To think I can’t get a job because…

[Joblesshopeless]

Companies think I only want maternity leave?!

I’m 30 and been self employed for 8 years. Before that I had some great roles and lots of experience as started working at 16.

I have just gone through my Indeed applications and I’ve applied for nearly 100 jobs now, but not one has progressed to the interview stage.

I can’t work out if it’s because I’ve been self employed for so long OR because they’re assuming I just want maternity leave and that’s why I don’t want to be freelance anymore. I don’t want to be freelance anymore because I am just sick of it and want a 9-5, although I obviously don’t say that. I’m also majorly skint and need a regular income to pay my bills or I won’t be able to pay my mortgage by October.

I’ve had my CV checked by a recruiter (all good), I send personal cover letters for each job, and I have been applying for absolutely everything from shop and customer service roles through to marketing which is what I’ve been doing freelance for all this time.

Everyone has said it’s so easy to get a job out there at the moment, but I don’t seem to be getting a single bite. I am beginning to wonder if it’s because I’m a married woman of a certain age with no kids yet (I know that recruiters check social media so it’s not hard to work that out about me).

AIBU to think it’s because they assume I just want maternity leave?!

Also any advice would be very much appreciated, I really need to get a job sorted by the end of summer for both my mental health and my finances

No, I changed a few times in that age range, I’d be very surprised if this was the issue, unless you’re telling them you are doing it for the mat pay.

FWIW: don’t want kids imminently (not sure if we want them at all at the moment) so definitely not a reason I’d be going employed!

Most recruiters don't check social media but if you are worried about that just put privacy on your facebook page.

I don't think it's your age. Maternity pay is claimed back from the government anyway so it's not a cost for the employer. There must be something else putting them off. Have you really applied for 100 jobs and not been offered 1 single interview?

Indeed is crap. You need to stop the scattergun approach. You won't get shop roles if you have a CV that shows a good career in marketing, as you'll just look... strange. Overqualified. Why would you pivot from marketing to a shop?

Go on LinkedIn, make a professional profile and speak with proper recruiters to find quality positions. Tech always has a lot of demand, pivot there.

Indeed is for bots, spam and chancers. Few of the roles are even real.

@DenholmElliot1 96 in total!

Thanks @Eunorition that’s some really good advice. I did notice the only responses I have had have been spam/scams. Not sure how Indeed gets away with so much rubbish on there.

What role are you looking for? You say you were self employed but doing what?

Do you not have contacts through freelance marketing that you can put feelers out for a job?

Woah there, massive chip on your shoulder there! I've changed jobs c.4 times between the ages ago 25 and 35 and never had an issue. I also do a lot of recruitment and I have to say it doesn't even cross my mind when interviewing women of childbearing age.

If you have applied for c.100 jobs it doesn't sound like you're being particularly focused, and having none progress to interview stage would say to me there is an issue with your CB or cover letter.

What have you been freelancing in, and what would you actually like to do? You might be better registering with some recruitment companies as the recruiters are paid commission and are therefore motivated to get you into a role, but depends what job/industry you are looking at.

Don't apply via Indeed. I used to see loads of applications that had come via Indeed and they were terrible - in a lot of cases, the information provided didn't match the requirements of the application form. Apply direct.

I don’t know if anyone else has said
or you’ve probably already mentioned but if you do a cover letter, is it worth mentioning Freelance has given you the opportunity to explore the area your in and the different companies and you feel x company is a good fit because of xyz and would like to work for them. Or something along those lines? Good luck op. It is tough out there. I agree with previous poster re. LinkedIn. I got contacted by a good company, I didn’t go with them in the end as had a better offer with someone else.

Tailor your CV. I have a professional CV law degree + experience and a I need a minimum wage job right now one. Min wage gigs are easily picked up on indeed.

Do you update and tailor your cv for each job application?
A ball ache, but necessary.

Try replicating key phrases from the advert and adding them to your cv with the language they use: helps get past the automated cv filtering software.

Eg your cv says " proficient at PowerPoint, word and excel"
Job advert says "comfortable using Microsoft Office software"
Change your cv to say "proficient using Microsoft Office software including..."
Not the best example but you know what i mean.

