SAHM trying to get back into desired career, any advice?

[Auramigraine]

Hi all

Sorry shamelessly posting on here for traffic

Before having children I worked in Admin and absolutely loved it, civil service was my first job but was a 2 year fixed term contract and we all got let go at the end unfortunately, then I quickly got another admin job but three years later it went into administration when I was five months pregnant with my first.

I ended up staying at home with my first for two years then tried getting back into admin but struggled, I was so fed up I applied for anything and ended up working on checkouts for a year in a local shop.

Second child came along, I stayed at home again for two years and now at the point of wanting to get back into admin again. I have been back to college and done two courses in admin to put on my cv but I am having such a hard time getting any interviews at all :(

My cousin is a manager in a local supermarket and has told me about some school hour friendly hours in a shop where she knows the manager well, but it’s not what I want and my heart really isn’t in it, however it’s a job and I think is it better to get a job when your in a job? Or is my CV gonna have so much shop work now pushing my admin experience further down will I ever get back into admin?

I have such a passion for admin work. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.

Do I take the job for a reference and to fill a gap or do I carry on looking for my desired career?

Feeling really deflated. I don’t mean to come across as ungrateful for my offer in shop work, I just know deep down I would only use it as a temporary measure.

Any advice? Xx

Sorry for the awful grammar and lack of capitals I have a toddler crawling all over me!!

The problem is that a lot of admin jobs are dying out. At least in person admin work. Like a lot of industries it's either becoming an online thing or a lot of people can easily do it themselves at the click of the button which greatly reducing the demand. These days you also need an aditional specialist skill like economics to be really competitive.

I think flexibility in what you can offer an employer skills wise is great and to be honest school hour friendly jobs in anything aren’t to be sniffed. Give it a go and you might develop a love of retail. A friend started on the shop floor at a big supermarket but is now in the office of the same place so anything is possible.

It is easier to get a job when you have a job, you don’t give off an air of desperation! plus any work can be rewritten to make transferable skills. eg organisation, punctuality, customer focused, problem solving, verbal communication, personal motivation, team work, capable of independent working.

I would look at sites like NHS jobs, enrole on their bank staff, take reception and ward clerk duties as and when they pop up, but you will have to be flexible and ble to do short notice

Thanks all,

plainspeaking funny enough I applied for nhs bank admin work last night!

Sorry me again!! Just bumping in the hope people could give me more advice x

Hi OP,

Have you thought of applying for another role in the Civil Service? If you’d like to go back into the CS, they have lots of different roles available advertised with different departments - the site Civil Service Jobs is a good place to look.

Generally, in terms of admin jobs, what sort of roles are you looking for? Have you thought of visiting local councils, schools or doctor’s surgeries to ask if they have any vacancies for admin roles?

In terms of looking at admin-based jobs, have you thought about temping to get your foot back in the door?

Have a look at national recruitment agencies (like Reed and Tate, for example), and agencies where you’re based, and call them all up to explain what sort of job you’re looking for (they’ll remember you that way). Then follow that up by emailing them a CV and checking back in with them around a week or two later to ask if they have any roles available and if you can come in for a face-to-face chat with them (I was job-hunting around a year ago, and hounding recruitment agencies, as painful as it is, was the only way of getting my foot in the door, and paid off!!)

Just saw your post about the NHS - that seems like a good place to look too. I’ve got no experience of working with them, but they’re a huge employer, so I’m sure that they’ll have lots of opportunities available.