Help desparately needed for out of work partner

martinbsp

My partner has been out of work for 1 year since graduating and has had no luck finding work. I desperately need some advice on where she can go to get help finding work.

She is aged 40+ and doesn't have a huge amount of confidence having suffered from illness for several years on and off (she was a mature graduate and finished university a year ago). I admit I am finding it hard to offer advice, I'm lost as to where to go from here.

Are there any specialist charitable bodies/advice agencies where she can get into a work placement or something?

I'm aware that having a university qualification doesn't mean much in today's market (I have two!), but she's willing to do most things.

She just needs someone to give her a chance but my guess is that

(a) Her CV is threadbare, there isn't much we can put on there
(b) Employers obviously spot her lack of confidence at interviews

Anyone offer some help?

Person_one

Does she volunteer anywhere? That is usually the best way of getting experience onto a CV. What was her degree in? Somebody working in that area might be able to help.

Googlewhacker

Employers are unlikely to touch your girlfriend without proof that she is capable to work and as the above poster said a prolonged period of volunteering work without absenses due to illness is the best way to prove her reliability

martinbsp

My wife doesn't currently volunteer but this is something we are looking at. Our main issue is money to get to the volunteer job. We have a very tight budget which is why she is looking for paid work. She graduated with a CPE in Law but without practical experience I'm not sure how she would ever break into that field.

Are there no specialist recruitment agencies that help people like this, or indeed anything else?

Googlewhacker

martinbsp wrote: »

My wife doesn't currently volunteer but this is something we are looking at. Our main issue is money to get to the volunteer job. We have a very tight budget which is why she is looking for paid work. She graduated with a CPE in Law but without practical experience I'm not sure how she would ever break into that field.

Are there no specialist recruitment agencies that help people like this, or indeed anything else?

I don't know but if I was your partner I would be sending my CV to all of the Law firms in the area offering her service as work experience for 6 months...this will look good on the CV, may lead to a long term job and keeps her in that industry.

As for money, have you made sure you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to? Have you looked at your statement of affairs and seen whether you can cut back on anything?

Has she been looking for part time work in a retail?

Deep_In_Debt

Has she thought about registering with an agency and getting some temping work? It may not be what she wants but it's something to put on a c.v.

Has she tried doing something like bar work or working in hotels/restaurants etc. With the wedding season here, places may be looking for extra staff.

jayII

I don't know much about this field, but I imagine that recruitment agencies will be fairly expensive.

Voluntary work should not cost anything, and these days, many employers will not look at anyone with a poor sickness record.

For example, where I work, having 4% (or more) of days off sick, renders you 'unreliable'. That is just 10 working days in one year, so it will help her greatly if she can build up a good work history.

Googlewhacker

jayII wrote: »

I don't know much about this field, but I imagine that recruitment agencies will be fairly expensive.

Voluntary work should not cost anything, and these days, many employers will not look at anyone with a poor sickness record.

For example, where I work, having 4% (or more) of days off sick, renders you 'unreliable'. That is just 10 working days in one year, so it will help her greatly if she can build up a good work history.

The national average is only 5.5 or 6.5 days (I can't remember)

Person_one

Googlewhacker wrote: »

I don't know but if I was your partner I would be sending my CV to all of the Law firms in the area offering her service as work experience for 6 months...this will look good on the CV, may lead to a long term job and keeps her in that industry.

As for money, have you made sure you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to? Have you looked at your statement of affairs and seen whether you can cut back on anything?

Has she been looking for part time work in a retail?

I second the idea of offering to work at a law firm for free. A lot of them will be trying to save money at the moment and may have short staffed themselves so will welcome an extra pair of hands that they don't have to pay for!

It really is worth adjusting your budget to allow for travel to a voluntary position, long term it makes sense. Why don't you post a SOA on the DFW board, they'll spot where you can make cutbacks that you may even have thought of.

Premier_2

What did she do between leaving school and starting her university course (about 15-20 years)? That should be plenty to fill up the CV and give a prospective employer something to go on.

Why did she give up the old job? (perhaps simply to take up the opportunity to do the full time degree course?)
Any chance she could go back into that type of work?

It's always easier to get a job when you already have one.


Unfortunately, trying to break into a career in law is a nightmare at present - there's a huge supply of graduates far outweighing the available positions ... and I don't know how to put this sympathetically, so I'll do it bluntly, you both surely realise that given the choice of taking on a 21 year old in-experienced graduate is always going to beat a 40+ year old in the same postion, if for no other reason than the additional training (particularly in the legal sector) provided by the employer has twice the possible years to be repaid over in terms of service.

Also her lack of confidence is probably a major setback particularly for a position in law. She could try some assertiveness training, but training courses are expensive. However, assertiveness training is the type of training any good employer may be willing to pay for outside of the legal sector, and is a skill that is easily transferable.

WhiteHorse

Some good advice by previous posters.

(1) General volunteering looks good, fills out the CV and establishes an attendance record.
(2) Google. There are loads of specialist legal recruitment agencies, but speaking from experience ...
(3) They are unlikely to be of use because they concentrate on people with experience, and ...
(4) Law is a very hard field to break into without that experience (it's a circular problem, I know).
(5) Try offering herself as an unpaid law office gopher (yes really) for a period.
(6) Consider volunteering for the CAB. Work part-time whilst ...
(7) Stacking shelves to earn travel money.