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.

Hope everyone's had a good day. Just reading through the thread looking for some positive stories to keep me going. Well done everyone who has interviewed or secured work.

My last fixed term contract ended at the end of 2023 and I'm struggling to even get an interview - only flat out rejections or no contact back at all from applications so far.

I'm down to the last of my savings and starting to panic. As from July I won't even be able to cover rent/bills let alone any other living costs.

Have been applying for all types of admin, reception, customer service, retail etc roles, as I have experience in these areas. Also submitting applications for warehouse and cleaning jobs (although no experience so that is likely counting against me). Did have two short term temp agency positions all but confirmed only to be put 'on hold' at the last minute. The second one nearly sent me into a breakdown, as it had felt like a light at the end of the tunnel to cover two further months financially at least only to be snatched away at the last minute.

I've had short periods of unemployment before but never known the market to be anything like this. And now we're in May so a new influx of uni leavers are just about to join the market 😐

Well done! Good to hear a positive story. Any chance you can send one of the ones you don't pick my way 🤣🤣

Great news @Winterjoy

I'm just putting in an application for a job. I'm probably over qualified for it but something is better than nothing if they'll have me!

I've also signed up for a free online course that's related to my work to keep the brain ticking over.

Sorting out my wardrobes yesterday - I'd really like to get rid of my work wear, I haven't had a job that's needed business dress for years but feel like I should hang onto it whilst everything is up in the air.

Thank you! Fingers crossed for a good week for job seekers

I’ve just started a 6 week contract job and had an interview for another contract which could go permanent but got down to last 2.

I did hear about 1-2 weeks ago via linked in from a year long maternity contract in a field where I’d like to work, asking me to apply so I’ve applied for this. On the back of that I did a job search and concentrated on Guardian jobs where I never normally look and applied for and am applying for contract and permanent jobs. I heard back from 2 agencies last week with contract news, so I’m pleased that the work I put in there paid off. One agency I’ve been in touch with before so they know me.

Same. It used to be so easy to get work and I'd do anything to go back in time and make the most of opportunities I squandered at the time.

I have another month to go on my abysmal contract and the thought of staying on there makes me want to vomit, but as they may have further work and the pay is good I'm going to have to pretend I love it there when I have my phone call with the recruitment team there tomorrow about potential further work.

I'm looking for other things now so it would only be for money/ buy me time to find something else. I've learned absolutely nothing there though and been treated like dirt. Needs must...

I'm unemployed. I worked with my husband and, due to abuse, I no longer work with him or live with him. I have a disability that restricts my mobility, but I'm still able to get around, I can drive, I can work.
As I can't do the job I was doing, I retrained.
I have previous IT experience, the UK was desperate for data analysts, so I took and passed the training.

All the vacancies seem to want 2-3 years experience. There seem to be hundreds of applicants for every job, too, so not such a shortage after all.
Women returners are, according to my work coach, merely lip-service and she doesn't know of anyone who landed a job through those initiatives.

I've had a few interviews, all gone to someone with more experience. The vast majority, I never hear from again.

I feel I made an expensive mistake. I suppose at least the training companies are making their fortunes.

Don't give up.

Abuse can fuck with your head and knock confidence!! It's a tricky market keep applying. You will get there !!!

I agree, keep going @Rachelsthorns - you've come so far already. Can you think outside the box a bit, maybe there are charities out there who could offer you a project to get the experience you need? When I left my abusive ex and didn't have a lot of work experience, I put myself out there in other ways, volunteered etc, and it paid off. Plenty of employers were impressed with my determination and ingenuity in getting more experience.

Does everyone else tailor their CV fully to the job description? I've heard it's necessary nowadays due to AI screening of applications but can't believe everyone is doing this - it's taking me several hours per application?

I actually used ChatGPT to help me with this process. I would c&p the JD and my CV into the prompt, and ask it to analyse, compare and contrast the two, identifying and explaining any gaps in the CV that need to be addressed. I also ask it to identify any key words or phrases that should be used in the CV that will help it pass any automatic screening software. It speeds up the tweaking of CV time considerably.

