MARY KAYODE
Birmingham,West Midlands
Summary
A motivated and experienced welfare and community development professional, with excellent community service record and a strong work ethic with varied volunteering experiences. Able to advocate and promote a wide variety of community programs and activities to people of all ages and background. To seek and maintain full-time position that offers professional challenges, utilizing interpersonal skills, excellent time management and problem-solving skills.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
7
7
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Caseworker
Entraide
Solihull
06.2022 - Current
- At the frontline providing intensive one-to-one advocacy support to vulnerable individuals and families who are at crisis point such as newly arrived asylum seekers and resettled refugees, unaccompanied asylum seeking children leaving the care of local authority, individuals who have recently moved to the area or who are experiencing a change in their circumstances and need support navigating the system to access healthcare, housing, welfare benefits, education, employment and so on.
- Building professional relationship with client and individuals while communicating and demonstrating empathy with them in all situation.
- Built positive working relationships with colleagues, service users, families and external organisations and professionals.
- Complied with all safeguarding, risk management, risk assessment and lone working policies and procedures.
- Promote inclusion, maintaining positive links with variety of community organisations.
- To report safeguarding concerns, problems and change to line manager immediately.
- Developed warm and positive relationships with service users, resulting in excellent satisfaction.
- Maintained strict confidentiality at all times, adhering to relevant company policy.
Regional Sales Representative
Lush Chin Chin
Birmingham
09.2017 - 05.2023
- Liaising with service users over the phone and on face-to-face level, taking and processing customer orders while demonstrating excellent customer service skills in a professional way.
- Handling of clerical tasks such as data entry, filing, records management and billing), managing client orders, dealing with and escalating complaints to ensure 100% customer satisfaction & positive feedback.
- Working with service users from a diverse range of culture and backgrounds and having a “can-do” attitude to ensure the delivery of premium service to clients.
- Providing accurate sales reports and analysis, while thinking outside the box to achieve excellence.
- Employing good time management and organisation skills while keeping accurate records of customer cases in order to improve efficiency and maximise leads and resources
- Going above and beyond to ensure that service users receive excellent services, handling each individual case fairly with empathy and respect, while working efficiently to exceed targets
- Proficient use of Microsoft office, internet search engine, IT systems and other sales platforms, while delivering the very best solutions and product knowledge to strengthen client's loyalty.
- Identified prospect needs and offered appropriate products and services.
- Applied exceptional customer service skills across all sales channels to engage prospects.
- Listened to customer problems, objections and concerns, offering tailored solutions.
- Maintained close and regular contact with assigned clients to nurture long-term relationships.
- Employed proactive problem-solving to handle objections with professionalism.
- Kept product knowledge up-to-date by attending regular training to deliver reliable information with confidence.
- Researched new niche markets to unearth new business opportunities.
- Uncovered opportunity to maximise revenue by cross-selling to existing customer base.
- Followed-up on prospective business opportunities and new clients to retain and expand client base.
- Demonstrated products to encourage purchases by showcasing features and benefits.
Primary School Teaching Assistant
Adult Education Course
Birmingham
09.2018 - 06.2019
- During my placement, I demonstrated practical skills and knowledge relating to children and young people's development, safeguarding their welfare and to communicate effectively.
- Building professional relationships with children, young people and adults.
- Promoting equality, diversity, inclusion in working with children and young people.
- Preparing and supervising learning activities and supporting learners in completing tasks set by the teacher.
- Created a friendly, positive and inspiring learning environment to facilitate interactions amongst students.
- Prepared additional learning resources and aids to promote inclusivity in learning.
- Assisted students to reach social development milestones.
- Marked students work following directions from class teacher.
Home Maker
Networking and upskilling
Milton Keynes
01.2016 - 01.2017
- Economically Inactive - Maintaining the home and family, while being creative and learning new skills such as cooking, making of home-made beads & jewellery production and creating content for my website.
- Taking part in personal development courses in networking, leadership training, advocacy, and confidence building training.
- Volunteering at my children school as a parent representative and acquiring new business skills.
- Strengthened communication skills through regular interactions with others.
- Demonstrated leadership skills in managing projects from concept to completion.
- Developed strong communication and organizational skills through working on group projects.
- Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations.
- Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.
- Demonstrated respect, friendliness and willingness to help wherever needed.
Receptionist & Office Administrator
Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council
Milton Keynes, Cambridgeshire
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Working as part of a team to deliver high quality customer service to clients, local residence and visitors in a professional manner and providing friendly assistance.
- Meeting and greeting clients and visitors in courteous and professional manner and demonstrating empathy in handling enquiries from clients, vendors and general public.
- Liaising with agencies, booking appointments, answering the telephone, and responding in a professional manner to internal and external telephone inquiries.
- Excellent rapport building, showing empathy to service user's circumstances, identifying loopholes and problems, and creating potential leads and solutions, liaising with various departments to solve client's queries accurately.
- 100% Customer focused which involves building rapport, understanding the client's needs, and establishing the best solution for the service user, while maintaining good working relationships to foster referrals.
- Reduced waiting times through effective time and resource management.
- Provided clerical support to company employees, including copying, faxing and file management.
- Making sure that reception area is kept clean and neat to give visitors positive impression of the company.
- Monitored office supplies inventory, promptly reordering low stock items to prevent workflow disruptions.
Home Maker
Networking
Milton Keynes, Cambridgeshire
01.2012 - 01.2013
- Started a new family, developed communication, organisation, budgeting and time management skills
- Took part in personal development community training at Bletchley community centre, acquiring new skills/experiences, networking and attending workshops and training to help me preparing for work.
- Posted daily on social media sites.
- Develop original content through social listening and independent sources.
