Back in business
Preparation pays off
Alan Baird from Leeds is celebrating being back in work thanks to the help he received from the Restart Scheme.
Alan, 41, had been looking for work for six years when he was referred to the scheme in January.
He previously worked in customer service at a call centre. Alan struggled with interviews and needed a boost in confidence. To help him overcome these barriers, his Employment Advisor Karandev guided him through mock interviews and referred him for confidence building sessions.
Alan said: “The mock interviews helped a lot as they gave me a good idea of what to expect. There were a couple of questions at the end of the interview that I didn’t know about, so it reminded me to prepare for those. I do feel that I was able to get this job thanks to this interview guidance and the confidence sessions.”
When a vacancy arose for a Customer Solutions Advisor, Alan asked to be put forward for the role.
Thanks to the knowledge he acquired during his preparation sessions, Alan headed into his interview confident that he knew what to expect.
His interview was successful, and he soon started his new role as a Customer Solutions Advisor in May. Alan’s now completed his training and is enjoying his new role.
Alan said: “The job is going quite well; every day is getting better and I’m feeling better about it all.
“Thank you to Maximus and the Restart Scheme for everything they have done. Without them I’d probably still be unemployed. Everyone was so helpful and very nice. My advisor explained everything to me, including what to expect, and what he needed from me. It was brilliant.”
