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.

Great news! Looks like things are picking up?

Fingers crossed for people still on the hunt, I reckon there will be a flurry of activity now the new financial year is underway and Easter hols will be winding down, everyone back in work, etc. 🤞🤞

Congratulations to those with offers. My interview went really well but not heard anything yet. Nothing much else on the market at the moment for me.

Fingers crossed for you all still looking.

I waiting on my contract. Still studying, and interviewing just in case it falls through.

Still a total absence of suitable roles here. Starting to get to me now.

The weather doesn't help, I'd hoped to keep myself busy in the garden and allotment but the rain is pretty much constant.

Feeling the same 😩

No responses to my interviews. Feeling a bit deflated tbh.

They weren't first interviews either - send some of the positive mojo you guys because it's frustrating out there

I'm a bit desperate honestly. Looking for a job when you don't have one is ten times harder.

I might end up going back to my old company which I hated for many years. No hope there and only bad memories of what a mess it became over years.

I had a recruiter called me out of blue. I'm not even sure I applied for that job. But since Friday, I heard nothing back. Not sure I shall lay any hope there at all.

On one hand, I'm in my late 40 and I feel I don't have much time left; on the other hand, we all know plainly, there are still twenty years working life ahead before we could afford retirement. Sigh...

When I am feeling down about job hunting I distract myself by gaining some more skills through a course, or going to a meetup online.

Can you tart up your LinkedIn profiles?
Go along to online, or in person, meetups in the area you want to work in. Chat to people on LinkedIn.

Post on LinkedIn, something informative around the role you want.

Keep going, you will get a job 🤞🤞🤞🤞✨✨🙏

Things are getting more positive for me april definitely picked up!, got 5 first stage interviews this week, had a second stage one today and I really want the job, keep refreshing my emails
January to April wit, i'd forget what the job/company was!!

That's great news! Did you go through an agent? If so, can you ask the agent to send you the JD again?

Unfortunately for me, the company that the agent matched for me didn't want to proceed (with a fair reason tbh), after I worked myself up to like it a lot! 😂

Will be going back to my old job in my old company next month. Don't feel I progressed after so many years! 😓a but sad.

Interesting thread.

I started looking seriously for a new job a month ago.

I need to work either remotely most of the time (due to long term health condition/disability) or find a local job with little commute, so that limits my options.

I was offered a civil service job 2 weeks ago but no guarantee of home working so had to turn it down as commute would have been two hours each way. Got another interview with a charity on Monday but did not get that one.

Honestly I am really tired of having to to job hunt every couple of years because the organisation I work for always ends up trying to revoke remote working or does not pay enough/there is no progression and I need to move to be able to improve my financial situation. I think my age and disability make things harder to but I am not losing hope.

Sorry the January to April was a comment to another poster. I just mean you'd forget the context. I've had 2 first stage interviews via recruiters but both of them I've found awkward and it's quite clear they're interviewing maybe 40+. I had one this afternoon and I wouldn't take it to the 2nd stage, still not 100% what I'd actually be doing.

@Startingagainandagain i'm hoping someone comes along who can give you advice but things will get more positive

Feeling very down today. I've started applying/enquiring about things that are probably below my skillset but the feedback I'm getting (via a recruiter) is not positive.

I'm simultaneously getting feedback that I'm over qualified but don't meet the minimum job requirements! Most people my age doing similar jobs won't have any formal qualifications as they didn't exist twenty years ago.

Family have also hinted that perhaps I need to try harder, as if that will make jobs appear out of thin air. I'm already looking at jobs within a 60 mile radius, will consider jobs further away if hybrid, i.e. work away midweek, I've messaged all my contacts asking them to keep me in mind if anything comes up. Then if I mention I'm applying for a job with a 30k salary I'm told I shouldn't sell myself short!

I thought I'd join here, just for support but to offer support.

Looking for a permanent job but have spent a long time on contracts/temping in between.

Had 3 perm interviews last year - detailed them here. I interview well, but again, the market is so hard there. They either want you to do 2 jobs for the price of 1 (as in one role) or you jump through hoops, do the interviews and finally (after waiting for over a month for a response) they tell you, as it was between you and another candidate, that they offered the other candidate the role, she was internal.

