Scared and Stressed out of my head looking for a job

[Bubbles9]

Hello, thank you for having me. I wanted to write because I really need some help. I was working in a high up position for a charity and overnight without any notice the board said they no longer needed me. It was really upsetting as I have secured their income for the next seven years, had a fantastic team and the organisation was winning awards.

My home situation is that my parents have died and I bring up my two girls on my own. I own my house but now have no job to pay the mortgage.

I have a good cv and so far I applied to five positions and got through to the final board for interview and I have been lost out and come second, with most posts having 240 plus candidates. I am still waiting to hear from two.

I realise I have been silly and not applied for enough different roles, so I have drawn up a big list and will try and dust myself off and keep going.

I think I find the rejection really personal - I just want to work and help my community. Every morning I wake up stressed that time is running out. So from today I am widening my net and going to try and keep my chin up.

Feel stressed, anxious, scared…and lost without my work environment. I miss having a team and achieving things together.

Any advice would be so welcomed, thank you for listening x

How old are you OP?

I was made redundant during covid, at 57 and it stung. It also took 7 months and 64 job applications to find a new job (actually two offers in the same week, isn't that always the way 🙄)

I know it's hard but you need to try to forget the personal slight. Someone high up will have made a strategy decision and you were on the sharp end. It won't have been personal.

Expect to be out of work for six months. Plan your finances accordingly. From now on, applying for new roles is your job. You do 4 hours a day, 9am - 1pm, and then take a break, go for a run or bake a cake to manage the stress and to give yourself a little rest. Allow yourself to enjoy the summer (if it ever warms up).

Focus on your cv, your LinkedIn page, reconnecting with ex-colleagues.

There is a skills shortage and you are competent so you won't be out for long, but pace yourself and don't lose heart. xx

Really good advice thank you, thank you! I feel like I am going bonkers talking to the pot plants (the non-illegal ones!!). I am 45, so a lot more time ahead. I think I have been really foolish and limited myself to perfect match ceo roles. I think I will branch out and go for coo roles and heads of as well as ceo. I work around the clock and walk the dog between. My cv seems to be getting through and I have managed to get to the final board, and then I have come up as second choice in the last three big jobs. Makes me so sad! And I need to not take it personally. So far I have applied to about 10 jobs and still waiting to hear from half. Last night I did a big search and have highlighted a further 20 jobs that look really interesting and my cv matches - so everyday I will try and put a cv in now with a matching cover letter. It’s getting easier to apply but the heart aches as I feel I’m coming up short in my character. I look at the children dog and hamster and worry. It’s really good to hear (and slightly scary) that you applied to 67 jobs!! Oh my - so my new strategy of widening the net is clearly vital. Feel a bit foolish at my initial approach. Do you like your job now? Thank you for your encouragement- it means the world to be today.

Oh Bubbles, you really shouldn’t take it personally. It could be down for any number of reasons but if you keep going something will come up, it always does.
I am also of the opinion that many jobs have actually gone before they are advertised, maybe to someone within the company already or someone they know but the company has to be seen as being fair and open. My husband went for a final interview for quite a high level role within an insurance company, a few years ago to be fair, and was actually introduced to someone who had just started in the job he was being interviewed for!! Red faces all round when they realised what had happened and he was offered something else but rejected it.
I also like to think that things happen for a reason, so if you haven’t got a job it wasn’t the right one for you and a better one will come along, it’s a helpful thought to keep positive anyway!
Let us know when something comes up and 💐in the meantime.

It’s a hard job market out there.

My BIL had over 60 job applications/interviews before he got his current job.

It sounds like you’re doing really well if you’re getting to second choice position! Hang in there. Any good recruitment agencies you could register with to get them working on it for you too?

Thank you so much for the encouragement and helpful messages, I wanted to jump out the window this morning. But I need to keep myself together and as you say, widen the net, don’t take it to heart (I’m rubbish at this) and probably look at cash flow - like I would if I was at the helm. Today I finished another application with dreaded individual questions! Takes so long!! And tomorrow I have another one lined up. I hope someone sees something in me. I feel gutted about being the last two in three ceo rounds. But on the other side, all of my applications are getting me through to final interview round. I’m just scared. I’m the bread winner, a single mother. I think I will take the advice and register with recruiters, somehow some of them keep finding me?! I will also apply for a trustee position to keep the leadership experience alive. I just want to pay the bills, honestly that is all I ask for. Thank you for all your support - I really needed it. Thank you so much xx