Self-confidence journey – Martin’s story

Martin was referred to the Restart Scheme after ten years of unemployment, due to being a full-time carer of a relative who recently passed away. As a result of bereavement and stress, Martin told us about his anxiety and trouble sleeping at night.

During his initial appointment with Employment Adviser, Mark, it was identified that the lack of confidence from being out of work as a carer had isolated Martin so much that the thought of returning to work made him feel anxious. Following his first appointment, Martin later shared with Mark that he felt at ease speaking with him.

Mark built up a strong relationship with Martin, outlining the services and benefits that were available to him, and together they created an action plan tailored to his strengths and weaknesses to improve his readiness to return to work. Mark referred Martin to Wellbeing for Work support, who were able to help him with bereavement counselling and mental health support.

Our team of experienced Health and Wellbeing Coaches are available to provide support with physical and mental health and can make external referrals for further support where needed. Like Martin, many participants benefit from our stress and anxiety management sessions that help towards preparing for work.

“It was only natural for Martin to be nervous about returning to work, but we worked closely together to slowly build his confidence back up. We created a CV that reflected on his skills, and highlighted his life experiences and what he could bring to different roles. Martin was also shown how to tailor his CV to different job roles.” Said Mark.

“Martin completed several of our in-house courses focusing on digital skills, application forms, interviews skills and transferrable skills. Janet, our Skills Trainer was on hand to support him and boost his confidence throughout these sessions.”

A Sector Taster Day was arranged at the office, and Mark encouraged Martin to attend and meet employers from various sectors and explore different job roles, to find out what the entail. Although Martin felt nervous, he attended and spoke with multiple employers, one of which he became fond of and expressed his interest in night shift work, as his irregular sleeping pattern meant that he would find these hours easier to adjust to when starting work.

Martin told us how he was initially anxious about the Sector Taster Day, but with further interview preparation to boost his confidence, Martin attended the event and met with multiple employers, including representatives for a well-known hotel chain in Scarborough. He was able to interview with this employer on the same day and was offered a Night Porter role.

Martin said: “I will always be grateful for the support I received, I no longer feel isolated, and I have a job that I love!”