Finding her passion for advocacy came from Sarah McIntosh growing up with three brothers, two of which lived with medical conditions. Sarah realised from a young age that she wanted to work in the disability sector when she saw people with disabilities being taken advantage of in the workplace.

Sarah has now worked in all areas of disability over 20 years and excitedly opened her own business two years ago. YES (Your Employment Solutions) now have a strong team of 10 employees and just opened their 4^th office on the Sunshine Coast, empowering individuals to create their own solutions and building pathways to employment.

This year, Sarah is also proudly celebrating 20 years of marriage with her husband and they have two gorgeous children together.

Sarah, tell us about Your Employment Solutions (YES) and what made you start working in the HR space?

We are locals working with locals committed to empowering individuals to create their own solutions.

I sincerely believe people with disabilities desire and deserve the same equality and opportunities as everyone, to feel connected within their community, to be involved in activities that are meaningful, provide a sense of purpose and to earn a living that will enable strengthened choice and control.

There is such a stigma and misunderstanding about people living with health conditions, Injuries and Disability, I am passionate about educating business so that they do not miss out on their next star employee.

You’ve always been a hard worker and an active volunteer in the community as well as being a Mum, how do you juggle your working life and personal life when you have such a busy schedule?

Outlook is my best friend and I am lucky to have a great support network. Each aspect I am working on are things I enjoy and seeing the outcomes and wins for both the participants and the businesses we work with is such a privilege.

There is a lot happening in the world right now, tell us about some of the adjustments you’ve made at YES to stay at the forefront and to adapt?

Whether there is a pandemic or something else going on, people still need assistance, I have an amazing team who work with us and adapted to our new ways of working. Technology is our friend and we challenge ourselves every week to learn something new. We have to adapt, or we will be left behind.

Can you share three tips for people to consider when they are updating their Resumes or looking to work with a Recruitment agency?

1. Use little bit of colour (it holds someone’s attention by an additional 3 seconds)
2. Be concise and keep to 2 pages where possible
3. Be honest especially if there is a gap (whether this is due to medical sabbatical or raising a family etc)

And what’s next on the agenda for Sarah McIntosh?

The tricky transition of children becoming independent adults.
Professionally: to keep the focus on our purpose and provide services to individuals who may struggle to access them.

Favourite food and why?

I have to be honest, all food 😉

What’s one thing you do for yourself every day?

Have breakfast, sounds silly but always seem to feel a bit better and be more focused

What mantra do you live by?

Treat others the way you wish to be treated

To find out more about Sarah McIntosh and
YES (Your Employment Solutions) head to:

Website
https://www.youremployment.com.au

Facebook
@yesemploymentsolutions