I heard that because she was internal they'd already decided to give this job to her whilst they interviewed me, but also, she'd been there a long time, had a HR case with them, threatened to leave and sue them, so they 'had' to give her the role over me, plus it was easier to give her the role as it saved them time/money on inducting me. I was bloody furious, they are/were my high street bank and have been since I was 17. I am now in the process of moving all my accounts to another bank.

The market even in contract/temp roles appears brutal right now. It doesn't help, with me, that you get some temp agency staff who seem to want to pick your brains for other roles they can poach off you (had that recently) or they ring you about roles they think you can do to get your hopes up and then you never hear anything back!

Feeling a bit down too this morning.

Can I join too?
I've been searching for a permanent role since September last year, following redundancy during maternity leave. Managed to land a fixed term contract so took my foot off the pedal for a bit, but have now started looking again as my contract ends in August (worst time for job hunting!)
I had an interview a couple of weeks ago and still waiting to hear if I'm through to the final stage. I chased on Wednesday last week and was told they'd update me ASAP, but here I am still waiting. Too soon to chase again? 😑

I'm on a ( very strange but ok pay) contract due to end in a couple of months so I'm reluctantly getting back on the job search after the bank holiday, and dreading it.

The job market seems to have been in a state for a while now. Ive seen employers offering poor salaries knowing some will be desperate enough to take them.

Meanwhile my skill set has become rusty through under use on the contracts I have managed to get.

Need to plod on in hope though!

I got a rejection yesterday for a role I had a second interview for.

90 CVs sent so far. I'm in my 50s, but still have to work for at least 12 years. Just have to keep plugging away, but it is effecting my mood badly 😟

I guess they will get back to you when they need to... danger is if you're not through they may just forget to update you, which is terrible manners but happens all the time.

How's everyone going ? Everyone keeps saying it's an awful market rn a few more things are popping up.

The poster that said applying is like a hobby. It's a numbers game everyone so keep going. I'm crossing my fingers for everyone

The job market is really in such a state and the government doesn’t help one bit.

I was at a funeral yesterday and spoke to a younger man, guessing early 30s and married who used to work in marketing in the City. Over Covid he wasn’t furloughed and found when he returned to the office they wanted him to do 3 jobs for one, hardly any payrise, he’d been there 10 years and was starting to dislike it.

So he retrained in film (locations) and works alongside or in same area as his wife, yes longer hours and distance, yes contracts. But better pay and he far enjoys this to the corporate world.

The other thing which really annoys me. The other day I saw a post on linked in from a man about menopause. Great you may think, good they’ve woken up to it. But all I see is a man mansplaining about it, for virtue signalling.

I’ve lost I calculated approx 9 working years of my life to perimenopause and menopause but former was worse. Little to no help from male GPs but support recently from a lovely female one. Not much info either or support from companies certainly not corporates. Only the other week I saw in media or on linked in about a woman of menopausal age who lulled herself by jumping in front of a train as she had obscene work pressure (lawyer) you can bet her work (I’ve worked with lawyers) weren’t sympathetic to her situation. Basically if you’re not billing they don’t give a shit though some firms are slightly better since covid, some smaller ones.

Anyway off for an 8.30 corporate gov interview for 3 month contract. So wish me luck!

@Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain good luck you're gonna smash it 💥

Thank you! No idea how I did but seemed to sort of go ok.

They’re seeing a lot of candidates for a 3-4 month temp contract which “could” end up becoming perm. Which either tells me the client is super fussy and/or lots of candidates after work. Agency told me it’s their agency plus another whom I’m not going to name but they’re useless, think of something you get in fields…

Agency also said tough market and she’s been in the game for 20 years at director level. A few agency staff I know in past few years have transitioned into office jobs.

I also saw DB who thinks I could do production work in tv/films and/or buying but the only issue with buying is driving in London which is a pet peeve of mine. I don’t care right now if sideways move as sick of offices!

I'm seriously considering becoming a post(wo)man.