Getting increasingly more desperate

[whatkindoffreshhellisthis]

about never landing a job again.

This is my first post on mumsnet, but I have been lurking for a while before finally taking the plunge and registering.

I've been unemployed since returning to the UK about 18 months ago. I have applied for everything under the sun (and I tailor my application to each job, including my CV if it needs it) but I am still unemployed. I've had one interview but that was almost a year ago and I am getting increasingly desperate to the point that it is affecting my life. I have registered with employment agencies and pester them but...nothing. I joined a local job club but it was run by a volunteer who had been unemployed for 5 years himself and he admitted that he could probably not do a lot for me when it came to tweaking my resume. I have been to job fairs, armed with business cards and resumes but despite what was advertised, the only jobs on offer were HGV drivers, carers or retail, and none of those fit in the slightest with my CV.

I am well educated (two degrees, one of which is an M.A), speak 2 languages fluently and get by in a third (They're not very commercially exciting, but I am mentioning it because it shows I can learn new skills?). I was a tutor/lecturer before moving abroad but I do not want to go back into teaching. I would prefer to stay in education (in an admin role for instance) but I am flexible. I worked in a very, very busy admin role for the last two years that I was abroad, so I do have some background in that (not to mention all the admin I had to do when I was a teacher)

My friends and family all tell me "something will come along" (but clearly it hasn't in the last 18 months and the longer I'm unemployed, the harder it will be) and everybody seems baffled as to why I am still unemployed, which makes me feel even more of a loser. I have held off doing voluntary work so far, because I have been concentrating on getting a paid job but, would that make a difference? The only voluntary work that seems to be on offer here is working in a charity job, and I'm not sure that would make a difference on my CV.

Why am I posting here? I'm not sure...I just feel so useless and so worthless after so many rejections that I am seriously starting to wonder what the point is anymore.

I have a job but have been looking for something new for about a year now.

I'm not in UK and they are very ageist and racist here. Also many companies don't even have the manners to acknowledge CV's or email to say not chosen for interview.
A British company that I applied to in November did get back to me to say they would be touch with all applicants within a week. Nothing...
When I gently prodded them at Xmas they said they'd had a lot applicants but would get back to me soon. Still nothing.

Applied online to another British company in early January. Laborious application process, two tests then a video interview. Nothing.

A friend of mine married a local so she has a surname that would make the recruiter think she is from here. So she has been getting interviews but so far not successful probably because she is in her 40's and they see clearly at interview that she is British.

Its soul destroying. I have masses of experience and skills but only high school education. Almost every job requires a degree, even admin FFS.

I tailor my CV every time. I don't apply willy nilly but I'm pretty sure most employers want a 20 something, pretty thing who they can pay less rather than an experienced 40 something.

haffdonga thank you for your response, even if it hurt to hear that it is in fact, probably just me and not my age or qualifications.

1. I know about "fake" vacancies and tend to mostly avoid recruiter sites (having been burned in the past). I have - so far - been lucky to find vacancies directly on university/college/council webstes.

1. I would love to apply for more jobs but I only apply for jobs where I match all the criteria and jobs that I feel are realistic prospects. I did - in the beginning - apply for more jobs where I thought "I could do that (like store manager at lidl or something in that vein)" but then realised I needed to be more specific and more precise in my applications.

1. I am looking at lower level/'more entry level jobs exactly for the reasons you have stated. I am looking for a general admin role. Because i moved back from abroad (and because i have been unemployed for so long) all my money went on that and I have no extra cash to do courses which sucks because it does look rubbish on my cv (a gap of nearly 18 months, I mean). I fear (and really, I know) that it is exactly like you said. Because I have been unemployed for so long, why would an employer pick me rather than someone who was working in a similar job last week. It is a dreadful vicious circle that I have been running around in for a while.

1. I make sure that the skills the job spec lists are at the top of my cv (my education is listed absoluty last), and they are followed by my work experience which starts with achievements in the roles (so yes, the "added value bit :) ) followed by my general duties.

