Meet David from Colchester

Before joining HeadsUp David had been looking for volunteering opportunities and was in the process of getting started with a volunteer gardening position. He’d been unemployed for a year and a half and whilst he’d been looking for work, he felt anxious and didn’t know which direction to go. His partner was already on the HeadsUp project and told him about the great support available, so he decided to give it a shot.

David’s first concern was how HeadsUp could support his Mental Health when considering work opportunities as he wasn’t sure how his personal Mental Health problems could fit a workplace. He was also looking forward to getting support with his outdated CV to put him in a better position for work and volunteering opportunities.

To begin with he had some well-being advice from his Peer Support Worker (PSW) who also referred him for some practical job seeking support with the teams Development and Skills Officer (DSO). In these sessions he was keen to get advice on his CV to update and improve its content to emphasize his Key Skills. David also completed other Skill Pods including; how to create and edit covering letters, making successful applications, exploring different job search methods, 2 Interview Technique sessions (looking at the types of interviews, types of questions and how best to answer competency based Questions), so he really did take full advantage of the opportunities available to him. David has also completed a Mock interview in which he received really encouraging feedback which helped grow his confidence.

David was achieving what he set out to do and could feel his confidence and self-worth grow as he did it. He feels that the whole process has gone ‘really well’ and his friends and family have even seen a difference in him since finishing with HeadsUp. His confidence has grown, and he now able to approach employers and look at different employment opportunities independently. David is most proud of successfully completing the Skill Pod updating his CV and now knows how best to use it. He is currently volunteering which he says ‘makes me feel better physically and mentally’ and also reports that he is being encouraged by other volunteers to start up his self-employed gardening business again something which he now feels confident enough to consider having had support from HeadsUp.

David’s final thoughts on his experience: ‘I would definitely recommend HeadsUp to those in a similar situation, there is a variety of support and they are there to listen’