• 01472 493000
  • [email protected]
  • Request a callback
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Youtube
  • Home
  • Courses
    • Teaching Assistant Courses
    • Level 2 Teaching Assistant Course
    • Level 2 Childcare Course
    • Level 2 Safeguarding Course
    • Functional Skills English Level 2
    • Functional Skills Maths Level 2
    • Level 2 Understanding Autism Course
    • Level 2 Classroom Assistant Course
    • Level 3 Teaching Assistant Course
  • Reignite
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
    • About
    • Refer to Us
  • Blog
  • Login
Menu
  • Home
  • Courses
    • Teaching Assistant Courses
    • Level 2 Teaching Assistant Course
    • Level 2 Childcare Course
    • Level 2 Safeguarding Course
    • Functional Skills English Level 2
    • Functional Skills Maths Level 2
    • Level 2 Understanding Autism Course
    • Level 2 Classroom Assistant Course
    • Level 3 Teaching Assistant Course
  • Reignite
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
    • About
    • Refer to Us
  • Blog
  • Login

Diary of a Kickstarter

So, you want to learn about kickstart jobs. I don’t blame you, they’re pretty swell. However, before I get into the juicy stuff, I’m going to take the time to tell you a little bit about my past employment history and experiences.

Much like most people my age (22), my first job was through school work experience as a waitress for a local restaurant. The duties were reasonably standard for a job in hospitality – money handling, customer service, serving, cleaning tables and also making hot drinks using a coffee machine. I left this job due to the company and restaurant closing, but it wasn’t long before I had my next job – also in food and hospitality.

This job actually ended up being at a relatively well known sandwich chain. I still think my job title of “sandwich artist” was pretty cool to be honest, and sandwich art I made. I worked at this place for about 6 months before I left to prepare myself for my next big adventure – University!!

I went to Manchester Metropolitan University for English and Creative writing in late 2017. Shortly after moving there, I landed a job at another well-known chain, but this time it was an Italian restaurant as bar staff. For the most part it wasn’t too bad of a job, even if I do still hear the ticket machine in my dreams sometimes.

I also worked at a steakhouse for a couple of months in Manchester and I worked in care services a few times in between, but I’d rather not bore you with my entire employment history. So finally; let’s get into the juicy stuff.

I stumbled across my current kickstart position whilst scrolling through the Jobs feature on Facebook. At first I didn’t even realise it was a kickstart role, so it’s lucky that I was actually eligible for the programme. (For more details on kickstart eligibility, feel free to head over to our other blog post at https://www.thinkemployment.com/what-is-the-kickstart-scheme/ to get all of the relevant information!)

Starting at the beginning; the interview, held by the head of recruitment and the head of marketing here at the Grimsby branch of ThinkEmployment. Now, I’m a pretty anxious person so interviews are normally my worst nightmare, but here I immediately felt comfortable. The atmosphere of the office from the second I walked in was warm, friendly and welcoming – something which, up until this point, I wasn’t very familiar with in a working environment.

Spoiler alert: I got the job. Obviously, or I wouldn’t be writing this. My first week in the office was training for the job role and learning all things marketing. This involved looking into brands and the marketing techniques they use for the first day, and using Canva to make a logo for my very own brand on the second and third days. From the definition of a mission statement to creating my own brand and product, I can definitely say that my brain, much like the Grinch’s heart, grew three sizes that week.

I officially started here on the 26/10/21, which means that as of today (15th December) I’ve been here almost two months. How exciting!

My first few weeks were mainly focused on creating Candidate Attraction Packs for kickstart employers all over the country. I made these using an online graphic design software called Canva, the same software that I used in my marketing training to create my brand logo and product. Candidate Attraction Packs, or CAPs, are a set of graphic and animated posts that were made for employers to use to advertise their kickstart vacancies, predominantly through social media. Admittedly, at first I was quite nervous to send off the packs I’d made – nothing like a little bit of self-doubt – but once I’d sent my first few across, the feedback I received was amazing! It was surreal to see that actual companies and employers loved my work; specifically something that I didn’t really think was my forte. Knowing these clients were over the moon with their CAPs definitely helped to boost my confidence a fair amount, especially after making 50+ of them and getting only positive feedback. Another part of these CAPs was infiltrating Facebook groups for the areas surrounding the vacancies, and posting the graphics and animations into these groups to generate more interest.

