CTA student success story: Kuang Mui Tai

Kuang Mui Tai was out of work for two years but within just weeks of doing the CTA course she was offered not one, but two jobs! The 63 year old from South Sydney is now very happy working as a part-time bookkeeper in the city.

Originally from Malaysia, Kuang came to Australia in 2008 with her husband and three children. As all her bookkeeping experience had been manual, she did an MYOB course at TAFE to learn computing, then got a job as a bookkeeper at an accounting firm in the city, where she worked happily for 12 years.  

When she was made redundant in 2020, Kuang said she was hopeful of finding another job, but despite applying for many positions across Sydney, after two years she was still unemployed.  

“It was so hard, especially with COVID, and I was not getting any feedback or interviews. Two years, it’s a long time, and I used to get frustrated and say I don’t feel like applying for any jobs anymore,” she said. 

Kuang was introduced to the Career Transition Assistance (CTA) course at Navitas by her jobactive provider, who suggested she could use some help with her resume and job application letters. She undertook the CTA program in late 2021.

“Before CTA I think the resume that I wrote was not that good, so every time I applied for a job I wasn’t getting considered and I didn’t get feedback or a call for interview,” Kuang said. 

“At the Navitas CTA course my facilitator showed me how to write the resume and the cover letter and create a professional LinkedIn profile. I participated in a lot of workshops and learned how to look for the jobs I wanted. It worked because after I did the course I started getting feedback and calls for interviews.” 

Kuang also got two job offers – and said yes to a part-time bookkeeping job in the city where she is currently working. 

She said she wished she’d done the CTA course sooner, as she felt like she had wasted two years sending out job applications that weren’t up to scratch.  

“As well as working on my own resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile, I learned so much from my CTA facilitators – like how to apply for a job through a company website and check their profile before the interview,” Kuang said. 

“They also taught me to stay positive and resilient so I could bounce back from disappointment, believe in myself and not give up.

“My facilitators, Kylie and Bernadette, were always at my side whenever I had any questions or difficulties with the program. They also made me feel very confident with myself. I encourage anyone like me who cannot find work to do the CTA course. I think this is a good program that I have achieved so much from.”