Michelle's hard work finally pays off

When I got the job I was over the moon. All my hard work had finally paid off. Thank you Twining  And keep up the good work

Looking for jobs is a very stressful and emotional time.  However, by working with Twining Enterprise, I was well-supported and I have now secured a new role working as a PA.

Last year my situation was very different. I was working on a contract basis in an admin role and my manager regarded admin staff of no importance. Anything that I did was not good enough for her and when something was wrong she’d call and vent at me. At the beginning I was very stressed out by this behaviour and I used to think “Maybe I’m doing something wrong” or “I’m doing my best” or “What can I do differently?” Overtime, I began to realise it wasn’t me, it was her. Still, this didn’t make it any easier and sometimes I would get really upset and in the evenings I would be in tears.

Just before the end of 2020, I was informed that my contract was not going to be renewed beyond the beginning of February 2021.  Now I guess it was a blessing in disguise, but at the time I was really stressed out and feeling very anxious because the COVID 19 pandemic was happening, companies were not recruiting and lots of people were losing their jobs. So I knew finding a new job was going to be very challenging, but I started looking immediately and also registering with lots of recruitment agencies.

Just before my contract ended, I was able to access help through a support organisation in my local town and that’s when I was referred onto Twining Enterprise. I initially contacted Frank my Employment Specialist in November 2020 and then again in February 2021. He sent me a booklet about Twining; explaining what they do and how they support their clients and I found this helpful. We scheduled a call and I sent him my CV and together we made changes to improve it.

I was literally job-hunting seven days a week and most of the time late into the night. I discussed with Frank the whole process of looking for jobs, applying for them and getting rejected consistently and how this was very de-motivating. It was frustrating getting the same generic automated email day in and day out saying sorry you’ve been unsuccessful. After nearly 4 months of applying for jobs, the job market began to pick up, interviews started coming in but competition was high as lots of people were applying for the same jobs as me. Frank told me “the fact you’re getting interviews is very positive”. I didn’t always think or feel that way as all I wanted was to get a job considering the amount of effort I was putting in completing the application forms, cover letters, re-vamping my CV and preparing for the interviews.

At the beginning of April 2021, I decided I was going to try a different approach and not stress anymore about getting a job, just let go and go with the flow and see what happens. I convinced myself that everything will be ok and by doing this I felt calmer and at peace. Eventually, I was shortlisted for one particular job, had the interviews and was offered the role. I was over the moon! My hard work had finally paid off!!

Frank is lovely and as an Employment Specialist he helped me to improve my CV and also gave constructive information, advice and guidance. This not only supported me in my quest to find employment, but also remain positive and to keep going. Just by talking to him regularly and having someone who would listen, was really beneficial to my overall wellbeing as it helped me put things into perspective. I also started going for walks and I began to be gentler with myself by giving myself short breaks from job hunting. All of this made a huge difference as it relieved the stress that I had put on myself before.

I didn’t know about Twining Enterprise. It’s a really great organisation, with vital services, and more people should know about it. It helps people who are unemployed and going through a difficult time for various reasons. Many of us are struggling right now largely due to the Covid pandemic, but if we are able to stay positive and keep the faith so to speak, things will improve because nothing stays the same forever. We have to believe this, in order to keep moving forward. I would definitely recommend Twining, it certainly helped me, and I now feel my life is moving in a positive direction. Thank you Twining and keep up the good work!

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