Overqualified for cleaning toilets but not experienced enough for anything else? Help

hartcjhart

yes they do tell you to look at the website,BUT if you go into the jobcentre and look at their 'terminal' you can then get the ref number and apply direct on their phones,

I dont know what your email address (and please do not post it here)is but some addys go straight into a 'spam' blocker,I have had this problem with AOL

hippygran

p83wanad

I suspect you are quite a reserved person, as you said you dislike talking face to face to employers.

I used to be like that, and found job hunting very nerve-wracking. Once method I used to overcome this was to pretend it wasn't a real situation, but that I was 'acting'.

Then I got a low-paid bar job (was at uni at the time), and never looked back! The first couple of weeks or so were awful, and even to the day I left I 'acted' more confident than I felt, but as I found my feet, got to know customers I began to change and become more confident eventually winding up in management for the same company. Had a rule for work hours I had to be a different, bubbly, sociable, confident person, leaving the 'other me' at the door!

Years down the line no-one I know would ever describe me as shy, yet on occasions I am still 'acting'!

So maybe try for bar work as well as other jobs? It is (even in this economic climate) difficult to find reliable bar staff. Also I believe care work is easier than some jobs to get into, as there is always a shortage of staff in this field.

Wish you all the best, keep trying, keep plugging, you will get there in the end.

I don't think that the problem is your name, or the fact you are new to this country, I don't think its anything personal. Just that for every job at the moment there are so many applicants that only the one or two who are memorable (from either CV or interview), that really stand a chance of serious consideration.

One day (soon I hope), you will be the one that stands out, and then you will just get lucky and the job you so obviously want.

icelandic_queen

Hi p83wanad, I have just been offered a job in cleaning but like you the employer thought I was overqualified. I managed to convince her that this was not the case. I emphasised that as a Mum I was always cleaning anyway so had plenty of experience and also I had good customer care skills. I also played on the fact that I was not actively seeking work in my previous profession as I had had enough of it and wanted to broaden my experience. Good luck and keep looking and hopefully something will turn up soon.

Owain_Moneysaver

If you are receiving JSA or other benefit then many colleges offer a fee waiver on some courses, and if you study for less than 16 hours a week you can continue to receive JSA while studying. Even something like an ECDL will help you brush up on skills and be a productive use of time.

There's a listing for a Spanish speaking sales exec on multilingualvacancies in Somerset. Even if you don't want to do sales, they may have some Spanish translation or admin support work.

joolsybools

All good advice above, I would also suggest trying to get some voluntary work doing something you are interested in, something may come from that and you will get to know more people. Sometimes just widening up your network can lead to opportunities.

cavework

Have you looked at jobs for domestic cleaners in your local paper?
There are an awful lot of people out there prepared to pay a decent hourly rate to a suitable applicant.
Some of these jobs can be 20 plus hours a week and could involve a lot more than just running a duster around.
First contact is usually by telephone
I had one couple who asked me if I could recommend someone to work 20 hours a week for £12 an hour and also continue to keep the house clean while they were away for 6 months of the year in France.
Good luck

p83wanad

You dont need experience or qualifications to work in a shop, you just need to have common sense, eye contact and be flexible,

I agree with that, same with cleaning jobs. But then why do they make you go through this never-ending application in which you have to describe your employment history for the last 10 years, talk about problem solving, customer service, etc, etc… It just seems so irrelevant sometimes. It's like I'm singled out because I haven't got the experience even though they say stuff like "experience not essential as training will be provided". It's like they're put off by the fact I got completely unrelated working experience even when they state it's not necessary... while it clearly is.

@hippygran
Thanks for the sound advice xxx


@icelandic
How did you get to the interview stage even though they thought you were over qualified, was it a job you applied for online?


@owain
I'm not entitled to JSA because of my husband is in relatively good money. Although, not enough for me to afford further education. Thanks for the multilingual job links


@cavework
I shall look into that as well.