can you help me work out why i can't get a supermarket job?

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Tale as old as time, i'm mid 40s, husband and i are discussing terms of theoretical separation and divorce and i need to work.

Please be decent if you reply, don't leave inflammatory responses, i'm going through a very difficult time and every day is a struggle.

I am looking for helpful insight.

i have worked in a traditional/classic "status" profession (eg chartered accounting, clergy, medicine) for 5 years but have suffered very poor MH , GAD with the presence of panic attacks which continue to this very day and significantly impact me daily. I only have a couple of friends i'm in touch with and they agree that I am not suited to returning to the profession and don't think i could perform to the level required. On paper, I'm highly skilled but in reality, i really struggled to perform and work things out on the job.

I have been out of work for 5 years and i want a job that isn't too demanding and that i can just go in to do without yet more training. I've been rejected from admin roles even though I've got admin experience.

i feel that i've adapted my CV to the roles I've applied for. Specifically for the supermarket and retail jobs, I have taken off post-graduate qualifications and the professional roles.

I currently do volunteer work at a school and go in one morning a week to read with children. It's a very basic function and i don't organise anything as the school don't want that nor do i use any skills. I literally listen and prompt so i don't think this voluntary work could progress into paid employment.

On another thread, I read about a woman in her 50s who hadn't worked for a while and was in a similar situation in terms of marriage status and she was told to get a job at a supermarket to get her back into working. Separate to that, I had already been applying for low paid roles in retail and supermarkets. I've been rejected from Morrisons,Tesco, Cinton Cards Seasalt and Boots.

I have my own suspicions as to why I'm getting rejected but would like to hear of success stories and how people actually do get jobs in places such as these.

What do I need to do in the tests - Tesco one was very different from the Morrisons!

What would a successful candidate CV look like and contain or avoid?

Can anyone help me with suggestions on how to return to work or any resources?

I've been trying off and on for 3 years to return to work, so i'm not sitting passively hoping to just submit a CV and get an interview. I've been filling applications, doing virtual/ automated preliminary interviews etc but don't seem to progress.

Thank you.

I think the best possible thing I can recommend is that you get some more retail experience by volunteering in a charity shop. They’re crying out for help and getting you used to serving customers, using a till and doing stock rotation can only help. It has certainly worked in the instances I know of. Also, Google ‘on line tests for supermarkets’ for hints on getting through to the next stage. In my experience, it’s about showing enthusiasm for being a team member and pretending to be happy about building bridges with marshmallows and spaghetti. If you get invited to interview, they’ll often ask you for ideas and suggestions, so have something ready (like free carrier bags if you spend over a certain amount etc).

If you’re suffering with your mental health, I’d also recommend working in a slightly smaller shop rather than a supermarket. DH works in one. They are not conducive to excellent mental heath.

It could be that they either think you'll only stay until you see a role that suits you in something closer to your own field, or that you won't be a good fit for a physically demanding job after desk work. Or sometimes large retailers are more interested in people who will obediently follow procedures that often don't make sense, they don't want someone used to using their own initiative.

Could you talk to employment agencies about temporary roles to get a foot in the door? Eg admin maternity cover? Once a company gets to know you, they might be more willing to employ you in a permanent role and you might be able to apply for vacancies as they come up.

Would you be interested in care work or cleaning, either for an agency, or self employed?

Cleaning would be good, it’s really hard to get a cleaner at the moment! You can state your own hours and you’ll be mostly on your own, so can take time out if you feel panicky.
my cleaner charges £12 an hour - cash

Shops nowadays want very flexible / antisocial hours. What is your availability? If you can work evenings and weekends you should be fine. If not, it's unlikely you will get an interview.

A friend of mine volunteered in a charity shop for a few months then got a supermarket job. Having recent experience counts for a lot.

It always annoys me when people on here talk about retail jobs as if they're easy to get. They're really not in my experience. You're competing with lots of people and it's hard to stand out.

A lot places want to employ under 18s too so they can pay less.

Sorry, not much practical help I know but hopefully others can offer you that. I just wanted to try and make you feel a bit less despondent - it's not you doing something wrong necessarily.

What do you have on your CV if you've left out your professional jobs?

Do you therefore have a massive unaccounted for gap?

I would say it’s definitely an age thing as well, I was in the position of trying for a supermarket job a few years ago when I was mid 40’s. After years of admin / hospitality work I was just looking for a local do your hours and go home type work ( due to caring responsibilities) in one of my local supermarkets, we have 3 different ones local to us. I got no response for my application to each of them. Financially I was able not to work for a while, so I did some voluntary work including working 1 day a week in a charity shop then after 6 months I tried again, still no interest in my application. Because it was local shops I was able to see who they did take on and the new ones I did see on the tills were all much younger folk and didn’t appear to stay for very long either. In the end my DH and I chatted and I stopped looking for work, 18 months later( when things settled) I was able to get an admin job. I could have been a good employee for one of those supermarkets for 2 years but they wouldn’t give me a chance over younger applicants.

