HR and Recruitment experts

[dontwantbenefitbutforcedtonoworksuitable]

I have 2 degrees BA international relations and MA human rights

But I am really struggling to get a job other than customer service jobs and recently I also worked at a factory in the evenings which I do not like at all etc

I am trying to apply for a job at a university as an operations assistant manager & now and wondering if I should remove my factory job from CV or leave it on the CV.

Do I delete the factory job or leave it on?

How long were you at the factory job?

If you worked at the factory at the same time as having a day job, I would remove it. I was would suggest looking at civil service jobs and signing up for alerts. I am government recruitment manager and we are always looking for decent people.

Are you applying for jobs that are too high up the ladder?
If you've got no direct experience is it feasible to attempt to go in directly as assistant manager? It certainly isn't in my field as qualifications go hand in hand with relevant experience. Should you be going into a lower entry role?

@Overtheatlantic I was at the factory job for only a few weeks say 6-7 weeks

@FitAt50 I have signed up for the civil service job notification but I did badly at one virtual interview it was very embarrassing- I guess I am not just good at talking to the system. I have removed the factory job from CV. Are all interviews virtual? Because that's really putting me off. I rather speak to someone than have a virtual interview

@hellojelly I apply for everything- I mean, I went to work at the factory but I have only got and had experience working in customer services which I don't like + the income is low

What experience do you have that would make you a good candidate for assistant operations manager role?

The virtual interviews are only for centre roles and are only for the 1st round. Its too filter out people who dont fit in with the 'values'. Majority of roles it a ms teams interview with a panel of 2 or 3 people.

I’ve worked both recruitment and operations management. What is your experience in operations specifically?

If you're trying to scattergun approach but applying for jobs you aren't qualified for then it's bound to be mostly misses. What do you actually want to do? Maybe we can advise a way of getting into it.

@MamaBearsss I haven't worked in that area before but leaning on transferable skills gained from over 3 years in customer service roles of working for the Passport office, NHS, Student Loans Company & some private sector firms..

@FitAt50 🤔they will loose potential good employees to that virtual interview because I believe & know I was a good fit for that particular role (even if I have to say so myself ) I applied for as I had experience in that sector (customer service). But fumbled badly @ virtual interview but know it would be difficult 💯% if it was an interview with real people.

@PaulAnkaTheDoggo I haven't worked in the sector but looking into using transferable skills 🤷🏽‍♀️

@hellojelly, I am applying for everything because no solid job since graduating 4 years ago so, I am on my knees at this point. I was only able to get customer service job almost a year after graduating & I don't like customer service.
Human rights study should open up jobs/careers within the realms of campaigning and communication, research, education, advocacy, activism and law but unfortunately, when I see vacancies for these roles, they are looking for people with experience in the field (which I don't have)😭

I was also having difficulty with my international relations degree too hence I went for Masters. International relations should open up job opportunities in
• Civil Service fast streamer
• Diplomatic service officer
• Government social research officer
• Intelligence analyst
• International aid/development worker
• Policy officer
• Political risk analyst
• Public affairs consultant
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
• Armed Forces operational officer
• Border Force officer
• Broadcast journalist
• External auditor
• Higher education lecturer
• Risk manager
• Solicitor
But all the same because when I do find the jobs in these sectors, they are always looking for someone with experience in the field. The civil service fast stream is extremely hard to get 😭

I guess I am just unlucky so far but I hope & pray for a change soon

My sister said my CV is not looking good and she revamped it but all she did was change the format with the same qualifications and work details. But now I am beginning to wonder if I should engage the service of CV and cover letter writers. Good recommendations would be appreciated.

It may be worth contacting your university careers service for advice and support. I'm sure they are still available for you until after they graduate.

You have a long list of options there. I'd personally look at honing down options to 2-3 max and try to get 'some' short term work experience to get a foot in the door (unpaid if necessary). Are their grad schemes available? You can still apply post graduating even if it's a few years ago.

You also need to approach companies cold without a vacancy and network. Build a Linked In profile and reach out to people to ask for a chat about their career (Squiggly Careers call this a curious career conversation). 80% of jobs aren't advertised remember. Each person you speak to can often advise of an action or someone else that could be helpful to chat to. Also look out for local meet ups in your target career areas. I work in tech/finance, so there are tons.

As mentioned above, look up Squiggly Careers podcast. They have a weekly podcast and you can search by topic. Their book is good too but start with the podcast as they do weekly pod notes with exercises. Has been invaluable at point in my career!

@yoshiblue thanks a bunch, I will check the podcast out. I did reach out to the university career service years ago but I don't know if they will still be willing to assist because I graduated 4 years ago but I will check with them.

Unless you want to apply for a role that requires niche knowledge a Master's is useless. You have also copied and pasted a list of 'potential jobs' off some career website, but those aren't your only options. Many schemes specify any degree. Tech consulting, Big4 firms accountancy, grad schemes for big corporates like Centrica, Tesco, have schemes for all sorts of areas. Barclays has Operations graduate scheme for example.

If you have only come across a video interview one time, then you haven't been applying to these large schemes. Why? What career research have you done? Other than again copy pasting that list.

You need a strategy, it looks like you are applying for random things with no idea of what you want to do or how to market yourself. Just that you want 'a job'. I get that you were unsuccessful for 4 years, not surprised if you did no career research.

Some sectors are easier to get a job in... many things on that list are not. Journalism, communications for example very few grad schemes but say Big4 accountancy take several hundred graduates a year. This is why career research is important. Start looking at what is actually easy to get.

FYI GCHQ is always recruiting, why didn't you apply for them? or for MI5, MI6?

You need to leave the factory job on if it was your only employment otherwise I'd ignore it.

@BeckyBloomwood3 thanks a bunch
I have had a couple of unsuccessful applications at GCHQ + they do have sometimes have restrictions on who can apply.
The graduates schemes by these big companies are extremely competitive but I will keep trying

Thanks

You mention experience over 3 years in quite a few different places...how long have your jobs been? Does it look like you're a job hopper and maybe that's putting recruiters off?

People say that, due to the number of applicants and rounds of interviews. But actually, they're the easiest professional job you will ever get. Because:

a) Rolling basis - if you apply the moment they open and pass all prelims quickly, you'll get through to the final stage.
b) More than one place - at the early stages it's possible for every candidate at an assessment centre to get through (for schemes with a large intake like Big4 not investment banking of course).
c) Formulaic interviews. Interviewers are told what to ask and have a scorecard, all the questions are similar and very very predictable.

compare this to a direct entry job where they only want the 'best' or 'best few' candidates. And you have no idea how the interview could go. They can ask anything they want, go off-piste, etc etc.

The key is to practise and be organised. Use your uni resources for video interview practice, the STAR method, keep your examples etc up to date, get mock interviews.

Unfortunately the 'season' starts in mid-July so you might have missed the boat but some places could still be available in Jan. The other issue is many might only take people 2 years out of uni which discounts you.

Have you tried getting a temp job?

A lot of organisations do want experience these days. I would say look at admin jobs in fields you are interested in. A lot of people start at this level even with degrees and work their way up.
When applying really make sure you are showing how you meet their essential criteria.