Why can't I get a decent job?

sarastark86

Also why not visit your local library or careers service to see if they can help with interview skills etc?

julie1075

That's a great idea, sarastark86 thanks I will!

markelock

Do you ask for feedback from the interviews?

Also remember that it's better to fail at the first attempt, and to have tried.

I went for a couple of practice interviews before my interview for my current role. Got me into the hang of the questions and the answers I should be giving.

Some of the interviewers weren't my kind of people at all (but they paid my expenses god bless them) and I wouldn't have worked there anyway.

Keep trying though, to think that there is only one ideal job is way off, it just takes time to get where you want to be.

I don't know anything about your line of work, and it's qualifications. I presume you don't need one though, if you are working for someone else, and have been for years?

Could this not be the start of working for yourself and hiring your skills out to other companies?

Mrs_Boo_Boo

Don't worry the best job is around the corner.Keep going and you'll do it. Can you practice with afriend in a mock interview and pre empt any questions you think they may ask. This looks like you have thought a bit about the interview. Another tip is to visit the place once you have an interview so they have a little more idea about you and you them. Also a positive affirmation is useful even if you don't believe in it. Mine is 'I'm s**t hot and it's their loss if they don't employ me'. Fake it til you make it. A little background on the company is useful too if you can find out.
Well really really good luck don't let it get you down and the weight issue is highly unlikely to be the reason (although if it is, you don't want to work for them anyway).
Take Care

Zeldazog

markelock wrote: »

Do you ask for feedback from the interviews?

This is excellent advice, I was going to suggest that myself.

As far as I can tell, its becoming more and more standard practice within HR to offer feedback to failed candidates.

The last job I applied for, and really wanted like never before, and was gutted that I didn't get - when they rang me that same afternoon and told me I hadn't got it, I thanked them.

I was really upset at the time so didn't ask these questions straight away, but so I rang back the next day and spoke to office manager (it was a PA type job for a schools Art Dept head), and this was how I put it:

I asked if they wouldn't mind telling me why I hadn't been successful, as I had been really interested in the post and what could I have done to make my chances better in future - in other words, I approached it from the "what were my weaknesses" rather than "why didn't you pick me"

She was brilliant, said she didn't mind at all, and went on to tell me that actually it had been the hardest decision, and that it had been between me and one other, and they had deliberated for about three hours because it was so close - in the end, the main reason SHE got the job and I didn't was because of her prior experience of presentations, etc, and as it was an evolving role, that was something they could see being required.

They asked me if I would PLEASE apply for any other posts that come up in future within the department.

So, in the end, despite being gutted that I didn't get it, I found out that it wasn't my failings at all, and that if that was the way the role would have headed, I wouldn't have been right anyway.

I am now in my second year of my degree, having gone back to college to study my Art Foundation.


Sorry if this is a waffle about my own experience, but I did find it extremely useful as it clarified my strengths (and weaknesses) and what I wanted, as well as actually, being a confidence booster to know that I was so difficult to not choose!

Good luck with job hunting, and check your local college for help with qualifications, you might be eligible for some assistance with fees?