Company: Pharmaceutical manufacturer in Surrey
Role: Warehouse Assistant (initially Temporary picker/packer)
Challenge
After taking a significant career break during COVID to support his parents, Mark was keen to return to work but faced a challenging employment market. Having previously worked in senior administrative and payroll jobs, the five-year gap on his CV made securing interviews difficult, despite extensive applications through online job boards. Mark was looking for a role that would allow him to ease back into work, fit around family commitments and ideally offer longer-term prospects. However, navigating the recruitment process alone proved challenging, with limited feedback and few opportunities progressing beyond the application stage.
Solution
Mark reached out to March Recruitment and was supported by Ellie at our Weybridge office. From the outset, Ellie took time to understand Mark’s background, his career break and what he was looking for next. Ellie provided practical advice on updating his CV and spoke openly about how the career gap might be perceived, while reassuring him that it shouldn’t hold him back.
March identified a local opportunity at a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Surrey, just minutes from Mark’s home, offering part-time hours that fitted perfectly with his circumstances. Ellie positioned the role as a “foot in the door” and a chance to rebuild recent work experience to re-enter employment confidently with the potential for future opportunities. Throughout the placement, March remained in regular contact and supported Mark with onboarding, paperwork, timesheets and carried out ongoing check-ins, ensuring he felt part of the team rather than just an agency worker.
Results
Mark joined his new employer as a temporary Picker/Packer on a part-time basis. His reliability and performance quickly stood out, leading to the business offering him a permanent Warehouse Assistant position.
The role has given Mark the stability and confidence he was looking for, while keeping future options open within the business. Importantly it’s marked a successful and positive return to work after a long career break, exactly as March had intended.
Testimonial
“The March Recruitment team were incredibly supportive from the start. Ellie helped me update my CV, talked me through everything honestly and found a role that worked perfectly for me. After a long career break, it was exactly what I needed, giving me the chance to get back into work. They remained in contact throughout the recruitment process, helped with any questions and made me feel part of the team. It’s worked out better than I could have hoped for and I can’t thank them enough for their support.”
