How do you keep morale up when job-hunting?

[christinarossetti19]

I'm finding it quite demoralising.

Sending applications and not even receiving an autoreply acknowledgement.

Preparing for interviews and just not hearing afterwards.

Not being able to apply for jobs/get interview because I haven't got enough experience in X.

Not getting jobs because I'm over-qualified.

I'm studying a post graduate course, seeing my friends outside, exercising etc etc but have this weird feeling that I'm somehow living outside of life.

I find myself look at people with jobs, even if I speak to someone on the phone, and feeling wonder that they've got this seemingly elusive thing!

I've been self-employed for a long time, which I don't think it a particularly desirable attribute for employers, but I can't do anything about that.

How do others keep their pecker up?

I wish I could tell you. I got made redundant earlier this year and have never had it so tough. I used to think I was good at interviews..... since March I've had over 20 interviews and only one offer for a four month contract which I didn't really want but am taking out of hobson's choice.

It's been one of the most soul destroying experiences of my life and I've had to go on anti depressants.

I think the only way not to go insane is to realise that it's exceptionally tough at the moment due to the pandemic and it's not you. I mean job hunting is tough at the best of times but not usually like it is right now with a massive glut of candidates (in my field anyway)

And realise that nothing is forever - things will change - it won't always be like this.

I'm exactly the same and I really don't know, i've got an invite for another interview next week and I've already got it in my head I won't get it.
If I don't get it i'll be going back on anti-depressants, I'm at home with my 1 year old and I'm in such a state from the whole process i'm struggling to look after her now. It's hard.

Hi JorisBohnson2,

I think we've commiserated before - I remember your thread when you got the four month contract.

Wheresmrpenguin yep, I know what you mean. I had an interview yesterday. They really liked my presentation, the interview itself went well, I had good answers to all the questions. But.... I'm bracing myself for another rejection. I'll hear middle of next week apparently.

I haven't got any other interviews in the pipeline, although have sent off quite a few application forms.

It's grim. I do feel better when I know that I've done all I can eg prepare for interview.

What sort of work is it that you're looking for Wheresmrpenguin?

(waves at @christinarossetti19) - hope things will improve for you soon. The four month contract starts tomorrow so at least it will break the period of unemployment, longest ever in my life! And it won't be too long before I can start looking again for something more suitable.

I'm sure there will be something out there that comes to fruition for you soon.

Good luck for tomorrow, and you can still keep your eye open for other openings before you start to apply again.

Goodness, I hope so. I've applied for 3 jobs in the sector that I've worked in for 25 years, one a part-time maternity cover. I took ages over the applications, taking each point of the person spec and giving examples of how I had fulfilled it in my work and addressing all of the job description.

So far, no interviews even.

I'm actually open to changing sectors (sad, as I'd love to stay in it) but am somewhat lacking in experience in anything else.

It's a massively growing sector as well, with a lot newly self-appointed experts who seem to be getting on much better than me.

I had a careers consultation with the uni that I'm doing my MSc with last week. The guy kept telling me that I had 'loads of transferable skills' although every avenue that he suggested I had already explored.

Grim times. I have been on antidepressants for years, and this is really testing the few reserves I have left I must say.

I've found employers are incredibly rigid over what they want in this tight market. In my field there are loads of jobs coming up now but that doesn't really mean anything when there are also loads and loads of candidates.... I am getting the interviews but then not further.

I do wonder if being out of work has made a difference as quite apart from the massive gap on my CV all my examples are rusty and whilst true once upon a time I feel like I am blagging seeing as some were 5 or 6 years ago! Also, a bit like going on the pull when you are desperate, I am beginning to think maybe they can sense it and so the vicious circle tightens even more.

Hoping things improve for us both... it's brutal out there in a way I never thought possible before.

It's really hard at the moment. I've applied for hundreds of jobs the past month and I've only had one interview of which I never heard back from.
I've also been self employed for the last 5 years and I think it's going against me but I'm going to keep applying. I have noticed though that a lot of the jobs you need experience which means I can't apply for them.

