To ask if I'm getting turned down for jobs because I've not worked for 9 years?

[UptownGirl40]

Desperately trying to find a pt job with no luck.

I'm not even getting interviews, just thanks but no thanks or nothing at all!

I've been a SAHM for 9yrs so do you think that's the reason?

Do you think voluntary work would give me a foot back in the door?

Starting to feel really unemployable?!!

sunbitternx
OP is there a reason why you're applying for menial, soul destroying, unskilled work?
Jeez, what kind of crap, judgmental, patronising, idiotic statement is this?

So this is what you think about being a lunch assistant / dinner lady (as we used to call them)?

Would you suggest the OP applies for lawyer, doctor, dentist roles????

In response to those who suggest up to date qualifications are a stumbling block, why do you often insist on high gcses and a levels on the basis they show your ability but then you say that IT skills dont show any ability unless theyre taken/used recently?

I sympathise - but there's a bit difference between academic qualifications which demonstrate a person's ability to learn and more practical job skills.

For those in work, as new software is released/upgraded there will be new bits and pieces to learn, new functions, formats to familiarise yourself with but it's a more or less continuous process. My job doesn't call for a lot of Excel but even so I'd say I learn two or three new things about it every month. A ten year gap is huge - the difference between Office 2003 and Office 2016, really. So an employer will want to see up to date skills - either recent workplace use, or recent training.

Don't forget to upload your CV to CV-library. I have the app on my phone so can browse the latest jobs.

As soon as you load it to that and indeed.com you'll have agencies calling you.

Hi Longdistance I've uploaded my CV to Indeed and heard nothing.

Maybe it's my CV that's crap? I've been having a look online at how my CV should be laid out and I don't think it's that good.

Maybe I should look at college courses as well then.

Really appreciate all the advise.

With voluntary work I'd pick your roles carefully. Either something relevant to the area you hope to work in, or where you can demonstrate useful transferrable skills, eg IT, team work, leadership. I have some sahm friends who have done buckets of voluntary work but are frustrated that they still aren't getting interviews, I'd say that whilst the voluntary roles they have chosen are really interesting, they haven't had enough relevance to the skills sought by employers.

Also don't fall into the trap of presuming that volunteering somewhere means that they will want to hire you later.

Is it possible for you to work full time initially? If this is possible it may be easier to get a coveted part time role after a year or so of full time. I appreciate this might not be something you could do, or would want to do.

Public sector roles are good for part time working. If you would consider working in admin have you tried your local hospital? In the past I found they were always short of admin staff, and a temp position led to more.

Also I often see ads for GP Receptionists, the hours can be flexible as can be possible to do a morning shift (so finishing in time for school pick up) or afternoon shift. Cabin crew charm would be a bonus!

I'm worried about this so while I am a SAHM at the moment, I also have three paid jobs so the gap on my cv is less gappy! Bar work, an adult ed course? Anything really that shows you've kept skills up to date would give you an edge?

When you apply for a job you need to cover all the essential skills needed, and as many of the preferred ones as possible. I've worked closely with hr re hiring, and they score every application. If you get enough points, you get an interview.

The fact that you haven't been in a job for 9 years may well be a factor, but for a lot of places if your application scores highly enough, you'll get an interview.

Penny point scoring? That's interesting. What exactly scores points then? Can you give me an insight as to how they score it? Do they look for certain buzz words?

Civil Service or local council type jobs? Lots of admin jobs and possible progression.
NHS Jobs? Ward clerk, health care assistant etc.
Railways? Customer service host or train conductor.
Christmas temp job in retail? All the big stores are currently recruiting

Vision2Learn do free NVQ 2 courses online - customer service, IT, business admin etc. It's funded by the government.

Adult education courses at the local college?

How about volunteering in the NHS? You could do a ward volunteer role if you wanted to do something like being a healthcare assistant and they have clerical volunteer roles too. After 6 months you would get a reference.

They look for words and phrases directly evidencing that you meet the criteria in the job specification.

Thanks polarbear great advice there.

OP where in the UK are you? If you're near Gatwick, PM me.

