Perseverance pays off…..

The Challenge

After a long period of unemployment our client SR was finding it very difficult to gain employment. He was interested in the either the food and drink, care or warehouse industries sectors. However, despite having a wealth of experience in this sector SR was facing specific challenges when seeking employment such as an outdated CV, lack of digital confidence and family care issues to overcome. The challenges he was facing was making it extremely difficult to move his search forward and he was lacking the confidence to successfully obtain and secure the role he wanted. He actually said at our initial meeting “please don’t waste your time on me”

What we did

The Motiv-8 team established with SR that we are here to help those struggling with all the things he has described. This was met with appreciation from SR and it enabled him to feel confident enough to present himself in a positive manner, looking forward to getting his employment search well and truly underway. SR embarked upon the Motiv-8 Restart scheme based in Honiton, after a referral from the Honiton Job Centre. He initially began with a series of really positive meetings and interactions with his assigned work coach. These helped SR to identify his areas of improvement and he self-subscribed to attend CV and interview technique sessions. He learnt how to structure a plan that had clear actions points and SMART targets. From the outset SR was fully engaged and he demonstrated great knowledge and understanding in his chosen areas of potential employment opportunities.

Once Motiv-8 had helped him to polish and updated his CV he set himself a target of handing out hard copies to local businesses in Honiton high street. It had also been identified during his coaching sessions that SR found digital technology challenging. He was referred to Cosmic who specifically support individuals with digital skills support. SR analysed the varied sessions Cosmic offer and self-subscribed to phone, computer and online application support, to assist his job search. We spent time conducting mock interviews, STAR questions and responses and what the employer will be looking for during the interview process. This gave SR the confidence and the knowledge to refine his answers making them clear, concise, to the point and in specific relation to the question, whilst relating his answers to the job description. SR was extremely proactive during the programme he invested hours in job searches, application forms and practising his interview techniques.

The outcome

All of SR’s hard work paid off as he was offered the opportunity to experience a work trial at an award winning pie and pasty maker, Chunk of Devon. SR took this opportunity with both hands and operated machinery, mixed key ingredients and studied the process of making pies and pasties, overall SR came away from the experience highly encouraged and even more driven to reach his main target of seeking employment.

SR was successful in obtaining a job offer from Chunks. The employers were delighted with SR, his work ethic, the skills he quickly picked up and learnt on the day and the way he presented himself, appearing fully prepared and confident to start a job that he really wanted. We are delighted after all of his SR’s hard work and perseverance to see him gainfully employed and most importantly working in a role that suited SR and his aspirations for employment.

SR said:

“I can’t believe how much support I’ve had through this process already, seeking work now will help me save so I can enjoy my retirement more and potentially keep working so I can enjoy it to my fullest without worrying about debt re-payments”