To feel sad I can't get a job? :(

[Tillu]

I've just had another rejection email through today; I didn't even get an interview. :(

I'm not sure what I am doing wrong.

Am I too old? I'm 32. I'm applying for admin jobs around 20 - 25k per year. I have a degree and experience of being self-employed and working online from home.

I want a change and to get out of the house, but I can't even get an interview.

Does anyone have any tips or advice? I'd love to work for a charity organisation or similar, but I am not too fussy at this stage!

I have my degree and relevant experience on my CV.

I'm presentable, polite, professional and friendly. At least I think I am! Maybe I'm not!

What am I doing wrong?

Do you look on Charity Jobs uk for potential jobs? That's often a good source of 3rd sector jobs. I work for a charity at present and we really struggle to attract quality candidates

@Merryoldgoat what a lovely offer, thank you so much. Yes, I'd l really appreciate that if you have the time.

I think I've lost a lot of confidence over the last couple of years (as I'm sure many of us have!)

The self employed wouldn't put me off or the free lancing. The last admin role I filled was £27k so are you sure you're not too cheap? 2 pages for a cv for me and I don't like gaps. I look at someone's work history how long they stay in each job and if they were developed/promoted. I get very excited if a company has paid to train them above and beyond the normal. Best of luck in your search, if you're not getting interviews it must be your CV so get some advice, honest but knowledgeable advice.

Obvious question but have you worked in admin before or is it something you’re looking to get into. Honestly, if you haven’t done it before then I can see why you aren’t getting the interviews. Competition is tough and much as an inexperienced person would likely be a great admin person most companies want someone to hit the ground running and will hand the option of someone with experience.

@Tillu

I’ve sent you a PM with my email 👍🏽

It might just be the number of people applying op.

We've been recruiting admin staff recently for a £22-£24k post, and we've been having 50+ applicants per role.

The absolute most important thing is someone that is very experienced with Office - Excel, PowerPoint, Word. We look for examples of how they've used those in previous jobs.

Have you done any data/Excel courses? Can you specify on your CV that you've used pivot tables, V/H lookup etc?

In our last round of interviews the top 3 had extensive experience in office environments as admin staff, talked a lot about the systems they've used. Bear in mind many admin jobs are 90% digital now, so less paper based, more online.

Personality/team dynamic is very important to us too, but obviously you can't get into that until you get to interview stage, but it's always good at interview to ask about the team/department dynamic and then mention how you would fit in with that.

@WhoWants2Know

Do you look on Charity Jobs uk for potential jobs? That's often a good source of 3rd sector jobs. I work for a charity at present and we really struggle to attract quality candidates

I actually applied for a few jobs on there today!

Thanks. :)

I’ve found the same thing, and I’ve been self employed for the last 17 years. I think that puts people off, maybe they think if you’ve worked for yourself you’re too used to being your own boss and doing things your way? I don’t know but it’s very disheartening.

When did you leave university? Some do careers advice and CV checking up to 3 years after you graduate. I have found just going through it with a third party often helps with little ways you can improve it.

Do you have any admin experience?

Unfortunately, there just aren't the admin jobs out there any more. One of my friends is being made redundant (co-ordinator at a charity). Another friend said her workplace are making 100 admin staff redundant (NHS Trust).

You'll probably be up against lots of people who have years of admin experience.

It's not a good route these days. Is there something else you are interested in? 32 is very young. What's your background?

[quote Tillu]@MissConductUS thank you! And 😆 sorry, I didn't mean that in a negative way, just that it might not be as relevant to applying for a job in the UK. [/quote]
I know, I was just having a bit of fun at your expense. Apologies.

If you make your search more UK specific you'll find better resources.

www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=uk+cv+template+word+download

It is really hard finding a job online. Don't forget to check your LinkedIn contacts for someone who might be helpful. Indeed.com is my go to job search website.

uk.indeed.com/

You can set up multiple searches with different parameters and have the results emailed to you.

Good luck!

Many interviews are a test of how skilled you are at interviews. It's dumb, but it's often the case. I recommend searching Madeline Mann on YouTube. As a previous poster mentioned, prepping STAR responses is very important. You'll be amazed at the responses you'll come up with when you are provoked to think a bit more deeply about your experience and how it relates to the role.

