‘WHEN YOU HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN, IT SETS YOU BACK’

▶ LIAM SKOP graduated in computer science from Birmingham University in June.

Despite having been applying for jobs since the beginning of March, the Hendon 21-yearold has found the employment search challenging in the changed environment.

“It’s hard enough for people coming out of university anyway but Covid made it so much tougher.

“With increased redundancies in other sectors, there were more people looking for tech jobs than ever and many people retraining into the field.

“At first, I thought I was very lucky to have a degree in something that could be done remotely. But I soon found that the competition wasn’t just from people with my degree but from anyone who had done a short conversion course.”

He found “the cycle of application, assessment and interview never-ending. I got to the final interview stage two or three times and when it doesn’t work out and you have to start all over again, it sets you back.”

Mr Skop decided to volunteer at his local football club, doing data analysis and gaining valuable experience. It was in September that a friend recommended he speak to Work Avenue.

He received help with his CV and had “some really strong oneto-one career advice. It felt so good having that personal support. Then a few weeks ago, they saw a role I was suited for — a technical consultant for the software company E-Tabs — and put me forward. They even helped me prepare for the interview.

“I’m pleased to say that I started work for E-Tabs this week.”