Am so depressed!

[Jets fan]

Hi

Sorry, but I have to vent somewhere. At the beginning of July I was made redundant after 19 years in my job. I worked for a global PR company and took voluntary redundancy as they moved premises.

I knew it would take some time to get a new job so had decided to temp, but apparently I am too qualified to temp as agencies only get low level jobs.

I have applied for many jobs but there are just too many people applying for each role. Example - I applied for a co-ordinator position for a disabled sports body - 235 people applied in the first couple of days.

I love writing and I'm a whizz with powerpoint but there are just so few vacancies out there.

Sorry to bore you all but I just had to vent somewhere as I'm sooo bored.

Thanks for listening
Tina

 

[natalielongstaff]

i cant offer any advice but feel free to vent away xx

 

[karentan]

i'm the same, i quit my job in july as i just couldnt put up with my boss any more and i'm still looking. i'm not so qualified and i still cant get a job. i've had 3 interviews in 2 months, i cant even get in for interviews, let alone getting the jobs...

 

[wilma-bride]

So sorry you are having problems Tina and hope you find something soon Feel free to vent as much as you like.

Hope you have some luck soon too Karen - I must admit, I hate my job (and my boss) but nothing could persuade me to just pack my job in at the moment - too difficult to find something else

 

[scottishgirl87]

I'm in a similar boat and I agree it's very depressing! Although saying that, I do have a job, just a job I hate! I finished uni over a year ago now and I haven't even been able to get 1 interview!! I really feel as if I wasted 3 years going to uni and wish I'd got some kind of apprenticeship!

 

[mandymouse]

I hope something comes you way soon

 

[florida sun]

Its tough out there right now, I spent 2 days last week interviewing for 2 positions that have become availible within my team and normally get about 8-10 CV's from the agency we use for this particular role, as its only a starting position within the company and not that well paid. However I had over 40 CV's to go through and a lot were from people who had been made redundant and were willing to take a job earning about 40% less then they were on before.

Normally I have a fast turnover as most only stay in this position for about 6 months before either being promoted or moving on to different areas of the company after they have gained the starting expiernce with my team, however this is the first time I have had to advertise a role available in over a year as my collegues have been too worried to either move on, or there are no other positions available, lets hope that things are now starting to turn and hopefully something will turn up for you all soon

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

I do sympathise with your situation. I worked as PR Manager for a large high street bank subsidiary for 17 years in Bournemouth. When I declined their very kind offer to move my job to either London or Edinburgh, the alternative was redundancy (which I had been waiting for). I went through all the emotions that come with being made redundant - taking it personally, the highs and lows.

Having always worked, with the exception of 6months off when I had our daughter, I didn't even think about not finding something. I even set up my own PR company ready, but realised I didn't have the discipline to work on my own

I decided to have three months off since I'd timed my redundancy to take effect from end July to I could have the summer holidays with Katie for the first time ever. That three months turned into a year - and then the boredom set in I'm not a coffee morning type, nor a real 'homemaker' doing the curtains and cushion making! When I got bored I decided to start thinking about what I wanted to do, rather than what I had to do.

I was lucky that my 17 years service redundancy package enabled me to take this time off, have a couple of nice holidays, new kitchen and car - thanks LTSB - don't get me wrong, boy do we wish the money/perks I was earning. However, I really didn't want to go back into financial services PR, or travel too far. I didn't want to have to worry myself silly as to who and what I was going to send Katie to for all the school holidays like I used to.

And then I saw a job adverised in the local paper - school secretary, term time only. Cut a long story short, I got the job - but not without a lot of grilling and them trying to get their heads around the fact that I wanted to take a much lower, lesser paid job than I was used to, "you've been used to someone typing your letters and getting your coffee, how do you feel that you will be doing that for someone . . .?". Not a problem, the decision was mine to make as to the sort of life/work balance I wanted.

I love the job - now an admin officer - going back tomorrow after 6 weeks summer break off.

Now's the time for you to sit and really think what do you want to do; the right job will be out there for you, it's just an unfortunate time with the number of people also looking. My DH was made redundant early July and we were worried sick because he didn't get a pay out, hadn't worked there long enough - but thankfully he was in the right place at the right time and someone recommended him to his new company after only 5 weeks out of work. We were expecting it to be a lot longer than that, so we're counting our blessings.

I really do wish you heaps of luck and success for the future.

