Why were you supported by United Response?

To get me into paid work. They sat down with me and got to know me and I said to them what jobs I would be interested in and narrowed it down to what jobs it would be good to apply for.

What were the first steps of your support?

Well, they put me into Café West as well and I started doing that. I was on tills and I interacted with customers and I really enjoy doing that.

How did we help you to develop your skills?

And then I wasn’t getting anywhere with my interviews so they supported me. Did me practice interviews. Sat down with me. One of them sat down with me and went through interview – what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong and what I needed to add in. And we did a practice interview and we said we’ll keep doing that till I get a job.

And then…

After the practice interview this job came up, two jobs came up, so I applied for them. One at Tesco and one at Sainsbury’s and I got offered both of them.

What have been the highlights of your new job?

Yeah because I got a comment from the store manager and one of the managers came up to me and said that a customer has put a good comment

about me for helping. And that’s what made me really happy and I mean that’s what I thought that would keep me on. And people have been saying that to me quite a lot: when I go there I’m helping them. If I don’t know something I won’t just leave them. I’ll go to someone else and try to sort it out and that. I won’t just leave them high and dry.

Has this positively affected you?

Believe in myself that I could actually get, because I thought I couldn’t get a job. Because I always put myself down with thinking that couldn’t get a job.

Yeah I feel proud that I’ve got a job now and I’ve stuck to it and I’ve worked really hard with them and that.

Find out more about supported employment.