Jobhunting… feeling heartbroken

[Historian0111101000]

Is anyone else completely demoralized by the job market right now?

I have a PhD in History and have worked in restaurants, bars, volunteered in museums and libraries, and taught at university level. I have loads of transferable skills, but it feels like no one cares.

When I apply for entry-level jobs, I’m “overqualified.” When I apply for anything more senior, I’m “not specialized enough.” Academia feels dead, and heritage or museum roles are just as bad — I’ve had interviews where it was obvious they already had someone internal lined up.

I’m not even asking for a big salary anymore — I just want a job. I spend hours every day applying, writing cover letters, researching organizations, but it never seems to go anywhere. My CV and cover letters are solid (I’ve had them reviewed), but employers always go with someone who has “more experience.”

How are you supposed to get experience if no one will give you a chance?

At this point, I’m honestly wondering if it’s just me. I’m feeling really low about it all. I’ve even started thinking that maybe I should just give up and be a SAHM — at least then I wouldn’t feel like I’m constantly failing at something I worked so hard for. I love learning, I have so much to offer, but it feels like none of it matters anymore.

I sympathise and I’m sorry to hear how hard you’re finding it. If it helps, I am hearing others say the same, maybe after Xmas there will be more opportunities available.

I feel exactly the same as you @Historian0111101000
Not as educated I only have a BA in law from a RG uni and then did a PGCE. Teaching wasn’t for me. Got a conveyancing role for 7 years, joined the CS but change in circumstances meant had to leave and been stuck ever since.
It’s not fun.
I agree with the notion to take any job but that’s easier said than done. No one is going to employ you or I in a retail job or entry level admin role. Not sure what the middle ground is.
Sending you positivity.

I mean they might employ you in those roles, I think part of the issue there could be that those types of positions now get 100s and 100s of people applying.

That would be wishful thinking. Why employ us over someone who they can employ at a lower NMW?
Someone with no commitments etc?
Agree 100s of applicants but when you look at the actual staff in retail now I’m not sure someone with a PhD is doing them? Everyone is applying for the best roles they can based on their circumstances.

Have you reached out to a specialist Recruiter that has a network in your field?
If a specialist Recruiter doesn’t exist in your field. That means there’s no money in your field.
At which point I would be reconsidering my career choices because you cannot live on minimum wage beyond mid 20s. It cannot be done in any level of comfort. You need to expand your horizons and given how educated you are emigration would not be too much of a problem. I’d be looking a lot further field.

Could you afford to be a SAHM long term? If so, that would be great, but I would look into things like pensions etc, and NI, because I believe you get this covered?
Whatever your age, the job market is awful. I never thought I'd see a time when old people are left sitting in a chair in AE for 48 hours-yet no new nurses I know can get hired because there's no jobs available! As a friend's daughter said, we go on that we need younger people, yet even with a nursing degree like hers, she can't find work-and she's only about 20. And we practically force kids to get into debt to get a degree that many will never use-how many if us actually find our degree necessary for our daily tasks at work? Not so long ago, relatively few people did uni, yet almost everyone could get a job.
The only helpful opinion I can say (because the fact is that it is difficult to get a job, I know some people say anyone who can't find one is just lazy, but that is not true at all!) is that if you can afford to be a SAHM, do it and enjoy it. So many people are so scared of losing their jobs that they sacrifice that precious time because we worry we'll be the one let go if we're not always staying to do extra hours. SAHMs, or dads, are doing the most important job in the world, and I respect them. Slightly envy, I'll admit it.

It's not just you. Lots of women seem to be really struggling - I don't know if it's the same for men but they seem to be getting more options. On that note, does your CV show you are a woman anywhere? I just wonder if anyone has tried a more "unisex" approach with tweaking? I know AI do a lot of filtering at early stages now and just wondered if putting initials instead of first name for eg might give your CV a better route through the system?

It's a shit job market OP. I started a thread about it last week - come and join us!

Do you have any work experience, or did you go straight from BA-MA-PhD? If you've worked before and have taken a break due to having kids (or doing the PhD) then you might find the ivee site useful (for career returners/ changers).

You're right that the academic job market is dead. Esp. in the humanities. Join the Alt-Ac group on FB and/or LinkedIn and The Professor is Out (also FB) is useful - although mostly US-based folks - to find others who are looking to leave/ have left academia.

What do you want to do? What role/ sector?

Oh, one other thing, the civil service fast stream applications are open right now (until early November), if that appeals?

Would you consider retraining? Teachers are always in demand.

The thing with degrees like history is that they aren’t vocational are they….what did you plan to do with your phd?

Most people doing a PhD are doign it with the intention of becoming an academic. Depending where they studied, they may have bought into the idea(l) that is still a viable career route in the humanities. It really isn't anymore - HE is in a dire state and there are huge redundancy schemes at nearly every university. This would have been impossible for OP to predict when she started her PhD.