In my second week I did, however, get to take a little time out from creating these CAPs in order to write up case studies for two of the kickstart employees that had also recently just started working here. It was actually quite exciting for me because writing is what I love to do most, so being able to put these skills I’d acquired at Uni to good use was an exhilarating experience.

So, what was my next venture you ask? Making company ID badges, again, using Canva. After a first attempt followed by a few days tweaking and fine tuning, the ID badges were all finished, with the Managing Director’s approval! I’ll be happy if I don’t have to use a guillotine again for a few weeks though.

Moving away from the more work-related topics, I do want to touch on the working environment too. I’ve said previously in this blog post that I wasn’t used to having a warm and friendly working environment from my prior job experiences. The thing about the majority of the places I worked previously is that a lot of the time – in my experience, at least – you’re expendable. These job roles tended to make me feel like a number instead of a person; it comes across as if any skills you may have don’t really seem to be valued. As someone with their fair share of mental health issues, that part of myself has always felt like an obstacle when it comes to employment. Pretty much all of my past job roles have ended up taking priority over my mental wellbeing, which sucks but unfortunately it’s relatively standard for the industry.

It’s nothing like that in this job, though. Truthfully, I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled across this position. Not only have I met a group of really lovely people, but I also feel like I’ve made actual friends – not just “work acquaintances”. I’m constantly reminded of how valuable my skills and assets are to the company from the feedback I get from both clients and my manager. It’s bizarre to me to feel so valued in a job role after feeling disposable in them for so long, however it’s also one of the best feelings.

Another welcome change is the attitude towards mental health. It truly is a blessing to have superiors who understand the importance of mental health, and I can honestly say this is the most comfortable, supported and appreciated I’ve ever felt in a working environment. After spending so long downplaying it in the fear it would cost me my job, it’s a breath of fresh air to be able to talk about it so openly, not to mention how supportive the response has been when I have spoken about it.

You made it to the end of this post, congratulations! I hope you can feel your brain swelling with information like I did my first week training here. Have you learned anything? As you can probably tell, I definitely have. Considering I didn’t know too much about the kickstart programme when I rocked up to my interview here, it’s tangible how much it’s already changed my life for the better in a matter of a couple of months.

So what are you waiting for? Get looking for your next big adventure! I wish you all the best that you find something as incredible as I did.

Share:

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
PrevPreviousCOMPLETE A THINK EMPLOYMENT COURSE & GET A FREE TABLET
NextBenefits of a Kickstart RoleNext

Related Posts

Pete’s Success Story

I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me. Fortunately for you though, I’m back! Have you missed me? It’s okay, I would too. But enough about me! As you can see by the title of this post, this is another success story. Buckle in whilst I tell you all about our very special, Peter “Big Pete” Tidswell.  Like always, we’re going to start at the beginning: What was Pete doing before he started at ThinkEmployment? Much like many of us, due to the COVID-19

Owen’s Success Story

Another success story? Can one company really be this successful? Yes – and wouldn’t you know, a lot of it is owed to our Saviour

Benefits of a Kickstart Role

Hold your horses! I know you want to know the benefits of a Kickstart position, but first, I should probably explain exactly what Kickstart is.

Diary of a Kickstarter

So, you want to learn about kickstart jobs. I don’t blame you, they’re pretty swell. However, before I get into the juicy stuff, I’m going

Think Employment have been delivering Training Courses for more than 20 years. We pride ourselves on having helped tens of thousands of people over the years gain their qualifications and move onto the next step in their career.

Funded by:
Part funded by:
Useful Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Praise and Complaints Policy
  • Policies and Procedures

Copyright © 2022 – Think Employment Ltd. All Right Reserved

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT