27yrs unemployed, how do I get a job?

[Smallmouse1]

I need to find someone who can give me a hand-hold to make the transition to regular employment. How do I find such a person?

Agree with @titchy, you need to reframe your 27 years as self employed. Not for the purposes of job hunting, but for your own self worth. To run a self employed business for 27 years is no easy feat and you should be proud of that.

It's also worth remembering that people do have time out of working for lots of different reasons and there is nothing wrong with that. You just need to put a positive spin on it for the purposes of finding a new job (if you are going to work in certain industries eg education, nHS, they will need to know the reasons for a beak) eg 'after successfully running my own business for 27 years, I took a career break to study/enjoy the fruits of my labour/care for family/travel etc then covid hit, but now I'm in a position to re-enter the workforce'

You will also need to spend time preparing for interviews. The types of things they will ask you about will include - communication, priortising your work, team working, dealing with conflict.
You can use examples of your self employed time eg dealing with a difficult tenant. You could also point out that being self employed meant that you had entire responsibility and had no manager to refer to, so you are excellent at problem solving.

You also need to read up on current workplace matters eg refer to organisational policies and procedures (even if you don't have site of them, just say you would read the policies and check of you don't understand).
Swot up on diversity, health and safety and safeguarding, as these can be mandatory questions.

Pull together some good examples that you can call upon in interviews.

In terms of job hunting, it may be woth trying some recruitment agencies for temp work. You may have to prove yourself, by taking on some less than ideal jobs, but if you prove yourself, they will give you better jobs. Employers will often take on good temps directly.

Don't forget, employers are also struggling with recruiting good staff. I work in HR and see first hand the difficulties my organisations have in getting good staff, so it is a two way street.

Op that sounds like you've had a very tough life and I'm sure you have tons to offer.

Do you have any idea what field you want to work in?
Areas that you want to avoid?

Just to add to the chorus, you've not been unemployed for 27 years, but self-employed as a property manager for 20 years and then you decided to take early retirement but after 7 years have decided it doesn't suit you and you want to get back into the workforce.

I would consider getting work either in a care home or with a care agency. You sound caring, and these places are crying out for caring staff. The money isn't great, but it's a foot through the door with many transferable skills.

You're strength is going to be skill and experience rather than qualifications. This makes application writing harder, but not impossible. Just from your posts you've been self-employed for a period managing the BTLs, and even the period after that will have given you some new skills and experiences.

Start by looking at each period of your life and the skills, experience and lessons you gained from it. Don't polish it up too much, this is just the rough cloth to fashion an application from later.

Then start looking for a job that interest you. You're going to have to bend your skills and experience to fit the essential requirements. Don't be overcautious about this or you'll talk yourself out of every application.

Repeat this for more job applications.

As a rough guide, a job application will take a day to do properly. Don't rush it. If an application asks for your CV, do not send the same one for every job. You need to tailor it for each to match the essential requirements and as many of the desired requirements as possible.

For help with CVs and applications you can try the National Careers Service, but please don't ask the Job Centre for CV/application help - they're very much quantity over quality. Or maybe you know someone that can help? - I've helped friends with CVs and applications, maybe you know someone that can help?

The fact that you managed your own buy to lets means that you have so many skills that are transferable to new kinds of work. I would sit down and really identify those skills and put them on your CV. You definitely have working experience.

Since you do have some experience in managing buy to lets perhaps applying to a letting agency or estate agents would be worth a try. Care homes are always looking for staff. Or local cafe as a start.,

Sit down with a pen and paper and work out what transferrable skills you have.

Things like managing payments for your buy to let's, chasing up arrears, organising repairs, good time management, liaising with different people and trades. Look up loads of job descriptions and there required/desired sections for ideas.

Then divide them up into columns depending on the type of work you want. So the above is applicable for admin roles and they'd want to see basic IT skills as well.

If it's care work then you have responded to the different needs of your tenants, Understand the importance of following regulations and procedures, the need to work to strict timetables, have hands on experience caring for family members, a friendly approach, willing to take on different challenges as required etc, etc.

