Miss J referred herself into the Working Denbighshire service after losing her role within the care sector. Miss J was looking to find a new career that she would enjoy and would allow her to learn new skills. Miss J worked hard to overcome her anxiety and self-doubt and managed to secure an administration position with the NHS.
After a conversation with an NHS professional, Miss J referred herself into the service to see what we could offer. She had worked in care for a number of years through different agencies but due to the work load and subsequent stress, she had been off signed off from work. Unfortunately, she was let go from the company due to unforeseen circumstances which left Miss J feeling disheartened and confused as to what to do next. She really did not want to go back into care work. Working Denbighshire identified Miss J’s eligibility for the Communities for Work project to start her employability journey, the scheme has been supported by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government.
During Miss J’s first meeting with her Communities for Work mentor she was really nervous. After a bad experience from her last care work job, she made it clear that she didn’t want to go back into that industry again. We talked through her interests and completed an action plan together where Miss J explained that she had always wanted to work as a receptionist in a GP office, her mum did this job and Miss J thought she would really enjoy it.
We sat together and chatted about Miss J’s work experience, and identified skills she didn’t realise she had, but she was very nervous about applying for roles and attending interviews. I explained about some of the opportunities that were available under Working Denbighshire such as internal DCC placements, so looked into what was available and applied for a Work Start Scheme placement within Denbighshire’s HR department. We practised and practised interview questions until Miss J felt more confident with them. She attended the interview but was told that she wasn’t successful but was only a couple of marks off being first choice. Surprisingly, this did not dishearten Miss J, she felt it had gone really well and was given a much needed boost that she had been so close in succeeding. The outcome gave Miss J the push to start applying for a variety of jobs, however adverts with the NHS stood out most to her.
Miss J completed a fantastic application as a Bank Support Worker and managed to secure herself the position. Unfortunately, she missed the required training days after some medical concerns came to light, so had to wait another 3 months for the next available training. Whilst waiting the rescheduled training, Miss J remained motivated and for a position as a Relief Ward Clerk. She got the interview but didn’t feel too confident that she had secured the position. A week later Miss J received a phone call that neither her or the mentor were expecting, instead of offering her the relief position, they were so impressed that they wanted to offer her a full time position in the Paediatrics Ward within the hospital. Miss J was over the moon and really excited by the opportunity. This was such fabulous news and she was overjoyed!
Due to Covid19 and Miss J’s health conditions her start date was delayed from April to June. Miss J was understanding as the hospital was becoming overwhelmed and checks with her specialists took a long time. The mentor checked in with Miss J at the end of June to see how things were going and Miss J couldn’t have been happier, she was busy but was thoroughly enjoying this new journey.
It is always possible to change what you do and to re-train in something new. No matter what role you have done before you always have transferrable skills that can help you in your new career and can continue to build on. Miss J was very committed and motivated to a career change, so would always be one step ahead with her applications. Even with setbacks she managed to achieve her dream role. It is key as a mentor to instil confidence in the people you are supporting and support them in every way possible. By pushing Miss J to apply for things she might not have done gave her the confidence she needed to excel in her interview. She might have struggled at the time with her anxiety but she never let it stop her taking steps forward to achieve what she wanted.
Working Denbighshire, 01745 331438, workingdenbighshire@denbighshire.gov.uk