Melissa secures a job keep the public safe thanks to Fair Start Scotland

Why Melissa joined Fair Start Scotland?

Melissa fell out of work after not being kept on following her probationary period at a call centre. This affected her confidence as she felt she had performed very well and did not understand the decision. The job had been difficult emotionally as call centre customers were often distressed when speaking to Melissa and this had worsened her pre-existing anxiety. Melissa sought help from her GP following this and she wanted to find a job that wouldn’t have the same impact on her health.

How Fair Start Scotland helped?

Melissa had plenty of skills and she came across well at interviews, however she found rejection very hard to deal with and this added to her anxiety. Her personal adviser Lindsay spent time with Melissa helping her with her confidence as she was struggling to keep motivated. Melissa would feel very discouraged and ready to give up when her applications were rejected but Lindsay was always available to speak with her and build her moral through reassurance and motivational conversations.

Lindsay continued to support Melissa with jobsearching and along with regular meetings. Melissa was eventually successful in securing a cleaning job for a local Jobcentre.

Getting the job

Melissa is now employed as a full-time cleaner and her main focus is cleaning all the contact points between customer use to keep everyone safe from COVID-19.

Melissa is very happy in the role and her anxiety has improved since working in a calmer environment. Her long-term goal is to study Nursing and she is in the process of preparing her application for the 2021 intake.