Case Studies
Andy
At the time of his nextstep session, Andy had been unemployed for more than a year. With few qualifications, the prospect of finding suitable employment to-date seemed bleak.
The local Jobcentre suggested that Andy might also find nextstep helpful, so he arranged an appointment with a nextstep adviser.
Andy’s meeting with his nextstep adviser included:
• Understanding his current situation, needs and plans for the future
• Understanding and discussing his preferred industry area
• Helping him to understand the value of a good CV and cover letter
• Discussing the interview process and techniques
• Exploring training opportunities
• Exploring job opportunities
As Andy was keen to find suitable full-time employment as quickly as possible, the session focussed on the interview process.
Andy already had a one-page CV which had been produced for him by a training provider, but this CV made little reference to his true career history or transferable skills, so the nextstep adviser started again and took details of Andy’s full career history and education. He also showed Andy how to tailor his CV for different types of job application by drawing attention to the most suitable of Andy’s skills in each case.
Andy didn’t have many IT skills, so the nextstep adviser recommended a computer course at a local training provider. Within a short time, Andy found a full-time retail position, which he enjoys very much.
Andy was very happy with the support he received from his nextstep session, and believes it was important in helping him find his new job. He found nextstep very informative and relevant to his needs. Andy said he was particularly grateful for the help nextstep gave him on writing his CV and the Interview process. Andy was able to remember the advice during his interview, and he firmly believes this helped him to be success at the interview for his new job.
Di
Di is a lone parent. She found out about nextstep through some information she came across in her local library.
At her first session in September 2008, Di and her nextstep adviser discussed her background. Di had very low self esteem, and lacked confidence in her skills. She had left school without any qualifications, but had successfully raised eight children. Now the children were all at school, or college, Di was unsure what to do next.
The nextstep adviser began by encouraging Di to look at what she had achieved, and to realise that she already had a range of important skills, which she had used to raise her family.
A year ago, Di had completed an 'Introduction to Counselling' course, and had enjoyed this very much. Di explained to the adviser that she had helped people through difficulties in the past, and had a lot of empathy with people who had been through similar experiences to her own. Although she did not want to work as a counsellor, she was still interested in helping people.
Two weeks later Di went to see her nextstep adviser to work on a 'Skills and Interests' assessment. The assessment confirmed that Di was a 'people' person, with good social skills. The adviser suggested doing some voluntary work at the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), and checked the CAB website to see if there were any local vacancies. There were some, and so Di registered herself with the local Volunteer Bureau.
Within a few weeks Di had started voluntary work at two Citizens Advice Bureau branches, and said she was enjoying it very much. The manager had told Di that “She was just the sort of person they were looking for”, which boosted her confidence and made her feel very positive. Di will now qualify for the CAB training scheme, and is hoping to get an NVQ in Advice and Guidance within a year.
