Support thread for job hunters...anyone else losing their mind?!

[Wiggle975]

As the title says, is anyone else worn out, and starting to lose their mind through job applications and interviews?

I am exhausted and starting to get very fed up with it all. The wasting of time.

It's only a 6 month contract, but it's a better rate than my last one and there's the opportunity for further extensions.

It has made me stop and think about what I want to do long term though. I don't feel like I can make any plans or spend significant amounts when I know I could have another period out of work. Up until this point, it never really worried me as I've had a decade or so of having no issues finding work.

Hope this is the start of an upturn for everyone

I know exactly what you mean Comet. I never had more than 1-2 months before contracts previously and they were a good way of gaining a broad base of experience. Now I'm a bit wary of contracting both from having not great experiences in my last two and the fear of a gap in between. I'm trying to take time to get the right job this time even if it means a bit of a wait.... but I can't do that every time.

I was shocked how hard I found it to find a job a few years ago. I thought it was because I'd been self-employed for a long time. It may well have been a factor - the job I finally got no-one else applied for.

I thought it would be easier to get a job once I'd been in one for a couple of years. Unfortunately, it appears not, as I haven't even managed to get to the interview stage for most of the roles I've applied for this year.

Really depressing. I'm doing exactly the same thing ie demonstrating how my experience matches the JD and PC but something's not working. A couple I can see were longish shots but several others were basically the role I'm doing in a bigger organisation, so not sure what else I could have done to get an interview.

There's the possibility that they weren't 'real' vacancies, I guess. I followed up a few organisations that I'd been unsuccessful with first time around, and the positions had been filled by an internal applicant. The organisation I work for is very small so no chance of that for me!

Still waiting to hear about an application that the deadline is Sunday and have another one to get in.

I think it is tough for everyone at the current time excepting those lucky people with rare but in demand skill sets. I think there are a fuckton of people looking and not that many vacancies - in such circumstances you can be doing everything right and this would have netted you a job by now in a different market, but the sheer weight of numbers means that employers can be extremely fussy and use any old thing as a reason to narrow down the candidate pool.

What i have seen though is employers being really fussy to the point of not taking anyone on. I applied for a fixed term contract I believed I had the right experience for but got rejected after interview - yet they are still on the hunt six weeks later and I can't believe a more suitable candidate hasn't already been seen. Another role I applied for the salary was well below par (but I would have taken it for the experience) and the recruiter said she was struggling to find candidates to put forward - she eventually found 3 and the employer rejected two (including myself) without even a teams interview/initial chat! Bonkers!

I have two interviews next week now so at least a bit of movement for me. I've been looking since June and only one interview so far before these.

Yes, I think online applications increases the number of people who apply, as it's so easy compared to having to write something and put it in the post. There are lots of younger people in my field who obviously don't have the same experience, but employers don't seem to mind that.

I've been looking since January, and only two interviews. I don't feel as battered as a few years ago when I had lots of interviews and lots of rejections, but that's probably also because at least I have a job at the moment.

Best of luck for your interviews next week.

I had a similar experience 3 years ago when I was out of work and the market was a bit crazy post pandemic... lots of interviews loads of rejections, think 20 over a 3 month period. Nit sure which is worse, that or a quiet market. Eventually I took a lower role than I wanted on a ftc, just to have something.

Can I join please :) I've been looking for a couple of months now and its really getting me down. No interviews - I understand it's a tough market but no interviews?! I've reached out to a contact to review my CV in case there is something obvious that I'm missing.

It's tough. Do you mind me asking how old you are QueenBakingBee? I'm mid-50s and my experience is completely different to my colleagues in their 20s and 30s, who seem to get interviews and move jobs very, very easily.

I'm early 40s. My skills set is in high demand but my main fear is I'm typecast due to the industry I work in currently. I really hope it's not down to my age or that yours isn't either! Totally agree it's tough right now.

Are you trying to get into a different industry?

I'm trying to get a fairly similar role to the one I have now in a bigger organisation so that I can hopefully stay put for a while with some way of developing one set of skills and not so much the others.

It's not all age - I haven't got interviews for blindly recruited roles, but I can see a big difference in experience between me and my younger colleagues (who are also a lot louder and more confident than me, so probably also a factor).

Are you trying to get into a different industry? - Not necessarily but I'm open

It's getting past the first stage that seems to be tricky - I like interviews (I know I'm strange) but I'm not getting them

I feel your pain. Three years ago I had no problem getting interviews, it was securing the role that I couldn't do until I found a job that no-one else had applied for.

Very different for me this time round. Less big ups and downs but more growing feeling of dread of getting older so even less interesting to employers.

