Am I unattractive to employers?

[StillSmiling92]

I'm almost 28 years old. Average GCSE's, terrible A levels, good Access to Higher Education (level 3) qualification and university drop out.

I have a 4 year old who starts school in September and I've mostly been a SAHM living off my partner. I've also been cleaning part time for 1 year now and worked in retail prior to that.

So, being a mother and a university drop out I know that employers would likely throw my application in the bin (childcare and lack of expertise). Not for retail roles, but for professional roles such as accountancy or software development for example.

What can I do to improve my circumstances when I'm not eligible for any training or funding?

Please help

Reading your first few answers on page 1... Really the only thing stopping you ...is you ...you have to put in the effort to get the opportunities... the first point is use some time in the evening to google what is out there and what minimum entry levels into your idea
Career.... employers are more interested in attitude, effort and application... I know a single mum with 3 kids who studied into the early hours and worked from home for many years ... you just have to want it enough and you will find a way ... not saying it’s easy ..but what is these days?

You will be unattractive to potential employers so long as you tell them everything you CANT do.
How about telling them that you passed your first year at uni, gaining x credits
That you have been bringing up your child gaining skills in negotiation, team working, time management, etc whilst managing additional external roles as a cleaner.

That you are prepared to carry out all aspects of a role as can be demonstrated by your managing domestic roles and retail posts. That you have gained experience as a team player, can be replied upon, can offer a mature approach to any future role. Are looking for opportunities to develop a career in xXxX

Get the gist?

You're 28, you're still very young and plenty young enough to start at the bottom / on something new.
I work in recruitment/exec search. Two things are important - aptitude and attitude - if you have got those, you WILL be attractive to employers.
It sounds like you have the aptitude (you did get into university), now you need to sort the attitude. You will need to be prepared to work your way up. Stop doubting yourself and go for it!! A fabulous career is still possible!!

It's a bit of a double edged sword really, professional roles you are going to need a qualification, but also having a huge gap in your CV isn't going to help. You are going to need to get a part time job somewhere a few days a week, anywhere, to show that you can be an employee. Qualifications mean nothing if you've not held down a job for years. I would find an entry level, part time job in a role you want to do long term, so a basic admin job in a financial role, then do training via them. Most places will pay to train you now. A degree is meaningless as a mature student without experience, so your other option is go back to uni and volunteer to get experience alongside. I have career changed twice and I'm now early 40s. I've just gone back to basics again to something new as I noticed that there were a lot of well paid vacancies locally. My OU degree is worthless here, I just need to start again on a lower salary but in 5 years, I'll have doubled my salary with in house training.

Be 'creative' on your CV,

Add skills according to the roles you apply for, just don't go over the top, you need to be able to back some of it up..

I left school with a clutch of A Levels but didn't go to uni because my of an abusive ex. I'm now in my 40s, with a level 5 qualification earned through an apprenticeship in my 30s, and enrolled on another degree apprenticeship at level 7, which my employer is funding. Look at the public sector, lots of civil service departments don't have entry requirements other than GCSEs and clean DBS checks, and you can work your way up. In my experience, nobody cares if you are a parent unless you are seeking flexible working, when they look at your circumstances to accommodate your request.

You really cannot add skills in to suit the job when there is no employment record worth speaking of to back up the skill acquisition. Any HR recruiter will spot this a mile off. Just be honest but look for positive attributes. No one will fall for all that team working skill/stuff by looking after a child. It’s naive to advise the op to do this.

You having a child wouldn't put me off but the rest of your cv would. What I'd be looking for is you picking something that you enjoy and sticking to it, in both qualifications and work experience. That said, I def dont think 28 is too late to start. I know several v successful professionals in my field who didnt start training for it til they were 30.

You really cannot add skills in to suit the job when there is no employment record worth speaking of to back up the skill acquisition.

I saw an application once from someone claiming expertise in negotiation and conflict resolution because she had two pre-school children.

My graduate son drives a delivery van (full tme PAYE). My lawyer daughters have very good exam results etc.

However some people with poor grades do manage to set up businesses and do fine - as you have cleaning experience could you start with that and set up a company with lots of cleaners employed by you over time?

Not RTFT but a 2 second search turned this up :) www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/apprenticeship-frameworks-people-aged-25-and-over
There was also a site for over 50's apprenticeships although I didn't look at that one.

I saw an application once from someone claiming expertise in negotiation and conflict resolution because she had two pre-school children. hmm
i had a similar one - apparently she had proven mediator skills because she stayed at home for 5 years with 2 kids. cv directly into the bin

There are lots of small business that are set up by people with not so glowing exam results. The key is thinking which business ideas will work, which will earn money and what you can actually do. What skills have you actually got? Certainly cleaning, taking and collecting dc from school for parents, running a cafe or even a B&B are all small businesses that you could start fairly easily.

@myself2020

I saw one from a SAHM of 20 years - she’d listed budgeting, negotiation, time management expertise. I thought it was quite creative actually!

I do wonder how anyone with that much of a gap in their CV finds work though.

@LooQoo, they don't. They will be in direct competition with hundreds of applicants with experience, and then hundreds of applicants with long employment records in other sectors. You have to be doing 'something' to be able to get a job, even if it's just part time in a local cafe. Just to prove you can work.

It might appear creative but it’s not real work experience. It’s life experience that the majority of parents have. It’s not a transferable skill in the real world of work unless you want to work with children in which case still volunteer first after20 years.

I would focus on getting an office job OP. Start in admin and prove yourself to be professional and reliable, then in time you are likely to be given more responsibilities and can apply for promotions and other jobs within a company. I think the only thing that may be off putting to an employer at the moment would be concerns about your commitment and experience. Holding down a role for a decent amount of time should get over that (at least two years).