Adrian's story
Adrian left a surveying job overseas after he turned 60, moving back to the Midlands area of the UK. He took a few months out and then began to search for a job which would keep him in the UK.
He uploaded his CV to the usual job boards and contacted various recruitment agencies. Within a couple of months he had sent off scores of CVs but attended just a couple of interviews, including one with a specialist agency which wanted to charge him £3000 just for introducing him to potential employers, and another with a global firm which told him he was over-qualified.
The job hunt was having a profound impact on Adrian, who explains: "I just wasn't used to rejection."
This was a man who had previously held senior positions during a successful career: a few years before, he had applied for and been offered four positions, and prior to that had actually been headhunted for roles within his speciality.
The longest he'd ever been out of work in his life was six weeks, and that was before he had qualified as a chartered surveyor. His self-esteem and self-confidence had taken a real knock.
He says: "I was dejected and felt 'past it', and decided to contact LionHeart. Speaking with Ben [LionHeart support officer] for just 5 minutes brightened my outlook immensely.
"The expert help and assistance I have received, at zero cost to me, has been remarkable."
In their initial conversations, Ben talked to Adrian about how he might make his CV more concise and punchy, arranging to send out a free book on how to write a knockout CV. Adrian read the book from cover to cover, ripped up his original CV and redrafted it completely before sending it to Ben for review.
It was at this point that Ben offered to refer Adrian to one of LionHeart's specialist employment partners, the Training Tube. His advisor helped him review his CV and talked about how he was presenting himself to potential employers. Interestingly, Adrian was advised to leave his age off his CV.
He says: "The moment I took this advice regarding keeping quiet about my age and using the CV that Training Tube had amended, I was invited to numerous interviews."
Adrian has now accepted a director level position and is enjoying getting stuck into work for the first time in 18 months. The very same day he'd signed on the dotted line, he received another offer of employment - like waiting for buses, as he puts it.
Ben was one of the first people he emailed to share his good news, saying: "I honestly believe that without the high quality expertise and advice that LionHeart plugged into my quest to secure a job, I would still be unemployed."
Adrian agreed for LionHeart to share his story. Picture above posed by model.
- Find out more about how LionHeart can help if you're unemployed here
