Vivian was referred to GRoW from her Universal Credit Work Coach after being out of work whilst bringing up her three children. Vivian took part in a range of GRoW Workshops and has now started a job as a Census Interviewer.
Vivian said “When I first joined GRoW Liz Sewell hooked me up with Jessica Cunliffe who ran the Citrix mentoring programme and they staged a mock interview and did a CV review with Gina. It was really helpful as although I have worked in the past and have a strong CV Gina actually picked up on things I needed to do to improve it. The mock interview was great experience because it was like an appraisal where she could guide me on changes I could make to give a better impression of myself to a potential employer.
I worked as a Senior Project Analyst at my previous job and have also worked at Credit Suisse Bank as an IT Administrator. I have good work experience and skills but I still benefited enormously from being part of the GRoW Programme. What they offered me was assurance, comfort and support, they helped me to believe I can do it and they kept me up to date with jobs that are out there and available to apply for.
I heard about a job as a Census Interview through a friend and thought it sounded interesting. The job is helping the Office of National Statistics to collate data for analytical purposes, identifying the number of people living in a designated area so they can help provide the right quality and quantity of services for each borough. I have been in the job for three weeks so far and am really enjoying it.
I am the sort of person who always tries to give 100%. I believe that you should always give your absolute best and apply yourself to any job, no matter what job it is. This is an approach I also try to instil in my children as I tell them that you never know where something will lead. Before I launched out in the field in my new job as a Census Interviewer I had to undertake an intense 5-day training course. It was 6-8 hours a day and there was so much to learn and they required an 80% pass rate. Though it was a lot of work I dived straight in and confronted it and achieved a 100% pass! Even though I have only been in the job for three weeks I have already been assigned a trainee to work with me. She is young and eager to learn and is a joy to work with so I am really enjoying myself. I am happiest when I feel I am adding value to my generation and helping other people to achieve their potential too.
GRoW is a brilliant programme that is giving women the confidence to be who they were created to be and I have really enjoyed being part of it.