Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Anyone currently looking for a job/hiring?

65 replies

Cococoin · 04/08/2020 11:29

In the dire world of job hunting at the moment.

Currently all jobs I’m applying for seem to show as ‘many applicants’ and starting to feel really deflated. These are just minimum wage jobs.

Anyone job hunting/ed lately? Is it going to be impossible? How quickly are you hearing back from employers? I can’t sleep Sad

OP posts:
GoldStripes · 04/08/2020 11:35

I’m working at the moment but looking for something new as I hate my current job.

It is really deflating. I’ve applied for about 10 jobs over the last month or so, only heard back from a couple (and those were just bog standard rejection emails, I didn’t even get a screening call or anything).

What type of roles are you applying for? I imagine most minimum wage jobs will have a LOT of applicants at the moment. For example, a lot of restaurant/bar staff/shop assistants may have recently lost their jobs and be looking for something similar.

I usually hate when people suggest this, but have you thought about visiting a few places local to you and asking directly?

PaperMonster · 04/08/2020 11:38

Currently looking. Hated my job for years but it’s impossible now. Been looking for years and had a few interviews but no joy.

Original poster
Cococoin · 04/08/2020 11:41

Good luck to you both.

I have 10 years office and customer service management experience. Am just applying for bog standard admin roles and hearing nothing. Offices around here are mainly closed or I would try and go in.

OP posts:
Original poster
Cococoin · 04/08/2020 11:42

Am being made redundant. The jobs I’m looking at are around £15k less p/a than I was making and STILL nothing.

OP posts:
lljkk · 04/08/2020 11:44

DD is getting training as (bank staff) care home worker this week. It's the only job going.

LaureBerthaud · 04/08/2020 11:44

Currently all jobs I’m applying for seem to show as ‘many applicants’ and starting to feel really deflated

I know, I wish Indeed would drop that bloody symbol!

FluffyKittensinabasket · 04/08/2020 11:49

My place of work (civil service) is making 20% of admin posts redundant in one department. Yet they are increasing the headcount of middle management.

I think a lot of admin posts will be either more automated or outsourced in the next few years. My friend is an NHS admin manager and advertised for a band 3 admin job, 30 hours a week, £18k pro rata.

She had over 250 applicants, many of them office managers, secretaries, HR admin, receptionists etc.

Unmanned · 04/08/2020 11:51

@Cococoin

Good luck to you both.

I have 10 years office and customer service management experience. Am just applying for bog standard admin roles and hearing nothing. Offices around here are mainly closed or I would try and go in.

Snap! Been made redundant due to Covid and there is absolutely nothing out there Sad

I also have over 20 years experience in the same fields as you - I wish you all the very best Flowers

tectonicplates · 04/08/2020 11:57

I know everyone needs a job but it does annoy me when highly skilled people apply for low paid jobs out of desperation. Some of us actually want those jobs.

2kool4skool · 04/08/2020 12:20

Recruiting here and had hardly any applicants

abcyz · 04/08/2020 12:25

@2kool4skool

Recruiting here and had hardly any applicants
Which areas (geographically) are you recruiting in @2kool4skool?
Original poster
Cococoin · 04/08/2020 12:39

250 applications Shock how do employers even screen if there’s that many!

I wonder how many hours I’ve spent filling in those long detailed application forms, for it to never even be looked at Sad

OP posts:
AlternativePerspective · 04/08/2020 12:50

I know everyone needs a job but it does annoy me when highly skilled people apply for low paid jobs out of desperation. Some of us actually want those jobs. so you think those in highly skilled jobs should just sit on the dole until another highly skilled job becomes available?

TBH it irritates me far more when people who have lost highly skilled jobs sit at home refusing to do anything they feel is beneath them because they’re waiting for the right job to come along. Beggars can’t be choosers as they say, and if I were recruiting, I would recruit the person who had gone out and got a job serving behind a bar or stacking shelves over one with the same qualifications/experience who had sat at home doing nothing because he felt those jobs were beneath him.

I was actually offered a job in October but in April the offer was withdrawn due to my disability. Not legal I know but in the current climate I can’t afford to make a name for myself as a troublemaker by speaking out.

I am now in a position where I do feel it is hopeless. I am visually impaired and statistically 85% of people with a visual impairment are unemployed, and jobs are restricted because I can’t e.g. go and serve behind a bar or in a supermarket because those jobs just aren’t accessible. So I am faced with an already limited job pool and a vastly increased amount of competition.

I read the other day about a receptionist job where they had 1000 applicants. Shock and some places around here have increased their acceptance criteria, e.g. I saw a job advertised in a pub recently who wanted degree level applicants only, presumably to keep the numbers of applications down.

