Help needed with admin job for DP

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To cut a long story short, DP hates his job and is paid very little as an admin manager in a well known retail store.

He's worked there for over 10 years (first job) and worked his way up but just doesn't enjoy it and can't see a way out. Worth pointing out he does have a degree but it's in management - so not very vocational.

He's polite, well spoken (although a little shy) and a very hard worker.

He applies for lots of jobs but never gets an interview and his confidence is shot.

Any advice?

Someone to look at his CV? Does he sell himself well in applications?

I have had a look and so have some senior managers at my workplace. I'm not sure about applications, I'm a copywriter by trade and always have a look when he's done them to help make sure he's answered the questions effectively but it's not a role I'm familiar with so can be quite hard to know if it would sound good to prospective employers IYSWIM? Wondering if a recruitment agency could help possibly?

I nearly always get an interview, but I do cringe at how I sell myself on my CV

It's not my field at all, I work in health, but I would have a look if you wanted a fresh pair of eyes on it? I can usually string a sentence together quite well and I am terminally nosy.

That might be an option - better check with him first though

I'm wondering if a career change would be better for him? He hates retail and I think he would be happier in an office or doing something more worthwhile.

Problem is he has little confidence now and doesn't know what he wants to do/ is able to do.

Another option is to think about whether he is making the most of his current role, does he access training opportunities secondments etc that would both be interesting for him and give him transferable skills for a new job.

Can he say what he is especially good at and what he is working on improving. Does he enjoy coaching / mentoring new staff or developing new initiatives or is he plodding along in a dull job and can't see the positives because he's fed up.

I found, Why You? CV Messages to Win Jobs by John Lees very helpful - it makes you look at what you're trying to achieve with your CV, such as promotion in same field, change to a different field, returning to work after time out and so on. It acknowledges (unlike some other CV guides) that there's not one perfect way to write a CV, and there are lots of ideas about how to focus on the things you want in your next job.

If your DP is thinking about changing careers, then he needs to spend time thinking about things like:

• What does he enjoy in the current role? (Planning, dealing with people, whatever else.)
• Which things does he find easy? Is it because they really are easy, or because he's good at them?
• What does he really hate about it?
• Which things does he find hard? Do others find it hard, or is it showing him it's something he should probably move away from?
• What skills does he have, particularly transferable ones? This can be hard to do if you've lost confidence and self-belief, but if he's in admin, he's bound to have transferable skills in time management, organisation, planning, dealing with people, communication, maybe some financial stuff... all things which can be used in loads of other jobs.
• What does he want to do more of/learn more about? Are there gaps in his knowledge or skills base he can fill in his current role, with training, job shadowing, just talking to someone who knows about whatever it is?

He should end up with some sort of list of things he's good at and enjoys, and maybe a few he absolutely doesn't want to have much involvement with, and probably a load in the middle he's fine with, but it's not a major thing. That should all start giving a clearer idea of the sort of things he wants from a job, and once that picture is emerging, that's when to start finding out which sort of roles/industries would fit that profile.

Sorry all have been offline for a day or two - but wow, thank you so much for your advice. Am going to have a sit down chat with him tomorrow hopefully and see what we can come up with. Will keep you posted!