I too am afraid of age discrimination. I'm late 40s, but have taken anything that could date me off my CV, only put the last 10 years work experience and 'qualifications on request '

It's still bloody tough out there! So I'm beginning to think this is the case for everyone.

totally agree about the 10 years experience bit, but honestly, if the recruiter is going to judge you by your age (worked out through calculations of when you achieved your quals) honestly I wouldn't want to work for them! Put those back on - you no doubt worked hard to get them, why be ashamed!

If it helps I added various training courses I'd completed as part of my work on my CV - this included professional groups I am involved in so it makes this section more 'current' if that makes sense.

I've got an interview!!!! Also received 2 rejections for other roles with near identical requirements - its such a subjective process shortlisting.

Finding the brain space for prepping for interview is now on the to do list. How's everyone else getting on?

Found out yesterday that I have a second interview on Monday. Then this morning I got an invite for a first interview next week I have to do a mock pitch at that one. Eek!!! I go on holiday 3 hours after the interview! It's all go!

Rejection from a 'long shot' role. Still waiting to hear from three that I easily fulfil all the criteria for, spent ages writing covering letter etc.

I'd be grateful for one interview after a string of rejections.

I have my professional qualification on just not dated, so it just says 'chartered member of X level Y' on my cv.

No shame here but if they have no possibility reason to discriminate based on age I can't worry about it.

You'd think age/ experience would be a GOOD thing, not something to hide. Strange world...

Didn't get through to the second stage of the interview I had on Tuesday, despite me thinking it went really well. They said I had good experience but would not be a 'culture fit' as I have worked in different environments. Recruiter said to try and tailor my examples to thd culture of the company I'm interviewing for in future but that's difficult as a) its hard to know that in advance and b) I don't have loads of examples to rely on anyway.

Ah well. I have a second stager on Wednesday for the interview I thought went terribly. I can't be very good at predicting which I'll get through as I would easily have thought I'd get a second stage for the other one, yet it's the other way round. So hard to know what they want!

My friend got a job where she'd actually been rejected at application stage but as she knew someone who worked there and got her cv in front of the hiring manager ( who wasn't the cv screener) she got an interview and then hired so moral of the story is, you could have been the perfect candidate even if you don't get through screening.

Can anyone recommend a 'how to write the perfect CV' resource?

I tend to rely on the cover letter to get points related to the JD across but am wondering whether I need to include more detail in my CV, which is just under two sides. My thinking was that employers spend a few seconds looking at a CV but will cross reference a personal statement with the JD

I'm full of self-doubt and honestly sick to god writing about what I've done in my working life.

Got rejected on basis of my examples being too basic.

I read situation all wrong as I felt the interview went well. I spent quite a lot of time preparing what I thought were my best, strongest examples to fit the STAR format and job description. I even spent time watching various YouTube videos about interviews and how to structure answers but turns out I was totally way off what was required.

Oh well, there must have been much stronger candidates with much stronger examples. I guess it's a competition and I totally underestimated it and fell short. Will have to pick myself up and try again.

Being rejected is so deflating. I felt I was going out of my comfort zone, I was really nervous just before interview but pushed myself to do it. Just hope if anything, it will give me more experience having gone through this to apply for the next job.

Well done to everyone for trying and good luck with your next application!

I got rejected for having too many skills it seems, that's a new one. Recruiter said, you can do x y and z and they don't need all that. They think you'd be better suited to a different environment.
Of course just because I can do x y and z doesn't mean I have to do it. I can put those aside and just use my other skills , they didn't say I lacked any of the skills required.

Just annoys me that I usually lose out to candidates with more experience, not less.

I'm now trying a quantity over quality approach. I normally put a lot of effort into applications and only apply when I meet 90% of the requirements at least. Now I'm firing off applications left and right, only changing cover letters a little bit to hit the buzz words from their advert. And most importantly, I've started applying for stuff where I don't hit all the requirements. I just work in such a specialised role at the moment that I can't find many roles to apply to if I only go for the ones where I am a perfect match. If anything, it's useful practice.

I attended an info session about a role the other week. Was a good idea to tell prospective candidates about the organisation, team, work flows etc.

The chat was full of questions about 'could I come in to the office just once a quarter?', 'can I have reasonable adjustments to work remotely?', 'how long do you have to consider if you want the job if you're offered it' etc - all HR stuff, hardly anything about the actual role.

There were about 50 prospective candidates on the call and I almost logged off, but staying and realising how uninterested in the actual role most people on the call were did inspire me to apply.

I spent a lot of time writing a personal statement (some of my experience is quite niche and aligns exactly with what this job role requires) but am bracing myself to not even get an interview due to being written off as too old.

Depressing.