Olivia Walker applied for more than 60 roles in lockdown to find her dream job. She had previously worked at a bank on a graduate scheme, but wasn’t sure this field was where her future lay.
‘I’ve always been interested in sustainability and wanted to do something in that area,’ she says. Olivia, from Bermondsey in South London, was keen on launching her own business too, but with a mortgage, she felt she had to get a job with a regular income.
‘I sent out seven or eight applications a week for months and targeted each one to the role,’ she says. ‘It was a bit stressful, but worth it.’
Olivia, 26, now works for sustainable startup Notpla, which makes packaging from seaweed. She has also launched her own zero waste company, Keep Candles.
‘Getting a job actually helped with my own business as they’ve been very helpful and supportive,’ she says.