A confident introduction opens doors

The gregarious and self-assured Hana Malak does not look like someone who would be shy of putting herself forward. A senior lead engagement officer at the Honorary Consulate of Lebanon in New Zealand, Hana has also recently become a Justice of the Peace in Auckland.
“I’m currently the youngest female JP in Auckland. I'm keen to use my diverse background to represent and help people from different backgrounds using my multiple languages and dialects,” explains Hana.

To have achieved both positions is a great accomplishment for Hana, who had no idea how to go about looking for work or networking when she first started AUT as an undergraduate psychology student. It was a visit to the Employability Lab to ask about a couple of events that opened her eyes to the relevance of well-rounded job search skills.
“At the Employability Lab I quickly came to realise I needed to be able to introduce myself professionally before I put myself in front of employers,” says Hana.

Learning how to create and deliver an introduction, or elevator pitch, made a huge difference to Hana’s confidence and opened up many opportunities for her.
“I’d be quite awkward when I first went to events but all the practice we did meant I was able to hide my nervousness and appear confident even if I wasn’t. So I got the hang of what people really wanted to know about me and how to deliver that.”

This practice made a big difference when applying for the Justice of the Peace role.
“I pitched myself on paper and then again at the interview. I also used skills I learnt from employability about how to answer interview questions,” says Hana.

Her role at the Lebanese Honorary Consulate is strong testament to Hana’s skills in networking. She was approached at a brunch event and asked if she might be interested in working for the consulate.
“They were looking for someone Lebanese, who was confident, could speak and write fluently and also had a good understanding of French, which I had.”

The role as senior engagement officer draws on skills Hana loves using, such as writing, editing and her multi-lingual oral communication skills, particularly translating complex information into plain language.  
“I also enjoy the problem solving aspect of my job and how two days are never the same," says Hana who is fine-tuning those skills currently through a Masters of Communication Studies at AUT.

Beyond AUT Award added more value

She also joined the Beyond AUT Award, which is run by the Employability and Careers services to encourage students to build up their transferable skills in leadership, volunteering and employability. Hana advises all students to sign up for the award programme explaining the volunteering and leadership experiences will draw you out of your comfort zone and build up your confidence.

Now also volunteering as Manager of Events and Projects for Lebanity Enterprise NZ Charitable Trust, Hana is happy with the direction in which her life is heading.
“You know I wrote down five year SMART goals in an ELab workshop six years ago and I have almost achieved them all.

In the past it wasn’t very common to see Muslim women in New Zealand in leadership roles in community or workplace situations. However, over the past few years I have seen much growth and change. I am glad to be part of this movement of wahine in New Zealand."