What else can I do? Job related

[SprinkledWithSugar]

I’ve had M.E since 2005. Had to leave school during last year of a levels because I couldn’t manage it at that time.

I’m now 32, not been well enough to work since leaving school.

Over the last year my health has been improving and I feel like I could manage a part time job so I’ve been applying for some.

However I’m not getting invited to any interviews. I imagine employers would look at my age, no job history and illness and think I would be unreliable and not worth giving a chance to.

I’ve done an undergraduate degree and masters degree (both distance learning) since I’ve been ill. I’ve done volunteering one evening a week for the last 2 years and have a good attendance record from that. I pick up an extra day when I can manage too.

My problem is shop work/ care work which seem to have the most vacancies would be too physical for me to manage. I’m not sure what else I can do to just get a start. Any ideas please would be very gratefully received.

I have fibromyalgia and haven’t worked for 14 year but now feel ready and stable.
I was advised to go voluntary work in the type of role your like to try. So if you want to do admin, volunteer for a charity doing admin, once you’ve been there a while you know that’s the sort of thing you can and want to let it be know you would like to ‘work’ ask them for help and apply for similar roles.
I’m Im still early in the process and just about to start my volunteering role but for the first time in year feel hopeful.

Sorry for the typos!

Could you volunteer, often foot in door to get a good reference/paid job.

Hospitals are keen to have volunteers & will accommodate disability.

Thanks for the replies. I am still volunteering, realised I wrote it in the past tense in my op! I’m volunteer in a hospice and have done admin work in the outpatient department as part of that. I’ve included all that information on application forms but it still doesn’t seem to be enough unfortunately.

OP does volunteer...

OP, what sort of jobs have you been applying for? That may help people advise more specifically.

I’ve been applying for admin/office roles. Also research positions because that was what my masters was related to.

It's a tough market right now. We've been recruiting for 2 junior admin posts recently and had about 70 applicants, many of which have several years experience, including experience on some of the systems we use.

We wouldn't interview someone with no experience versus 20 people with several years experience in our industry.

In your position I'd recommend joining a temping agency to try and get your foot in the door.

Sorry I didn't read carefully...
would you elaborate what kind of jobs... what kind of research, what kind of employers?

It involves a lot of standing and walking around, but exam invigilation for secondary schools might suit.

@ragged anything I come across on indeed, reed etc I’ve applied for every part time office type job I’ve seen. There have been ones in hospitals, the council, smaller businesses.

If I could take a waitress or shop job I would just to have a bit of job history to put down but I know I physically wouldn’t manage to do those kind of jobs.

Just wondered if there was anything else I haven’t thought of that I could try.

And sorry forgot to add, research is mental health/medical related which I know would be difficult to get into and why I’m looking for other things alongside that. So I’ve applying for graduate/junior research posts. Work with mental health charities, university research positions and things like that.

Sugar -- I do research, I've done MH related research. Do you want to PM me and say a bit more about your background, I might have some ideas.

Have you looked at being a PPI(P)E rep? That would put you regularly in touch with people doing research, so would start to give you contacts. Every big project is supposed to have PPI input nowadays. And PPI reps are supposed to be paid...

Thank you @MedSchoolRat that’s really kind, I’ll PM you now.

I’ll take a look at the PPI rep info too, I haven’t looked into that before.