Laura impresses new employer with support from Kennedy Scott
Laura, from Liverpool, joined the Specialist Employability Support programme in February 2019 and with personalised support, she was able to excel.
Why did Laura join Kennedy Scott?
Laura was referred to Kennedy Scott to receive employability support through the European Social Funded Specialist Employability Support provision. Laura suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome and felt it held her back when seeking paid employment.
Laura’s career aspirations were to get a job in Journalism but she did not know where to begin or how to gain the experience required to apply job opportunities.
How did Kennedy Scott help?
Laura was introduced to her Case Worker, Suzanne and they initially spoke about what Laura’s goals were for her career. After Laura expressed her interest in Journalism, Suzanne started to look for opportunities where Laura could gain journalism experience. In the meantime, Suzanne wanted Laura to gain some paid work experience in either Retail or Administration to give her knowledge and transferable skills that would help her not only in the future but show that she has a work ethic on her CV. Together they created a new and modern CV tailored to Laura’s needs.
Over time Suzanne enlisted the support of Rhys Owen, Employer Account Manager for the North East, to look for local opportunities with an employer that understood Laura’s need for transparency and set tasks. Laura successfully secured an interview with a local shop Bargain Booze in Oldham. Suzanne supported Laura to prepare for her interview by giving her interview training and conducting mock interviews. On the day of her interview, Laura was very confident and portrayed herself well, unfortunately, on this occasion, she was not successful as there were more applicants who had customer service experience. This was a setback for Laura, but she was keen to keep looking for the right job for her.
Getting the job
Two weeks after the initial interview with Bargain Booze, they offered her a part-time position which was more suited to her. They were really impressed with Laura, her attitude and how she deals with her Asperger’s. Bargain Booze were fantastic in seeking advice from Rhys on how to tailor the role meet Laura’s needs so that they can support her fully.
She passed her six months probationary period in the role and has worked to high standards receiving praise from her Manager, Alison, and the shop co-owners.
While working, Laura has stayed in contact with Rhys to source an admin placement with Action Together to give her further experience, all of which is helping Laura get that bit closer to her dream job in Journalism.
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