- Produced engaging headlines to capture target audience.
- Used best practices in producing content to define mission of organisation.
- Coordinated with design team to integrate images and text for articles.
Youth Welfare Officer/Community Development Worker
RCCG-CRA
Birmingham
01.2008 - 10.2012
- Working within a team to provide a safe and welcoming environment for visitors and new Students who have just arrived in the country
- Evaluating community resources to maximize mission effectiveness and to identify community problems in collaboration with other service providers
- Performed basic administrative tasks to support and assist individuals and families to find suitable accommodation and signposting them to other agencies while fostering community participation in a variety of activities
- Adhering to health and safety guidelines and instructions.
- Dealing with sensitive issues, listening attentively and showing empathy.
- Assisting service users to obtain and access community resources, while identifying individual needs to support them.
- Listened to clients' current struggles to signpost relevant support.
- Established and maintained working relationships with clients based on trust and non-judgement.
- Led workshops under professional supervision.
Migrant Support Caseworker
Coventry Refugee & Migrant Centre
Coventry, West Midlands
01.2010 - 03.2012
- At the frontline dealing with vulnerable individuals and other service users while providing professional and impartial services
- Working as part of a team in a busy department and responsible for the completion of needs assessment, formulation of packages of care and monitoring and review of packages
- Communicating and demonstrating empathy with clients and their families in all situations which challenges and tackle inequalities.
- Providing emotional support to individuals and families.
- Monitoring and reviewing client case load to measure their achievement and progress towards goals.
Play Worker/ Event Coordinator
Hawkesley Community Centre
Birmingham, West Midlands
08.2006 - 09.2010
- Planning and organizing a range of stimulating and developmental activities for children of all ages.
- Fostering and building relationships with local residence and networking with other agencies while delivering services.
- Awareness of Health & Safety, Equality of Opportunity & Diversity legislation.
- Preparing healthy snacks and drinks, ensuring that foods are prepared in a clean and safe area, collecting children from class, and escorting them safely to school clubs
- Preparing and organizing workload and activities and communicating patiently and respectfully with children and staff alike, while treating each child individually and respecting their learning abilities and needs.
- Supporting in teaching and handing out documents to the children, helping individuals with challenges and questions, and familiarizing myself with the changing educational curriculum.
- Prioritizing, maintaining, and coordination of fund-raising activities for community project with local stores and partners like Sainsbury, Tesco, Aldi and Asda and performing basic administrative skills which includes giving customer service to client and local residents.
- Analysed event needs to outline and define scope of services and project requirements.
Education
BA Honours Degree - Applied Community & Social Studies
Coventry University
Coventry 09.2009 - 06.2012
Training: First Aid, Introduction to Youth Work, Introduction to Play Work, Take 5 for play, Managing older children behaviour, Food Safety and Hygiene (Level 2 - Community Playworker
Hawksley Community Centre
Birmingham 01.2006 - 06.2008
A-Levels -
Cadbury Sixth Form College
Birmingham 09.2005 - 05.2007
GCSEs -
Marigold College
Nigeria 2003 - 2005
Skills
- Good interpersonal skills
- Ability to communicate effectively at all times I have a strong verbal communication skills which I have demonstrated when delivering presentations and speaking confidently and clearly when marketing and selling ideas, services and products
- Leadership & Supervisory Skills: Taking responsibility and building confidence, while recognizing the effort of team members and motivating them to achieve and aim high
- Researching and Analyzing: When I was writing my dissertation, I used both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to collect data systematically from a range of sources, while logically identifying and summarizing the relevant data
- Problem solving and planning skill: Dealing with queries in a calm and efficient manner, carefully approaching sensitive situations and finding the best solutions
- Emotional support and advocacy
- Needs and risk assessments
- Self-Management Skills
- Learning, improving and achieving: Always keen to learn and improve, this has led me to take part in several extra-curricular activities, training courses and other voluntary roles
- Digital / Computer skills: Proficient in using Microsoft office applications for Work, Academic and Personal use, while efficiently using Windows and social media to obtain and communicate information
- Office Skills: Database Administration, Spreadsheets/Reports, Event Management, Calendaring, Front-Desk Reception, Executive Support, Travel Coordination, Office Management, Records Management
- Case information confidentiality
- Client interaction
- Interpersonal and written communication
Interests
Hobbies & Interests: , I enjoy networking, writing, reading, meeting new people and participating in charity work.
Languages
English
Fluent
Yoruba
Fluent
Hausa
Upper intermediate
Timeline
Caseworker
Entraide
06.2022 - Current
Primary School Teaching Assistant
Adult Education Course
09.2018 - 06.2019
Regional Sales Representative
Lush Chin Chin
09.2017 - 05.2023
Home Maker
Networking and upskilling
01.2016 - 01.2017
Receptionist & Office Administrator
Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council
01.2014 - 01.2016
Home Maker
Networking
01.2012 - 01.2013
Migrant Support Caseworker
Coventry Refugee & Migrant Centre
01.2010 - 03.2012
BA Honours Degree - Applied Community & Social Studies
Coventry University
09.2009 - 06.2012
Youth Welfare Officer/Community Development Worker
RCCG-CRA
01.2008 - 10.2012
Play Worker/ Event Coordinator
Hawkesley Community Centre
08.2006 - 09.2010
Training: First Aid, Introduction to Youth Work, Introduction to Play Work, Take 5 for play, Managing older children behaviour, Food Safety and Hygiene (Level 2 - Community Playworker
Hawksley Community Centre
01.2006 - 06.2008
A-Levels -
Cadbury Sixth Form College
09.2005 - 05.2007
GCSEs -
Marigold College
2003 - 2005
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