How free online sessions are helping women to find new work

A series of free online sessions are helping unemployed women in Bridgend County Borough to find new work.

The sessions have been organised by gender equality charity Chwarae Teg as a way of helping women who may have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. They have been specially designed to take account of the impact that unemployment can have on someone’s confidence and well-being.

The first session, ‘Change your Thinking - Get Results’ encourages women to look at why a change in thinking is necessary before you can achieve the results you want in gaining new employment. It is structured to consider issues such as what may be holding you back, setting specific goals, maintaining focus, staying motivated, and ensuring that your search for a new job has structure and direction.

The second session, ‘Promote yourself and stand out’, encourages women to consider how their skills and experience can help them to stand out. It looks at how personal branding can help you to successfully reach career goals, and is designed to improve confidence and self-awareness.

The third session, ‘Create a winning CV’, focuses on how you can develop a strong résumé that will get you noticed by recruiters and put you in the best possible position to stand out from the crowd. The final session, ‘Get the interview – get the job’ helps you overcome the stress and exposure of the interview process, highlights specific techniques and helps you prepare for the best way to answer interview questions.

The online sessions organised by Chwarae Teg recognise how losing your job can really affect your confidence, particularly during the pandemic when we are dealing with so much change in our lives.

Research carried out by Linked In has highlighted how women often feel like they have to fulfil 100 per cent of a job specification when compared to men, who usually apply after meeting about 60 per cent. The research also suggests that women are 16 per cent less likely than men to apply for a role after viewing it, and apply to 20 per cent fewer jobs than men overall.

The sessions offered by Chwarae Teg are an important part of changing this perception, and enable you to do so within a safe environment. Each session is designed to provide you with the tools you need to complete job applications, talk about yourself in a clear and authentic way at interviews, and help you find the right job. They are specifically designed for women who may feel overawed or overwhelmed by the whole process of recruitment and finding a job, but each session is also a safe, welcoming place that helps to build up confidence and support, and help you find the job that you deserve.

Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Well-Being and Future Generations