Try public sector admin? We have quite a few people at my work who had high powered jobs and now want something simpler.

And maybe get someone independent to review your CV?

Supermarket jobs are not as easy as some would think.

I had a supermarket job for Christmas and every other person they hired at the time were 18-25 rather than my age. I am tall (5 foot 7) , fully flexible and fit enough to keep up.

A friend had a similar situation. She got into a retail job by asking at our local stores that weren't part of the really really big chains and landed up working at Co-Op for a while. A lot of the bigger chains have complex HR requirements and a lot of people who are looking for work so that can be hard.

Are you in a position to work or would you say you are unwell presently? If you are still unwell then you will need to attend to your health. Seeing someone in a Jobcentre who specialises in disability issues ( if they still have them) may help you. They can link up with employers and able to provide a range of support. But, if you really are not well enough, will talk that through.
If you have panic attacks which impact you significantly daily then you will need to talk this through with someone.

Supermarket jobs are quite desirable as they aren’t as unpleasant as many other jobs and the pay is better than quite a few jobs at a similar skill level.

Have you considered a role like a library assistant? Similar pay scale to supermarkets, but may be more in-keeping with your previous experience.

I only know about ASDA but they're probably all the same - they're testing you're personality more than anything. Basically are you bubbly, easy going and seem like the kind of person who will still smile and be chatty when you're on minimum wage and antisocial shifts?

I completely agree with previous posters - do a couple of months in a charity shop, then you can prove you've got retail and social skills

despite what the government says, once you are over 50 it is far far harder to get a job!

I would also suggest you get someone else to review your CV - sometimes you're missing the bleeding obvious as you've got used to it

My teen ds worked at 2 top supermarkets. He had once a zero hours contract. Not much use to you op. And once a 15 hour contract which as an adult with a family would not be enough to access benefits like UC or tax credit for example.
Just what I think anyway!

Op Im not sure why you think that working in a supermarket will be suitable for you. You've mentioned mental health issues GAD panic attacks which affect you daily. Most staff in supermarkets are front of house and customer facing. How will you cope with that when you are having a bad day? It's also quite full on and not the sort of job you can just sneak off for a quiet cuppa if you are finding it hard. I haven't worked on a shop since Uni but honestly I can't see it will be good for you. I think what others have suggested, a smaller charity shop might be a good start to test the waters.

Thank you for your replies. Honestly. Some useful ideas and perspectives.

I can't do cleaning or care work due to one of the (many) facets/elements of my MH disorder and we have a cleaner to do this.

If you're being rejected at the assessment stage then something about your results isn't mapping to their desired qualities.

I assume they are getting you to things like literacy and numeracy reasoning and Situational Judgement Tests (if this happened would you a)do that, b)do this, c) do the other)?

Literacy and numeracy reasoning can be improved with practice, like IQ tests, so find some practice ones online and do them until your scores improve. SJTs are usually mapped to the company/role competencies. So if possible look up their values/mission statements online to see what they are looking and use that to bias your responses.

For example is they have 'agile' as one of their core competencies with a description of 'able to quickly prioritise activities and change focus to ensure that more urgent tasks are completed by the right person firstK then the answer to 'you are checking stock levels and a customer trips and falls near you, do you a) continue what you are doing, b) drop everything and go to the customer, c)radio for a first aider and continue your task, d) go to the customer, radio for a first aider then return to your task when they arrive. The answer they are looking for would likely by (d).

I know a chap who did this but in reflection, he started in a small local shop. He was over 50 and had no work experience, he went into local shops within a bus ride and I think people were glad to hire a mature candidate. Try a small shop or indeed small business first.

Is it worth connecting with others with similar health challenges and find out how they got into work?

There are specific tactics about stepping back from a professional role into admin/retail but if your health conditions mean that you have restrictions on the type of work you can do, or the type of environment you will thrive in, that may cause additional complications.

Are you telling them about your poor mental health and panic attacks?
People tend to have the wrong idea of supermarket work. It is not a non-demanding easy job like everyone seems to think it is. I am a lot less stressed and a lot happier in my professional job.

So if you have given any hint you have issues it may not be favourable.

They are also (as others said) in high demand because of the rep they have of being easy work.

I'm surprised that you haven't been able to find a job in retail, especially as we keep being told there are masses of vacancies out there. I also know someone (also with a previously high-powered career) who started working part-time in a supermarket (Co-op) in his 70s!

B&Q always used to be known for taking on older workers, so they might be worth a try.

Alternatively, could your current role develop into a paid TA role? Or do you have skills eg in finance that mean you could work in the school office?

Asda and Waitrose have (or at least used to have) all those multiple choice questions relating to scenarios and you had to get them right to continue the process.

Also availability and flexibility are desirable. What’s that like?