“The most important thing service providers can do is develop relationships with employers. If you come to me with a person looking for work, I had better know you already. If there is no personal relationship it is doomed to fail.”
Employer
Overview
Trust is the foundation of every strong employer relationship. When employers know who you are, trust your service, and see the relevance to their business, they're more likely to offer jobs, tailor roles, support onboarding and commit to long-term collaboration. Trust is built over time, through every consistent, authentic interaction, including the ups and downs of a person’s employment journey. Trust also enables employment service staff to progress from being purely ‘information providers’ to ‘matchmakers’ and ‘trusted brokers’.
Key strategies for success
To build trust with employers:
- Focus on mutual benefit – Employer engagement strategies should balance the needs of both the job seeker and the employer, rather than promoting disability hiring in isolation or forcing a poor job match.
- Create value for employers – Identifying how a job seeker can add value to a business may uncover hidden job opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise surface.
- Position yourself as a resource – Tailored, solution-focused support builds credibility, reinforces your expertise, and helps employers value both your service and the candidates you represent.
- Align person-centred and demand-driven approaches– Supporting job seekers to pursue work based on their interests and strengths complements employer-focused strategies. The strongest job matches occur when employers recognise a candidate’s value and are willing to accommodate their support needs.