Find out how we supported Andrew when he was made redundant and needed career coaching to get back into the job market. 

2020 started really well — after months of looking, I’d found a new job in January. But in March, coronavirus hit the UK which meant that my team of 23 software engineers and I had to start working remotely.

Fast forward to June and I was made redundant.

I’d been looking for a job for a while before I was hired so I knew I’d been digging a hole financially. And with the redundancy, I was right back in it. So when I got my last salary, I knew I had to get some help. I’m not in a union, I haven’t got legal insurance, but I am a member of the IET. Initially I rang up because I’d received an e-mail about Foothold. That’s when I found out about the financial and career coaching support that was available.

Career coaching

Before I had any career support, I’d dusted off my CV, as you do when you’re looking for a new job. I thought it looked ok! But after sending it to 50 companies and not getting any responses, I knew something wasn’t quite right. So, the one bit of advice I wanted was to have my CV looked at by an expert which is exactly what happened! The Foothold team sorted out the next steps within a couple of days and I had a choice of two career coaching companies to work with.

The coaching has been brilliant. We went through my CV, replacing the standard job duties with candid words of what I actually did every day. That became my new CV and it looks a million times better than before.

Since then, I’ve been getting some phone calls about jobs.

Financial support

I didn’t intend to ask for financial support at first. But then I realised there was a real chance I could run out of money and have to leave my home. So, I filled in the forms for financial support and was sent some money. Once I’d submitted the forms, I received payment within about a week. It meant that I was able to keep our family car serviced and running.

My family’s been protected from the impact of my job loss so far. It just means I’m around more, and instead of working on software, I’m working on finding a new job. The thought of my next job is keeping me going right now – that’s what I’m working towards.

I would encourage everyone to take the opportunity to get support if they need it. I know there’s a tendency to think ‘well, I’m in a bad way but there must be thousands of other people who are worse off than I am’. But Foothold helps engineers and their families when they need help. And when your job, your lifeline, is taken away from you, the support is there.

If you’re struggling to find a new job, you’re not alone. Our team is ready to listen and help. Get in touch with us now.