 

[Pegasus928]

I have been trying to get a job in the UK for over a year now.
When the contract I was on in Kuwait ended, and my family had to return home, the only job I could get at the time was in Qatar - away from home for 4 weeks at a time. I hate the job, the travelling to and from work (almost 4 hours on a bus every day in temps exceeding 40 degrees is no fun ) and, most of all, spending half the year away from my family. I initially took it thinking that I would only do it for a few months, then come back to the UK in April (tax reasons), but soon found out it wasn't going to be that easy in the current climate.
I was applying for anywhere between 5 and 10 jobs a day in the oil and gas sector - and I am considered to be well qualified in this area - but there was nothing out there.
I have now managed to get a job in the UK, starting in a couple of weeks when I get back from Qatar, but I still remember how hard it was doing the searching, applying and waiting.
I hope something comes up soon, for any of you out there that are looking, and that things in general start to turn around soon.
I have everything crossed for all of you

 

[Jets fan]

Thankyou all for your kind messages of support. I just cannot get over the change in getting a job now, much of it appears to be online now, gone is the personal interaction.

So, my task today is to plaster my CV across the internet on ever recruitment site, national newspaper site etc, that I can find.

Good luck to everybody else looking for a job on these boards.

Tina

 

[UKDEB]

Matt has been in the same position since October last year. Like others, he's been applying for 5-10 jobs a day, but can't even get an interview. As you say, Tina, it's all so impersonal and most Recruitment Agents are gatekeepers who won't put you forward unless you tick every last little box. It's so frustrating because he could do many of the jobs standing on his head, but they're not willing to listen. If he could just get in front of the employers themselves, he could at least attempt to sell himself. On one occasion, the agent declined to put him forward because he "wasn't currently employed in the financial services industry" (well, duh, if he was, he wouldn't need a job) and therefore his (19 years) experience was out of date. He later discovered that the company had employed a graduate.

He has managed to get a job as a General Assistant for one of the major supermarket which has just opened a big new store locally. The pay is awful (about 25% of what he was earning before), but it's preferable to sitting at home and he's already secured a place on their career progression programme. He continues with the soul-destroying business of daily applications.

Coming from an industry where he was used to being head-hunted, we could never have imagined being in this position. Stories like these are all over the news, though, and it does help to know you're not the only one struggling.

 

[florida sun]

Matt has been in the same position since October last year. Like others, he's been applying for 5-10 jobs a day, but can't even get an interview. As you say, Tina, it's all so impersonal and most Recruitment Agents are gatekeepers who won't put you forward unless you tick every last little box. It's so frustrating because he could do many of the jobs standing on his head, but they're not willing to listen. If he could just get in front of the employers themselves, he could at least attempt to sell himself. On one occasion, the agent declined to put him forward because he "wasn't currently employed in the financial services industry" (well, duh, if he was, he wouldn't need a job) and therefore his (19 years) experience was out of date.

Just touching on something you said there Deb, can you tell me if your registered with an agency and they wont put you forward for a position that your interested in, are you allowed to send your CV to the company advertising the position direct? Im not sure what the rules are,we use agencys, however we also have a policy of accepting,considering and interviewing applications that have come through to us direct whereby applicants have heard of the position through word of mouth, friends, family etc, but I didnt know if you were allowed to do this if your registered with an agency as of course they (the agency) then dont get payment if your accepted. We also offer a friends and family bonus scheme whereby if a collegue reccomends a friend or family member who is interviwed with the same process as everyone else, is successful and then passes their six month probation period, they get a small bonus.

Of the 20+ people I interviwed, 13 were from Agencys, and the rest direct.

 

[tennisfan]

I hope something comes up soon. I know what you are going through. I graduated from uni in 06 & struggled to find enough work in the area I was qualified in. I even applied for a job at the uni I was at doing working with the department I did my degree with, didn't even get an interview (I have my theory on why no one on our degree got an interview)

I was working at Sainsburys throughout my degree so had some income. I applied to the ambulance service to keep my parents off my back. It took the service 2 years to go through assessments, interviews etc. They then chnage the grade of job we applied for & cut the salary by £1000. I stuck with it & am now working on the road, I hate the station i'm at.

I began to regret applying for it when they started mucking me about. Nothing has changed. If I can get my transfer I will be happier as I will be closer to where I live (which comes in handy on nights). Having said that if I worked full time at Sainsburys I would only be aprrox £200 worse off then I am now doing shifts

I did look at joining the armed forces as an office but was too old for the RAF & for the Branch I was interested in the Navy.

In hindsight I wish I never joined the ambulance service but will stick at it until something better comes along.

 

[bronny]

I'm sorry to hear you are having problems. I have a job (which I also hate), its an hour commute each way every day which is a nightmare. I have been on a waiting list for a job for 5 months now but very little progress seems to have been made. I'm still looking for a job but living in Cornwall means even fewer jobs for those lacking specific experience. What gets me is how are you able to get experience without getting the job??? I'm over qualified for most of the jobs I apply for, unfortunately Literature is not the most useful of qualifications in the real world!