You have lots of skills if you start thinking about them in the right way.

List yourself as self employed for the buy to let period and think of an appropriate title for the level you are applying. Calling yourself a property manager for a bottom rung admin job may make them think you don't want it so a property administrator would be better

I totally agree you have been self employed and you sound very capable so please don’t think you have to work for free or go and do a job you don’t like. It’s true that there are shortgages of capable employees, you just need to re frame the way you see yourself.
It sounds like you have had a really tough time. I’m glad the perpetrator is now finally in prison and you can have a new chapter if your life. With your property management/ decorating skills you could try Universities ( if you have any near) I see jobs for property management jobs in that sector, and student halls employ people to look after them too. Also maybe theatre, set painting or making props?
You do have to learn the interview process for lots of jobs (as a pp set out) but you can do this- you will have a wealth of experience so don’t diminish yourself .

Would you be interested in using your sewing skills? Taking in sewing jobs locally via Facebook, looking for things like theatre roles i.e. making or repairing costumes etc.

@Smallmouse1 how about doing alterations to start with if you have your own sewing machine? If you advertise in local shops (card in the window of the dry cleaners etc) and on local resident Facebook pages I bet you’d get some custom that could tide you over while you look for a full-time job.

Then I think maybe a session with some sort of careers service might help, it sounds like you’re a very capable person to have been running a property business for 20 years and I’m sure a lot of letting agencies would have a role you could excel in.

Also, not career based, but since you said you’re very good at sewing, there’s a sewing thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/arts_and_crafts/4621767-stitch-and-bitch-thread-5-this-whole-thing-is-fabricated?page=1 you might be interested in for some light relief

I don't mean to be a dampner but I don't think there is a huge demand for sewing alterations these days.

More shops are doing different lenghts than ever. And people are hybrid working so not needing so many formal work clothes.

Theaters are going to be looking for trained taylors not someone who has a hobby sewing unless exceptionally good and can demonstrate it.

Op now is a good time to do an access college course that might be a stepping stone between unemployed and employment.

I'm guessing but I'd think they'll be certain jobs you should rule out on the basis of your MH.
Like one bit of me thinks estate agency might suit your experience but showing strangers around houses on your own will possibly be very stressful

@Smallmouse1 I'm afraid I have nothing useful to add but wanted to wish you well on your jog hunt and say Bravo you are truly courageous and I hope this is the start of a whole different life for you

@Dinoteeth there is where I live as people are trying to cut costs and repair rather than buy new. Replacement zips, shortening or taking in clothes, definitely demand.

A school leaver is more unreliable, can be trained up and go off travelling, go to uni or whatever, have no life experience. I know who I'd employ out of the two.

If you are in UK

Look on wwwwgov.uk

Search for job, put in your postcode, town or city

It will show all jobs in your area

Find something that interests you & apply

How can you say a school leaver who turned up at school everyday and who can get a reference from the school is less reliable than a wild card who has been unemployed for 8 years and self employed for 20 before that.

A teen is less likely to question orders from a supervisior in their 20s or 30s than a fifty something who's never really had to answer to anyone.

The teen also has the advantage of being slightly cheaper to employ to do the same job.

Realistically it's not going to be that easy for the Op to pick up a full-time role from the word go. She may have to do some stuff (taking part-time or voluntary job) to prove herself first.

Op I really do wish you the best of luck. But I don't think it's going to be easy to step into a full-time role.

That's not been mine or my friends experience after going back to work after long breaks.

Teens are massively not slightly cheaper to employ.

You have great experience for property manager or letting agent roles.

What were you and friends doing on long breaks? If you had caring responsibilities it possibly is easier to explain and shows you can commit to routine.

And yes I gave the example of going up against a teen with no work experience but remember they'll also be other 40 / 50 somethings who have been working part-time kids are up wanting to return to full-time work that Op could be completing against too.