Rebuilding confidence – Ryan’s story

When Ryan joined the Restart Scheme, he had been out of work for almost a year following a redundancy. Although he had been actively applying for jobs on his own, the general feedback he was receiving was that he didn’t have enough experience.

The Restart Scheme delivers specific in-house courses designed to support participants with little to no experience, helping them to build confidence, develop essential skills, and feel prepared to take their next steps towards employment.

During his initial appointment, he met with his Employment Adviser Alice, who identified the areas in which he would benefit from support.

“Ryan has been proactive and dedicated to getting back into work following redundancy and a period of illness. He had an excellent CV which was attracting many employers, but he was just struggling with his confidence when it came to interviews,” said Alice.

Alice enrolled Ryan onto several in-house courses focused on self-confidence, resilience, and interview skills, which really helped when exploring and discussing new job opportunities. Following a CV workshop, Ryan worked with Alice on how to tailor his CV to specific roles, and he began to use this in the weekly jobs club for applications.

It wasn’t long before Ryan heard back from an employer, which gave his confidence a much-needed boost. He took on board all the feedback provided, and with support from Alice and the team, he completed several mock interviews to strengthen his preparation. He was also given vouchers to purchase new smart clothing, helping him not only look the part but feel it too.

Despite the difficult job market, Ryan rebounded when facing setbacks and has shown great resilience. He did not let rejection get in the way of his job search and persevered until he was able to secure a job offer.

Ryan was successful at his most recent interview and secured a position with a large supermarket chain as a Customer Service Assistant.

We wish Ryan all the best in his new job and for the future!