The Challenge

Having worked consistently full time for most of his working life, there was a feeling of frustration and unease for Ken with not being in work. Ken had previously worked in a variety of roles, including pursing his passion for gardening, where he was self-employed for over 10 years. Plus working in a few roles within the warehouse and retail sectors, ending during the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic. The challenge was to enable Ken to get an opportunity to be in front of an employer, so he could demonstrate his aptitude for customer facing roles.

What we did

Motiv-8 quickly identified that Ken was a people person, and would be able to demonstrate this during an interview with relative ease. Ken identified that his confidence in talking to a prospective employer wasn’t something that concerned him. We agreed that making a smaller amount of rich applications would give Ken the best opportunity to get face to face with an employer, investing time and effort into the quality rather than focusing on the volume of applications.

After a discussion regarding the best course of action, whilst keeping in mind the aim of unlocking that opportunity, we assured Ken that we would be able to help him create a new CV that would demonstrate who Ken is as a person as well as a candidate. We agreed that having a strong CV would give him a better chance to get through to the interview stages, and be in front of an employer.

With the assistance of our employability trainer, we helped Ken create a new CV through a series of SMART targets addressing the individual elements of an effective CV, and was ultimately tailored to demonstrate his knowledge, experience, and competencies.

From the outset, Ken highlighted that he was interested in working locally, due to limited public transport, but he also felt that a locally run organisation would be a better match for him. Considering this, Ken was making applications both online, and handing in hard copies of his CV and application packs in person to local independent stores.

After completing one ‘in person’ application in particular, Ken spotted the same job advert on an online job searching website. After considering making an online application, Ken took the initiative to head back down to the store and formally introduce himself to the manager there, as Ken wanted to ‘put his face to the name on his application’.

The combination of a strong CV, and perseverance to put himself out there, resulted in Ken being invited to interview by the manager, the part of the application process that had previously alluded him.

The outcome

As a result of the interview, Ken was successful in securing this job. Ken fully deserved to secure this role, it falls within the preferences that he outlined in our first session with him, and is only a short distance from home. We believe that Ken will thrive in this role, due to his personable nature and qualities, and his willingness to go the extra mile.

If you would like to find out how the #Restart scheme in East Devon can help you, then please call 01392 873939 or email ann.wilson@motiv-8sw.co.uk.