To be struggling trying to get a job

[tbear2O19]

After raising my children, getting over PND, PTSD and battling with anxiety. I'd quite like to re enter the work place

However it's proving difficult, I've been out of work for a while so I don't have any references or confidence tbh.
I got help with my CV, which was about 5 weeks ago now. So far I have applied for 61 jobs and nada.

I even applied for a job and within 10 hours they'd emailed me saying sorry but no.
I do have a job interview for spoons (yay go me, summoning the courage is proving difficult but I got nicer fitting trousers and a nice top!) But on the other hand I'm deflated, it's only a few hours on a Saturday. Is that all I'm worth? Lol

Not strictly a BU question but I know I can rely on a few of you to kick my ass and make me realise I just need to power on!!

Firstly, OP, good luck because, as others have said, job searching is tough and often demoralising.

Part of my role involves helping unemployed people look for work (nothing to do with the job centre though). Most of the people I see are on UC or JSA and are required to job search for 35 hours per week. In the vast majority of cases, they create one CV, upload it to one or more of Indeed, Monster and Find A Job, and fire off loads of applications using the same CV. (Then they can tell the job centre they've applied for 30 jobs this week, their work coach ticks a box and everyone's happy. Except no-one asks why they're unsuccessful or thinks that 5 quality applications in a week would be much better than 30 hasty ones, but that's a separate battle we're currently fighting....)

The point is that employers see lots of applications using a generic, untailored CV via a job search site; to stand out, you need to do something different.

As others have said, tailoring is vital. Look at the job spec and make sure you are saying how you meet their requirements in your application or CV or cover letter. Employers have very little time to consider applications so you want them to very quickly see that you have the required skills. Off the top of my head, I think Indeed allows you to upload multiple CVs so if you continue to apply through there, at least have different CVs for different jobs.

We see a lot of CVs produced by the job centre and the personal statement is often quite poor. The two main issues are a lack of examples to back up skills, as has been mentioned upthread, and starting virtually every sentence with I. So for example "I am a reliable, hardworking person. I am a good team player who is also comfortable working alone." (In fact, if I never read the second sentence again in my work, I'll be delighted as it's so overused!) So check your CV doesn't do this.

@CornishYarg thanks for the tips! What would you say would be a good alternative to the last two sentences? I do those things but don't know what to put instead?

Don’t give up OP, what you said was me a few months ago, so many ‘no thanks’ and no interviews in sight then suddenly I got 3 interviews in one week and was offered the second one!! I was a SAHM for 6 years. The right job will turn up when you least expect it xx

If the job centre and work group have sorted your cv it’s almost certainly worse than when you started.

I haven’t done this type of work in a long time (maybe four years) but if you want someone to look over the CV with a real world eye, and do a demo of how to tailor an application send me a PM.

Hi OP. As someone on the receiving end of job applications for care / support work roles I'd agree with posters above.

We advertise on indeed and the quality of applications is appalling. I can spot a mile off an applicant who is only applying to keep the job centre happy.

Tips:
If you see a job you want don't apply through indeed. Go to their website.
Read the instructions carefully. If they want an application form you're wasting everyone's time sending a CV. You haven't actually applied for the job.
Answer the person spec point by point with specific examples. Bullet point it and do it in order if necessary. It makes it so much easier to shortlist you.
If it is a CV required have 2 or 3 versions e.g. one for retail, one for care work and change the focus of your job history. Also change your covering letter to talk about the specific role.
Don't panic if your application rate drops to 3 or 4 a week. You're far more likely to get a job. (I realise this might not work for benefits so you might have to do a load of rubbish indeed applications too.)
Put out feelers with people you know e.g. at school gates etc. Lots of jobs go by word of mouth.

Good luck

I found the biggest issue was that while my cv was excellent, it was very out of date with no recent experience or references.
Obviously don’t know what you’re looking for, but are you in a position to be able to volunteer somewhere relevant for a while to get that recent experience and references on there?

Take any work. It's far easier to find a job if you are already in one. A few hours on a Saturday night be perfect for boosting your confidence

Monty "CornishYargthanks for the tips! What would you say would be a good alternative to the last two sentences? I do those things but don't know what to put instead?"

It's really hard to say without knowing your actual experience. But something like this maybe:
"During my X years working at XYZ, I proved myself to be a hard-working individual who was trusted to take on additional responsibilities as a team leader."
"As part of a team of 6 at XYZ, I introduced daily briefings to ensure we were all clear on our roles to ensure we delivered a high level of customer service."

Although obviously wouldn't put "ensure" twice in the second sentence Just shows why I make sure I take a long time over the personal statement!

@CornishYarg thank you! I think it's hard for me to remember specific examples when I left my last job just over five years ago and a lot has changed then Would it be ok to use examples of when I've done well/made a difference etc from jobs I had 15 years ago do you think? The last job I had (civil servant) I was there for five years but it was a dull job and I didn't have a lot of responsibility so it's hard to think of things for me to shout about.

Jobs previous to that I can think of better examples of me organising something, but they were a decade or more ago.

I currently do a lot of volunteering, Inc facilitating a parenting course, so could pull examples from there but perhaps potential employers wouldn't consider it appropriate for me to draw on my experience from volunteering? Ahhh, it's all so tricky. You almost have to be a mind reader to know what they want, and even then they may already have someone in mind for the job internally and just have to go through the motions of advertising the position anyway

@Monty Again, it's hard to say without knowing specifics. But I would generally try to draw examples from more recent experience if possible, especially for general employability skills. So for example, if they've stated they want an organised person then having to go back 15 years in order to find an example clearly isn't great! But if it's something more specific then I'd say it's fine. E.g if they want someone with experience of using a particular computer program, then I'd definitely say I'd used it in a job a while ago. Obviously it would be better if it was more recent, but if it's a choice between referencing a job a while back or not mentioning it at all, I'd always reference the job.

My personal view on having volunteering on a CV is very positive. In particular, if you haven't worked for a while then it's a great way to refresh knowledge and acquire new skills, as well as get a recent reference. Volunteering varies a lot and some will be more valuable in terms of future job prospects than others. But in all cases it demonstrates that you're motivated, keen to develop yourself and reliable and I would put sonething along those lines that in a personal statement. However, I am aware some employers don't rate volunteering that highly but I would always include it as it won't do any harm and you'll just have a gap in your CV if you don't.

Totally agree about the jobs where they've already got an internal candidate lined up but have to go through the motions of advertising it externally and interviewing. Conversely, employers' time is wasted by job seekers being forced to apply for lots of jobs to keep their work coach happy, even if they're not interested in the job or unsuitable for it. So much time is wasted on these two scenarios.

@Monty Just spotted the precise volunteering you do and I'd definitely draw some examples from that. So on the organising things example again, I'd definitely say facilitating parent courses now is a better example than something you organised 15 years ago. If it's the key skill they're looking for, though, you could always mention both especially if the example from your old job is particularly strong.

@CornishYarg thanks so much for all those tips - they're really helpful! Yes, the last two jobs I applied for asked for the candidate to be highly organised. I organised a royal visit in the early 00's but probably better for to discuss organising the parenting course then?

Now to find a job/career I'll be happy in, as have definitely decided not to go back to admin after this break. I want to help people, don't mind studying or training but need to find what to train for first Will keep everything crossed something will come along.

Thanks again

Hope you've had a bit more success following the tips on this thread OP?