The Toolboxes
Two books, one for each side of the desk.
Each Toolbox is a short A5 paperback, made to be read in pieces and kept nearby. They are educational, not clinical or legal advice, and each one says so on its first page. The two employment books stand alone: neither is embedded in the other.
Forthcoming
Employment Services Support Toolbox
For frontline workers across Australian employment services: jobseeker-facing, employer-facing and hybrid roles. It names seven patterns built into the work, such as supporting and enforcing inside the same relationship, outcome and target pressure, and placements that count but don't fit, with a quick check, what not to assume, and practice moves for each.
Forthcoming
Jobseeker Support Toolbox
A plain-language companion for people navigating the system: money and the basics, what's asked of you and your rights, looking for work, starting and keeping a job, and finding qualified help. Every topic has a tool to fill in, what you can do today, how your provider may help, and help outside your provider. Victoria first.
Two companion books are already print-ready: the Self-Talk and Thought Traps Toolboxes, on the way you talk to yourself and the thoughts that trip you up. You can read a full section of each on the main site.
Who's behind it
Ten-plus years in the work.
I'm Ben Macdonald. I spent six years inside the Australian employment services system, and at least four more running my own local job website and matching service. That means I know the work from several angles: coaching jobseekers through Job Plans, activities and placements; building employer relationships where a good match matters more than a fast one; and the pressure frontline staff carry when targets, compliance and people all pull in different directions.
The Toolboxes come out of that. They are written for the people doing the work and the people going through it, in plain language, with the evidence and its limits stated honestly.
Today I run The Bulletproof Goth, an independent publisher and small digital studio, which publishes the Toolboxes. You can also find me on LinkedIn.
For teams and organisations
Copies for a team, or a trial.
If you run a team in employment services, counselling or community support, the Toolboxes can come as copies for staff, or copies posted one at a time to the people you work with. A small trial with one team and one or two titles is a good place to start.
I'm also looking for readers: frontline staff willing to read the Employment Services Support pages closest to their work, and jobseekers willing to test the Jobseeker book. Get in touch if that's you.
Contact
Let's talk.
Email hello@bpgm.au. Whether you work in employment services, recruitment or workforce development, I'm always happy to connect and compare notes.