 

[UKDEB]

Deb, can you tell me if your registered with an agency and they wont put you forward for a position that your interested in, are you allowed to send your CV to the company advertising the position direct?

Well, often you don't know which company the advertised job is with. When you do, then strictly speaking it's probably against the terms of your agreement with the agency, but in reality I'm not sure there's much they can do about it. My cousin recently applied for the position of Senior Sales Negotiator with a big estate agent. The recruitment agency refused to put him forward because he's been out of the industry for 5 years. However, they had revealed the name of the company and he approached them directly. The recruitment agent went nuts, but he ended up getting a better position than the one he'd applied for! It's certainly opened our eyes and I don't think Matt will have any qualms trying his luck with the direct approach if the agencies decline to put him forward.

 

[scottishgirl87]

Well, often you don't know which company the advertised job is with. When you do, then strictly speaking it's probably against the terms of your agreement with the agency, but in reality I'm not sure there's much they can do about it. My cousin recently applied for the position of Senior Sales Negotiator with a big estate agent. The recruitment agency refused to put him forward because he's been out of the industry for 5 years. However, they had revealed the name of the company and he approached them directly. The recruitment agent went nuts, but he ended up getting a better position than the one he'd applied for! It's certainly opened our eyes and I don't think Matt will have any qualms trying his luck with the direct approach if the agencies decline to put him forward.

See I personally don't like applying through agencies at all! I don't like not knowing who the job is for, etc. Plus there's so many "dodgy" advertisements out there it's unreal! However, they do say that 80% of jobs aren't actually advertised, so sometimes you really are better going to the source! I'm in the process myself of making a list of people to fire CV's out to in the hope it could get something, anything, in return!

My other hate is places that don't even bother getting back to you! I mean it takes 2 minutes to send an e-mail saying thanks but no thanks! I don't mind the one's that say "if you don't hear within X weeks then you've been unsuccessful", that's fine, at least I'm not waiting forever to know! I got a letter last month for a job I applied for in MAY, I'd already got the hint by then!!

Sorry that turned into a bit of a rant, lol.

 

[tennisfan]

See I personally don't like applying through agencies at all! I don't like not knowing who the job is for, etc. Plus there's so many "dodgy" advertisements out there it's unreal! However, they do say that 80% of jobs aren't actually advertised, so sometimes you really are better going to the source! I'm in the process myself of making a list of people to fire CV's out to in the hope it could get something, anything, in return!

My other hate is places that don't even bother getting back to you! I mean it takes 2 minutes to send an e-mail saying thanks but no thanks! I don't mind the one's that say "if you don't hear within X weeks then you've been unsuccessful", that's fine, at least I'm not waiting forever to know! I got a letter last month for a job I applied for in MAY, I'd already got the hint by then!!

Sorry that turned into a bit of a rant, lol.

Thats a bug bear of mine. I wrote to hundreds of places & only got a couple of responses. I even gave my email address so it wouldn't cost them money

 

[fizz13]

no wonder you are depressed, vent away! I have been looking for a year for something, anything that is remotely possible within the boundries of having my children, which generally excludes night shifts, bar work etc and as i have been home for 10 years essentially I am way at the bottom of the pile. So i cant imagine how frustrating it must be to know that you are qualified and able and still cant get your foot in the door. i had very few replies too.

I have had to make the decision to go to college so at least this way i am making progress, i start monday on an access course to higher education and am intending to apply for a midwifery degree starting next september. i just came to the conclusion that i am scavenging for a job for which i will have no motivation and hate, and i may as well go for something i really have wanted to do for a long time. the golden lining to this is I am eligable for an NHS grant during my degree studies, which is equivalant to just over minimum wage.

anyway, i just wondered if anyone else had considered re-training? right now i am so glad i will have somewhere to go monday morning instead of letting another year pass me by.for all those stuck xx

 

[wideeyes]

I hope you find something soon, it must be so frustrating.

 

[wideeyes]

anyway, i just wondered if anyone else had considered re-training?

I started of doing access 5 years ago, graduated this year and now doing Post grad so will be looking for a job next year. It is tough at the moment for so called "safe jobs" such as teaching as there is lots of people who have lost there job are going to uni to retrain . Even newly trained secondary teachers are going to struggle to find jobs as more are doing PGCE this September, it is a waste of time going in to primary school teaching unless you are a man at the moment.

People starting out on undergraduate degrees though are in a better position at the moment as they will have 3-4 years for things to recover which it should be.

I must say on a positive note going to uni is such a rewarding thing to do and it really builds strength of character and so many personal skills. I think it will be one of the best things you will do even if it is sometimes hard with work, looking after kids and a house, the struggles make it more rewarding at the end.