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Original poster

Job Hunting Support Thread

227 replies

lljkk · 22/01/2013 09:48

For everyone seeking work who wants to share, have a natter, is in need of advice, or even just after a bit of sympathy.

I actually have some paid work this week, filling in for lunchtime supervision up at the primary school. But it's not exactly my long term ambition.

Everyone welcome, Please sign in and share what your job hunting targets & plans are this week :).

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belindarose · 22/01/2013 09:52

I'm tentatively beginning to think about it! DS is 6 mo and I'm not ready to leave him yet, but if the ideal opportunity arose I would go for it. I haven't worked much since DD was born 3.5 years ago. We moved then so I didn't have my own job to return to. Have done some part time bits and pieces before DS.

Maternity allowance is finishing so need to sort out job seekers allowance now. I guess that's this week's plan.

What field are you looking at? I'm special education. Hoping in not too out of date.

Original poster
lljkk · 22/01/2013 10:05

I've been out of my old profession 8.5 years (not counting the 6-18 unpaid months I spent finishing up papers for publication), I'm looking at starting from the bottom in a related field. Training may indeed be required (argh).

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pinkje · 22/01/2013 12:11

I'll join you please. I'm thinking about applying for a job for the first time in 15 years. I have had children and lived overseas so I hope my non-working gap of 12 years won't appear too ridiculous. It is an online application too so I hope my broadband doesn't let me down.

bee169 · 22/01/2013 13:45

Belinda, could you PM me if you are in London? I am looking for someone to do work with my son ASD. As soon as I get some work myself we will be looking to get someone experienced to support him on a saturday morning/afternoon and do work with him.

Let me know

Snowydrift · 22/01/2013 14:08

I've been looking for 2.5 years now and finally got offered a job only to have to turn it down because I was pregnant with DC2 (they wanted someone to cover for a maternity break starting the month she was due). I've never had a "proper" job - had DC1 just after finishing uni, then went on a 9 month work experience placement and then had DC2. They're both happy(ish) at crèche now but I have no job to pay for it! Rejections are you have no experience/you are too qualified/you should be at home with the children Hmm / we only want full-time employees/your application was excellent, but we found someone better.
I want to go into a related but different field to my degree but just finding any job seems impossible.

Original poster
lljkk · 22/01/2013 14:37

How old is your youngest now Snowy? Could you do any volunteer work just to get a recent reference, something to put on your CV.

I decided to try to fill in the apparent gaps on my CV with volunteer jobs I've done, but then realised there wasn't much in last 3 years.

I saw an ad for a customer researcher, with special duties of being an advocate for IT throughout the organisation, for a housing trust about 17 miles away I can do the research, but would be rubbish at trying to persuade everyone else to love IT solutions. Still, it gave me an idea to volunteer for a nearby housing trust. If they don't already have a data analyst I'd like to be one for them, even if it's voluntary to start. so my current plan is that in absence of anything better, I can try to pick up that volunteer experience to put down on the CV.

Someone suggested gumtree but all the jobs I see there are the worst kind of work-from-home low pay sales jobs. I have toyed with contacting a temp agency, but I don't have guaranteed childcare, not so sure.

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Snowydrift · 22/01/2013 16:26

Youngest is now 10 months. I've no real voluntary work experience and in my field it doesn't really exist! I do run a Playgroup, but that's not really relevant to the industry.

I'm sending off spontaneous applications now, but it all seems too fake. What do you give as a reason for applying to the firm when in actual fact you are only applying on the off chance they might have something and mainly because its just down the road so would be convenient? All the "I'd like to be part of such an innovative company". bla bla seems ridiculous when written down.

I agree about those type of work from home jobs...the whole reason I want a job is to get out of the home. Plus which with the two of them, work at home would be a joke!

LillethTheCat · 22/01/2013 16:41

Oooh can I join as I am currently out of work, but trying to get back into work.

I had a good job, but in 2008 I was made redundant. I decided to take some time out with my family (I had 3YO DS and 6MO DD1). I did have a few temp jobs, but after my last one I found I was pregnant with DD2. When she was 4 weeks we decided to move.

So now DD2 is 16 months old and we have been living in our new area for 10 months. I have applied for jobs, but like above I have always been told that there was someone with more recent experience or had better qualifications. Ive always impressed at interviews, there just has been one person who has been better than me.

I went to a job fair back in August and was speaking to a woman from the council about adult learning, so now I am doing 3 courses. 2 of which I know, but I figure that it will give me recent 'experience' I am lacking and it will improve my CV. The other course is something Ive always wanted to do, but didn't think Id be able to (as its £700 for the course I didn't think they did funding for that type of course and there was no way Id be able to afford it).

Im hoping that these 3 courses will show any possible employers that I want to improve my situation and not just sitting around doing nothing. I keep looking out for work and have applied to a few jobs, but getting nowhere.

One of my courses includes work experience for 6 months or so, so Im hoping that will also give me recent experience and may give me a reference as well. Though I am a bit worried that I will get treated like a teenager. I know what I am doing as I have done it before, just not since 2008.

I am trying to get back in the office BTW esp in Accounts type of role.

Original poster
lljkk · 22/01/2013 16:42

Lileth who is funding your adult learning courses?

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LillethTheCat · 22/01/2013 16:44

Im not sure to be honest lljkk They are through the council so I assume the government. I feel bad saying that, but I think that by doing this I am more likely to get a job so can start paying my taxes again and give something back.

