900 applications in 2020 and no job [Part 2]

Littlemidi

I am approaching 1000 applications this year alone for a job. I have years of experience and been commended on three separate occasions for outstanding performance not including a review which earned a pay rise. I have tried the Jobcentre, local job clubs, every online job board, and the National Careers Service, and cannot get a job or training. I have tried online courses, volunteering, learning to code, revamping my CV completely (from scratch) about 10 times, if you want to see my current design, https://ufile.io/xojtp7qv, emailed every agency in the area, attended virtual job fairs, asked around my existing network, and done everything possible.

I've been unemployed since February but have been trying since last January (2019) to get a job and couldn't despite being in work at the time. It cost me a really good opportunity because they wanted someone with an immediate start availability. Being in work literally stopped me from getting a job.

Does anyone have any advice to stop me from becoming discouraged. There is no point in applying for jobs online but recruiters don't accept paper applications anymore. I'd like to go back to school but everything requires workplace experience. There's the NCS but it's atrocious. Is it worth paying a specialist i.e. a headhunter that specialises in getting individuals work? Do such organisations exist? I have money and would pay for a service. 

TeeTeeB

I don't know what kind of jobs you have been applying for, when I was made redundant I applied for 100 jobs every day, that's 700 applications more or less per week. Each of these applications had a tailored cover letter and tweaked CV. About 1/3 of them required application forms completed. 1000 applications in approximately 6 months is not a lot in my opinion.

KatrinaWaves

TeeTeeB said:

I don't know what kind of jobs you have been applying for, when I was made redundant I applied for 100 jobs every day, that's 700 applications more or less per week. Each of these applications had a tailored cover letter and tweaked CV. About 1/3 of them required application forms completed. 1000 applications in approximately 6 months is not a lot in my opinion.

Sorry but 100 jobs a day is ridiculous. If you spent 8 hours non stop applying thats 4.8 minutes per application, which is not enough time for a ‘tailored’ cover letter and tweaked CV and 33 application forms. Sorry but you’re talking rubbish. 

Littlemidi

TeeTeeB said:

I don't know what kind of jobs you have been applying for, when I was made redundant I applied for 100 jobs every day, that's 700 applications more or less per week. Each of these applications had a tailored cover letter and tweaked CV. About 1/3 of them required application forms completed. 1000 applications in approximately 6 months is not a lot in my opinion.

Good post. Back in my day we used to hand out applications using a printer. Not a computer printer, we would hold down a man and literally ink our entire CV into their chest. Then we went back to daddy and got our jobs from him because we can't think for ourselves.

AW618

TeeTeeB said:

I don't know what kind of jobs you have been applying for, when I was made redundant I applied for 100 jobs every day, that's 700 applications more or less per week. Each of these applications had a tailored cover letter and tweaked CV. About 1/3 of them required application forms completed. 1000 applications in approximately 6 months is not a lot in my opinion.

Why didn't you look for a job that suited your qualifications, experience and salary expectations?  Did you not have any of these things?

74jax

TeeTeeB said:

I don't know what kind of jobs you have been applying for, when I was made redundant I applied for 100 jobs every day, that's 700 applications more or less per week. Each of these applications had a tailored cover letter and tweaked CV. About 1/3 of them required application forms completed. 1000 applications in approximately 6 months is not a lot in my opinion.

How long did it take to tailor the letter?
You're telling us you researched the company, matched your skills to their values and ethos, included tailored examples and did all this in around 10mins before moving on to the next job......
Or is your tailoring changing the 'to' address...... 

KatrinaWaves

74jax said:

TeeTeeB said:

I don't know what kind of jobs you have been applying for, when I was made redundant I applied for 100 jobs every day, that's 700 applications more or less per week. Each of these applications had a tailored cover letter and tweaked CV. About 1/3 of them required application forms completed. 1000 applications in approximately 6 months is not a lot in my opinion.

