End of my tether.....

elfieb

As Im on the verge of probably yet another unsucessful week job hunting, I have decided to come on here to let of some steam!!

I have been job hunting for over a year......I have lost track of the number of rejections (although that technically is a lie....just checked my record of "no thanks emails", and that currently stands at 211).

I believed my initial problem to be my gap of three years on my CV.......I was diagnosed with lupus, so took the time out to get myself better. Biggest mistake of my life.....hindisght is a wonderful thing.....had I of known that getting back into employment would be so difficult, I would have just gone on long term sick leave, but at the time I thought this was unfair on my employer.

The job centre have placed me with Remploy......I must say that so far alot of the advice given has been beneficial to me.....on my first appointment I was told that I would be "fixed up within a month".......I have now been with them for over 2.......:(

I had an interview last week arranged my Remploy with one of their partner companies........I expected to walk it as not only Remploy but my advisor at JCP have told me that I am a very good candidate with a solid working history up to the point of my illness......imagine my disappointment when I didnt get the job.......talk about a confidence hit....if I cant even land the jobs at Remploy, what chance do I have on the open market??!!

I really do not know which way to turn at this pont......Remploy have suggested I do an apprenticeship......I see this as a backwards step, Im very nearly 30, and the £95 a week wage slightly guts me, but at least I would be back into work......Im beginning to think I will never get back to where I was before my illness.......throughly disillusioned:(

williacg

It sounds like you've been through a bit of a hard time, and feeling quite demoralised, which is to be expected considering that you've been unwell. There is a thread on this site called "Support Each other in Looking For Work (or something like that), take a look at it, they're a friendly bunch, who have experienced the same difficulties that you're facing.

With regards to apprenticeships and voluntary work, don't automically exclude them, the experience could prove to be invaluable, and also something to add to your CV, you never know what doors it could open up for you.

Hope all goes well.

palna

elfieb - 211 jobs in one year that sounds like alot but its not, i apply to about 10 everyday, through numerous websites.

There are jobs out there.

do voluntry work.
do an apprentship, may help in long term.
get qulfications in anything you intrested.
keep applying everyday.
check cv and cover letter

scooby088

It is frustrating, i have a two year space in the early 90's that can be accounted for with regards to what i was doing, but employers don't see it like that, i took two years to care for my terminally ill mother and another 12 months to get over the mental scars that left me with. But i do tend not to put that in a CV now as it was over 10 years ago, plus i doubt my CV then would look that impress to prospective employers anyway.

[Deleted User]

palna wrote: »

elfieb - 211 jobs in one year that sounds like alot but its not, i apply to about 10 everyday, through numerous websites.

There are jobs out there.

do voluntry work.
do an apprentship, may help in long term.
get qulfications in anything you intrested.
keep applying everyday.
check cv and cover letter

I don't agree with that - it's the quality of your application, not the quantity. Are you tailoring your CV ten times a day?

Also, he has 211 'thank you emails' - that's not 211 applications in the last year.

Look at the apprenticeship as this - a chance to retrain and be paid, to add to your CV a period of employment. You can still apply for jobs whilst you are retraining. You'll build up something new and positive on your CV and get out and work with people. Employers will see that the gap ended with you working and training.

ILW

What sort of jobs are you applying for?

elfieb

ILW wrote: »

What sort of jobs are you applying for?

At first I was applying for legal secretarial jobs, as this was the sector I was working in previously.......then branched out to general secretarial, then general admin, then office juniors (being rejected for an junior position at interview stage was probably to hardest to deal with.....I felt I could have done the job standing on my head!!)......now I am basically applying for everything and everything, retail, call centres, sales.....I am really prepared to try anything just to get myself out there again......I did volunteer at the citizens advice for a number of months, but even that failed as the bureau was closed down

jackieb

What kind of apprenticeship are they telling you to consider? I know when my son got one we were chuffed. He wasn't 30, but he was over 20. And back in the early 90s my husband got on a Youth Opportunity Scheme. He was about 26 and we had 2 small children and it was hard financially but well worth it in the end. My other son is 22 and he's looking for an apprenticeship but they seem to be harder to come by just now.

jackieb

elfieb wrote: »

...I did volunteer at the citizens advice for a number of months, but even that failed as the bureau was closed down

But that was because the CAB closed down. It wasn't a failure on your part. Sounds like your self-confidence has taken a big knock.

londoner1998

elfieb wrote: »

As Im on the verge of probably yet another unsucessful week job hunting, I have decided to come on here to let of some steam!!

I have been job hunting for over a year......I have lost track of the number of rejections (although that technically is a lie....just checked my record of "no thanks emails", and that currently stands at 211).

I believed my initial problem to be my gap of three years on my CV.......I was diagnosed with lupus, so took the time out to get myself better. Biggest mistake of my life.....hindisght is a wonderful thing.....had I of known that getting back into employment would be so difficult, I would have just gone on long term sick leave, but at the time I thought this was unfair on my employer.

The job centre have placed me with Remploy......I must say that so far alot of the advice given has been beneficial to me.....on my first appointment I was told that I would be "fixed up within a month".......I have now been with them for over 2.......:(

I had an interview last week arranged my Remploy with one of their partner companies........I expected to walk it as not only Remploy but my advisor at JCP have told me that I am a very good candidate with a solid working history up to the point of my illness......imagine my disappointment when I didnt get the job.......talk about a confidence hit....if I cant even land the jobs at Remploy, what chance do I have on the open market??!!

I really do not know which way to turn at this pont......Remploy have suggested I do an apprenticeship......I see this as a backwards step, Im very nearly 30, and the £95 a week wage slightly guts me, but at least I would be back into work......Im beginning to think I will never get back to where I was before my illness.......throughly disillusioned:(

ElfieB, I am sorry tyou are going through this.
I know how you feel- Last year I got a promotion, but this was after about 9 months of consistently applying (internally), which involved talking to the managers, filling in the application, interviewing... and then after rejection, calling for feedback. It is demoralising, but you need to keep going. A year after being promoted, my job is proposed for closure- In two months have submiited numerous applications, and done three interviews so far this week, with two rejections. And yes, being rejected for something below your level hurts, but that's propobably why- you are not the closest fit. Take it in, digest it and move on. Don't dwell on it.

I have recruited in the past and I can tell you something: it is nothing to do with your skills, but all to do with how close you fit the job.By that I mean I had wildly overqualified people that I knew woudl be out of the door in a month. It is not personal.
I know it is gets though going, but I have a trick I have been using recently: every night I write in my diary- I let the disappointments of the day out on paper, cry if I have to, write what I feel... and then write that success it is already a day closer, a bit closer every day. I know the first interview bombed because my confidence was very low on that day, but the second one was due to a more experienced candidate on the job (they said they are keen to have me in their team and will call me if vacancies pop up)- Don't be too hard on yourself- are you getting interviews? If not, it is a good time to look at your CV and application technique- you need to perfect those.
But try to keep your morale up-each day you are one day closer - don't lose hope