Original poster
lljkk · 22/01/2013 16:52

Oh if you can get course fee paid, then do! It's better than us claiming JSA forever. I was told that funded adult learning courses aren't available to people who already have ni degrees, though, even if the degrees were obtained abroad with no British funding.

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LillethTheCat · 22/01/2013 17:18

What does ni stand for?

Original poster
lljkk · 22/01/2013 17:44

Sorry, typo, that was supposed to be Uni as in University. (I'll use my cold hands as excuse)

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belindarose · 22/01/2013 17:46

Bee - thanks but I'm not near London.

I've got my first job seeking difficulty. I've seen a job I'd like to apply for. But how on earth do I organise child care around a potential (more like unlikely really) job? I'll need a part time nanny this time. When I did pt work after DC1 was born, she went to a childminder for 2 days. This time, she will need taking to and fetching from preschool (in a different village) and there's the baby too.

I know a nanny seeking work who I think would fit in well and childcare.co .uk has a few other local ones to try. But it's all so tentative, I don't know where to start (so will probably just procrastinate...).

searching4serenity · 22/01/2013 17:49

Please can I join your group? Could do with the inspiration...

Returning to work after 18 months of relocating to a different area.

I also find the convenience aspect of a potential company to be key... And would feel insincere saying otherwise! But ppl expect that surely?

Original poster
lljkk · 22/01/2013 17:56

Belinda I wonder if you what you do is talk to the possible Nannies you know and ask if they are currently or in near future likely to be available in the way you might need. Ask them directly about costs and transport needs. It's a 5 minute conversation for them to make a good impression on you, if not for this job than for another that could do for you in future.

I guess there's tiny chance you could get the job and not find anyone to mind your child. It would be very annoying but not end of the world if you had to turn the job down after all (I'd probably lie and make up a different excuse other than childcare difficulties if I had to do that, though).

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LillethTheCat · 22/01/2013 19:20

Just been looking at eligibility for getting funded for adult learning courses. I know they are changing it slightly and instead of it being funded, it is going to be in the form of a student loan and so you would have to pay back once you are earning over a certain amount. But there was no mention about if you already had a degree or not. No-one asked me about that I dont think, just asked about proof of income/benefits.

I know that while I get it free I may as well and it does make sense, but I do feel guilty though.

Snowydrift · 22/01/2013 20:09

Belinda- I second what lljkk said about childcare. You might find they have waiting lists (for the crèche that Dc is in it was a 1 year wait) so it won't hurt that they have you on the list even if you don't accept immediately.

1stMrsFrugal · 23/01/2013 10:08

Hi I'm returning to work after a 4 year break and have twins who will be 4 in A few months. I don't want to go back to what I was doing (and anyway, DH is out of work and struggling to find work in this field as it is affected particularly badly by the recession). Have been applying for a specific type of job that my skills are transferable to, in a different sector.
My ideal would be part time so that I can be at home with the DTs after school, but as DH is out of work I am also looking at F/T. Don't know what we'll do if we both get a job, but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it and at least they will be in school from Sept, so that will help.

Only had a couple of interviews, but I think my applications and interview performance are getting better and better each time and I have a 2nd interview today so I would say it's worth persevering. Also this interview is for a much more senior job than I have previously applied for, so it's not necessarily the case that the career break puts you back a level.

I do feel very rusty though! Giving examples of supervisory experience at the first interview was so hard when I could hardly remember that role of 5 years ago!!

Snowydrift · 23/01/2013 13:36

Hope it goes/is going well! I would have thought 4 year old twins gives enough supervisory experience...

Original poster
lljkk · 23/01/2013 14:19

it's not necessarily the case that the career break puts you back a level

A level?, A level!?

I think in my case I'm all the way back to scratch. Starting from the very very bottom. Not thrilled with that but it is where I am.

Agree it's a long process, first I had to figure out what kind of jobs to target, then I had to figure out how they're advertised. Now I am trying to increasingly tailor my CV and write more and more convincing cover letters. Eventually that will lead to interviews & eventually those will lead to some kind of offer.

I feel encouraged that so many people have been looking so long, at least I know it's not "just me".

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1stMrsFrugal · 23/01/2013 21:10

I got the job!

lljkk I am so sorry to have just joined your thread and now I'm off, but hopefully it's an encouraging sign!

LOL Snowy - and crowd control!

MrsJamin · 24/01/2013 07:07

Can I join? I have been taking a "career break" ever since DS2 arrived nearly 3 years ago but now he's going to be getting his 15 hours free childcare soon, and we are going to buy a new house, it's a good time to step up the jobsearch a bit more. My main issue is that there aren't any part time jobs in what I want to do. I am going to send out my CV to lots of companies I'd consider working for and see what they think - it can't hurt can it? So just brushing off my CV (again!) to be more skills-based.

1stMrsFrugal - well done! That's great news especially as it's for a more senior role.

Snowydrift · 24/01/2013 08:48

Congratulations 1stMrsFrugal!

Original poster
lljkk · 24/01/2013 09:46

Oooh, well done Frugal! I'm only a teeny tiny bit Envy Envy.
You're right, you are good encouragement for rest of us.

Housing Trust doesn't want me to volunteer (boohoo).
I have applied to do office work (voluntary) for HomeStart.
I put a (part-time Office) work wanted Ad on Gumtree this morning.
I found a shelf-stacking job I would do for min. wage BUT it doesn't even cover childcare costs in term time (would be higher in hols, so never mind). Would be fine if the hours were slightly adjusted, argh.

this morning I am going to apply for a "Stroke Data Analyst" job at hospital. Rather a long shot, but I do have lots of bits of relevant background.

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