Career advice wanted

westbridgfordguy

I was looking for some career advice please as I am in a quandary as to what my next job move should be. I was made redundant from a role in May 2016, I took an interim role on for 4 months and with no other prospects on the cards I accepted a job offer performing a job 2 levels down from the one I was made redundant from which I have been doing for about 16 months.

Positives of this role are:-
1. Job is very low stress and unexacting
2. Company is OK place to work
3. Daily commute is about 15 to 20 mins drive
4. Working pattern is favourable, Monday to Friday

Negatives are:-
1. Pay is £7k less than role I was made redundant from
2. Due to level of role it can lead to daily tedium and boredom
3. No sign of career advancement (line manager has been here numerous years and has no desire to progress and is very small company compared to my previous roles)

I'm middle aged and have been applying for similar roles I was made redundant from for the past year without any success, I am now wondering how long I wait before I realise that I will not obtain such a role again. I have even stated I am willing to relocate for the right role but not sure even how to go about this as when I apply for roles out of my geographic area am sure the recruiters do not think I am serious.

I am being offered roles about the same pay as my previous job but at a lower level as the pay is inflated by working unsociable shift patterns such as weekends or nights which is not uncommon in my line of work, my concern is that if I jump ship to one of these roles then this will effectively end my career working at my previous level (if indeed my career is not already finished).

My previous history is quite bitty given my redundancy then interim work then only being at my present employer for 16 months so again don't want to add to that bittiness but the longer I am at my current company I feel I am losing earning potential but am unsure as to what job to opt for next.

Any advice would be gratefully received

xapprenticex

Maybe do it for a year if it pays the bills and youll be more bored with no job than a boring job imo. Maybe you can request extra tasks.

westbridgfordguy

xapprenticex wrote: »

Maybe do it for a year if it pays the bills and youll be more bored with no job than a boring job imo. Maybe you can request extra tasks.

I actually have broached the subject of myself taking on additional responsibilities a couple or 3 times now with my line managers without anything coming to any fruition, I don't think that for whatever reasons they consider they want me to be involved in anything beyond my current job scope.

StevenB12

It may be a case of if you feel that you want to specifically go back into the role you were made redundant from, then it is pretty much a waiting game sadly. It all depends on what your area or immediate area is like for that sort of work coming up.

My Dad left his previous role as a manager after 30 years at the company, due to a takeover and the company was going down a different path than he and the staff wanted, so him a long with another 4/5 left. He had about a month off work and was really unsure as to what to apply for. In the end he went back into long distance/ multi drop driving, which is what he started out as more or less. The pay is less, the hours are more or less the same, but less stress etc. In the end I think he was just thank full that there was something else out there, but in the end he has pretty much enjoyed it. Could be the same for you where you may need to branch out and look at doing the same work but different if that makes sense?

Look at other skills you have, is there no way you could do your work on the side as a potential other source of income? Or look at going self employed?