The Big Issue launches a job helpline to help get Britain back on its feet

Looking for work but not sure where to start? Worried you might be made redundant and need to brush up a rusty CV, or keen to find out how your skills can earn you more money elsewhere?

The Big Issue’s new helpline for those who have lost or are worried about their jobs during the pandemic is here to help, staffed by recruitment professionals poised to get you interview ready.

We have joined forces with London recruitment firm Momenta, which provides workforce in sectors such as retail, financial services, technology and legal, as well as offering training and development programmes.

The helpline will connect you to a Momenta expert able to offer free advice on everything from how to write a cover letter, and how to write a CV, to tips on interview techniques, skills-matching, coaching and presentation – all the basic but crucial steps to securing that new role.

Calls to the helpline will be billed at local rates from landlines. Mobile phone providers may charge. Check with your provider for details.

‘We will use our expertise to support jobseekers’

The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have hit workers of all ages and qualifications hard. One in eight recent graduates in England and Wales was unemployed by the summer of 2020, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics, double the normal rate, with 2.2 million people expected to be out of a job by the end of this year. 

Over the next few months and as government support comes to an end, with the furlough scheme closing in September, we can expect to see competition for jobs hotting up. 

The helpline is the latest crucial resource in The Big Issue’s growing Ride Out Recession Alliance (RORA) arsenal. Momenta’s expertise will boost the aims of RORA, which The Big Issue set up to offer practical advice and tools to those worried about work, to keep people in jobs and to prevent as many as possible from losing their homes. 

“Every industry needs to play its role in getting the economy going, so we, as recruiters, will use our knowledge, expertise, empathy and instinct to support jobseekers back into the workplace,” said Momenta Group founder Richard Stevens.

“We know there are many unemployed due to the pandemic who have not been in the employment market for years, and will need a refresh, review and a friendly coach to support their journey back to work. We look forward to playing our role in The Big Issue’s relevant and impactful RORA initiative.”

Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, said: “We are delighted Momenta are bringing their support and expertise to address employability coaching. 

“Keeping people in work over this time is the key to reducing poverty, therefore equipping individuals with the skills and confidence to aim for new employment is fundamental right now.”

We have already teamed up with leading jobs board Adzuna and online training organisation FutureLearn to create the RORA Toolkit, an action plan to help those dealing with unemployment and the uncertainty it brings.

You can browse our jobs board for vacancies, visit our RORA Facebook page for supportive advice or a sympathetic ear, and stay tuned for helpful tips and articles in the magazine and on our website, on everything from managing your money and the emotions around redundancy, to the best online courses and training, plus a head’s up on the industries that are recruiting during the pandemic and how to get into them. 

Sign up free to the RORA Toolkit for a three-month digital subscription to The Big Issue, the weekly RORA newsletter with our work and money articles, tips on job hunting and access to free or discounted training. 

Career tips and advice from our Jobs and Training series:

• How to change your career – A step-by-step guide
• Employee rights in the UK: Everything you need to know
• Redundancy rights: Everything you need to know
• How to write a CV that will get you a job
• Job interview questions: What to ask and how to answer
• CV templates: Free downloads for job application success
• What to do if you’ve been made redundant
• Apprenticeships: Everything you need to know
• Apprenticeships: How to get a job once your placement ends
• Redundancy: Surviving the mental health impact of losing your job
• 11 tips to help you make the most of online learning
• How to go self-employed in the pandemic
• Budgets, benefits and tax breaks: Money advice for young people after Covid
• The top job adverts to look out for as lockdown eases