Using the same CV for 100 jobs suggests it's just too generic unfortunately.

I struggled to change jobs from 26 to now (32). I think some of it was because people were assuming I would be going on maternity leave. Not all of them, some I didn’t get the job because I wasn’t right for it. Although I did get to interview stage. If you aren’t getting to interview stage then it’s something else.

I have just changed jobs whilst on maternity leave so it doesn’t discourage all employers but it’s partly about finding the good employers.

Go to a relevant recruitment agent and skip indeed

That's just not true about indeed. I've had 4 interviews via indeed recently (and not for minimum wage jobs). I was successful at all of them ( first 3 I declined as they wete not a good match for me) and the fourth I accepted ( I'm very excited to start with the company).

I think your CV doesn't meet the job spec regardless of your ability to do the job.

Unless you put your age and desire for children on your CV how would anyone make that assumption?

Look at the websites of businesses you are interested in and apply directly rather than using indeed. The company will be advertising the criteria they want and you can tailor an application to the job.

I also found issues transitioning from long term self-employed to employed. I think employers can worry that you won't be able to take direction or fit into a team, if you've been working for yourself for so long.

I would get some work experience in a charity shop or food bank. You'll then be able to demonstrate that you've got these skills.

If youre not making headway after that many applications, it sounds like there is something in your application which could use a polish.

I would have a look at your cv, and see if it really sells you, does it shout about what great things you've done, is it brief, concise and formatted cleanly? Does it fit the current conventions on cv format? Eg does it have your date of birth and postal address on? Mine doesn't any more, its not hugely relevant these days, as long as you have contact details auch as email/phone.

And how does your covering letter look?

I have a standard 3 paragraph cover letter framework which I use. If I can find the name of the vacancy manager I address it to their name specifically. I start with para 1 explaining what of my current role is most relevant to the role advertised, hitting as many of the key skills listed in the advert as I can, with brief examples of where I do this now and any key success measures. If I'm aiming for a promotion I would be highlighting where in my current role I have stepped up and demonstrated the skills for the higher level.

In para 2 I then hype up the bits of my previous roles that make me particularly awesome for this job, and any key achievements that are relevant. In the third para, I explain why I want to work for this specific company and in this role, covering off that I've done a bit of research about the company by referencing their values and how they align with my own, or talking about what's exciting in their business aims, key clients I'd love to work with etc. I finish by advising my notice period and availability for a discussion or interview, and thanking the vacancy manager for taking the time to read. Then I spellcheck it very carefully and use grammerly to make sure I've not said anything too waffly.

It takes time to research and put together, but it's served me well over the years. It shows that you care about the company and the role, that you are diligent enough to do some research, and spoon feeds the vacancy manager all the good reasons to have you in for an interview.

Also, if you take your dare of birth off your cv, then no one is going to know how old you are to assume you might be wanting kids soon. Yes, discrimination like that is illegal, but we know it happens. Don't give them the tools to do it to you if you don't have to.

Also if you apply for jobs you are underqualified for, they will not pick you as they assume you're using the employment as a stop-gap. So sometimes you need to play down your qualifications & experience and emphasise in your covering letter that you are seeking permanent, long-term employment.

Depends what you are applying for. Where I work we are having massive problems getting any people to apply for vacancies. Pay is ok, flexi time, good pension and holiday entitlement but jobs are full time and office based and it seems lots of people don't want that anymore.

They can hazard a guess at ages by dates of qualifications.

I would get the cv checked by someone else as well. When I had these issues it waas because my cv and cover letters and whatever the applications wanted were bit old style, still okeyd by a career advisor🙄
I changed how I wrote about my achievements, skills and responsibilities and suddenly it turned.

Your cover letters should evidence how you meet the criteria for the role, as opposed to listing your skills. I'm sure you probably know this already, but just in case.

"I'm great at teamwork. In my previous role as X I did Y to support my team and [positive consequence]"

Sympathies though. It's fucking boring tailoring each individual application, and soul destroying when you don't even hear back from many.