Isobel’s Story

Isobel is currently a receptionist at YMCA Western Gateway and has been working there for just over a month.

Prior to working at YMCA, Isobel worked in a salon, and she has said “it was something I always wanted to do growing up, but as I was doing it, I realised it wasn’t for me and I didn’t really want to be in it anymore.” After she left the salon, she was really struggling to find a new job because she didn’t have the experience that employers wanted from applicants.

As she was job hunting, she signed up for Universal Credit to support herself and get help while she was struggling. She found the support vital but felt that she wasn’t progressing anywhere. She says that job hunting requires a lot of patience and resilience, and in the beginning, she really struggled and she was going to her Universal Credit appointments “in borderline tears”, because of the current job hunting climate and employment crisis. Isobel was out of work for around a year and said, “I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere” and that “its that frustration when you want to work.”

From the Jobcentre in Oldbury, she was referred to the YMCA DWP Youth Hub in West Bromwich, where she met the Youth Hub team. While her Universal Credit appointments were there, she attended a few of the workshops that YMCA host. One of which was just looking for jobs and discussing the potential pathways available. Another was a presentation about how to be professional for an interview. While Isobel felt she had enough experience to know how to be professional, she felt that she did learn things in this session and could definitely see the benefits for younger people or people with less experience.

In getting to know the Youth hub team, especially Jay and Ellie, they discussed the opportunities that YMCA offers and what entry-level roles were currently available. There was receptionist role open, and Isobel decided to apply. She was particularly keen to apply for admin-based roles as it requires many transferable skills and therefore Isobel felt she would learn a lot and be a more well-rounded job applicant in the future.

One of the biggest impacts that YMCA has had on Isobel is that “everyone’s really nice here […] everyone’s good and helpful.” She also really appreciates the routine that working gives her. “I need that structure so when I have my days off, I can enjoy them more.”

When asked about her future, Isobel says she would love to progress in office-based administrative work. “I mean it’s a long stretch but maybe get into HR or if they needed someone to work in housing for example,” Isobel now feels prepared for a range of roles within YMCA and in future office-based jobs.