The effects of self-isolation – Steve-Lee’s story

Steve-Lee was referred to the Restart Scheme, as he needed some support with getting back into work following a career gap due to COVID-19. During his initial appointment with Employment Adviser, Jamie, they addressed any barriers that made his job search difficult, looking at courses that could support Steve-Lee and build up his confidence so that he felt job-ready.

Steve-Lee’s focus was to become financially stable through employment, but he felt his period of unemployment during COVID-19 held him back.

Steve-Lee told us:

“From my initial appointment, Jamie had put me at ease and ensured that we could work through my barriers to work, one being a mobile phone, he not only purchased it for me, but also helped set it up so I could be contacted easily by employers.

“As I had been out of work for some time, I was lacking in skills, so Jamie introduced me to Derek the skills trainer, who talked me through what courses were available to me. I took this opportunity, and it helped build up my self-awareness in interacting with people, as I was lacking confidence after two years of self-isolation due to COVID-19.”

After the completion of our in-house courses: reboot your CV, effective job search, self-confidence workshop, interview skills, transferrable skills and social media in recruitment, Steve-Lee felt well equipped to begin his job search and was provided with vouchers for new interview clothes along with bus tickets to financially support him.

Steve-Lee shared: “With Jamie’s 1-2-1 support, I was able to not only build my confidence, but rebuild my CV to a high standard. I was so grateful for this, as I could then use my new CV at the Reed in Partnership jobs fair, held in the Chatham office. Prior to this Jamie helped me with typical interview questions and printed multiple copies of my CV so I was 100% prepared for the day.

“I was initially looking for retail jobs, but Jamie suggested that I look at a company called key promotions as they were located within my area. I gave them my CV and to my amazement, I was invited to an interview the following day, which went very well I was successful!

"This was due to the courses I had completed with Derek the skills trainer, and I am in a much better frame of mind now I am working, and I'm so thankful for all the help Reed in Partnership has given me.”