Work is wonderful, says Elizabeth!
22nd February, 2012
An Ashington woman who has been unemployed for more than 17 years has just landed a job – and Elizabeth Johnstone says it’s the best thing she’s ever done.
Elizabeth, who took time out of working life to raise her family, thought that getting a job after so many years would be a huge struggle. However with the support of Ingeus, she has returned to work sooner than she ever thought possible.
Elizabeth is now a supervisor at Amigo Stores in Leazes Wing at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. It’s a job she loves, even though at first she found the prospect a little daunting.
“I really did wonder how I would cope, having been outside of the employment circle for so long,” said Elizabeth. “I need not have worried - Ingeus helped me every step of the way, and my new colleagues are just brilliant.”
Ingeus helped Elizabeth develop her CV and, most importantly, worked with her to improve her self-confidence. Before she could embark on a course to learn interview techniques, she was invited for an interview at Compass Group, the business that owns the catering concessions within the infirmary, and soon heard she had been successful.
“I was delighted when I heard I had got the job,” added Elizabeth. “I was very nervous at first, but have soon found my feet. I’ve made new friends, enjoy my work and actually look forward to coming to hospital every day!”
As general manager for Compass Group at the hospital, Elizabeth’s boss Karen Evans manages a team of 120 people, and looks to Ingeus to help her with her recruitment needs.
“Ingeus takes a lot of the hard work out of finding the right people for the jobs we have available here,” she said. “They have learned what we need, and they put forward candidates that are suitable for our roles. Previously we did all the hard work selecting people for interview, but now Ingeus saves us time – they’re an extension of our recruitment process.”