I think I need to give my head a wobble and reframe AI as a resource not a 'cheat'. I've just put my CV content through asking if it could be improved and the result is much more streamlined and concise than I had written. It needs a few little tweaks so it still sounds like 'me' but, my gosh, no wonder jobs are being lost to AI 😮

I've also conceded that my CV needs to be a plain word document with minimal formatting. It looks awful to me as historically it was drummed into me to have an eye-catching CV (back when people looked at them!), but time has moved on and so must I!!

I use it as my glamourous assistant. 😂

I do feel torn about AI, and the pace of change we're experiencing, but humans are still important in using the tools correctly.

Wow, this might explain why my interview to application ratio is so low... I have no idea how I'm going to find time to do this, but I might have to somehow!

It is concerning but the genie is out of the bottle and if employers are going to use AI screening, what choice do applicants have but to follow suit?

The more I've thought about it today, the more I'm comparing myself to my parents who have steadfastly refused to get mobile phones. The amount of times I've moaned about how much harder they're making their own lives, and now I realise that I've been doing the same thing with AI!

Anyway, break time is over must get back to the applications!

You'll be surprised how quickly you can get the hang of it.

Interesting and think I’ll use this too.

Interesting. A job I applied to recently specified that they would not progress applications that looked like they'd been written with AI. I wondered how they could tell, then read some evaluations that a colleague posted on Linkedin and could see immediately that there were AI. Something about the uniformity of the sentences and bland tone.

I guess there is algorithm screening software that HR depts use, rather than eyeballing and thinking 'that looks a bit dodge' though.

That's interesting to know and, yes, I think it's best used as a tool to compare and make sure keywords are present etc, rather to write a full application or CV - having played around with it a bit now, it doesn't always hit the mark and can sound a bit formulaic. But then I think I can be too wordy, so using it to par back my text (with tweaking to keep it in my 'style') has been helpful.

Tailoring the CV isn't a problem for me, I have all the time in the world, it's having suitable jobs to apply to in the first place.

The feedback I've had on applications and enquiries about less specialised positions is basically saying they think I'd jump ship as soon as a job becomes available in my area of expertise.

Pissed off with recruiters too. Do they actually do anything other than post a job advert and wait for people to apply?

I feel your pain. Heard back from a temp cleaning interview this week with the feedback: your interview was good, we really liked you and would employ you, but we feel you're too good for the role based on your work history. FFS it's a temp role for a month or so, who cares about what I've done before as long as I've proven I can do THIS role.

The search continues...

So my latest news:-

been temping for a 6 week contract at a lovely place. I’d probably work here permanently but no openings.
missed the deadline on one job to apply for.
applied for one job who contacted me and have heard nothing at all back!
had interview at charity last week but main interviewer on panel who I’d be working with wasn’t at all friendly.
had 2 interviews for a tech firm think went well not that well paid but could do it.

Bloody demoralising!

This is what I can’t stand right now. You’re being made to jump through hoops for the shortest of contracts. It really is in my industry an employers market.

So I’m considering retraining and working for myself but really need to see if that is viable.

My industry seems to be very much a jumping through hoops one. On the other hand, my DH works in IT and they appoint for very senior roles on the back of a recruiter's recommendation and a 45 minute interview.

They've had a series of crap appointees which, tbh, isn't surprising.

Yep, case in point I was talking to a friend today who is with an agency going for a 1 month entry level admin role. They've had a telephone interview with the client and are expecting at least two further interviews before getting a decision - it will have been over a month at this rate by the time they are appointed!

Surely the point of using an agency for Temps is that the agency vets them, makes sure they have the required experience etc, so the company doesn't have to go through a long-winded recruitment process! It's not like they will be stuck with them if it's not a good fit - just tell the agency not to send them back.