Angela Moreno understands the knowledge, confidence and career advantages that can be gained from seeking out guidance and support from senior managers who are willing to share their experience and expertise.
Melbourne-based Angela is a resilient all-rounder with a neurodivergent approach to navigating challenges and opportunities for growth.
Having recently completed a Stepping Into Internship program with Toyota and a Positive Action towards Career Advancement (PACE) menteeship with Coles Group, (both run by Australian Disability Network), Angela knows firsthand the benefits of continuous learning.
“These programs provided me with a supportive, safe space to learn and gain confidence.
“I felt lost navigating the Australian job market alone, unsure of the path or which doors to knock on. Knowing that someone experienced and empathetic was there to guide me, someone who recognized and celebrated the journey and effort I’d put in without judgments made all the difference—it helped me value my efforts in the job search and boosted my confidence”
During Australian Disability Network’s PACE program, mentees and mentors meet six to eight times over 16 weeks. Mentors help mentees plan their careers, write their resumes, learn job interview techniques, understand how a business works, and discuss anything that might help them in the workplace.
Angela was mentored by David Trembearth, Coles Group’s National Safety Business Partner-Safe Design and Ergonomics.
“The program is about working together and learning together,” David said. “I have learned a lot from Angela.”
When Angela and David first met, they took time to get to know one another and discussed Angela’s goals, what she hoped to achieve from the program, and developed an agenda and structure for their meetings. This allowed David to tailor the mentorship to help Angela achieve her goals.
In particular, David focused on the art of storytelling to help Angela develop the confidence and skills to promote her experience through her CV and in job interviews.
“When I first met Angela, she had many experiences in many types of situations but there was a piece missing.
“We set about developing better ways of explaining her experience and what she has done and talking about it through the art of storytelling. That means being able to take concepts or respond to any type of interview questions in a natural, relaxed way, rather than coming across as too regimented or structured.
“We were able to use storytelling to help Angela talk about what she has achieved and align those responses to the jobs she was applying for. And that worked beautifully.”
Angela said David’s guidance and knowledge helped her to improve her presentation and interviewing skills and to better promote her expertise.
“We did face-to-face mock interviews and recorded them, which really boosted my confidence, Thanks to David’s tailored guidance through storytelling I learned how to talk about myself and my journey, something that was previously really difficult for me
“Once David guided me through storytelling, I realized I already had the skills I needed. I wasn’t just matching job descriptions; I truly had the experience! This gave me much more confidence in sharing my work history. For the first time, I felt I wasn’t simply adapting my CV to fit job criteria. I was sharing my genuine strengths. This storytelling approach was the technique I used in my Toyota interview, helping to make the STAR technique more flexible—a method that previously hadn’t felt natural to me. Now, I’ve learned to make it my own, and it feels authentic, not forced.
“I would encourage anyone who is thinking about doing one of these programs to take advantage of the opportunity to grow, not only in the professional way, but also in your internal values and your internal skills.”
Anita Devereux, Culture and Inclusion Advisor at Coles Group, said the PACE program provides an opportunity for passionate leaders to share their knowledge and skills, to help mentor and guide mentees on their chosen career path.
“But it’s also about leaders increasing their knowledge and disability confidence through this journey which I think is very important.
“Leaders set the tone for an organisation and their involvement in programs like PACE sends a really powerful message to our broader teams and leaders that we are willing to learn and grow and that we are committed to making positive change for disability inclusion.”