Zac Reynolds – Wolverhampton Returneeship

Zac had been in and out of work post pandemic, and had been unemployed for a several months before joining the course. Feeling like he was struggling to sell himself in the application portion of job searching, Zac joined the course in hopes of improving his CV and cover letter writing skills. Since completing the course, Zac has gone on to gain employment in an IT department, providing IT support and maintaining company social media. Read on to hear more from Zac!

What were you doing before you started the programme?
Previously I completed a Degree in Entertainment Design for Stage and Screen at the Northern School of Arts in Hartlepool. After this, I obtained a job building puppets for a street theatre company in Birmingham. I then worked in a hotel, as a night receptionist for two years, but the hotel closed due to Covid. After this I was employed as a Workshop Technician building escape rooms, but the organisation closed, and I was laid off. I was looking for creative jobs in the media industry, which was difficult anyway, but even harder post-Covid. I was unemployed before joining the course.

How did you find out about the training?
Adam from Release Potential told me about the training during a Jobs Fair at Bilston Job Centre where he was promoting the Returneeship. I got all got the information I needed to make up my mind.

Why did you decide to join?
The main attraction for me was the support that would be provided to help me find and apply for jobs. I needed some guidance to help write an effective CV and convincing cover letters.

What did you think of the training? How did it help you?
The training was good, informative and helped me. It made me more comfortable with formatting and writing CVs to make me more attractive to prospective employers. I think it’s good to practice things, and I also enjoyed the interview practice while on course. Overall, the training helped me to get the job I went to attain.

Were there any barriers or obstacles you had to overcome?
Previously, I’d had trouble selling myself when it comes to getting noticed ‘on paper’. I needed some help to make me stand out from the crowd. Reaching the interview stage of recruitment processes has proved difficult for me in the past.

What are you doing now?
I’m employed as a Technical Assistant with Release Potential. I provide technical assistance on the courses we deliver and help to maintain the company’s social media presence. For face-to-face courses I help the onboarding activities to run smoothly at course start, and with the presentations that take place at course end. I also help to set up online courses, supporting learners to be ready to take part.

What impact has the training had on your life?
I’d been unemployed for about five months before I joined the course and it helped me to get a job! Generally, it’s also made me more confident in writing covering letters and CVs.

What are your plans for the future?
Hopefully, I’ll like to stay with Release Potential. Ultimately, at some stage, I’d love to go into the theatre or film industries if the opportunity arises, ideally as a prop builder.

What would you say to someone who was thinking about doing the training but wasn’t sure?
Go for it! It is most definitely a good experience. You meet a great bunch of people and learn new skills that help you.

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