advice please :)

sarah182xxx

Hi all just looking for some general advice really. I am currently attending 2 courses at colege. The first is a Dipolma in Accounting and the 2nd is a Computerised Accounting course. I am also job hunting for 5/6 hours a day. I haven't had a job since early 2009 due to health issues but in the mean time I have been doing college courses to get my self qualified in office work. I have a degree but a month after graduation I was diagnosed with semi serious health problems that meant I could never use my degree so I decided to get qualified in office work. I have done volunteer work in an office in the mean time to get experience for 7 months before the business shut. I am also starting some volunteer work for the CAB for more experience. I ring the job agenies 3 times a week and visit them in person too. I buy all the local papers and look for jobs in them and literally apply for anything whether I think its suitable or not - just incase. I tailor my CV to each application and each cover letter is tailored too. I use every website I can find to search for jobs. My CV has been written with help from a recruitment agency. I am startig to despair that i'll never find work and am getting so depressed about it. id love to know what else I can do to find work from any experiences ? I don't claim any benefits at all so not sure how much help I can get from the job centre although I visit their website 7 times a day. My whole life is planned around college work (2 hours a day) and job hunting (5 hours a day) and thats fine by me id just love to actually suceeed in fidning a job. many thanks sorry for the ramble iam fairly upset atmxxxxxxxxx

Jowo_2

How many applications have you submitted and have you been invited to any interviews, if so how many? What type of roles are you applying for - those relating to accounting, general office work or are you seeking casual work until you complete your studies? What do you suspect the problem is - lack of work experience, your health issues, not meeting the criteria for the roles you apply for? How old are you and what paid employment experience do you have? What's your dream job?

sarah182xxx

hiya Jowo thanks for the reply. I have applied for several hundred maybe about 700. I have been to interviews but only a handfull. the reason i was given for not getting those roles was lack of experience which is fair enough hence why i did/ am doing volunteer work relating to the area i wish to work in. Also was told my health problem maybe an issue for some places but i tend not to mention it as it as i dnt want it seen as an issue. I apply for all the jobs i see including cleaning and shop work etc. i dont limit myself at all as i would do any job for more experience. I am 23 and have had several temp jobs to pay throgh uni mainly in catering and factory work and also 3 years experience in care. Only problem with care now is my speaclist told me to avoid heavy lifting so rules out most care positions. my dream job would be in an accounts/ office role that i can develop and make my own but tbh any paid job would be dream atm ! my volunteer work iam doing atm is admin and fianancial advising. iam thinking my best bet atm is to carry out doing what iam with the job hunting, college and volunteer work and to see a careers advisor at college. thanks for the reply xxxx

Jowo_2

Hopefully this thread will turn into a good debate giving you hints and tips.

My main observation is I wonder whether you ought to target your job search a bit more narrowly with a tighter focus rather than the scattergun approach which includes all sorts of casual and unskilled roles which employers may be reluctant to consider employing someone who they believe is seriously over qualified, particularly because you have a yen for specific accounts/office roles.

May be better to cut down the number of applications and really focus on the type that you want as your career? Applying for jobs that you aren't interested in, aren't suitable for 'just in case' sounds like a major waste of time to me and probably are part of a self-fulfilling prophecy where you think employers aren't interested in you because inevitably you are actually a weak candidate and they are right to screen you out.

7 visits to the Job centre website each day? Mad - just do it once at either the beginning or end of the day.

Go onto the benefit board to check your benefit entitlements as a part time student. Let them know your health issues and they may be able to advise whether you are eligible for ESA or DLA.

Is the volunteer work that you do actually related to accounts/finance/book keeping? Because perhaps you need to be a bit fussier about the skills/experience you are getting if it's too generalist, such as basic admin, particularly as employers have actually told you that they don't think your experience is sufficient?

Have you considered self-employment as a book-keeper, for example? Either setting up from scratch yourself or paying for a franchise in this area? The Princes Trust is a good site for those under 25 wanting to set up in business.

Could your college course be a deterrent? Many office roles are full time during the day, those that are part-time tend to expect the candidate to be fully flexible or they will have fixed hours that could clash with your college timetable. One of my friends, highly experienced administrator who has no problems finding full time employment when not studying, is now struggling to find any part time admin work while at college because of the lack of part time roles that fit with the course.

sarah182xxx

thank you for the reply :)my college courses have just changed to being in an evening but previously were day time ones so maybe that was a problem. the experience iam getting atm is relevant to what i want to do but unfortunately a few interviews I have had say they dont count volunteer work as experience which came as a suprise. i love the idea of princess trsut so i will investigate that thank you x I have been told iam over qualified for alot of jobs i have applied for (with having degeree and with with my other qualifications i have) so i think you may well be right. I put 100% into every application but iam guessing shop work etc will see my experience/ qualifications and know its not 100% what i want to do. I do have shop experience though as i did volunteer work in oxfam for 6 months whilst at university purely to help out. I don't want to claim any benefits as iam in the lucky position where i dont need to as such. i live with parents and have a decent amount of savings due to being carefull with cash when i was employed and inheritanc money. i live in a very depressed area with jobs few and far between. its frustrating as pre health problems I have always had a job since the age of 16. thank you for the reply i think ill look at princess trust site now xxx

telboyo

Jowo wrote: »

7 visits to the Job centre website each day? Mad - just do it once at either the beginning or end of the day.

I disagree the jobs on the website seem to change through out the day I suspect the casual unskilled jobs get snapped up very quickly.