Here I go again :-(

[BringBackCatsEyes]

Was made redundant in Sept last year. Found work in Jan of this year after months of dehumanising, depressing searching.
It's a 12 month fixed term contract. I am doing very well. The company is doing well.
Was told today it won't be renewed. Now I have to remain professional while looking for work.

I am a lone parent, age 55.
I don't know if I can go through it all again.

I am in academic science. There are few jobs in my field.

@DecisionTime123 I’ve done that dumbing down my CV but even then it’s not happening.

Gone are the days where you could walk into a shop and ask if they had any work it’s all online portals now and CV’s and questions.

I did ask in a shop and got chatting to them but not heard anything more.

I'm interested in this but is it a CV scraper for agencies/sales organisations?

Yes, I know it's tough, this is the second time I've been looking for work in less than a year.
I do hear back from most of the jobs I apply for, but I am not applying for hundreds. I applied for 35 in a 3 month period before landing my current role.

Have you considered pivoting? From what you say you so, perhaps you are an editor of scientific journals? Have you considered going into medical or scientific PR/comms/marketing? They often need people
with the technical expertise and life experience grads won’t have.

You have been given 6 months notice. They didnt have to do that. You now have 6 months to find a role. Take advantage of that.

Dont tell anyone outside of your networking (anyone who can help you find a job!) that your contract isnt being renewed. Then you wont have to deal with the "have you found another role? ah well something will come up".

No one else needs to know.

Start looking for another job, if it comes before the end of this one, then leave. They dont value you that much...

No they didn't need to tell me (and it was 7 months), but I raised it before I signed the contract, saying that if they were not in a position to tell me either way 6 months before the end of the fixed-term contract I would need to start looking for work. I didn't say it in a shitty way, just realistic.
You're right though, it is good that I know for sure.

It's OK - I know who I can lean on for support and I am doing so. I do not have a partner so I do need support from chosen friends and family. It's different for everyone though.
I did experience a lot of well-intended but off the mark advice and suggestions last time so I have indeed been more careful about who I'm telling this time.

I am looking for another job and will leave if I get one. They tell me they value me. I just don't fit into their business model. Sadly being valued won't pay for my son's driving lessons.

No I'm not an editor.
I haven't considered looking at PR/comms/marketing, but will consider it, thank you.

Well I hope you find something soon, I know its soul destroying to be pending end and having to start looking, my husband has had redundancy/non renewal 3 times in the last 5 years, each time more difficult. I had the same when mine didnt renew in December.

I think it's like this for many industries now. I am in IT and have never had a problem getting roles before, in fact I had multiple offers only a handful of years ago. I am not sure why ageism is suddenly a factor but it seems to be when it wasn't back then (I haven't aged THAT much in 5/7 years) and I am fairly senior. My experience of applying for more junior roles is a disaster, because they are looking for people who have done that role and ask minute details about it, which I don't have as I was working those roles many years ago. The STAR interview format has killed the option of going for more junior roles in my experience anyway, as you can't recall minute detail of things you were doing such a long time ago.
I haven't had many interviews at all, just a handful and applied for a lot of jobs, really thinking out of the box too. And no luck!
I hope you get the job you interviewed for, any success please share as it's comforting to now people are succeeding......

Any joy @BringBackCatsEyes ?

And are you looking after yourself? Eating properly etc if very stressed

Thank you for asking. I just got a rejection for the job I interviewed for last week.
I am trying to look at the positive - as it meant 3 days working away from home, but a rejection always stings. All that work and time for nothing and back to the hunt (I had given myself a few days off).

You might be able to draw something from it for the next interview

Probably. If it's technical probably not so much as it was pretty niche. If it's how I came across that will be hard for my (already low) self esteem, but I guess that's all part of the miserable process.

@BringBackCatsEyes I empathise, FTCs are not easy with the uncertainty they bring. I‘m not too sure of your key area of Expertise, but I do know that the UK Office of the Pharma company that I work at is expanding and has a wide variety of roles, if scientific comms is relevant for you, here’s an example of one role. Example
There may be others that you have the perfect transferable skills for and they do hire quite often from academia.

