My Father Had a 30-Year Employment Gap. Reverse Marketing Changed That
- Rana Kordahi
- Jun 10
- 5 min read
My father had a 30‑year gap in formal employment. In fact probably longer as from the age of 19 he started a photography business in Lebanon and was also a journalist, so you can say that he had never had a traditional boss, never worked in a structured Australian workplace, never navigated modern recruitment systems, and had no recent local experience.
We arrived in Australia in 1990, but after my parents separated, he recognised that his career prospects were still in Lebanon and moved back after only five years, rebuilding a thriving business there. When he returned to Australia at almost 60 years old, the system would have labelled him “unemployable.”
A three‑decade employment gap. Away from living in Australia for 22 years. An older worker, with no local references, formal qualifications, or recent experience.
And yet, a year after coming back to Australia he got a job. But, not just any job, a decent paid manager role in a small shopping centre. ‘Shopping Centre Manager.’ A formal, structured job with a boss, superannuation, and all the systems he’d never had to navigate before. How?
Two things changed his life:
1. His attitude.
2. An Employment consultant willing to Reverse Market.
First let’s talk about his attitude. He was a confident person who did not let his age or lack of experience define him. He has the attitude that he could achieve anything he put his mind to. Something he actually taught me from an early age. I remember telling him as an 8-year-old girl that I wished I was a boy because they were stronger and could achieve more. He shut that right down and told me that to stop with the nonsense and as a girl I could achieve anything too.
Now let’s talk about the second thing that changed his life at this older stage. His Employment Consultant. This consultant didn’t just update his resume, manage him on her caseload, and send him to Seek. She did something far more powerful, something only the best practitioners do.
She Reverse Marketed him. This consultant made real connections with employers. She advocated for him and had the ability to pitch his transferable skills. As a result, she opened a door that would have never opened through a standard online application.
Because let’s be honest, with no experience in the Australian workforce, no recent history in the roles that were available, and his age, his resume would never have made it past the first screen. I actually helped him build it, and I can tell you it was not that great. In fact, many employment Consultants, whether consciously or unconsciously, put these types of job seekers in the not work ready bucket.
So it was the belief that the Employment Consultant had in my father that led her to do the Reverse Marketing on his behalf. And it was Reverse Marketing that got him in front of the right employer. It was a human conversation, not an algorithm that changed his life.
And to the employment consultant who did this: I don’t know who you are, and my father doesn’t remember your name, but if you are out there… thank you. You didn’t just help him get a job. You gave him dignity, purpose, and a new chapter at almost 60.
His story is not unique, and many in this sector will recognise it. After 20 years in employment services, and having the privilege of working as an Employment Consultant in both Australia and the UK, I can tell you firsthand that I’ve helped many people with even more barriers than my father into employment.
I’ve seen the power of the right support, the right opportunity, and the right attitude. Across every caseload, every program, and every cohort, the same pattern keeps showing up. One of the biggest barriers to employment is a person’s attitude. The second barrier is an Employment Consultant who is unwilling to Reverse Market.
Because when those two things come together, the right mindset and a consultant willing to go beyond the screen, they become a powerful combination.
And please don’t think I’m dismissing real barriers. Disability, ageism, generational unemployment, homelessness, trauma, health issues, language barriers, limited education, and caring responsibilities, these barriers are real, and they matter. And sometimes a person is genuinely not job ready yet.
But job readiness isn’t just about circumstances, it’s also about mindset. When someone with barriers shows the right mindset, the willingness, and the openness to try, everything else becomes solvable. They go onto my job ready list. Because skills can be taught and experience can be built. Training can be arranged and work experience can be created.
And none of this is easy. I’m not minimising the challenging realities of the Employment Consultant role. Picking up the phone and knocking on strangers’ doors is not an easy ask for most people. So you do need a lot of courage, and from my experience if you lead with purpose, the courage will follow.
And even with courage, the reality is that not every employer will be open. Yes, you will cross paths with many employers that will discriminate. Those that will look at the gap and ask why, or tell you how they are reluctant to hire someone with a disability. That’s why you need to develop strong Reverse Marketing skills and a clear Ideal Employer Profile (IEP). Because when you understand who is most likely to be open, and you speak to enough employers with the right value message, you eventually find the ones who says yes.
So bottom line, what no practitioner can fix, no matter how skilled, how experienced, or how dedicated, is a person’s attitude toward work. Attitude is the foundation. Everything else is the build.
And once a job seeker has the right attitude, the next most powerful tool in this sector is Reverse Marketing.
Reverse Marketing bypasses automated rejection. It opens doors that resumes can’t. It creates opportunities that don’t exist online and most importantly, it builds relationships with employers. It humanises the job seeker. It gives people a chance based on potential, not paperwork. It’s what helped my father. It’s what has helped many job seekers I’ve worked with. And it’s what continues to drive the best outcomes in this sector every single day.
So if you’re wondering how it all turned out for my father: seven years on, he’s still in that job. He’s thriving. He’s respected by the staff, trusted by the tenants, and valued by his boss. What the system once dismissed as “unemployable” has become one of the most successful and fulfilling chapters of his life.
It all started because a man believed he still had something to offer, and a consultant had the courage to advocate for him.
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