Jobless and depressed

LegacyUser

hi

ive been having a rough time lately - job wise. Im back in college even though im 26 and i just find is sooo hard to get a break with jobs - they all want experience!! Its really depressing me - i feel like im never going to achieve anything. So someone told me why don't I offer to work for FREE for say one day a week in some company just to get some experience in the area I want to get into. It will give me experience and look good on my CV. I thought this was totally mad - has anyone ever done this before? Any advice to get me out of this hole will be appreciated - thanks xx

krudler

Working for free is a pretty stupid idea tbh, it doesnt help the economy, you have no rights and well, you're getting nothing out of it, you could be using that time to look for other jobs, plus you're in the same boat as a lot of the country, no jobs going. why not apply for something part time for christmas, theres a few places hiring at the mo, tesco, mcdonalds, etc

LegacyUser

krudler wrote: »

Working for free is a pretty stupid idea tbh, it doesnt help the economy, you have no rights and well, you're getting nothing out of it, you could be using that time to look for other jobs, plus you're in the same boat as a lot of the country, no jobs going. why not apply for something part time for christmas, theres a few places hiring at the mo, tesco, mcdonalds, etc

well tesco and mcdonalds isn't going to do much for my career! Work-Experience one day a week - so at least il learn the ropes and put it down on my CV. At least it would be proactive yes???? And obviously not forever - just a coouple of months maybe.

SarahMc

krudler wrote: »

you're getting nothing out of it

How about an up to date CV, experience, a reference, contacts, not to mention personal development, sense of purpose etc.

FAS are currently operating a scheme like this, where you do unpaid work experience in industry. I don't know anything else about it, just seen an ad in paper, ask your local FAS office.

Also, register with your local Volunteer Centre to see if there are any volunteering opportunities with community groups locally that match your skill set and interests.

dellas1979

What do you mean by "I'm back in college even though im 26"? Didnt know there was a shameful age limit to education.

How about "Im 26 and back in college even though I dont really want to be there".

I think 1 day a week for free in the area you want to work in is a great idea - youve nothing to loose. You gain experience and can do a bit of networking.

ParkRunner

dellas1979 wrote: »

What do you mean by "I'm back in college even though im 26"? Didnt know there was a shameful age limit to education.

How about "Im 26 and back in college even though I dont really want to be there".

I think working in the area you want to work in for free 1 day a week is a great idea. You gain experience and can do a bit of networking.

I agree with this totally! I started out doing summer work for pittance but got hired on a permanent contract and got promoted. If you go into a place with a good attitude and show you want to work hard, regardless of the money on offer (or lack of it) you never know what opportunities will present themselves! Chin up.

Sleepy

There's 440,000 of us on the live register at the moment. There's no shame in it at all.

Until 2 months ago I had what looked like a pretty decent career, was on the verge of trebling my starting salary before the recession started to bite. Now, I'm on the dole until something else turns up and I have to admit, I'd love to be back in college at the age of 29 but I have family commitments which mean that's not an option for me.

It may feel like you're not in a great place but honestly, higher education is the best place I can think of to be to ride out this recession if it's an option for you. Pursue a masters, a phd even if it's useful in your area. If you can secure a one day a week unpaid internship in your field, by all means take it. Picture yourself the other side of the interview table: who do you hire? The guy who has some limited experience gained through his willingness to work and learn or the guy with no experience and a slightly better degree? Trust me, the edge the experience of an internship will give you is an absolute trump card.

LegacyUser

I think its a great idea. Alot of people i know will think its mad but if you want your foot in the door? Though if you're a student, the money can come in handy.

I will face the same situation as you next year. I applied to go back to college and i need work experience once a week. Now i already started looking for work and hopefully get something paid but if i don't what option do i have?

I don't mind working for free for the course, its the thought about money and what am i going to live on for the duration of the course. Has anyone any ideas? Evening job? Loan? Sell myself (maybe not)?

shellyboo

Fantastic idea. How else are you going to get experience?

the_cat_is_back

I'd definitely recommend giving this a go OP. A mate of mine came back from travelling the world last xmas. He had qualifications coming out of his ar$e but no company wanted to know. Anyway, in September he decided to take the bull by the horns and sent his CV to a company (in the field he wanted to work) to see if they would take him on for work experience (for free). He did a 3-day week in there for a month and learned a lot. He was still getting his 204 euro a week on the dole, Then in October he did the same for a different company and the week he was finishing someone left, he applied for the vacancy and got the job! Planning on doing something similar myself in the new year.

waitinforatrain

I'm just going to throw this out there, because it worked for me when I was jobless and depressed.

If you think you're capable of the job but don't have the experience, lie.

LegacyUser

In highly competitive careers people have always done unpaid internships to get a foot in the door.

One day a week is not a huge commitment and you'll know in the first few weeks whether you have the right chemistry with the people there and if you are learning enough to justify the lack of pay. Just make sure that you communicate to them that you want to be involved to a reasonable level, not just doing insignificant tasks.

LegacyUser

thanks for replys all. Would it be better to email them or send my cv in the post? To be honost Im not expecting a reply from the companies even though im willing to work for free! I guess when you get rejected so many times you expect it to happen again and again.

spoutwell

Nothing stupid about working for nothing. Voluntary work does look good on your CV. My sister did it years ago in Oxfam and used to get the pick of all the clothes that came in there. Plus, work for nothing in a charity shop and you've got a better chance of getting a paid job there.
The economy is going nowhere - what's the rush? Like a poster said, there's another 440,000 in the same boat.
I worked in London for 70 quid a day. When the 90s recession came I had to work for 25 a day, then 35, then 55 until years later I got back to where I started. At 26 you must think a drop in money or going back to college is the end of the world.
In 1998, I stopped working for 100 quid a day and got a job as a caretaker for 200 a week (ok, plus a free flat). I thought I'd never survive, but I really enjoyed taking it easy. It didn't take long to make the necessary fiscal adjustments (I had no choice).
If you're back in education, you're working towards something. The unemployed in the States can't do that because they can't afford the cost of it.
The eighties were much better than now from one perspective - we didn't have an unreal Celtic Tiger to hark back to. The only way was up.
Same as now.

lisajane

Just thought i'l let you know, i go into a veterinary nursing forum every so often. Its what i want to get into. There's all sorts of people on it. One employer said that they gave this girl a job because she was willing to do a week's free trial. I intend on doing the same. I just need the interview now. Working for nothing will show your entusiam. You have to have something to offer them!

LegacyUser

op here wrote: »

thanks for replys all. Would it be better to email them or send my cv in the post? To be honost Im not expecting a reply from the companies even though im willing to work for free! I guess when you get rejected so many times you expect it to happen again and again.

Emailing with cv attached is fine BUT before you do it phone the company and get the name and email of the relevent person e.g. hr or head of whatever. Mention in your email that you:

"would like to follow up with a telephone chat - could you arrange at your convenience? Perhaps if you don't have a free internship program you could have a quick conversation about how else to break into the industry? Any thoughts or feedback greatly appreciated..."

or something along those lines. And do follow up. You just want to stand out a little bit. Thats how I got my career going. Of course I'm now on the dole like everyone else but anyway :-D