After developing hearing loss, Melissa left her job and turned to the National Careers Service for support.
“I was in a people facing role as a receptionist and started to find it difficult after developing hearing loss.
“People often talk quietly, there would be a lot of background noise and I would find it hard to understand people with deep voices.
“I kept making clumsy mistakes,” Melissa tells us.
It wasn’t just her work life that was affected, her personal life changed too; “Hearing loss taught me a lot; my hobbies include things like music, playing guitar and piano, so it’s really frustrating and there was a lot of grief at the start.”
Getting Started
When Melissa realised that being a receptionist was no longer the route for her, she decided she wanted to help other people in the same position.
And that’s where the National Careers Service came in to support her on this journey.
“Lisa, my careers adviser helped me learn the best way to get my foot in the door,” Melissa says.
“She helped me with my CV, suggested which websites to look at and was someone who could answer all my questions easily.
“Not only that, we went through interview techniques that would make me stand out from the rest of the crowd.
“The audiology course she found me will also help my experience;” She says.
Lightbulb moment
Melissa’s careers adviser, Lisa (pictured right), adds; “After previously helping create her CV, she came back to me following a ‘lightbulb’ moment when she realised which path she wanted to follow.
“Melissa applied for student finance and registered for a Diploma of Higher Education in Health Science.
“In the meantime, we put her on a free course, which she could do online, to make sure this was her calling.”
Melissa shares how helpful Lisa was in the process; “She was so enthusiastic, she answered any questions I had, and if she didn’t know the answers she would find them quickly for me.
“ She was very clear and concise when speaking to me, which helped me to understand.”
With help of Lisa’s interview techniques and her amazing personality, Melissa has now started work at Specsavers in the hearing side of the business.
“ I was able to use a lot of the techniques I had learnt to make sure I shined.
“ They have been really accommodating to me so far, making sure I can hear everything that is going on.”
Melissa wanted to raise awareness for how important it is to accommodate people who are developing hearing loss; “In my old job people, would get impatient with me and speak to me as if I was stupid.
“It’s so important to have patience with people and speak in a clear way, so that we can hear what you are saying.”
How employers can help
She also adds; “ Companies need to have a conversation with their employee that may be struggling because everyone’s needs will be different. What works for some might not work for others.”
Melissa has some high hopes the future, that we know she will be able to achieve; “ I’d like to end up in something that’s NHS related.
“I’ve been looking into the new-born hearing screening process. I feel like if you can catch this kind of thing early, it makes life a lot easier for children in the long run.
“ I’m also interested in more private roles because I think I will reach more people that way.”
Melissa preferred not to be photographed for this story, but still wanted to share her experience of her time spent with National Careers Service
If you are inspired by her story, give us a call on 0800 100 900 or visit our website at nationalcareers.service.gov.uk for all the information about the free support and advice we offer.
Please note: National Career Service and Seetec Pluss are not responsible for the content of external websites
If you are inspired by either of these stories, give us a call on 0800 100 900 for free 1-2-1 advice and support. You can also visit our website at nationalcareers.service.gov.uk to find information about the support we can give you.
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