@FlappicusSmith
Those types of jobs were always rare though - they are just even more sought after now

Indeed they have. But maybe OP has a history PhD from Oxbridge and was a high-flyer in her field, has published a book already, etc? 5 or so years ago, it wasn't unreasonable to think that a job in academia was a possibility. Now you'd be competing against people with years' of experience who've been made redundant. That's if anyone is even hiring in history depts.

OP - I did see a recent post for a modern historian at Sussex, in case that is relevant.

I’d recommend you read some inspirational books to help your morale. It really isn’t you, the economy is just being run into the ground. I’m sure you will do a great job when it happens. I’m reading let them at the moment, I reckon that would be a good start. You got this OP x

The three interviews I’ve had over the last few years all went to internal candidates. One of them I have to work with on “joint” work between organisations. It stings because she’s shite and they chose her over me. With hindsight, I’ve been able to develop far more where I am and now she’s in the pool for redundancy so maybe that job just wasn’t for me. I know it’s different as I have a job but I feel very stuck. It feels like everyone else can bullshit and I’m too honest.

Keep going though, things will improve. That doesn’t change how you feel right now but that feeling is just this moment and will pass.

It's tough OP. And you're right. people don't care. The only thing that counts at the moment is the ability to make a profit or cut costs.

The areas you are targetting are strapped for cash and making redundancies.

Don't get demoralised. While you are job hunting, sign up as a volunteer for a relevant charity or get involved in something that holds your interest. Perhaps a planning battle to protect a listed building or something that uses your history education. Get involved in a campaign, push your profile up, make friends within the right groups.

In the end, you can only do your best. You will get there.

If, for now, you just want a job then it's the perfect time of year to pick up seasonal work for Christmas temps - Royal Mail, warehouses, shops, supermarkets. Amazon usually takes on anybody who meets the basic screenings for language skills and right to work - they just need as many people as possible. Waitrose warehouse jobs have good terms from what I hear.

That can lead into permanent roles. And if not, it gives you a few months working, earning, rebuilding confidence - and it's easier to find a job when you have a job.

Beyond that, it's tricky to advise without knowing when/what your last role was and how long ago it ended etc.

As@medievalpenny says, if it's just a foot in the job market you're after, then start applying for Christmas jobs now.
My DS got his 1st job this way after doing his History Masters (i dissuaded him from going down the PhD route for the very reasons you've encountered). He was one of 2 Masters graduates to get a Christmas job at one of our local supermarkets. He stayed there for 6 months until he was finally successful in getting a full time job elsewhere - albeit it not History related, but office based. He has since changed roles within the same organisation. One of his old Uni friends is just coming to the end of his History PhD. It'll be interesting to see if he gets a job.

I am lucky because I can afford to stay home, but I do feel like I need a job. I love my children, but I know I would be a better mother if I had something else going on.
I considered staying home and volunteering, but that would be difficult for me—I believe I should be highly compensated for my work, not work for free.

I’ve studied so hard and sacrificed so much in my life to get to where I am, and giving it all up is very hard.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Sometimes I even consider using an English name because I’m not from here. I get the feeling that when people see my name, they immediately know I’m a foreigner and might favor an English person instead. I might be wrong, but that’s how it feels.

I had a seven-year break between my BA and MA because I was moving between countries a lot. While I have experience in libraries and heritage, I never stayed in one place long enough to advance to a better position. I would love a job like that—a library assistant, a role in a museum, or really anything related to history. Even if it’s only loosely connected, like administration in a department, I would be happy. But there are hundreds of applications for every role, and they usually hire people with more experience. They don’t seem to care about my qualifications—which is interesting, considering the university that awarded me my PhD claims to support further education, yet apparently I’m not considered capable of even basic administrative work....

I don’t think having a ‘non English’ name puts you at a disadvantage in the current climate. In my experience there is quite a lot of pressure on organisations to have a diverse workforce and in many sectors a candidate from an ethnic background can have an advantage in being selected for interviews.

@FlappicusSmith Yes, I am considering applying for the civil service. The only issue is that if I’m successful, they could place me anywhere in the country. I have children, a home here, and husband have a very good job, so relocating isn’t really an option. I’m not sure if it’s worth the time to apply— even if I do, there’s only a small chance I would get the position, and an even smaller chance of getting it in my current location.

@MidnightMeltdown I did consider becoming a mainstream teacher. The issue is that, even though I have over seven years of teaching experience in higher education, I would still need a teaching qualification. I’m really struggling with the idea of going back to study and pay for it myself, since I can’t get a student loan (I already took one out for my master’s). Plus, considering what teaching is like for children today, I’m not sure I would really enjoy it anyway.

@autumnevenings25 When I started, academia wasn’t in as much trouble as it is now. Plus, I was single and thought I could go wherever the job was. Now everything has changed. I have a family, so relocating isn’t an option. Even if there are jobs in Europe, I can’t move there. I also thought—naive me—that museums and libraries would appreciate my hard work and I might be able to get a foot in the door- they even refused me as a volunteer as they "have enough". It is crazy out there.

Only if you are prepared to change roles and geographic location frequently.

Edit- sorry just seen this point has already been made