Ryan* had been unemployed for a while before joining the Restart Scheme. He was lacking interview experience, struggling with a lack of confidence, and was finding that employers were unsympathetic about him having to rely on public transport to get to and from work.
Ryan’s Work Coach, Courtney Llewellyn from ITEC, supported Ryan with developing interview skills by putting him forward for mock interviews and interview coaching. This involved using The STAR method to be more concise during interviews by giving relevant experience related to the question. This started to build Ryan’s confidence. Ryan was also referred to employers that had opportunities that suited his experience, alongside jobs that he was interested in.
As a result of his hard work, Ryan was successful in securing a job in retail. He was reassured that his new employer was understanding about having to rely on public transport and would allow him to work shifts around this which Ryan was really pleased about. He had also expressed concerns about being able to afford the transportation costs to get to work., Fortunately, the Restart Scheme is also able to support with this until Ryan receives his first wages.
*Pseudonym