I’m actually considering this now.

I had my feedback. They had 70 applicants, interviewed 7 for 2 positions, and I was 3rd. Ya boo.
Said all the good things - answered everything well, well prepared, asked good questions etc, but they think the role is too junior for me and they couldn't meet my salary expectations. They also said I didn't express enough passion for the role. Reasonable I suppose, but saying "oooo, I've dreamed of doing this all my life" (obviously exaggerating there!) would have been false, when the truth is I haven't done the exact role before, but know all about it from my previous roles and have many transferable skills i.e. I'd train up pretty quickly. But I can obviously work on that.

So, on the back of that I've applied for the same role, but managerial level. The ad says to apply even if you don't have all the requirements. So........

any joy @BringBackCatsEyes
I have heard it’s tough out there

I am feeling very low today.
I have 4 job applications in, submitted over the last 3 weeks.
I am increasingly feeling despondent in my current role as the weeks tick by.
I'm withdrawing from friends and family.
My sister's response to me opening up to her last week was "You've told me all that before, it's obviously on your mind a lot". What to say to that?
I have nothing to look forward to.
Just work in a job that my days are numbered in, throw everything into applying for jobs, get rejections, don't spend any money to treat myself (nothing fancy, just cinema or a new top in Sainsbury's) - repeat.

@BringBackCatsEyes I think I've commented before that there are similarities in our situations, and I feel exactly the same today. In fact 10 minutes ago I was sitting here thinking who can I tell, and who should I tell? is there any point in saying it? My redundancy took effect 4 weeks ago, I am eking out the money I have until October. And I am scared. I try not to be but then I think I must be deluded - how is this going to be ok. I never want to go out now, I am sitting indoors with a couple of jobs to apply to that aren't right and won't bring in enough to cover the rent. All I can offer is a hand hold and shared frustration over people saying it'll all be ok etc.

Oh and I had some great advice last week - you could benefit from this - entirely free mind you, I won't charge you for passing it on: I told an old friend I was worried that I can't meet the rent due 1st November and you know what she recommended? "Think positive" and "look on Linked In". She then told me she'd contact me later and I was very much hoping she wouldn't ....

Keep going OP, you can't give in and have to keep applying as eventually you WILL get something! I know how hard it is, been unemployed for 4 months and have days where it really gets me down but then I pick myself up and carry on again, what other choice do we have?

Rejection in today - at least they replied.
Currently in a meeting.
How's your w/e been? Errr mostly applying for a job and otherwise worrying.
Looking forward to your holiday Jeremy? No holiday for me this year.
So hard.
Off I go.

As you rent, have you done a benefits check on EntitledTo or Turn2Us to check entitlement for Universal Credit? You can get help with rent this way.

It's worth everyone doing a benefits check on one of these sites tbh. So many aren't aware that they're eligible.

All the best to OP and all posters in this very difficult situation.

Thank you so much for replying, and I am so, so sorry you are in a similar position. It's a lonely place.
It's not for everyone I know, but in periods of low mood I lean on the Samaritans.
Often it's just to 'allow' myself to cry to someone so I can get it all out and reset. They don't offer solutions, just listen and offer words of support. Then I can phone them again and say the whole thing again.

I looked at a company I used to work for. 1200 employees. Number of vacancies = 0.

I am keeping in touch with far fewer people than when I was unemployed last year.

Thanks for the top tip re LinkedIn.....!

I am sorry you are unemployed. What is your field?
I am up and down for sure.
This evening I felt like lying on sofa...well I didn't really, but I am struggling to set my mind to anything.
Instead I washed the car and have made some banana muffins. I think tomorrow will be better. Mondays are often tough. I never used to be like that. I have always loved work, and in difficult personal times it's been a steady constant. Now the work IS the difficult thing it's not so easy.

Muffins are ready - I have 11.....happy to share.