WOMEN IN BUSINESS MENTOR PROGRAM:

Deborah Barit, Impressive Interviews

With a background in the public sector, Deborah Barit astutely identified a gap in the employment market for people below senior executive level seeking employment or promotion. 

She saw that many people need help in how to market themselves - putting their CVs together, preparing for interviews, understanding and meeting the selection criteria for public sector appointments.

Her business, Impressive Interviews, addresses these points for job seekers. For employers she has set herself up as an expert in putting the selection criteria together, sitting on interview panels and providing independent recruitment advice to employers. 

Like the icons of Venice, Deborah Barit is positioned as the bridge between employer and employee.

She had very sound reasons for choosing the mentor program.  She readily claims she needed a broader perspective on the business, its direction and structure. 

She also felt she needed additional skills to successfully grow the business - marketing, financial and networking skills.

Her experience in the program generally was refreshing, revitalising and extremely rewarding, and specifically, with her mentor, Vivian Reed, MD of Australia in Style, was remarkable. 

Vivian was very focussed and structured in her approach, focussing on all the areas she intuited Deborah would benefit from.

As a sole trader, Deborah needed to meet other business people in similar circumstances.  She became part of a group which gave her the support and inspiration she needed, and is now a member of the Woollahra BNI and an associate member of 'Employers Making a Difference'.

Deborah now has strategies and skills to continue to build the business successfully.  She has a new relationship with it and no longer views it as a "helping business". 

She now focuses on areas of profitability and streamlining work practices.  Deborah is marketing her business, advertising and using the web more effectively.  In short, the program was a great confidence boost to both Deborah and her business.

She now works the business as a business.  Better systems, structure to her daily tasks and administrative work. 

She is now rewriting her business plan and developing strategies to broaden her client base as well as expand into new areas. 

She is developing two new training packages.  One to assist small business to recruit the right person for their business, and a group training program for the clients of community organisations, as part of the Work for the Dole scheme.

Deborah would recommend the Women in Business Mentor Program to any small business operator who wants to build and develop their business, wants a confidence booster and wants to develop a powerful network of supportive, likeminded business people. 

"The Department of State and Regional Development is to be congratulated for setting it up, making it affordable, and ESBEC is to be thanked for its professional organisation and support".

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