“It’s been life-changing”: How Hero Foundation helped mother of three rebuild her confidence and career

About the candidate

Mosammat had spent ten years as a full-time mother to three children. When she decided to return to work, she ran into the same challenge many people face when re-entering the workforce: no recent experience, no formal qualifications and English as a second language.

What she did have was something no job board could measure. A lifetime of hands-on caregiving, including raising a son with autism. It just took the right pathway to make that visible.

The challenge

For Eurella, a small NSW disability services provider, the recruitment problem looked different but led to the same roadblock. People & Culture Coordinator Christina Sarantopoulos had tried Seek, Indeed and Ethical Jobs for years. None of them delivered.

“We’d often receive 400 – 500 applications for a single role, but often only hire one person in the end.”

Most applicants ignored Eurella’s own application form. Those who did apply often weren’t available for the shifts needed, or simply weren’t the right fit. And experience on paper rarely predicted who would actually connect with Eurella’s clients.

“We’ve hired people with years of experience who weren’t the right fit, while others with no experience have become some of our best support mentors.”

The solution

Hero Foundation, Employment Hero’s charity that connects purpose-driven employers with skilled, motivated candidates from underrepresented talent pools, changed the equation for both of them.

For Mosammat, it meant genuine, hands-on support she hadn’t found anywhere else. Hero Foundation, through its partnership with Generation Australia, helped her build her resume, prepare for interviews and, crucially, rebuild her confidence.

“I felt very supported throughout the entire process. My mentors encouraged me and made me feel confident in my abilities.”

Hero Foundation also listened to what she actually needed: a casual role with morning hours she could work around her children. They matched her accordingly.

For Christina, it meant a fundamentally different kind of pipeline. Rather than sifting through hundreds of unsuitable applicants, Hero Foundation pre-screened candidates against Eurella’s real requirements and let Christina stay in control of the timing.

“The communication has been really easy. Hero Foundation understands what we’re looking for and gives us the flexibility to recruit when the timing is right.”

The impact

Mosammat has now been a disability support mentor at Eurella for three months, supporting two clients and bringing to the role the same instinct for care she developed at home.

“The care and experience I gained as a mother now helps me support others to live more independently.”

For Christina, the placement has quietly reached beyond the workplace too. Mosammat now also helps transport Christina’s son, who has autism, to his day program each morning before her shift at Eurella begins.

“It’s made my mornings so much easier knowing Mosammat is going to be there. The impact has gone far beyond the workplace.”

The employer perspective

Christina now puts Hero Foundation at the top of her recruitment list and ahead of every paid job board she used to rely on.

What Eurella gained:

• A hire with no formal experience who outperformed candidates who had it
• Pre-matched, values-aligned candidates instead of hundreds of unsuitable applications
• A low-effort, ongoing pipeline she can tap whenever she’s hiring
• A team member whose impact reached well beyond the job description

“Traditional job boards are expensive and often unsuccessful. Hero Foundation has become one of my top choices when it comes to recruiting.”

Why it matters

The disability and care sector runs on people who bring genuine compassion and lived understanding – qualities a resume often can’t capture. The Hero Foundation exists to surface those people, so employers like Eurella stop drowning in mismatched applications, and capable candidates like Mosammat stop being filtered out before they get a chance.

“I felt shy that time, but I feel confident now… getting employment with the help of Hero Foundation has had a life-changing impact.”

For Mosammat, a casual role became a renewed sense of purpose and identity. For Eurella, one placement became a trusted member of the team and a meaningful presence in Christina’s own family life. That’s the Hero Foundation effect.