Ann Powell
Ann Powell is currently the Centre Manager of Smart Works Birmingham, a charity which supports women into employment by offering a free two-hour session, providing clients with an Interview Outfit and Coaching session.
A strong believer in equality for all, in all areas of life, she is passionate about helping women to reach their full potential. “Regardless of where you start in life we can all reach the winners podium, with the right support networks”
- Tell us a little bit about your business… / or the organisation you work for.
Part of Smart Works charity, our service is entirely free and open to any woman or someone who identifies as a woman from Birmingham and the West Midlands who is currently unemployed and has a confirmed job interview for paid employment or an apprenticeship.
Women come in for a two-hour appointment. The first hour is a styling session to help find them an outfit from our dressing room: our clients receive a complete interview outfit, personally styled for them and theirs to keep. Following this session, they have a one-to-one confidence session with one of our interview coaches who are experienced in senior business management, recruitment, or HR to help them prepare for the interview. We look at strengths and skills, practice some interview questions, provide feedback, and help our clients to understand what’s expected of them at interview.
- How did you get into the industry?
I have a background in Hospitality & Retail Management, working in Hotels, Restaurants and Corporate Events. After many years in Operational Roles I moved into HR and Recruitment before retraining as a Coach. In my private coaching practice I worked with many small and national charities, supporting clients who were looking to become self-employed. I started volunteering for Smart Works Birmingham when it opened in 2016, before eventually becoming Centre Manager in 2018.
- What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry?
The challenge in the West Midlands is always about raising our profile, making more people aware of how we can support them. Opportunities are always there, networking with the right people, being consistent in our results collaborating with other organisations that share the same mission.
- How would you describe your leadership style? (if not in a leadership role talk about your working style)
I am very strategic, I like goals and a plan of how to achieve them. I like to think long-term and then break down into smaller routes to get there. Lack of detail frustrates me, so I appreciate it when those I work with do the background research before just having ideas. I enjoy being part of a team, so collaboration is key.
- How do you get the most out of the people who work for you? (or work with you)
Be supportive and remove the fear of failure, people only know what they know, so offer training and guidance when needed. Give people responsibility but also the tools and resources that they need to succeed in the role. Play to people’s existing strengths but also help them to identify those that they are unaware of and help them to develop. Help them to be aspirational in their own goals and communicate clearly your own and the organisations. Above all be appreciative of all that they do and recognise publicly all their achievements.
- What are the most crucial elements to your business running smoothly and being successful?
Having the right procedures in place, Delivering a service that is effective and reliable. Communication is key.
- How has the past 12 months been for you?
We have seen a growing need for our service across the region. It is now more challenging to enter the workplace if you are a woman than it was in 2022, and even more so if you are from an ethnic background. 66% of the clients we saw last year were from ethnic backgrounds. Our average client had applied for over 30 jobs before coming to us and 48% had been out of work for over a year.
- What will the next 12 months look like for you or your business?
The next 12 months will be a period of growth for the charity, as the cost of living crisis increases; there is a real need for our service across the West Midlands. We have doubled the size of our staff team in the past twelve months, in order to meet the demand for our service and ensure that we deliver consistent and effective support to all those who need it. We have ambitious targets to reach out to more women from communities that have additional challenges to overcome, but we are confident that we have the right structure in place now to do so.
- What are the highlights of your career so far?
Opening a restaurant in Poole, Dorset for a very large restaurant chain in the 1990’s, nothing else has had that same buzz of excitement since.
- What’s the biggest professional / business mistake that you’ve learnt from?
Always check the detail, there have been many events that I have worked on that have had conflicting dates or times on. We prepared a complete buffer for a funeral wake once only to find out that it was for the following week. Once bitten twice shy.
- What’s the best piece of professional / business advice you’ve been given or would like to give?
Four things I say to everyone I work with or coach.
- “Never take criticism from someone you wouldn’t go to for advice”
- “Collaborate with as many people/organisations as possible, if they share your values and goals”
- “Whatever you do, do it with kindness and respect”
- “Everyday of your working life, is an interview. You never know who is watching you, and what you say and do”
