Aaron’s Success Story with The Restart Scheme!
Aaron was referred to us on Monday 27th November 23. At his initial meeting it was very obvious that Aaron was eager to get to work however he did feel he had a few barriers which were holding him back which were interview skills, CV writing, Confidence and motivation as well as being new to the area he wasn’t too sure of his surroundings.
One of our first tasks was to amend and tidy up Aaron’s CV. Once this was done, we put Aaron forward for a pre-screen interview for the Travelodge in Ramsgate. The feedback we got for his pre-screen interview wasn’t brilliant and so based on the feedback he wasn’t put forward for the position.
Our next step was to then put Aaron on an interview technique workshop with our trainer Peter Cockle for a 1:1 session so we could understand Aaron’s needs that little bit more. He also practiced the STAR technique and ran through common questions and good answers.
There was an open day at the beginning of January 24 for the Cow Shed which is a restaurant that was looking for new team members, Aaron went along with his CV and had a chat with the manager and then awaited feedback but unfortunately, he wasn’t successful with no real feedback given.
At the end of December 23 Aaron got a call from Morgan Jones to offer him a job start in Sandwich for a food production line operative. Aaron went to the office to get himself inducted and once this was done, he left. He then heard nothing back and when I phoned Morgan Jones to query this, they said the job had been pulled. This was a big blow for Aaron as he was excited to be offered a position and get working.
In January Aaron also completed a 4 day back to work course which went through some standard topics as a bit of a refresher for Aaron and for him to gain confidence in a group setting. Aaron enjoyed this and got involved in all discussions and tasks.
Aaron received an email and had to select an interview date and time for a position at Lounges that’s opening in the local area. We picked the date and time together to give us enough time to prep for the interview. Aaron’s interview was set for 25th January 24 which gave us Monday afternoon, Tuesday, Wednesday, and first thing Thursday morning to prep. We decided that Aaron would be in every day for interview prep and mock interviews. We even had a couple of other Employment Advisors give him a mock interview to give him a feeling of an interview instead of me as he knows me as his advisor. Unfortunately, Aaron was not successful at the interview for this position, and they said someone over him got the job due to experience but he did receive feedback that he did well. I explained to Aaron that this is progress as his interview skills are now getting better.
Aaron attended our jobs fair on 6th February 24 and secured himself an interview at Starbucks for 12th February 24 and he really was excited and feeling positive for this. We also had confirmation for 2 more interviews which were for Elev8 and Thanet Earth both on the same day; one for the morning, one for the afternoon, on the day of 8th February 24. We ensured that he was prepped for all 3 interviews. Unfortunately Aaron was unsuccessful for all 3 positions but the feedback was all very positive and the only reasons he didn’t get the position is because the candidates that did all had a lot more experience than Aaron. Aaron did not let this get to him and we kept going.
Aaron received a phone call for an interview at Reclamet which is a local company that deals with scrap metal and car dealings and he went along on Friday 16th February 24. The interview went so well he was then offered to a trail shift on Monday 19th February 24 and he received some excellent news that he had secured the position. We then purchased a bike for Aaron so he can get to work with ease as the location is a little remote
Aaron has said about his time on Restart stating that – “he was always made to feel welcome and that his advisor Kirsty always went above and beyond to ensure he was supported and ensured his time here was never overwhelming and always productive”
Interested in our Restart Programme?