I don't think a few months is a 'massive gap' on your CV JorisBohnson2 tbh. It's really not and so many people have experienced redundancy that it's not out of the norm at all.

At the moment, I would be happy with just getting some more interviews. Thus far, I've had interviews for all the roles that I've clearly met the person spec for, but even that seems to be changing.

It feels extremely demoralising to know that I've demonstrated that I've met the person spec and job description, and even that's not enough to secure an interview because.... well, I don't know, but it would be nice to!

It's grim isn't it Iseeyoulookingatme?

Yes, I hear you re: self-employment. This hasn't been solitary - my work by its nature involves working with lots of different organisations and people which I've addressed explicitly in my application. It's also given me lots of examples to use for competency based questions including soft ones like 'difficult situations', 'dealing with conflict', 'mistake that you've made', 'what you're proud of', 'managing competing demands' etc that are exactly the types of things that occur within organisations. I have very legitimate reasons for wanting to move into an employed role now, which I explain in my supporting statement.

I can't do any more than that.

I hear you. I've been trying to move into a field related to what I do now, but not exactly the same. I've not had one single interview, while people I've worked with who have similar experience to me are getting these jobs. I don't know how they're doing it and what's wrong with me. My performance reviews at my current job are really good and I think I'm well regarded, so surely I can't be coming across that badly in applications. It's really demoralising.

AngelDelight28 if you're currently employed, is there an Employee Assistance Programme or the like which you could access careers advice through?

I did this through the uni that I'm doing my MSc with. It was helpful, although I vacillate between thinking 'okay, I'm doing everything that I can' and 'then why the fuck can't I get a job?'

I'm a hiring manager, we receive in excess of 1000 applicants per job.

We can only invite 10 of these to an interview, so inevitably hundreds of good candidates slip through the net.

So even if you're not getting interviews, you're not necessarily doing anything wrong.

How does this compare to pre pandemic @NannyAndJohn?

I used to think I was good at interviews and after 3 or 4 I'd get an offer but those days are long gone now it feels..

What sector do you work in NannyAndJohn?

I ask because I'm not applying to large companies.

One of the roles didn't interview anyone after their first advertisement - they readvertised immediately after the closing date.

I hadn't applied first time round as I thought they'd get loads of ideal applicants and my skill set is more 'transferable skills' rather than 'I've done exactly this role before'.

So it's unlikely they received in excess of 1000 applicants after having none who were suitable to interview the first time round.

I'm sure that is the case in large companies though.

I have heard from recruiters that employers are being extra fussy at the moment.

For example I got to final stage for a senior role with one other candidate and neither of us were taken on. They had the pick of the market! Recruiter said it can have the opposite effect to what you'd think as they hold out for the perfect person.

@christinarossetti19

Hi JorisBohnson2,

I think we've commiserated before - I remember your thread when you got the four month contract.

Wheresmrpenguin yep, I know what you mean. I had an interview yesterday. They really liked my presentation, the interview itself went well, I had good answers to all the questions. But.... I'm bracing myself for another rejection. I'll hear middle of next week apparently.

I haven't got any other interviews in the pipeline, although have sent off quite a few application forms.

It's grim. I do feel better when I know that I've done all I can eg prepare for interview.

What sort of work is it that you're looking for Wheresmrpenguin?

It's so hard, but well done though if they liked your presentation and you felt it went well, at least you didn't leave thinking you'd failed it. I've got my fingers crossed for you.

I've come from a banking/customer service/audit background but looking for anything admin, admin assistance, receptionist, data entry.
Reading your other comments, i'm the same that i'm applying for low paying jobs that i've got very transferable skills and in most cases well over experienced for, but not done the exact job before and i'm getting rejected for. I've not even bothered applying for ones that would be same level or a step up because they're being so fussy.

Thank you Wheresmrpenguin.

It must be hard feeling so preoccupied with this with a little one to look after.

@JorisBohnson2

How does this compare to pre pandemic *@NannyAndJohn*?