How long did it take to tailor the letter?
You're telling us you researched the company, matched your skills to their values and ethos, included tailored examples and did all this in around 10mins before moving on to the next job......
Or is your tailoring changing the 'to' address...... 

10 mins if theyre applying for 16 hours a day! Honestly I don’t even think there are 700 jobs im qualified for on job search sites this week. Clearly Im massively under skilled and under qualified! 

Honestly what an absolute load of rubbish to try and make the OP feel bad! Personally I think they need to slow down and hone their applications more. 

theoretica

Littlemidi said:

I am approaching 1000 applications this year alone for a job. I have years of experience and been commended on three separate occasions for outstanding performance not including a review which earned a pay rise.

Do the jobs you are applying for know that?  Its great stuff, so tell them! 

[Deleted User]

Littlemidi said:

Does anyone have any advice to stop me from becoming discouraged. There is no point in applying for jobs online but recruiters don't accept paper applications anymore. I'd like to go back to school but everything requires workplace experience. There's the NCS but it's atrocious. Is it worth paying a specialist i.e. a headhunter that specialises in getting individuals work? Do such organisations exist? I have money and would pay for a service. 

Be clear on what it is you want to do. Stop being concerned with your stats, we've all heard of the job seeker who applies to so many jobs crazily that when they are called respond with what application... Mind I can't talk I'll send a CV and then want to vomit when I look up said company...
***Keep applying*** - listening to some one only earlier this week who's retaliation to losing a 6 month job (yes 6 months not years) was to not look at job sites for a month I realise just how lucky in different thinking as I could never think that way when a job is needed.
Put your last place as "company confidential" and see if that mystery gets you picked up, they become intrigued and so will want to speak with you.
One off agencies can exist 
Early 00's met someone who had worked in management at Staxis hotels and was setting up their own recruitment biz who sold me a career in hotels - got me in to my first hotel role live in, at reduced commission. (mind I was in my 20's)
2013 failed a sales job interview - come across the one woman band again in 2015 after posting my CV on reed landed up with a 4 week temp job in accounts which turned into 4 months and a match on the wage of the longer temp job elsewhere (I couldn't do excel at the time)

AW618

theoretica said:

Littlemidi said:

I am approaching 1000 applications this year alone for a job. I have years of experience and been commended on three separate occasions for outstanding performance not including a review which earned a pay rise.

Do the jobs you are applying for know that?  Its great stuff, so tell them! 

It is on the CV, where it should be, mentioned in association with the particular position.  You really don't want to make a big thing of being commended three times in several years; it's not that amazing and would sound a bit desperate.  I think the OP has it right.

AW618

Deleted User said:

Littlemidi said:

Does anyone have any advice to stop me from becoming discouraged. There is no point in applying for jobs online but recruiters don't accept paper applications anymore. I'd like to go back to school but everything requires workplace experience. There's the NCS but it's atrocious. Is it worth paying a specialist i.e. a headhunter that specialises in getting individuals work? Do such organisations exist? I have money and would pay for a service. 

Be clear on what it is you want to do. Stop being concerned with your stats, we've all heard of the job seeker who applies to so many jobs crazily that when they are called respond with what application... Mind I can't talk I'll send a CV and then want to vomit when I look up said company...
***Keep applying*** - listening to some one only earlier this week who's retaliation to losing a 6 month job (yes 6 months not years) was to not look at job sites for a month I realise just how lucky in different thinking as I could never think that way when a job is needed.
Put your last place as "company confidential" and see if that mystery gets you picked up, they become intrigued and so will want to speak with you.
One off agencies can exist 
Early 00's met someone who had worked in management at Staxis hotels and was setting up their own recruitment biz who sold me a career in hotels - got me in to my first hotel role live in, at reduced commission. (mind I was in my 20's)
2013 failed a sales job interview - come across the one woman band again in 2015 after posting my CV on reed landed up with a 4 week temp job in accounts which turned into 4 months and a match on the wage of the longer temp job elsewhere (I couldn't do excel at the time)

OP, if by some miracle you can make any sense out of any of this, don't listen to it anyway.