PageGroup helps unemployed women return to the workforce

London 21 July 2014: PageGroup, the specialist recruitment consultancy, has helped nine unemployed women return to the workforce by conducting its second professional development day last week with the UK charity, SmartWorks.

Since 2012, PageGroup has partnered with SmartWorks to provide training, advice and career-based support to unemployed women on low incomes. SmartWorks` clients come from a variety of backgrounds and presented a wide-range of differing skills levels from basic education/no work experience to highly-qualified professional women.

The workshop offered out-of-work women a crucial insight into the corporate environment and discussed the importance of work culture, business etiquette, CV writing, managing work life balance, building confidence and presentation skills, goal setting and interviews techniques.

Sarah Kirk, regional director of diversity and inclusion, says the workshop is an opportunity for PageGroup consultants to leverage their recruitment and business skills outside the workplace and support the local community in doing so.

“It means so much to utilise our expertise to help unemployed women improve their interview and presentation skills, as well as build their confidence and self-esteem. All the women were highly receptive to the advice and support offered and by the end of the day we could see their attitudes changing.

“This workshop broadens their horizons to new possibilities and we will not doubt continue to conduct these professional development days with SmartWorks in the future,” Sarah said.

Pauline Murphy, training manager at SmartWorks said:

“We are so pleased that PageGroup has volunteered their consultancy services to conduct yet another successful SmartWorks workshop. The professional development day is a wonderful way for our clients to experience a corporate environment, ask general career questions and improve their networking skills.

“Many of our clients are determined to enter or re-enter the workforce but lack the fundamental basic of CV writing, presentation and interviews. Attending an interactive workshop and having one-on-one coaching with specialist recruitment consultants better equips our clients with the confidence and knowledge to move forward with their careers,” Pauline said.

Sophie Tudor, Communications Executive, PageGroup

E: sophietudor@michaelpage.com

T: 020 3077 8177