GarnetFox

Applied for 18 jobs since the end of November, guess how many no's? Yep, you guessed it, 18.

Getting a little disheartened now.

Dracoro

Hi Foxy, in a not so dissimilar position myself.

Mind you, at least I get to play PS2, take the S2000 out for a spin and get up when I like so it's not all bad!

GarnetFox

Bet you're better qualified than me so ner...

I have just rang up the jobcentre line with requests for 6 more applications (don't think I actually want to become a trainee chef, but am applying for every flaming thing), but in the meantime I am sorting through my magazine pile.

Oh joy.

TurboKitty

GF, since the first week in October I have applied for at least 50 jobs per week. I very rarely hear back from any of them, not even a 'no'.

zero_to60

I was made redundant/sacked call it what you will and spend 5 months looking, after 2 months of applying and getting **** all I decided to approach companies direct asking if they had anything in my field of 'expertise' in the end I hit on a company who was about to place a job with an agency - they interviewed me first before putting to the agency 'cause they were able to save money on placement fees and bingo I got the job, right place right time and they never approached the agency

might be worth trying that, it's a bit of a numbers game but I just slogged it out and it also helped keep me focused as well as was getting depressed after the first 2 months

carl

If you're sending off job applications but not even getting interviews, then maybe your CV/covering letter needs a rework. You may like it, but it's not getting results.

OTOH I went through a phase where nearly everything I applied for resulted in an interview (CV/covering letter must have been OK) but no jobs -- I obviously needed to re-visit my interview technique.

GarnetFox

*Bangs head on desk in despair*

I mean, what's going on? I'm sure we're not thick so where did the superhumans who are nicking the jobs come from?

*Attempts to chase superhumans...rarrr*

GarnetFox

Cv and letter have been checked out as ok by an agency, my problem is a mild disablity which kept me off of work all last year. It doesn't sound good to employers no matter what have done to keep myself active and brain-filled during that time.

Have had 4 interviews and they all rang to say that they 'were impressed by my attitude etc, but found someone with more experience'. 'Spose it's just a case of keep looking!

Live in a small town too, and can't travel far due to disabiliy, so choice of jobs is limited. I think I may pester the Back To Work team again.

TAZMAN

Garnet,
I can sympathise..only 5 days in and I am already climbing the walls!!

iain atkins

Know how it feels GF.

i so desperately don't want to sell the subaru either, but every day its looking more and more likely


Iain

carl

It's up to you GF (and TK), but even if an agency says your CV is OK, if it's not getting results then it isn't OK. Try re-writing it from scratch and see if you get any better results. I'm a firm believer that if something's not working it needs to be changed -- it might only be a placebo but I reckon it's worth a go.

Same to TurboKitty -- if you're applying for 50 jobs a week you can't possibly be personalizing the applications. Not that I'm some sort of job-wizard, but what I've learnt to do is tailor the CV to the job and bring out key relevant points in the application letter. I reckon it takes me about 1 evening per job, if I'm going to do it properly.

In the past (immediately post-uni) I tried the carpet-bombing approach to job hunting and it got me nowhere

Esoteric Beast

Garnetfox, what you wanna do?

I may be able to find a position for you

ADP

I guess I must have applied for probably 50 - admitedly through agencies - Jobserve stylee. Have had 3 or 4 interviews, and no job.

Refuses once as over qualified, the next time just silence, another time - no position now available and the forth I dont want now Ive been to the interview.

Its tough out there.

AP

ADP

Forgot to say, best results always come when I speak to the agent in person, if I just send a CV in, its normally a no - hoper, unless I get lucky.

Andy

TurboKitty

carl, I am a contractor, so the situation is a bit different for me.

Since I am dealing mostly with agencies and a high turnover of jobs, (as well as a lot of imaginary ones), it's not really possible to tailor the c.v. to the job.

[Edited by TurboKitty - 2/14/2003 10:45:47 PM]

beemerboy

and make sure you can do the stuff printed on it!!!!

BB

swiss scooby

I soon will be on a job hunt as well. Two of my work colleagues and me had to close down the Zurich office within 10 days!!! It was an order from our head office in Germany. It was a pretty damn hectic time to the very last minute, but at least I am still getting paid until the end of March 03. Currently I am looking at it as a long vacation brake. The only downside is, that every now and then those uncertain thoughts of being jobless kick in and they tell me to get of my butt and that I should start looking for a new job. I think currently the job market is pretty bad all over Europe (even in old little NON-EU Switzerland). I wish myself and everybody else in similar situations GOOD LUCK TO GET THEIR DREAMJOBS!!!

GarnetFox

EB, I'm looking for admin work, or finance/it if I can be trained up. This is in the Weston-super-Mare/Bristol at a push area. I'm 22 and relatively inexperienced. It's tricky finding someone who will train!

carl

Me too