Please share your positive stories and share how you managed to get a job after a few years out of the employment market..

[CanvasBags]

I stopped work when my eldest child was 2. My youngest starts school in 2010. I'm coming up to a 5 year gap. I studied for a new qualification during that gap.

I have been applying for jobs over the past year but always get pipped to the post in interview by people who have more experience. Occasionally I don't even get an interview even though my application is similar each time.

I've been doing some voluntary work for the past 2 years (not related to my new qualification) and have started to do 2 lots of voluntary work that is related to the job for which I have qualified. Additional to that, the qualification I have recently acquired is related to my previous job in terms of skill-set.

Am I doing all the right things? How long could this take to get paid employment? What is the experience of others?

What's the type of job you're looking for?

What's the latest, CB? was watching yr thread with great interest as in a similarish position. surprised you've not had more replies as there are loads of people on here with a story to tell, postivie or otherwise!

I'm still utterly confused. I've spent part of every day of the past year mulling over options and don't know what to do for the best, longterm. I'm scared to take an anything job incase I can never get a job in the field where I want to work, but it is a field that is affected by an economic downturn. Until my youngest is at school (Sept 2010) I don't have the time to devote to more training (updating IT skills) plus voluntary work plus an unrelated p/t job. I need to choose 1 or 2 that will be best in the short term and long term.

Does no-one have an inspiring story to tell?

DH took 6 years out to be a SAHD. When he decided it was time to go back to work he stayed in the same field (science) but changed direction (from diagnostics to research). this was, in effect, a step backwards as well as a step sideways.

He spread his net wide, applying for things that were tangential to his experience but he could concievably do. In the end, it wasn't till we took a long hard look at what he was writing in applications that things got better. He became very upfront about his reasons for changing career and why he was effectively stepping down the career ladder. Suddenly he started getting interviews. Of course, as a man, he was a bit of a novelty taking a childrearing break, and was always asked about this at interviews. We think what had been happening was his applications were filed under 'overqualified'.

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