as lots of goodies.
March into a New Army Career
Warrant Officer Amelia King has been with the army for 21 years and will be one of the team encouraging women to join up.
“I have a six-year-old and a three-year-old and this career has opened up so many doors for me, and proves you can have a successful career in the army and a happy home life,” she explained.
“The Navy and Airforce have always had slightly higher female ratios than the Defence Force, many women think of the army and assume it’s all about being in combat. While you may be called on active duty, we are always on the lookout for administrative staff, those with medical expertise and trades.”
The Defence Force realises that family comes first and military life second so they are extremely supportive of women who join up. They suggest that anyone interested should consider enrolling as an Army Reservist where you commit to one weekend a month and one evening a week.
“The army is a great place to work and there is a wealth of benefits, highly competitive equal pay, extensive opportunities to undertake any training, carer’s leave and free medical and dental treatment, they really are an exceptional employer,” said Amelia.
Look out for their recruitment stand with an interactive reality pod where you can test out your skills to see if you’d make a good army officer.
Consider a Home-based Business to Fit Around Family Life
If you are a people person and would like to work from home, take a visit to the Lorraine Lea stall which is actively looking for home-based stylists. The company sells bed linen and other homeware products.
Mum of four Kiri O’Brien is a Lorraine Lea independent stylist and is now organising home-styling parties, earning far more than she ever was running a florist shop.
“I can plan these parties around what’s going on in our lives, so it works for us as a family. I’d encourage others to give Lorraine Lea a go, start-up costs are nothing and it could change your life. It’s opened up a world of opportunities for me,” Kiri said.
Bag a Bunnings Job
Another company keen to employ more women is Bunnings. Recruitment Officer Marcia Stubbings says it’s a great place to work.
“We’re always on the lookout for talent and no, you don’t have to be good with a drill or a hammer or have a trade background. We are looking for people who are customer focussed and are good working as a team. You will pick up on the product knowledge as you go along and we offer in house training,” she explained.
“Half of our workforce are women and we welcome people from all backgrounds. Our youngest team member is 15 and our oldest 80.”
Bunnings operates seven days a week, which means plenty of different shifts and flexibility for the team to work around family commitments. The recruitment team will be offering advice on positions available and encouraging people to apply via the careers portal here.
The most commonly asked customer question at a Bunnings Store is how to hang up a picture frame. And Bunnings will be holding a DIY workshop on the Saturday and Sunday to explain the process so women can feel more empowered. Marcia said it’s a company which is really family friendly.
“Some of us are Mothers, others are caring for elderly relatives, but we all work well together. We’re a real team here and we care about each other. Our backgrounds, ages, culture and gender means we each have something unique to contribute to Bunnings.”
