Problems getting a job

[Rocklover]

Hi,

I wondered if any of you guys have ever had this. I separated from my OH in July and now I am trying to find a part time office job to bring in some cash (having to stay with parents at the mo) and I am having a problem. I always used to get interviews and 9 times out of 10 got the job offer. Now I have been unsuccessfull at interviews and have got refusal letters without an interview offer.

I am with agencies and have had no luck with them, I have not worked since I was pregnant with DD (over 2 years) and know this might count against me, but at 32 I have alot of experience and am used to pressurised and busy work places, so don't understand why I cannot get a simple office job. I am beginning to think it is the fact that I am single and have a child. Has anyone got any tips? As I really don't want to go full time at this stage.

hiya Im starting to apply for work outside of the house soon so hope I dont come up against any obstacles, I cant see why you are having a hard time on the job front as you have only been away from the work force for a couple of years.

The only thing it might be is employers might wonder about childcare arrangements and what would happen if your child was ill and you needed to be at home, but I dont think that should discriminate you, if anything im sure that they would ask you these things.

Your still young so it cant be your age, maybe you could contact the people that you have had rejections from and ask for feedback, that way you will find out what you are doing wrong, or not doing

Hi Rocklover, I've been in a very similar situation this year - I'm 33 with a good employment history and was trying to find a simple part time office job. I started looking for work last February and finally got a job in August after a few unsucessful interviews and lots of refusals without interview. I was wondering if it was just being overqualified or having too much experience - we know we have good reasons for going for simple part time jobs, but an employer doesn't necessarily know that and might wonder if we would stick around.
In the end I did get a job pretty closely related to what I was doing before I had my dd - even though I was prepared to take anything, it seems I was only wanted if I stuck to the same sort of field of work.
Sorry that's a bit rambling, but hope that helps a bit, I know how awful it is when you get rejected from jobs you could easily do, but something that's right will come up.

I have been looking for work for the last year and on Thursday I was finally offered a job - it is partime, in the field I trained in and just 20mins from home! Seems the years wait was worth it. However, in that time I had tons of heartache about not working, being a single mum on benefits, loosing my professional registration rah rah rah....

I would be willing to bet my new salarythat I was not taken on/ interviewed for some of those jobs I went for in the last year becasue I was a single mum.

Just keep hacking away - noone can say anything about you if you are actually trying and applying for jobs.

I was wondering the same? I never state im a single mum in my CV/cover letter.

Stick at it..im sure you will get the right job for you soon