Gaps on CV

westv

OP, when you mention an "unknown company" did you mean that you didn't know them or you didn't want to say who they were.

Ultimately, it's up to you what you do. You can just carry on job seeking and tell employers that is what have been doing if that's what you want.

MissSarah1972

westv wrote: »

OP, when you mention an "unknown company" did you mean that you didn't know them or you didn't want to say who they were.

Ultimately, it's up to you what you do. You can just carry on job seeking and tell employers that is what have been doing if that's what you want.

It was advertised on Reed as 'unknown' and then when you get the auto reply saying your application has been sent it says blah blah @ live .co.uk so not even a 'real' company email address.

Well of course I would tell them I have been job seeking, what else? I haven't been to Barbados for 9 mths ! LOL

westv

Rightly or wrongly I normally ignore the jobs on Reed that aren't from named companies or agencies.

Anyway, you asked for advice from people but I have a feeling what you're hearing it's not what you want to hear.

MissSarah1972

westv wrote: »

Rightly or wrongly I normally ignore the jobs on Reed that aren't from named companies or agencies.

Anyway, you asked for advice from people but I have a feeling what you're hearing it's not what you want to hear.

More about what to put not what I have NOT been doing.

As I am not volunteering I can't put that and they see job searching as not a reason to be not doing 'something'

ohreally

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

As I am not volunteering I can't put that and they see job searching as not a reason to be not doing 'something'

Your missing the point somewhat. Volunteering can explain what you've been doing to keep your skills up to date and show some initiative rather than being the reason you've not worked for 9 months. Its not to be viewed as an alternative.

I was asked sometime ago if I would be interested in working with survivors of a life crisis event - its way out my comfort zone and on reflection I decided I wasn't the individual for the role, however it would have offered a great deal to the right person and the charity.

Not all charity work is in high st retail units.

1940sGal

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

More about what to put not what I have NOT been doing.

As I am not volunteering I can't put that and they see job searching as not a reason to be not doing 'something'

I see it as you having three options:

1, Perhaps you should try to find some sort of voluntary work if it's clear the types of companies you've applied to don't like seeing the gap you have.

I know you said job searching is in itself a full time job but I honestly don't think you have to spend every waking hour looking. Unless I'm doing it wrong...

2, You make something up to cover the gap and be prepared to lie about it.

Or 3, you carry on as you have been hoping that someone comes along who understands that you've been made redundant and have spent the past 9 months job hunting. Either way, if you take none of these options, I honestly don't know what else to suggest

MissSarah1972

1940sGal wrote: »

I know you said job searching is in itself a full time job but I honestly don't think you have to spend every waking hour looking. Unless I'm doing it wrong...

I do, all day every day including weekends and even Xmas day!

It's all I do and worry if a job is up on the net for a few hours I will be over looked so make sure I am one of the first to apply. I even keep up till after midnight when all my daily updagtes come on email in case I have missed anything during the day.

I have over 20 sites I use and have open at any one time.

Plus sending speculative CV's and general searching using othe rmethods like Linkedin where I contact companies direct by finding out who the HR manager is is the co has a page there etc. This takes up hours of my day. Sometimes I forget to eat/drink as too busy doing all this. haha

MissSarah1972

ohreally wrote: »

Are you targetting jobs or applying for anything and everything?

Could desperation be seeping from your applications? (sorry, don't mean that to sound harsh).

Everythig I am qualified to do.

Surely anyone out of work is desperate!

People tell me (job centre people too) - apply for anything. Or they say 'take any job' but you have to get an offer to take a job.


Oh just seen you deleted your post

flutterbyuk25

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

Why does EVERYONE go on about voluntary work?

Looking for a job is a full time job and I will not waste my time working somewhere for free when all I have on my mind is where I am going to get a job from and bills, lack of £ etc.

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

I do, all day every day including weekends and even Xmas day!

Yet you have managed to post 45+ posts on MSE in the last 48 hours? Last time I checked MSE wasn't a job site.

Without sounding too harsh, but you should be using this time to expand on your skill set, and one way to do this is through volunteering. Or by doing a college course etc.

Most employers would rather see you have done something productive in the last 9 months, than just job search.

Good luck

MissSarah1972

flutterbyuk25 wrote: »

Yet you have managed to post 45+ posts on MSE in the last 48 hours? Last time I checked MSE wasn't a job site.

Without sounding too harsh, but you should be using this time to expand on your skill set, and one way to do this is through volunteering. Or by doing a college course etc.

Most employers would rather see you have done something productive in the last 9 months, than just job search.

Good luck

thanks for that - Last time I checked I didn't know this was a police state!

I only applied for 2 jobs yesterday as that's all I found in between posting my massive what was it..........45+ posts in the last 24 hours.

I am AAT Qualified thanks & have no £ for any courses.