That's what I always hear, too @BlueLines81

@Iamnotamermaid I finished my degree in 2014 and went straight into self-employment. Kicking myself now!

@Whydoesthecatalwaysdothat I love your username 😆 I have admin experience within my own business, however, I know that doesn't count for much since I don't have any references apart from myself!

At 32 you are certainly not too old, far from it. There are jobs around, but what I found is that the market is much more competitive, and often they like to employ people with experience in the exact same field.
If I were you, I would try to find some volunteering to gain more experience, then -as others mentioned- brush up your skills admin wise.
I am looking for a job in admin too at the moment, and I have been shortlisted & had a second interview twice now (hopefully the next time will be the right one). What I found ...when applying for jobs, you stand more chance, if your CV is among one of the first ones received, as if they have received dozens of them, they probably won't have time to review them all.
I am currently doing an avanced Spanish course and also an Excel course to brush up my skills in those fields.
Put your name down with as many agencies as you can...if you can start temping with some of them and they have good reviews, this will go in your advantage. Best of luck.

I'm the director of a charity, and would definitely appreciate some unique understanding of third sector via volunteering - have you thought of putting yourself forward as a trustee of a charity or constituted group - they're always looking for admin skills. It's an amazing way of getting real experience, and meeting key individuals for future employment.

What kind of charity are you aiming for?

Agree aim higher, and firm up project management experience on CV.

What's your longer term goal?

Definitely sign up with an agency. We prefer to hire people who have worked agency for us because it massively reduces the chance of a bad hire - we know what we are getting. Even if someone hasn't worked for us, we would be looking for someone with current experience of being an employee in an equivalent role (with reference obviously).

My cousin is an actress who does temp office work when "resting" and she has been offered some shockingly well paid roles if she would go permanent.

That makes total sense @TheYearOfSmallThings thank you for the advice.

You are not alone in feeling despondent. I went for a job a couple of weeks ago and had so much relevant experience but still did not get it. I think it was just that they interviewed so many people for one post. keep going, there will be something out there for you.

@Christoncrutches

I'm the director of a charity, and would definitely appreciate some unique understanding of third sector via volunteering - have you thought of putting yourself forward as a trustee of a charity or constituted group - they're always looking for admin skills. It's an amazing way of getting real experience, and meeting key individuals for future employment.

What kind of charity are you aiming for?

Agree aim higher, and firm up project management experience on CV.

What's your longer term goal?

Thank you so much for your reply. I did see some trustee positions, however, presumed (maybe wrongly) that you'd have to have some affiliation with them already?

I'm honestly overwhelmed by the replies and offers for help. Thank you all. I'm feeling more hopeful.

Have you registered with recruitment agencies ? A lot of jobs in the admin area route through those and also if you haven’t got a LinkedIn presence try that. Another option would be to apply for civil service roles - recruitment process can be challenging but you might have success there

Good luck - stay positive

I have been self-employed for 18 years and applying for jobs for a year now without even a sniff of an interview (even the job that could have been written for my particularly unusual degrees/skills combination, along the lines of "degree in [subject that I have NEVER seen requested in a job ad] plus Dutch and Arabic speaker plus two other random/unrelated subject areas/skills"). I am fairly sure it's the self-employed thing. My dad had his own business until he was around 50 and then couldn't get a job. I have just signed up with an agency that does temp and permanent and think this could be the way into something.

I would try registering with some recruitment agencies and do some online admin training if you can as well. Good luck you will get there!!

I don't know if you use Facebook, but I would recommend checking The Work From Home Hub - UK. It's run by one person but they post home-based jobs daily, some of them are really interesting and even as I scrolled through it a minute ago there's a job for MacMillan. I know you wanted to get out of the house but even as a step on the ladder it could be worth considering?
I do a lot of recruitment for administrators in the NHS and used to work for Barnardo's so if you'd like any help with your CV or application, just let me know.
Good luck!

I agree with a couple of other posters about trying to get work through a temp agency. I know quite a few people who have got their foot in the door through temping.

Ditto the temping suggestion. My son is at uni and did a three month paid internship with a company last year. He was a bit shocked when they offered him a full time job when he graduates in May. I pointed out to him that they'd had him for a three month job interview and must have liked what they saw.