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.

Same here, I have not seen any uptick yet,getting depressed and desperate

Depressed and desperate sums it up nicely. I'm in work fortunately, but desperately need to move on. I spend my days checking the sites and my evenings polishing my CV. DH says it is good to have a hobby!

I'm fortunate in that I have savings that will see me through for a while. But life feels like it's on hold as I can't plan anything as don't know what I'll be doing work wise. Also the area I work in moves fast, and there is a risk of not keeping up to speed (I can't afford to pay 10 grand for a software license to keep up to date!).

And I wish there was more transparency on job adverts, not just salary but location/company. Most of the jobs I look at are hybrid remote. I'm ok with a longer commute for only a couple of days a week but I really need to know exact locations to judge whether it's feasible or not, e.g. there's some cities I can get to by train if the business is city centre located but I wouldn't entertain commuting by car.

Yes! I really hope that’s true. How long have you been looking?

Hi All, keep going. It is very hard to do this.

Well I have been looking for 3 months had a couple of nibbles. Got to end stage finalist for one and was told it was very very close and that was after 3 rounds of interviews but didn't get it,

What is it with the length of interviews and applications- I feel like most seem to want your inside leg measured

Op your husband saying it's like a hobby 😂 it feels to me more like going to the dentist daily

What roles do you do, if you don't mind me asking?
A role has become available where I am and it will be remote.
I think you're in IT.

It feels like a form of torture sometimes... I have deliberately taken any offer that's come my way before to just get off the interview treadmill before, to the detriment of my career. But it can be very hard to play the long game when bills need paying and also the emotional wringer of being rejected over and over.

recruiters say 'it's gonna pick up' throughout the year it seems

January - it's gonna pick up after christmas
April - it's gonna pick up as new budgets are set
September - it's gonna pick up as people come back after their holidays

It seems that it never does!

@IDontHateRainbows I am totally with you. One of the roles I have got an interview for is really a step down but I feel like I'm being beaten up.

If it was just cv and cover letter fine,

But it's all the details known to man plus the cat breed type age, why you specifically love this company and do your values align and a 3 stage interview and then a email rejection about 2 weeks after with no genuine feedback.

It's brutal tbh - can you tell I want off the train ?

The long interview processes and then being ghosted are indeed painful, and exhausting.

''@nineToFiveish · 12/03/2024 20:25
You need to use ChatGPT. Not to make it entirely for you, but to help with the basic content that you can edit. It's an absolute game changer if you use the right prompts.''

Really bad advice.

If you want your application/statement/letter to stand out you absolutely need to write it yourself with content/examples tailored to each job you apply for.

It is very easy for people doing the short-listing for a role to spot content that was put together with AI and that will get your application immediately rejected.

I know. Which is why I said people need to edit it. Can't edit a blank page, and if you're feeling overwhelmed it can give you a start.

I think chat got can be really useful when you are staring at a blank page. I have used it by putting in a job advert and asking for 5 key words for example.

Yesterday I used it because a job I applied for wanted me to sum up my profile in 140 characters. So I put my letter of motivation and CV into chat gpt and asked it for a 140 character summary. I was really impressed by what it came up with.

I'm being made redundant next week, I'm considering retraining and maybe going into a different field ie radiography but this will take 5 years. I'm 31.
I'm absolutely terrified though, the CV is almost done and I've got enough savings for a few years realistically (meant to be a house deposit) and I've signed up to a few volunteer roles. Applied for an access course to radiography but if I did this, I'd need a part time job and I doubt I'll be able to get any entry level flexible job. Maybe I'm just being idealistic but a lot of my job (especially post covid) was working alone and it became quite isolating. I've applied for 2 NHS jobs (I'm a software developer so this is massive change) but I'm still going to message recruiters tomorrow in my field (annoyingly my linkedin got hacked a couple of months ago). I honestly thought my role was basically indipensable but apparently tech lay offs are a thing? I wasn't paying attention.

I'm looking at the minute too. Actually quite like my current job but need something new with more progression. Really winds me up that adverts don't give more info without you applying though....

salary - competitive (right, well I can't pay my mortgage with competitive, I actually need figures).

Hybrid working *dependant on role - well is it or isn't it, I don't mind which but I do need to know to make appropriate plans for travel/children/wraparound etc

Generous and Regular bonus *depending on role - does that include or exclude the role I'm applying for?

Just give me all the info I need to make an informed decision about whether I can do the role justice and whether I'll be paid well enough to be able to afford to apply!!

I find Glassdoor really helpful for salary for jobs. Search the company name and the role and have found it usually to be somewhat accurate.

At least you have some type of gauge to see what they have paid in that role previously.

I've just had another offer which I've accepted.

I wanted to feedback comments from interview in case it's helpful. They said they liked my honesty and it was really clear I'd not used chatgpt to come up with perfect answers (I had has it happened, I just hadn't typed it right clearly as none of the questions they asked were the ones Chatgpt suggested!). They liked my honesty when I said I'd no direct experience of a given scenario but I'd probably do x. They commented that I undersold myself and found it annoying when I couldn't come up with a comparison on interview when they could see quite clearly from my cv that there was clearly a comparison, but it was only when pushed I said "oh yeah there was a time I did x".

If I was going to give advice, and I know this is really clichéd advice, I'd say try and believe in yourself and be confident in your own abilities. I've been my absolute worst enemy during this entire process, but the 2 jobs I've been offered, I just prepared for and then on the day was myself. I genuinely love what I do, and both the roles I was offered, I made sure to get that across. I've had interviews where I absolutely fucking hated the interviewer pretty much early doors and closed down - probably the right thing to do in my opinion and obviously I didn't get offers on those - and I didn't really waste time on asking questions or engaging with those interviews. But for roles of interest, for me, the best advice I can give (in my vast experience of 2 whole offers 😆) is Research, be yourself, listen, be funny (this can go either way tbh, but really fuck ya Helen, I also found your replies inappropriate ngl), and again believe in yourself! They've invited you for interview because they like what they see on your cv/application so maybe (and this is what I should have done) read your cv just before the interview just as a reminder of how fucking great you are! Also, if you struggle to realise how great you are, remember how shit everyone else is. That also helps. Remember that the vast majority of people you've ever met in your professional career are no better than you. And probably worse.

Great news @Fallenangelofthenorth and great advice.

I have a second interview this afternoon so I will try and put your advice into practice. In particular "remember how shit everyone else is!"

@Fallenangelofthenorth so pleased for you.

Some good advice too.

@Fallenangelofthenorth really decent advice - did you get the offers at similar time ? How did you pick between two ?

How's everyone else getting on ? Had two interviews yesterday and seem to have lost my mind. - one was last stage and they asked are you sure you won't get bored at this role ? 😬😬 third round interview after presentations and everything. I doubt I will get either but honestly feeling annoyed if they thought that all along why didn't they say.

Has anyone noticed the promised April pick up ?

Hi All, I got, and accepted an offer.

Since then have been getting more calls, about jobs I applied for a couple of months ago.

It is definitely getting busier, hang in there 🤞🚀✨✨

If you get two offers I would go with your gut feeling. Go with the role that you feel most aligned with the interviewers on.

I haven't done this for the past few years and have paid the price 😀🤣

I've also accepted an offer, but I won't be able to start until end of April. This is a nail-biting time for the family since we're living off my meagre redundancy pay until end of May (first new job pay day!).

I've been invited to interview elsewhere just today, and am still waiting to hear back on the results of my 3rd stage interview elsewhere - I applied in January! It's a no from me! 😂