How to get a job with 3 previous dismissals (not fully my fault!) ? 120+ applications and nothing!! 17 April at 11:06AM in Employment, jobseeking & training 24 replies 2.5K views

MadRatters

I am currently seeking advice on how to find a new job after experiencing three dismissals. My most recent dismissal occurred on March 8th, 2023, and despite sending out over 120 job applications, I have not received any replies. 

Additionally, a potential employer recently withdrew their offer after learning about my most recent dismissal. 

I can only do fully remote work due to extreme Fibromyalgia and personal stuff. 

Currently, I am attending weekly meetings with my local Job Centre and following their guidance on job applications, cover letters, and professional letters to explain my dismissals. However, I have not yet been successful in finding a new job. 

My dismissals & reasons why I was dismissed:

My first dismissal happened in December 2019 due to taking a lot of time off for an undiagnosed illness which was later diagnosed as Fibromyalgia in April 2020. At the time, I was working as a nursery worker but was no longer able to continue due to physical limitations.

My second dismissal occurred after I left two babies alone in a different nursery's garden. Although I had asked a staff member to look after one of the babies while I took the other inside, that staff member left the baby unattended and falsely reported that I had left the baby alone. The situation was caught on CCTV, but unfortunately, the footage did not show the conversation between me and the staff member.

My most recent dismissal was due to making a number of data breaches, which occurred because my team leader did not provide me with complete details of the correct data protection processes. Despite following their advice for months, I was blamed for the breaches and ultimately dismissed.

Apart from typing cover letters, looking on various job boards and applying, Is there anything else I should be doing? 

I would appreciate any advice or guidance you can provide.

penners324

I wouldn't be mentioning any dismissals on your cover letters nor the reasons behind them.

Speak to some recruitment agencies as well.

Look  at LinkedIn regularly 

penners324

Cover letters are over rated.most employers just want to read your CV

TELLIT01

penners324 said:

I wouldn't be mentioning any dismissals on your cover letters nor the reasons behind them.

Speak to some recruitment agencies as well.

Look  at LinkedIn regularly 

Application forms generally ask for employment history and reason for leaving.  Are you suggesting the OP lie about the reason for leaving?  If they get to the stage of references being requested they will soon get found out.

billy2shots

penners324 said:

Cover letters are over rated.most employers just want to read your CV

Unfortunately the OP has had 3 jobs in a little over 3 years. 

As an employer that would jump out at me and I would want to know why. 
I could chase for this info but having  it provided, on balance is probably  best. 
Reason being,  I may not move the application further at this point but if I did, my first question would be why 3 jobs in so little time. 

The information will come out in the end. It's a question of how much time a prospective employer needs to spend in acquiring that information. 

The dismissals don't look great to be honest, however being open and transparent about them would place you higher in my personal  view than me having to tease the same information out of you bit by bit. 

TELLIT01

The first dismissal on health grounds isn't a major problem, particularly if the condition is at least partially controlled now.  The other two are much more of a problem as they bring your behaviour and reliability at work into question.  I'm afraid trying to pass the blame on to other people for all the breaches is unlikely to be believed.

lincroft1710

Sorry but can't offer you any crumbs of comfort. Unless you're applying for very difficult to fill vacancies, most employers will have a good range of candidates to choose from. Also you are somewhat hampered in only being able to do fully remote work. 

Rather than give us just the negatives are there some positives you can show an employer

Mands

Have you been posting here under another name? The combination of jobs and circumstances sounds familiar.

The job that was recently withdrawn - how did you find that? You say 120 applications with no interest so what was different about that one?

MalMonroe

Hi, are you applying for similar jobs in childcare? I assume not, since you say that you are only able to do remote work now. That removes you from childcare, which to be honest didn't seem to be your forte. 

However, the Job Centre should be helping you with finding another job. Are you able to type and do transcription work or data entry work? Those are the jobs you can do from home and you could try to build up your reputation by doing something like that for a while.

I signed up with Indeed and they often send me information about jobs - and if you join LinkedIn, they also notify you of any suitable jobs.

You could also google something like 'typing jobs work at home uk'. (Don't apply for the ones that make you bid, or pay, or both.) They probably won't want an in-depth CV as you won't be responsible for anyone else but yourself.

As for your dismissals, I can see why the employers considered them to be serious but if you won't be doing that kind of work any more then, as I say, you can build up your reputation as an excellent work from home employee.

If you can't type, have you considered further training? Job Centre may be able to help with applying for funding, if there is any.

Just a few thoughts, hope they are helpful in some way and that you manage to find something suitable soon. 

concerneduk2020

I’d talk to recruitment agencies and look for short term contracts to build up a record of good employment. They are harder for employers to fill so you have a better chance of getting the role and if you do a few without issues it will be easier to get a permanent role. I’d avoid passing blame onto others when talking about reasons for dismissal, yes it wasn’t your fault, but it could sound like you are making excuses to an employer. Instead focus on what you learnt from the experience e.g. I was let go from my previous role due to a data protection issue caused by miscommunication between me and my manager, what I learnt from this is the importance of understanding processes fully and asking for documentation. I’ve also taken a Linkedin course on GDPR to help develop my understanding in this area. Showing you can take accountability for mistakes and learn from them is a valuable skills. Do you have any former managers who would be willing to give you a personal reference?

theoretica

How do you talk about your dismissals when you need to mention them?  Because balancing the not fully your fault with showing that you have reflected and learnt from the experiences may be important to prospective employers.