Thank you very much for your elaborate post, I really appreciate you took the time to write such a comprehensive reply that late in the evening :) I am really sorry if I sound negative with "yes, I do that, yes I have thought of that" etc but it is genuinely what I do.

dimots I agree. With everything you have said :) I am also no longer fussy about pay, I have also worked in different roles which really don't lend itself to consultancy (but thank you for replying and offering up suggestions aloacalypse, I really appreciate everybody's two cents :). I don't have the child care issue you have

iwastherebeforethehack thank you for your reply. I have started looking at volunteering work but in my case, it will be to fill the gap on my cv rather than volunteering in a field I want to work in but I have got to the point where I am OK with that.

effendi it is frustrating when you don't hear anything. Here it really depends on where you apply, I find. All the uni/college jobs I applied for seem to have a system where they will send out an email f you haven't been succesful but commercial companies have not been that good.

I agree, it is soul destroying. I am willing to work (and I work hard, I don't go home before things are finished and have always worked extra hours), I am flexible about the job, I am willing to learn, I thought I had lots of transferable skills etc etc but nada....

Can I also just give everybody who has replied a big thank you. You have all been really kind and I appreciate that. It's been a couple of tough months and with my confidence quite low, the fact that so many want to offer their help and suggestions has been bolstering.

Because I've had so many rejections, I am now almost scared to apply for things again, does that make sense? I found a vacancy for my absolute dream job last week and phoned the contact person for the role for some more information. It sounded just as good as I hoped. It is a trainee position for a role I had an interview for (not at the same uni though) and I would sell my mother for that opportunity. The closing date is now about a week away and I still have not completed my application. I started it, filled out all the standard bits but the personal statement (where you have to say why you feel you match the job description) is still blank. I need to get it done but my self-doubt is getting in the way a bit. I know it sounds really whiney and pathetic and trust me, I annoy the crap out of myself at this point, but I can't seem to shake myself out of it.

Ok sounds like things are tough- some thoughts which you might not have considered- best way to get a job is through people who know you. Have a look st what colour is your parachute and its website.job shadow.
Network- who knows you? Are you on LinkedIn? Lots of recruiters use this exclusively to search for candidates. Do you belong to any networking groups? Offer to volunteer in a school to help with admin etc. Good experience. Or libraries. Do on line courses for free- Google do loads on line. Groupon do very cheap excel etc. Future learn. Moocs. Recruiters smell desperation.
Good luck.

Have pm'd

I only apply for jobs where I match all the criteria and jobs that I feel are realistic prospects.

Are you sure you are not being too self-effacing? Women are much more guilty of it than men. I know it's tough but keep faith and confidence in yourself. What's wrong with a few brazen applications.

Also be aware of national job patterns. Admin jobs are predicted to drop considerably as technology makes people more self sufficient, so it will be a much more competitive job market in the future. I'll dig out a link and send it to you about which sectors/roles are growing and shrinking.

I feel your pain op. I have been looking for work now for four years and seriously looking for three. I had four interviews last year, on two of them I had no feedback, and the others I had positive feedback but Just that a better candidate had been. Employed.

In my case I have the added complication that I am visually impaired so the types of jobs I can apply for are limited e.g I can't go and work in a bar or stack shelves for instance (yes, I am that desperate).

I am applying for admin/customer adviser type roles. I am also heading down the route of self employment, am a qualified life coach and heading down the route of workshops/public speaking etc.

A friend of mine who is in the same position actually had a job offer withdrawn after six months because their technology couldn't be made accessible, so there is that added complication.

The problem is that we are currently living in an employers market. I have read that in the area I live most jobs have an average of between 200/300 applicants for each position. That means on average a 0.3% of getting the job and probably between 1-2% of even getting an interview. Even the voluntary sector has become more difficult to penetrate, and applying for voluntary roles is now pretty much the same as applying for paid roles, not least because people are advised to volunteer as a way back into work, and the organisations requiring volunteers have taken a bit of a dim view to this approach so want to ensure they aren't just getting someone who is going to turn up to ensure they can put a name on a CV iyswim.

