Job hunting with health issues

[almosthome]

I left my old job last year due to health issues. I'm not going to be completely better in the foreseeable future. I tried to get ESA but I didn't score enough. I feel like I can work 3 days a week from home.

However due to rising bills etc I'm having to look for full time work. I don't feel able to go back to my old career. The problem is going by my CV I am overqualified for the jobs I am applying for, but I don't feel able to do jobs of that calibre anymore.

I also need to be able to work from home - if I'm having to travel I will need time off sick as it takes too much out of me, whereas from home I can make myself comfortable enough to work everyday if I need to.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get a WFH full time job that I will be overqualified for? And how to explain it to potential employers if I do manage to get an interview?

Thank you

This is a tough situation to be in and depends on what WFH jobs you are applying for. Call centre jobs that are 100% WFH are quite common now, but usually pay minimum wage or just above

What they want to know is that you want to do the job you are applying for, not get trained and then immediately set your sights on developing yourself in to a different role or use this one as a stop gap. So be clear on what you want.

Put on your CV that you do not wish to return to your previous career and are keen to 'start again' so to speak, that your priority is a work/life balance and that commuting is something you are looking to remove from your life, therefore only considering WFH opportunities.

I'd find some similar roles advertised with one local agency and make contact with the recruiter there, as they will be able to represent you fairly to the hiring managers. I hire customer service agents and will always need my 'steady stable' people who just want to do their hours, do the job well, and log off. These people are the ones who become my most experienced and dependable, while others come and go around them. You need to show that is who you can become for them.

Also, you say Health but is this because of actual sickness and being unwell, or because of mobility that makes life/commuting tough? I have mobility issues and if they are not managed then I would be very unwell indeed, but I haven't had a sick day in 10 years because I manage them and have adjustments. I always try to draw a distinction between being sick/unwell and being disabled in other ways.

Thank you. Yes it's tricky even more so because I don't feel able to do a customer/public facing role - I have lost all my confidence over the past year and go to bits talking to anyone on the phone. Ideally I'd want an admin / data entry type role that I can just put my head down with. I am just coming out of a particularly bad time with depression and PTSD and also have a long term chronic pain condition which can restrict my mobility.

I have a similar condition currently working on the sofa with a heated blanket. Not helpful I Know, through a friend I got a PT 3 day a week job mainly WFH. I do have to do an odd day at a client or the office and they wipe me out. It’s really hard to say no to travel though in this job and I’m not sure how I am going to do the next two weeks.

I would not be able to work full time I would end up off sick again for weeks probably months. I know I’m never going to get better and I would really prefer to not work. Setting my goal to get to 3 years minimum of working and ideally 5 years before I retire early. Some days are really hard I’m exhausted and in pain.

Did you apply for the esa yourself? Ime you need excellent help with completing the forms. And even then first applications are often rejected but you can appeal - again I would advise with expert help