Finding job satisfaction – Charlotte’s story

When Charlotte was referred to the Restart Scheme, by her Job Centre Plus Work Coach, our Employment Adviser, Marketa took the time to get to know Charlotte and she fully understood her needs, so that they could start working together on an action plan to suit Charlottes job requirements.

Employment Adviser, Marketa shared with us: “Charlotte had previous salon experience as she was fully qualified in hairdressing, which she also taught and assessed in too. She felt that lack of experience was a barrier for her, as she only had the one career route in hairdressing, to which she wasn’t keen to go back to and with being out of work for a long period whilst raising her family, Charlotte felt she lacked confidence with her job search and employability skills”.

Together Marketa and Charlotte looked at how she could transfer her skills into another job sector, they discussed what she did and didn’t like about her previous jobs and with this found a style of suitable job roles Charlotte would like to progress with applying for. At the time there was several in-house courses on the Restart Scheme that Charlotte took an interest too and with that, she enrolled and completed these to better her knowledge in the food industry.

Charlotte told us:

“I received job posts weekly from Marketa, that I felt were well suited to me, with support and guidance on the application process, and any courses I could complete, to better my chances during my job search. After completing a level 1 and 2 in food safety, I was then successful for a job in a bakery”.

As Charlotte kept her options open to which career path she chose, she was certain she wanted a change from hairdressing, which is what she mostly benefit from during her time on the Restart Scheme, with support in the right direction, dependant on her key skills and job requirements to ensure she would have full job satisfaction. During her time on the Restart Scheme, Charlotte had built up her confidence and job sector knowledge with the help of regular appointments and action plan reviews with Employment Adviser, Marketa.

Marketa shared with us:

“I think she knew I was rooting for her in every way, as no opportunity went missed, I have boosted her confidence to apply for jobs she liked even without the experience, with the attitude of ‘nothing to lose’. Charlotte liked the look of a vacancy I had sent her which was for a trainee baker, she applied, had the interview, and got the job! This was a very exciting times for us both, and once Charlotte started working, we stayed in contact and she kept me updated with her situation at work, after a few months it wasn't what she had expected and therefore decided to leave and start work as a store manager with her partner in a tattoo and piercing shop. I knew she had love and passion for piercings and tattoos, regardless, I was very excited for her, knowing we had built her confidence up to follow a career path she had a passion for. During in work support calls and appointments, Charlotte has shared with us how happy she is in her current role and how she is glad she took that step, into a career she loves”.