Introducing Matt from Rayleigh

Matt wasn’t looking for work when he started with HeadsUp and had been unemployed for 2 years after making the personal decision to close his successful business. Within this time, he moved to a new house and went through a divorce. He had been having Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and trying to cope with anxiety, so wasn’t in a position to look for work.

It took Matt a while to get in touch with HeadsUp and to get on board due to his anxiety and being occupied with other things. He liked the fact that the project wasn’t compulsory and was given time and freedom. He’d worked since the age of 10 so this flexibility was crucial to him. Matt was hoping to refresh his CV as he felt it was outdated and needed re-formatting as he’d not previously needed one whilst running his own business. He also wanted advice on future prospects and what his options might be.

Working with his Peer Support Worker

Matt talked through career ideas with his Peer Support Worker (PSW), discussing experience and skills and how they could fit into different sorts of roles. Support was also available from one of HeadsUp’s Development and Skills Officers (DSO) who helped review his CV, and he was very happy with the final result. He feels his CV is now ‘well written, more to the point and relevant’. He also understands how to tailor his CV to different roles and how to use it as a tool in the application process. Matt feels his motivation has improved along with his confidence to edit and use his CV. The support made Matt feel ‘good, having support rather than sitting around moping not knowing what to do next’.

Building Confidence

He started to see a change in himself and his confidence, and those around him also told him that they had seen a difference. Matt started using FaceTime and Zoom with family members over lockdown, he said ‘I wouldn’t have felt able to do it before, I would have been depressed and moping’. Matt is proud of the achievements he has made, feeling more confident about using his CV which he feels now reflects his successful career history. Throughout his time on the project he has felt reassured by having someone check in with him and give him the opportunity to discuss his future options.

Matt is very appreciative of the support he has received for him to now be able to job search independently. His confidence has been boosted by this support and he feels able to explore different options to get back to work.  Matt says ‘Yeah, I would definitely recommend HeadsUp’