I used to think I was good at interviews and after 3 or 4 I'd get an offer but those days are long gone now it feels..

A similar number of applicants, actually, probably slightly more now than before. But we got so many of them in the first place that we weren't expecting too much of a rise.

The main difference is that we used to invite around 50 to an applicant day consisting of a group exercise and brief initial interviews, before whittling it down to 10 to interview fully. As we haven't been able to hold the applicant days we've been going straight to the 10 full interviews, meaning that the unlucky 40 who would have had a chance now get straight rejections.

@christinarossetti19

What sector do you work in NannyAndJohn?

I ask because I'm not applying to large companies.

One of the roles didn't interview anyone after their first advertisement - they readvertised immediately after the closing date.

I hadn't applied first time round as I thought they'd get loads of ideal applicants and my skill set is more 'transferable skills' rather than 'I've done exactly this role before'.

So it's unlikely they received in excess of 1000 applicants after having none who were suitable to interview the first time round.

I'm sure that is the case in large companies though.

Financial services, medium sized company. Well known in the field but maybe not as much to those outside it.

Weird. Maybe they just extended the application deadline?

Why would they do that if they had some applicants they wanted to interview?

Smallish charity.

Don't take it personally as it is often not about you at all but about the fit.

I've worked in HR and I've had managers reject perfectly good candidates for reasons like they've wanted someone who looks like they'll come to the pub after work. Another woman only employed 'Kate Middleton types' for her PA so all other women however good were never considered if they didn't fit that mould. A friend of mine who is 60 was being told by everyone, including her family, that she'd never work again after she was made redundant but kept at it and lucked out: She now works in an accounts dept for a charity, in an office what is predominantly staffed with other 50 & 60 year old women.

Sadly there is still a lot of unconscious bias out there so it's not just about your qualifications and experience but about whether you'll be the right fit for whatever the existing team is, unless the particular manager that is recruiting is really liberal and open minded.

Don't lose hope and keep applying.

@Charlize43

Don't take it personally as it is often not about you at all but about the fit.

I've worked in HR and I've had managers reject perfectly good candidates for reasons like they've wanted someone who looks like they'll come to the pub after work. Another woman only employed 'Kate Middleton types' for her PA so all other women however good were never considered if they didn't fit that mould. A friend of mine who is 60 was being told by everyone, including her family, that she'd never work again after she was made redundant but kept at it and lucked out: She now works in an accounts dept for a charity, in an office what is predominantly staffed with other 50 & 60 year old women.

Sadly there is still a lot of unconscious bias out there so it's not just about your qualifications and experience but about whether you'll be the right fit for whatever the existing team is, unless the particular manager that is recruiting is really liberal and open minded.

Don't lose hope and keep applying.

Thanks for your comments @Charlize43 but I can never get my head around what 'fit' actually means.... is it a sort of click or chemistry you get, or just that the candidate reminds the hiring manager if someone they've worked well with before?

I've had interviews where I'm sure I've clicked well with the hiring manager and not got the job, and others where the reverse is true and I have.

I also wonder if they can begin to sense desperation when you're unemployed running out of money and on interview #23 with 22 rejections behind you.. certainly I felt I got more nervous/tongue tied and overall a massive dip in confidence after about the first 10 'no's'

I do get the 'it's not about you' line, but it sort of doesn't help however much I say it to myself

It is me that has to process multiple rejections, which I know because of my history is difficult for me. I can't just wish away the experiences that I have had (unfortunately).

Part of what is getting me down so much is that I know this process is dreadful for my mental health and want to stop doing it.

But I can't, because I need to find a job.

I do want to 'keep applying' but there's so little that I can apply for.

I can't even get an interview in the sector that I've worked in for 25 years, and am lacking in experience in anything else. I'm completely open to anything that I've got the experience for and where they'll have me, so I spend hours and hours ploughing through job sites as I can't do a keyword search, other than location.

It would help if I could think 'oh, well, at least I've got another interview coming up' instead of this awful process of sending off applications and hearing nothing.

Are you in a particularly niche field @christinarossetti19?