Mia transitioned into recruitment to pursue her passion for helping people and embraced the challenge of combining full-time work with an apprenticeship. Despite significant challenges, Mia’s resilience and the support of her tutor, Debbie Sleightholm, helped her successfully complete the programme.
Here Mia shares her learning journey, how the apprenticeship boosted her confidence and skills, and her ambition to support neurodiverse individuals through inclusive recruitment practices.
What is your career experience in HR?
My experience in HR is in recruitment. That's where I've started for my apprenticeship, in the Talent Acquisition team, but I've worked with the Trust on and off for the last 20 years in different roles. I’ve gone out and gone public and then come back again in that time, working with clinical, pharmacy, and endoscopy, as well as now in the last three years working admin.
What is your current role and how did it come about?
I was feeling like I needed a bit of a challenge and I saw an advert for the recruitment team. For me it felt like it was something that I thought I would be really good at. I'm very much a people person, I like to talk to people and get to know them well and I'm always trying to help. So I thought it was quite a good role for me.
I went for the interview and was successful and I decided I would go the apprenticeship route. It was a bit of a challenge to be working and doing the apprenticeship at the same time, but it is something I've done before, because I've done a degree while working as well.
How did you find juggling work and studying during your apprenticeship? Was it more challenging than working alongside a degree?
They were both challenging in their own ways, but I think I had to learn to speak up a little bit more during the apprenticeship than I did with the degree. It was all mostly solo work, whereas with the apprenticeship you you're constantly meeting people.
During my apprenticeship, the study side was OK for me because it was something that I already had embedded. I like to learn, so it was good to have that time at home to do the assignments etcetera. But doing everything that you need to do, certainly with the project at the end on top of your work was a bit of a struggle.
How did you work with your tutor and was the support helpful?
My tutor, Debbie Sleightholm, was really, really supportive. I had quite a few ups and downs whilst going through my apprenticeship journey.
The first month after I'd started, my father passed away really suddenly, and I was made homeless during that time, and I was also diagnosed with ADHD, all in the space of that 18 month period. It was quite challenging to juggle everything - juggle your emotions, juggle work, juggle the apprenticeship - but whenever I felt like I was feeling overwhelmed or just needed some guidance on what steps to do next, Debbie was really helpful and really supportive.
What did you think of the resources we provide?
The resources that Reed provided were really good. Because of my ADHD I do need to have the information in different various ways which I found Reed were really good at doing. Some departments and companies just provide everything in a textbook way or just all online, but this was a good mixture of everything.
How did you find the accommodations for your ADHD?
For my professional discussion I got a few more minutes on top of what the standard was and a little bit more support from Debbie as to what to expect. As soon as I had my official diagnosis, it was really supportive and I found it quite quick at getting those accommodations through.
What new skills and knowledge have your developed to improve your work?
I think definitely my presenting skills. It's something that I did use to struggle with. I'd get very shy and very quiet the moment I knew that I was presenting in front of more than two people. That's something that this experience has helped me to get over because I've had to go to stakeholders and other team members and get them on board. Project management skills as well, which I'm hoping eventually I'll be able to increase my knowledge of.
How do you think your apprenticeship & the Level 3 qualification will enhance your future career?
Yeah, definitely. I've got a vision in mind of what I'd like to do with it. I've always been very keen on helping people with neurodiversity, and it’s something that I'm really focused on. That's my aim, to go towards helping people with neurodiversity feel a bit more confident and comfortable going through the interview process.
How important is it to be CIPD-qualified for HR or L&D jobs?
I do think it's really important. It’s a good way to keep up to date with how things are changing and the constant need for policies and law review. It's something I think you do feel out of touch with if you don't have those resources to hand like the CIPD website.
What are your ultimate career aims?
My main ultimate career aim is to combine my passion for helping people with neurodiversity and to support them getting their roles, be it via more support with questions pre-interview or just a little bit more coaching.
What has been your overall experience of studying with us?
The overall experience was really supportive. I've done various courses and sometimes you are just given everything that you need, told these are the deadline and left to it. I never at any point felt like there wasn't somebody I could reach out to, even if my tutor was away, there was always someone I could reach. There was guidance at each step as to what you needed to do to reach that next level.
Would you recommend Reed Learning to others?
Yes, definitely. I felt really supported.