Return to retail - Paula’s story

When Paula joined the Restart Scheme, she had been out of work for several years following the COVID-19 pandemic and was feeling disheartened by the lack of responses to her job applications. With a strong background in retail, experience in styling, customer service and supervisory roles, Paula was determined to get back into the sector.

The Restart Scheme supports participants at every stage of their career, whether they have no experience or a strong work history. Through tailored guidance and practical support, it helps individuals build confidence, develop skills, and take the next steps towards sustainable employment.

At her initial appointment, she met with Employment Adviser Franco, who took the time to understand her skills and experience and worked with her to create a tailored action plan to support her journey back into employment.

Franco identified renewing Paula’s passport as a priority, as it was her only form of ID and essential for proving her right to work when starting a job. In the meantime, they worked together to update her CV and create tailored cover letters to support individual job applications.

Paula completed several of our in-house courses that supported her with interview skills, techniques and questions, whilst also attending Franco’s job club.

In-house courses help Restart Scheme participants build essential employability skills in a supportive environment. Focusing on areas like CV writing, interviews, and workplace readiness, they boost confidence and support progress into work.

As a result, Paula’s confidence grew and it wasn’t long before she received positive application feedback and an invitation to interview. Franco told us: “Paula was invited to a phone interview, which she performed exceptionally well with, after learning how to structure her answers using the STAR method. Although she experienced some difficulties with her onboarding documents, we worked through them together and ensured everything was completed and submitted correctly.

“Paula was offered the role of a Sales Assistant at a brand new store nearby. Paula has settled in very well and is thoroughly enjoying her new job. She describes her new team and workplace as lovely and says that while the initial set up was challenging, it was ultimately very rewarding.”

Franco arranged vouchers for Paula to purchase smart workwear and provided funding for her travel costs during her first month, ensuring she could start her new role with confidence before receiving her first pay.

Paula is happy to be back in work, enjoying her role, and we couldn’t be happier for her.