By Emma McClelland - 20 April 2022
Sometimes, a toxic job or bad manager can undermine your confidence and ability to evaluate your own strengths. As this case study shows, employability skills can be crucial in restoring self-worth and finding good work.
Vincent arrived in the UK in 2021, having left Hong Kong due to political instability in the region. An ambitious young man with a BA in Engineering, Vincent had experience as a production engineer, but his confidence had been knocked after working in a toxic work environment, where his manager was demanding and rarely gave constructive feedback.
As a new arrival to the UK, Vincent was unfamiliar with the process of job-hunting here. He came to our Employability Clinic in Manchester in September 2021 for some mentoring. Quickly, we realised Vincent's former manager had done some lasting damage. When asked about his strengths, Vincent struggled, despite having done a lot for his young age.
Gradually, we worked with Vincent to recognise his achievements and put them to paper in the form of an impressive CV. "A lot of us are raised to be modest," recalls Raluca Enescu, Vincent's mentor. "Combined with the experience of a bad manager and the challenges of coming to a new country, it can take a toll on your self-confidence."
As well as working on his CV, our Manchester advisers helped Vincent write cover letters and did interview practice with him. "The process of looking for a job tends to be lengthy, making you feel like you're making no progress," Raluca comments. "It was great that Vincent came to us almost every week for employability mentoring, as it boosted his confidence and we were able to help him realise that he was making valuable progress."
Initially, during interview practice, Vincent's body language and tone of voice reflected his insecurities. But after a few sessions, he was making direct eye contact and speaking firmly and with confidence. Soon, he had received two job offers. When he accepted one, the salary was lower than his experience warranted, so we advised him on negotiation skills. After 12 months, he can negotiate for a better salary or look for other opportunities.
"After job hunting for a long time, people are more likely to accept jobs that pay less than they should," observes Raluca. "But, as an employer, if you pay below market value, you can't expect any kind of loyalty from your employees. If in three months, they find a better job, they'll be out of there and you'll be the one losing out!"
Vincent is now working towards a new qualification in project management, while he gains experience in his role. His confidence is growing and, with his ambitious, proactive attitude, we have no doubt that he'll be climbing the career ladder in no time!
For employability mentoring, CV and cover letter writing, interview practice and more, make an appointment to visit our Manchester Employability Clinic.
If you can, please make a donation to support our team of multilingual advisers as they help people leave precarious work and find fair, respectful work that pays.
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