Edyta came to the GRoW Programme in February 2022. Though she had a clear idea of what she wanted to do she had been trying to find a job for a while but was not having any luck until she saw a job for a Family Support Worker for a local charity. With GRoW’s help she was offered the job and couldn’t be happier.
Edyta said “I had been running a sports club doing fitness training on a self employed basis but things became difficult during lockdown and my health was not great so I had to stop. What followed was a time of reflection for me where I had to think long and hard about what I really wanted to do next. I had a clear image in my head – I wanted to continue being self employed but I needed a job that offered me a regular 16 hours and the flexibility I was used to. I also wanted to do something where I had the opportunity to learn and study more.
I sat down at my computer and googled ‘support for women in Hillingdon’ and came across Belina GRoW. I had no idea what it was or how it could help but when I read the case studies on the Getreadyforwork.org website I was intrigued! I could see that there were other women who had been in similar positions to me and I could really relate. It encouraged me to contact them to see how they could help and I was really quite surprised when they called me straight back. I was expecting a long registration process which I must admit filled me with dread but it was nothing like that. I was given an amazingly rich offer of different types of training that I might want to do and I thought ‘why not?’
I joined up to the GRoW Bootcamp which was a great confidence boost. I went along with a completely open mind and it was really refreshing. I also had one to ones with Saeema and Kaneez which were really helpful. As if by magic I found a job being advertised that I was really interested in. It was for a charity called Centre of Hope that supports people with brain tumours and brain injuries. The job was for a Family Support Worker and as I have some experience of working in social care and social work and have a Level 3 qualification in Counselling I was really keen to apply.
I was introduced to Sonia who did a great job of professionalising my CV. Even though I already had a CV ready she made some really insightful changes to it which would appeal to the job I was applying for. I applied for the job and was offered a Zoom interview and so Sonia then quickly booked some quality one to one time with me to do a mock interview via Zoom so she could give me some pointers ahead of the interview.
The help she gave me was so useful. She gave me some typical questions that might be asked and it really helped me prepare and give me ideas of what might come up. I took comprehensive notes for myself to help me remember and I just felt so confident and so well prepared because of all the help I had been given from the GRoW team. The Zoom interview with my prospective employers went really well and, even though they said they had so many applications for the job, the day after they invited me for a trial session which gave me such a boost. I completed the trial session at the end of the day they offered me the job. It all happened so quick and I couldn’t be happier.
Belina GRoW have been an amazing support to me. My advice to other ladies who are looking to get a job is really sit down and think about what you really want to do. We all have tendencies to think about our limitations but if you visualise yourself locking your limitations away in a draw, even for 10 minutes, you can think more freely about what you actually want. When I had that image in my head of what I wanted to do it just appeared to me and now I have landed my dream job! I have flexible hours, I can work from home and I have two days in the office. I work for an amazing organisation helping people with brain tumours and brain injuries. The approach of the company is amazing and it offers such a great spectrum of work as well as being a huge learning experience which is both interesting and challenging. I am so pleased to be able put my skills and qualifications in counselling into good use too as well as the skills I picked up being self employed such as managing projects, dealing with people and running finances. Before I found this job I had been trying to find a job for some time with no luck. I feel so lucky and appreciative now to be doing something so valuable and enjoyable.
I am very grateful for all help offered by Belina Grow Team and I thank God for everything that happened like magic to me. Keep going and you will soon reach your goals too”.