Your biggest struggle

DCFC79

erdd2 wrote: »

I always found the "selling yourself" part difficult and would get someone tthat knew me to do this on application....then had the added difficulty of follow up at interview!

yes i hate having to do this, i ahve blagged myself through interviews before

morganedge

Ooooh, good question.
Lack of having a driving licence is a big one. I've failed lots of times and cant afford to take endless tests (like that lady who failed her driving test like 300 times), so have pretty much given up on it.

Nerves, lack of confidence. I 'fall apart' in any 'test' type situation, but interviews are the worst. Most of the jobs i've had didn't require an actual interview, but the times where I have had job interviews, I've never gotten the job. Mind goes completely blank, and i cant get my words out.

Large gaps in my CV where I wasn't working or doing anything that a future employed would want to hear about!

No real references. Ive actually been very unlucky in some of my jobs, in that the companies have gone into liquidation, and the managers etc moved away leaving me with nobody to use as a reference in some of my jobs.

Xo-Lindsay-oX

Where I live there is a serious lack of jobs, and if there is any jobs they're usually under 10 hours (which is pointless if you want to come off JSA). I also can't drive, I'd love to learn to drive but with lessons costing £25 an hour and only receiving around £50 a week to live off, driving has seemed to become a big no-no for me. I've asked others for opinions on my CV and covering letter and they were impressed at the standard/quality.
Another factor is in one of my recent, previous jobs I was dismissed during a trial period for failing to notify of absence during a time of severe depression, I understand why I got dismissed but it never looks good!
ALSO...(nothing goes right ha) I want to work as a receptionist but nowhere is willing to give me the foot in the door opportunity. Sucks major.

Reverbe

Getting the employers convinced that the fact that due to office closures, redundancies and temp jobs I have not worked anywhere longer than a year does NOT mean I am flighty and will not stay or be dedicated and hard working. They believe what they want to believe and not the persons nature. TBH even agencies refuse to send me for jobs now cos of this !!!!!!??

EndlessStruggle

My challenge list has a few points. No driving license, failed driving tests and don't have the money to take another one without getting further into my overdraft. Being a graduate and since graduating have only done casual/temp work, I have no employment admin experience, which is what I would like to go into but have a very good admin voluntary position which I have been doing for nearly 7 months. I'm nearly at a year of unemployment at the moment but do about 22.5 hours of voluntary work to stop the madness setting in and it keeps my confidence high in fact before I started all the voluntary work my confidence was at 0% it's at about 80% now.

One of my biggest challenges is that I hated my old job, really hated it and I find myself now doing something I love. I love my voluntary work. But there is no paid equivalent of my role and the likelihood of any funding appearing for me to be able to be employed is very very close to 0.

fortyplus

I read this thread with interest - for me it is the interview stage - confidence and asking questions part. Struggle to think of a suitable question as they have covered most of it with the description of the job.

Just logged into mail to find a rejection letter for a local job that I would have loved. Frustrating when you know you are capable but can't get a chance to demonstrate it.

I'm not surprised at my time of life and current climate being unable to get work , especially as stay-at-home parent for many years.

EndlessStruggle - I really feel for you at your stage of life but great that voluntary work has helped your confidence. It will look good on CV too.

unicornblue72

forty plus i know that feeling about rejection emails i appiled for a job which i know i could do and would enjoy too the job and would of been able to use my degree too it had only been on the job site website since 8am and i saw i at 8 30 application sent off by 9.30(due to tweaking covering letter etc) i got a rejection email by 12 30 so upset over that one all day i hopfuly will get a permant job soon

Reverbe

i once got a rejection email in less than 2 mins.. I dont think they even bothered to read my application

SlopingBird

I applied for casual work with a Cardiff-based company that has been advertising for weeks on a major national recruitment website - I still haven't even had an email acknowledgement from them.

Worst part for me is the interview - especially when they ask strange abstract questions that seem unrelated to the actual post you are applying for.

Good luck to everyone who is job-hunting in the current climate. I feel as though I should be applying for far more jobs than I am, but there's so little around and I have a post-graduate diploma and years of experience in my field.

Perygl

I'm terrible at face to face interviews! I can get interviews and do telephone interviews no problem but as soon as I'm invited in to meet the potential employer in person I get hit with a bout of nerves.

It's silly really, I know they won't bite and I am really quite confident but I just crumble in interviews. =/