Husband failed interview for own job, panicking!

[UpsetAtInterview]

Name changed for this one. My husband has been on fixed term contracts for 4 years and interviews came up for permanent positions. He placed high in last years interviews and just missed out on a job, but the wait list ran out so there was a new round in interviews. He was in a pissy mood leading up to it, annoyed at having to re-interview again. He just found out he failed the interview. We're now facing a cliff edge financially as we can't get by on just my wage and his contract finishes in 6 weeks.

I'm so angry at him. I was the breadwinner until our first child turned two. Then he got this job and it was great, he doubled his salary just as the cost of living increase hit so we were okay. I worked so hard for years, I even did interviews heavily pregnant to get us in a good position financially and he's just thrown it all away because he couldn't get out of his own way and actually apply himself for a few days. He didn't take the prep seriously and was blindsided in the interview.

He's devastated, doesn't want to go back to work for last few weeks of his contract, doesn't want to complete his remaining projects. I am trying to comfort him and can see he's emotionally fragile but I just want to scream at him 'Why did you let us down? Why didn't you do the work to make sure your family is looked after?'. I wouldn't mind if he tried his best and it didn't work out, but he didn't. Am I unreasonable to be so angry? Should I tell him? Should I just try and help him get a new job first?

That could be true, we don't know what sector he's in. But if they're hiring new people it suggests funding is still there.

Edit: sorry just saw OP's update

If he had put in his best effort then I wouldn't be angry. But he didn't. He was complacent and didn't do the prep work before they interview. He should have done better, he has done better in the past. He let his frustration get in the way of looking out for his family. We have two toddlers, it's not just him affected by this.

Firstly, his employer is shit if he's been kept on short term contracts for so long. Secondly, he might have done very well in the interview but for some reason the interviewing manager decided to go with someone else for a reason your DH could do nothing about.

It's a good, if horrible, reminder that employers don't care about employees. Don't blamehim, it's horrible having toapply for a job you are,already doing. Give him a couple of days to recover, remind him that he'll get a better reference if he takes it on the chin and completes his job well. And both of you a) need to look for a better job and b) cut back on expenditure if you can't survive on just your salary.

I don’t think it will help if you have a go at him. I would imagine he is better going in otherwise they might not pay him. Can he not stay on as a contractor and go for next round of interviews? It sounds like other people have experienced the same and finally got a permanent position. What can he do for work if he can’t stay there?

You need to find out if you have income insurance and he needs to stop being a princess, update his resume and get out there. In the meantime, I don’t know your situation, but if you are also working, you need to ask about extra shifts, etc

Quite often it is about bringing a fresh perspective to the role. 4 years in the same job, you can become insulated into the companies ways of doing things. Likelt they want someone with outside experience to bring something new to the role and he is not going to be able to bring that no matter how much he put in.
One of you needs to find a job, if its him then support him to find one, not beat him down further.

Civil servant here. Is he a direct employee of government, ie an actual civil servant? Because we do have the same rules (we aren’t magically exempted from employment law) and certainly where I work we wouldn’t be allowed to have someone on a temporary contract for more than 23 months. So I’m very surprised that you say this if he’s a civil servant.

Is it in fact the case that he’s a contractor working through a third party agency who actually employ him? Regardless, he should seek advice from ACAS about his rights.

I'm really trying not to, I'm really trying to be supportive and helpful. That's why I'm venting here I suppose. It's really knocked his confidence and I want to get him feel like he can get another job but I'm also angry he put our family at risk by not working for the interview knowing if he failed he'd lose his job.

They only do interviews once every 18 months or so, they draw a wait list up from the candidates that pass the interview and the roles are given out as per the order of the list. He didn't even get on there wait list this time so they will fill his role with sometimes who passed the interview. He's always been on the waitlist before.

I have a full time job already.

As this is civil service is he in a union, if so he should speak to them immediately about what of anything can be done.

if any event he needs to be a professional, lick his wounds in private and perform well for the rest of the contract otherwise it really will shut the door to any future options there.

Yes, this is what I thought. Perhaps I misunderstood the OP.

The law does indeed apply to Civil Service posts but they also have to fill posts by fair and open competition. They presumably advertised the post he was doing and someone presumably threw in the right buzzwords and they had to offer the higher scoring candidate. Civil Service recruitment is shit and if the recruiters follow the torturous process to the letter rarely results in the right person getting the job.

Wow. Help him out and try to earn more yourself. It sounds like he's been working in a pretty toxic environment if this is how they treat staff. Sounds a lot like they've engineered this situation.

It's a professional arm within the civil service that works a little differently unfortunately, it's quite specialised and runs more like the NHS it seems. He's employed directly by them, not agency.

I agree with licking wounds in private. He's going to work from home for a few days and I've said it would be better to not burn bridges and return after the Easter break.

Why would you need to help him find a new job? Surely he's a competent adult? Has he been on a fixed term contract or has he been working as a contractor? The civil service is more competitive than ever at the moment, competition for jobs is crazy so even if he had prepped thoroughly he was far from a shoe in.

Exactly, plus in academia, it’s often about whose specialisms line up most precisely with departments etc - not so much about “good enough”, which if you’ve been shortlisted for interview, you almost certainly are.

It sounds like a shit system to be fair to him but yes, he should have approached the interview differently.
He might be feeling demoralised now but he doesn't have the luxury of sitting around feeling sorry for himself, he needs to get over himself and look for a new job ASAP.

Why would you help him get a job? He’s a grown adult, he needs to search for a new job starting today and buck up his ideas. No wonder he failed for turning up in a pissy mood who does that.

Wow, maybe don't make judgements? I earn almost the same as him.

This!

I think you are getting a hard time here OP. It is tough and draining to be the one constantly responsible for keeping the wolf from the door financially. You have had years of being in a precarious position because of these fixed contracts and now the inevitable has happened.

It is stressful and exhausting.

Agree with this. I am sure someone more knowledgeable may correct me, but if you're employed for several years on short term contracts for the same job, I'm not sure they can get rid of you like that?

He might have a case to speak to ACAS or someone?

I can understand your stress and frustration but equally he's been treated badly. I feel for him.

They sound like a shitty employer tbh, he'd be better going elsewhere. Not easy when the market has bren rubbish for a while. Hardly anywhere is giving out permanent contracts now

If he's worked there continuously for more than 2 years, even on multiple fixed term contracts, he should be entitled to redundancy pay.

I work for a local authority and was on fixed term contracts for 4 years (that had been renewed) and was entitled to be made permanent. It’s very normal in our workplace for employment contracts to be offered on a fixed term basis only. I cannot see why the law wouldn’t apply here, especially as it is within the public sector. At least give Acas a call and they should be able to advise. Failing that check if you have legal advice included in your home insurance, or have him join a union pronto.