I walked into a job after 20 years as a sahm.
You need to set your goals realistically if you aren't already doing so.
I chose an entry level min wage call centre job thinking a few months top and have been there nearly a year and it's ok.
yes, there are better jobs and no doubt I would go for them but at my age it suits.
Younger people come in and progress to supervisory level within 6 months.

DropZone I'm in Warwickshire.

I'm a recruiting manager, I don't "score" a CV but if someone isn't already doing the job then I look for skills that the job needs. So if I need high attention to detail, I'll look for evidence that their previous job had that. Not that they've written "I have excellent attention to detail " but an example of that e.g. "responsible for accurately entering 300 orders a week into database".

Read the job spec and adapt your CV. I have positions that in other companies are a two separate roles. I've lost count of the number of CVs where the candidate is keen to get into X or progress in X with no acknowledgment that my job is X and Y, so there's no examples of skills needed for Y which is half the job. They tend not to get an interview because I can't guess whether they have the skills!

Oh shame, if you were near me I could have given you a contact at my work. Best of luck x

Have you tried applying to the bank of your local hospitals. There are always requirements for admin / customer service roles and can gain experience and confidence.

Thanks DropZone x

Uptowngirl, where are you based?

I have had my cv professionaly done, but for the gap in employment it just says "taken time out to raise a family", is that any good?

It's good you've put something on there - I've read CVs with gaps like yours with no explanation and my first (entirely unfair) thought is "were they in prison?"

I'd also add in a sentence along the lines of "now my children are older and more independent I am looking to return to the workplace on a part time basis". Depending on the line of work, you may want to reference having reliable and flexible childcare grandparents in place, or the children now being old enough not to need childcare.

I had this after being a sahm for a few years despite doing loads of voluntary roles and I think it depends on the voluntary work you do. I had done absolutely tons on the school PTA and playgroup committee but as these roles are always desperate for people I think they can be hard to show that you've done a lot with them (e.g. Lots of people might join the PTA but just help with the odd stall ) I then managed to get some voluntary work linked to some training id done in a hospital which had lots of very relevant transferrabke skills plus I had a part time job in a pub (you can always get bar/waitressing work) and I think it helps to have a current employer regardless of what the job is - shows someone's prepared to pay you!! So it was a slog but after a year of bAr work and related voluntary work I got a really competitive job in the NHS

With nine years without any employment, you're an unknown quantity. Employers would be taking a gamble in relation to skill set, confidence, commitment etc. You're likely to have to start again in zero hours contract type roles sadly.

Yes, this is absolutely why.

I had a twelve year break to be with my children, and it took me two years of trying to get a job. I am actually covering a maternity leave which has a neat sort of symmetry. They are thrilled with my performance, of course they should be, I am massively over-qualified and over-experienced for the job that I am doing for them! When my year is up, I hope that finding the next job will be easier.

Good luck. You have to keep trying and trying and trying. I sent out over 300 cvs.

I recently employed someone part time who has been out of the workplace with her family for 5 years. I cannot tell you how lucky I am to have found her. She's fab.

She had a relevant, but not identical role in another sector before, but what really impressed me was her ability to address the criteria in the JD, and make sure she told me how she evidenced each competency.
I didn't care she'd been at home with her kids for a few years.

I work in professional services in a university and we always think that the technical skills and updates can be learned. The things which are harder are the transferable skills - how you deal with difficult situations, managing workloads, prioritising competing demands, etc. Can you show that type of thing?

My team member works a 25 hour week - there's one day I need her until 5pm, but other than that, I'm happy to be as flexible as possible around her doing school runs. In return, I'm getting someone loads better than the job - but she's happy as it fits around her life well. We both win.

Any use?

Unfortunately many agencies effectively wordmatch when filtering CVs. It’s lazy behaviour but happens a lot. You will need to mention specifics from the job ad to have any chance here. Eg if it says “Looking for someone with at least 5 years experience in the airline industry with excellent customer service skills” then make sure you put in your CV pretty much those exact words i.e. “I have over 5 years experience in the airline industry and have excellent customer service skills”. Make sure your CV addresses each requirement in the advert.