Fulfilling a lifelong dream – Irani’s story

Hear in her own words, how Irani developed her job searching skills and found her dream job.

“When I joined the Restart Scheme, I had weekly meetings with my own Employment Adviser, Huw, who clearly discussed the support opportunities that I could access. The main thing for me was the positive and encouraging way that Huw guided and supported me, with interviews and applying for new opportunities.

“I was given access to the Restart Scheme job portal, where I could access in-house job vacancies and use their CV360 tool, which helped to improve my CV and make it stand out. After uploading this to my LinkedIn, and updating my profile, I was head-hunted by a university for a lecturing role in marketing. My previous experience and expertise are based around this sector, so this seemed too good to be true!

“I shared the news with Huw, who helped me by carefully checking that the offer was legitimate – and it was. Huw encouraged me to accept the invitation and so I began the selection process. He made himself available to guide me through the first interview, after which I was then invited to attend a recruitment day. I had to prepare and present a ten minute microteach session on a topic of my choice - I chose ‘Leading through digital disruption’. Again, Huw and the Restart Scheme team made themselves available for my practice run presentations.

“I received great feedback and guidance from them on how to make it even better. This support was essential to improve my self-esteem and confidence, and the guidance and feedback were more than appropriate and given in a professional way. I was not alone, and this team was genuinely rooting for my success and the success of my presentation. The support I received went beyond what I would expect from an Employment Adviser and touched me on a personal level.

“When I got the offer and shared my good news, I could feel the happiness of Huw and everyone on the team. All the advisers at Restart were ecstatic and congratulated me. This achievement is the result of joint support and efforts. With my new job, I will not only fulfil a lifelong dream, but I will also be able to help young people achieve better results in their professional lives and expand the lifespan of my career.

“I am incredibly grateful to the Restart Scheme for the support I have received so far, and their commitment to supporting me. A special thank you to Huw, who spared no effort in helping me find and conquer this opportunity.

“You made me feel I was not alone, and I could always count on you to face significant challenges.”