For those who say that people should apply for jobs even when they don't meet all the criteria, the reality of this is far likely more rejection. If an employer has 300 applicants for a position then they are likely to find enough interview candidates who meet the essential criteria and the rest won't even get a look. And given most applications are forms and not CV's it's almost impossible to stand out above the rest esp if you don't meet the essential criteria. So while I agree that if you don't apply you won't have a chance, I also think that in a market where every job is saturated with applicants, applying for positions where you don't meet the criteria becomes a bit of a box ticking exercise where you can state that you've applied for x jobs even though the chances are you wouldn't have got interviews for some on the basis you didn't meet the spec.

In my case I am unable to apply for temporary positions because I won't get help from access to work wrt accessibility adjustments.

It is soul destroying, and yes, I know that there are people out there who feel that I am not actually trying to find work at all. If only. .

thesandwich I have networked (within my own network ) as much as I can but it is made more difficult because I did not return to my previous city when I came back, and the few contacts I did have are there. Joining a network group is a good idea and I will see if there are any locally. I suppose that hasn't struck me yet because I have very little to offer to networking groups (as in, I don't have my own network yet :) I was on linkedin but deleted my profile because I felt too exposed and I wasn't getting many hits. I think the fact that I have been abroad might have something to do with that. I didn't know about google courses, so I will explore those! Thank you for the heads up on that. And thank you for your pm, I pmd you back :)

choughed Lol, I have to admit, I may not be the best at selling myself but I don't undervalue myself either...I think :) But I know what you mean :) And yes, I know admin is very competitive but I think that is my only way in at the moment. I know I can do project coordinator roles etc but because I haven't worked in a long time, I need to lower my expectations. So, I will be perfectly happy to start in an admin position to see where it leads. If it leads to growth, great, if not, I am happy just to have a job. If that makes sense?

wannabe oh, I am so sorry to hear about your struggles :( It is so demotivating, especially when you know that you would be a great hire. Your added complication shouldn't be a complication in this day and age but unfortunately businesses are not all as well equipped as they should be when it comes to dealing with adjustments to the workplace. I am excited for you that self employment might be an option though! I hope that will work out for you. I agree with you re: meeting all the criteria. Because the market is so competitive, employers can afford to be picky and suddenly can also make decisions based on the "desirable" criteria as well. There are simply that many applicants I think. I tried finding the statistics for my area but haven't managed yet. That said, the job I interviewed for (which was not an entry job and quite advanced) had 130 applicants, so that tells you something I suppose. I also feel that people are getting a bit exasperated with me (that's probably purely in my head but still) because it is a scary idea that someone who is well educated, has work experience and applies for jobs exactly the way that's recommended, is still out of work. I think the term is "blaming the victim".

Ironically you might find it harder to get a lower level job. And if being on LinkedIn makes you feel exposed it's possible that you also struggle to be confident and slightly bolshy F2F, which is what you need when you are job hunting.

Get back on LinkedIn, and get back onto any temping agencies with a forthright attitude - you really want to work, what can they offer you?

I would certainly recommend temping. Although I haven't done it for years, I am sure there is still a need.

On the two occassions in my life that I ended up temping, I was offered jobs at almost every place I worked, met my DH and eventually got a permanent job that lasted for years.

It gets you back into the jobs market, enables you to meet people etc.

Also, apply for jobs where you only meet half the criteria.

I think it is harder to get a lower level job than people think. The interviews I have obtained have rarely been from lower level applications. Thinking about it - there are many, many people qualified to do lower level jobs - they will attract hundreds of applicants, mostly with experience that exactly fits the role - why would an employer overlook these in favour of someone who they suspect may only be using the job as a stepping stone? Roles at a level with your qualifications and even slightly higher will attract fewer applicants, so you will have a greater chance of your application being taken seriously and read properly.