Original poster
Cococoin · 04/08/2020 14:06

I’ve noticed a lot of jobs I’ve applied for say ‘expired’ too, pretty much the day after they are posted - wonder what this could mean?

Too many applicants so they close it maybe?

AlternativePerspective I hope you find something, sounds tough.

OP posts:
GoldStripes · 04/08/2020 14:53

I have 10 years office and customer service management experience. Am just applying for bog standard admin roles and hearing nothing.

Have you tried applying for roles that are slightly more senior/higher paid than your previous role?

I say this because at the moment, it wouldn’t surprise me if employers were willing to hire someone who doesn’t necessarily meet all the criteria, but has the right experience, attitude and transferable skills. Especially if that person would only ask for say £25k as opposed to someone more experienced who would want £30k. I understand how that may sound, but employers will be looking to make savings where they can so I think it would be worth pursuing some roles that you may feel slightly under qualified for. What’s the worst that could happen?

I’ve also noticed that near me, there have been a LOT of NHS admin assistant roles advertised. Could be worth a look?

Fantasisa · 04/08/2020 14:57

Some employers don't want to hire overqualified people as they think they will move on/get bored etc. Sometimes you want someone just competent enough for the position, not so competent they could also run the office.

It is time consuming training anyone even overqualified people, I generally want to think I will get at least two years service from each hire as a boss so that my department has a period of stability from the team. So yes, going for higher paid roles as well might be worth a shot.

canyousmellthebull · 04/08/2020 15:05

DD got made redundant and has is just about to start a new job. It took lots of applications (and similarly to your experience there were always loads of applicants!) she had plenty where she didn’t even get acknowledged, then several went to second interview stage but that was that. Strangely this one was only one interview before getting the offer.

Keep plugging away, make sure you adapt your cv each time to make it relevant to the job rather than send a standard one to all of them. Good luck and try and keep positive, it’s a numbers game!

Blueeyedpixie · 04/08/2020 15:07

Does anyone know how many is “many applicants”?

I’ve noticed too - every single job near me. Even ones that require an usual experience or qualification.

I’m in marketing so stand no hope Sad everyone seems to be in marketing these days and I just can’t compete because I had a career gap due to being ill. And I was told I’m older than the rest of the applicants.

Good luck everyone SmileFlowers

Blueeyedpixie · 04/08/2020 15:08

Unusual not an usual**

tectonicplates · 04/08/2020 15:18

250 applicationshow do employers even screen if there’s that many!

To be fair, at least 200 of them are going to be completely unsuitable with badly-written CVs. So many people in charge of hiring will tell you that every time they recruit, they're shocked by the low standard of applications. In a recession, an even higher percentage of applicants will be unsuitable due to desperate people applying for anything.

tectonicplates · 04/08/2020 15:20

So you think those in highly skilled jobs should just sit on the dole until another highly skilled job becomes available?

tectonicplates · 04/08/2020 15:23

So you think those in highly skilled jobs should just sit on the dole until another highly skilled job becomes available?

No, I just think you should stop and consider how it feels to be one of the people who actually wanted that job long-term and wasn't just using it as a stop gap.

tectonicplates · 04/08/2020 15:25

And if I ran a pub, I would hire the person who had a history of pub work who was actually going to stay on, not the marketing manager who was only taking on a bit of pub work and was going to leave as soon as something better came along.

Original poster
Cococoin · 04/08/2020 15:32

It’s so tough! There’s nothing around that’s similar to my current level/role or slightly above. I haven’t applied for hospitality/retail work because that’s not what I do and there will be far better people for the job than me.

I’m applying for roles that I have done, they are just a lot less senior than I am currently. I can’t win, I am most likely over qualified. I wonder if it’s worth changing my CV to make myself look less ‘experienced’?

I was curious too how many is ‘many applicants’

Best of luck everyone searching Flowers.

OP posts:
KnitFastDieWarm · 04/08/2020 15:39

oh it’s rough isn’t it? Sad My main bit of advice would be to make sure your CV and covering letter is tailored very clearly and specifically to each job you apply for. A CV isn’t meant to be a complete history of your work; it’s a sales document showing why you are the right person for the job. So it’s fine to leave things off that aren’t relevant, or only dedicate a few lines to them. It’s a right faff to do it for each separate job application but it immediately puts you ahead of the generic CVs. I’m not looking for work myself right now but have many friends who are and I’m doing a LOT of CV editing at the moment (i’m a freelance editor). Good luck to all Flowers

Swipe left for the next trending thread