Jayne J’s story

Careers support helped Jayne find the confidence to start a new chapter at 60.

Jayne lives in Bridgend. She spent much of her career in support roles before moving into management.

Although she enjoyed her work, losing her husband to Covid five years ago made her stop and think about what she wanted next.

Jayne said, “I was just keeping going, keeping going, keeping going. I felt tired and I wanted to have a think about what I actually wanted to do.

“I'd always enjoyed supportive roles and never really planned to go into management. But over the years I progressed into management positions and realised I wanted something different.”

After deciding to take a step back, Jayne began looking for a new role. However, she quickly became concerned. She shared, “I thought my age might be against me.”

Looking at things differently

Jayne contacted Working Wales and was introduced to careers adviser Kelly.

She said, “At the time, I was applying for quite a lot of jobs but sometimes I wouldn’t even get an acknowledgement.”

Kelly helped Jayne look at her career and qualifications from a different perspective. She also shared practical advice on applications and helped Jayne improve her CV.

Jayne said, “Kelly helped me remember my skills and experience. I’d almost forgotten my capabilities.”

Building confidence

Kelly helped Jayne prepare for interviews and introduced Jayne to new ways of presenting her experience to employers.

Jayne said, “She taught me how to use AI tools to compare my CV against a job description and improve it without changing who I was.

“Kelly also showed me stories of people who had found new jobs and even started new careers later in life.”

These conversations helped Jayne look at her situation differently.

Finding the right role

As Jayne continued her job search, an administrator role with a counselling charity Ty Elis caught her attention.

Jayne said, “At the time, I thought to myself that this job was perfect for me.”

After a successful application, Jayne was offered the role and happily accepted.

Updating us on her new job, she said, “It’s really interesting and everybody is just so lovely. I am very happy with where I am right now.”

A fresh start

Looking back, Jayne feels much more positive about the future.

She said, “The support made me realise that I could find another job and that I shouldn’t limit myself. Kelly helped me see that you’re never too old to do something different.”

Jayne encourages anyone who feels uncertain about their future to seek support:

“Don’t panic. Believe in yourself and keep going.”

She added, “Remember what you can do and take the support where you can. It really does help.”

If you would like to explore your interests and opportunities with a careers adviser or employability coach, please contact us today.

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