Professional Mentor Employability Coach

Radical Employability Coach Role Description

Role type: Specialist

Role purpose

An Employability Coach provides practical, personalised support that helps a Radical prepare for, find and secure suitable work.

Unlike a Professional Mentor, whose primary value comes from professional experience, perspective and networks, an Employability Coach works directly with the Radical on the tasks involved in becoming job-ready and navigating recruitment. This may include improving a CV, searching for suitable opportunities, writing cover letters, completing application forms and preparing for contact with employers.

Some Radicals may need a defined piece of employability support. Others may face more significant or multiple barriers and need a greater level of structure, repetition, encouragement and practical help. Your role is to adapt your approach without taking over, doing everything for the Radical or creating unnecessary dependency.

Your purpose is not simply to complete applications. It is to help the Radical understand the process, make informed choices and build the skills and confidence to manage more of their own employment journey over time.

What you will do

• Work with the Radical and Circle Lead to understand the Radical’s employment goals, current circumstances, support needs and agreed priorities.
• Identify practical gaps in the Radical’s employability and agree a clear focus for your work together.
• Help the Radical review and tailor their CV for appropriate roles and sectors.
• Support the Radical to identify their skills, experience and strengths and communicate them clearly to employers.
• Help the Radical search for suitable vacancies using relevant job boards, employer websites, recruitment agencies and other appropriate routes.
• Support the Radical to assess whether an opportunity is suitable, realistic and aligned with their goals, circumstances and support needs.
• Help the Radical understand job descriptions, person specifications and essential and desirable criteria.
• Support the Radical to write and adapt cover letters, personal statements and supporting statements.
• Help the Radical complete application forms accurately and provide relevant evidence against the employer’s criteria.
• Break recruitment tasks into clear, manageable steps where the Radical feels overwhelmed or needs additional structure.
• Provide practical guidance while ensuring that applications remain truthful, authentic and owned by the Radical.
• Help the Radical develop approaches, templates and routines that they can reuse more independently.
• Keep agreed actions, deadlines and application progress visible and communicate relevant updates to the Circle Lead.
• Notice where repeated non-completion may indicate an accessibility need, practical barrier or change in circumstances, rather than assuming a lack of motivation.
• Adjust the pace, format and level of support where this can help the Radical participate more effectively.
• Recognise when the Radical needs a different Specialist, a Professional Mentor or support from the Paid Team and raise this promptly with the Circle Lead.
• Route safeguarding concerns, significant practical barriers and issues requiring organisational intervention to the Paid Team.
• Maintain appropriate safeguarding, information and professional boundaries throughout your work.
• Reduce the level of support as the Radical develops greater confidence, capability and independence.

What you bring

You are practical, patient and able to turn an employment goal into clear, manageable action. You can work alongside somebody who may find recruitment confusing, inaccessible, discouraging or overwhelming without becoming controlling or completing the entire process on their behalf.

You understand how CVs, job searches, cover letters and application forms contribute to a wider employment journey. You can explain processes clearly, adapt your communication and provide additional structure where somebody requires more support.

Good Employability Coaching requires consistency, sound judgement, attention to detail and the ability to balance practical help with independence. The standard is not how many applications you can complete for a Radical. It is whether your support helps the Radical make stronger applications, understand the recruitment process and become more able to navigate it for themselves.

You do not need prior safeguarding knowledge or to feel confident in every aspect of employability support before you begin. Radical Recruit will provide training, guidance and ongoing support so that you understand your responsibilities and can carry out the role safely and confidently.

You are not expected to be the Radical’s recruiter, caseworker, counsellor, manager, Professional Mentor or safeguarding lead. You should not promise employment, pressure a Radical to apply for unsuitable work or make decisions on their behalf.

Your role is to provide focused, practical employability support within the wider Scholarship Plan, helping the Radical move towards meaningful and sustainable work while remaining part of a coordinated Circle.

Apply or register your interest: Radical Village Application & Onboarding Form

This role is advertised as part of TPP's Free Giving Back Services. This volunteer advertisement copy has been supplied to TPP and applicants apply direct to the organisation. Please contact the organisation directly if you have any questions about this volunteer role.