Abbas's Story

I was born in the UK but left due to personal issues and stayed abroad for about 15 years before returning. Upon my return, it was really hard to settle. I searched for jobs endlessly for 9 months to no avail. I registered with a job centre, which informed me of a job fair where I met Himilo staff.

Right there, they did a pre-assessment, showing me how eager they were to help. I was later booked for a further assessment to identify my career needs. Following this, I was offered a choice of Maths and English courses, and I opted for English as I couldn’t speak English properly and I felt insecure communicating in English. I started at Entry Level 3, and during the course, my tutors frequently checked in with me and offered job fair dates to assist with my job search. Eventually, my tutor referred me internally, and I began volunteering as a receptionist.

All this time, my dream was to work in HR. After a while, another internal opportunity came up, and I joined the HR team in a volunteer capacity. This experience lasted about 6 months and really helped sharpen my skills. Eventually, a role opened up in HR, I was interviewed, and by then, my English had improved significantly. I got the job!