Stressed out just from looking for work,

Mc Kenzie

Maybe i just need to Rant but does any of you gals in the lassies lounge,
that are unemployed find it stressful looking for work!

Sometimes i just feel some jobs are just calling me in for the sake of numbers.

Iv been trying real hard, guess i didn't realize how bad it is.

Any other ladies feel stresses looking for work and not getting anywhere??

dearg lady

I know how you feel. It's incredibly disheartening. There's quite a lot of jobs in the general area I'm looking, so I thought it would be fine, but once I started looking at jobs ads in detail I realised most weren't suitable, I'm either under or over qualified for them, they're too far away, they want someone who trained in a particular area or industry etc etc.
So yeah, it's frustrating to see so many jobs, and to apply for so many jobs, and not even hear anything back from many of them.

Mc Kenzie

I know,

there is jobs out there but how can i apply to jobs im not qualified for. you can only really stay in your own area. Try an try again so they say :rolleyes:

jendafer1

I feel your pain. Been looking for work since April-ish. Its v depressing looking for work, but you just have to try not let it get to you. Plan something in the future to look forward to. And know that you will get a job eventually, it might just take some time. I also find it helps knowing that so many other people out there are in the same position as me...

Maggiesims

Yes I know how you feel it can be so stressful. I had an interview last week, they wanted someone with 3 years experience which I had, at the end of the interview she said the wages was the mimimum wage.

I would have to drive 50 miles a day to get to work and then pay for parking, also I would have to pay for childcare. I would have to borrow money to get through the week!

She then told me well we are getting thousands of CVs in and she will let me know next week. I thought to tell her well if you put on the job ad that the wage was the minimum you would have had 1 less CV got (which was mine). Going to that interview cost me money. I thought the wage would better especially when they asked for experience.

Oh well I will keep looking

Augmerson

I wish I could give some helpful, constructive advice, but I am not great at that, but hang in there, I really hope something comes your way, because if your doing your best you deserve it

jellie

Job searching can be soul destroying. You find yourself going for jobs you're way overqualified for just so you can get SOMETHING, which then makes it even worse when you don't get it.

Just gotta keep telling yourself something will come up.

jendafer1

It really is exhausting applying for jobs! I'm kind of in the same situation, over-qualified but with no experience! So I just try to apply for all the jobs, regardless of what experience they ask for! I've found doing that helps just to be in the recruitment agencies database because sometimes they might have short contract work that they dont advertise... anyway good luck with the hunt!

By the way - what does anyone ever wear when meeting a recruitment agent? I've to meet one tomorrow for the first time as he has set me up with an interview for Monday (yay!) Should I wear my "interview" suit? Or do I tone it down a little and go smart - ie black trousers + nice top?

Awesome-O

I would think the black trousers and top

confuseddotcom

I would actually have said a suit for a Recruitment Agency as they'd be the ones doing the vetting. But smart could do the trick nicely too.

jendafer1

Thanks guys
I went with the black trousers / top with heels look, as I figured they had gotten me an interview already. I think it worked out well!

IrishAm

Mc Kenzie wrote: »

Maybe i just need to Rant but does any of you gals in the lassies lounge,
that are unemployed find it stressful looking for work!

Sometimes i just feel some jobs are just calling me in for the sake of numbers.

Iv been trying real hard, guess i didn't realize how bad it is.

Use whatever skills you possess and create your own job. Use the BTWA to achieve this goal if need be. Become self reliant. :cool:

Mc Kenzie

Maggiesims wrote: »

Yes I know how you feel it can be so stressful. I had an interview last week, they wanted someone with 3 years experience which I had, at the end of the interview she said the wages was the mimimum wage.

I would have to drive 50 miles a day to get to work and then pay for parking, also I would have to pay for childcare. I would have to borrow money to get through the week!

She then told me well we are getting thousands of CVs in and she will let me know next week. I thought to tell her well if you put on the job ad that the wage was the minimum you would have had 1 less CV got (which was mine). Going to that interview cost me money. I thought the wage would better especially when they asked for experience.

Oh well I will keep looking

Wow . i am single(by law:rolleyes:) so i guess im lucky i dont have childcare expenses, gosh i cant belive how just by going to a job or even the interview can cost more than the job in hand,..

That was silly to look for three yrs exp! at min wage.


Also My sister went to a teacher interview which she traveled quite a distance for, and got the letter the day rite after to tell her she did not get it !!! they could of told her while she was up there if they new that quick !!! wha the

The Big Red Button

Maggiesims wrote: »

Yes I know how you feel it can be so stressful. I had an interview last week, they wanted someone with 3 years experience which I had, at the end of the interview she said the wages was the mimimum wage.

I would have to drive 50 miles a day to get to work and then pay for parking, also I would have to pay for childcare. I would have to borrow money to get through the week!

She then told me well we are getting thousands of CVs in and she will let me know next week. I thought to tell her well if you put on the job ad that the wage was the minimum you would have had 1 less CV got (which was mine). Going to that interview cost me money. I thought the wage would better especially when they asked for experience.

This is absolutely my pet hate.

So many employers do this. They give absolutely no indication of the salary range in the ad. It's ridiculous. And you can't just ignore those ads, either, as they seem to be the majority!

Also, there were jobs I applied for that gave no salary range - but asked for applicants to include their salary expectations in the cover letter. Grand, I did that, was asked for interview. Only to find out that they were offering way below my expected range. Why waste my time like that?!

jendafer1 wrote: »

By the way - what does anyone ever wear when meeting a recruitment agent? I've to meet one tomorrow for the first time as he has set me up with an interview for Monday (yay!) Should I wear my "interview" suit? Or do I tone it down a little and go smart - ie black trousers + nice top?

Ah I'd always, always wear the suit. Think about it - if they're going to send you out to a client, their reputation depends on the impression you make on the client. You want to present yourself to the agency in the exact same way that you'd present yourself to their clients.

It's always better to be overdressed than underdressed for this sort of thing, in my opinion.

NeonCookies

I just can't understand where new graduates are supposed to get the experience they need to do jobs that are advertised in their field. Every single job I've looked at has a minimum experience requirement of at least 1 year in the field, and usually more.To even get into my desired course, I need 2 years FULL TIME experience. And I can't get the experience, without already having experience :rolleyes: It really is an employer's market. They can establish almost whatever criteria they want nowadays.

It's all very well to say "do volunteer work" to get experience, and that is what I'll be doing when I come home in March probably for the next 2 years full time, but I'm lucky enough that I have great parents and I can live at home with very little expenses so a part-time retail job will just about get me by. If I didn't have that, I don't know what I'd do.

Aoifums

I just dropped out of college, so my only qualification is my Leaving Cert and the only experience I have is a few weeks of summer work. I've searched through so many jobs and applied for any that don't need a degree or experience even if I think they look rubbish. I've heard back from one of them. That's really annoying me. I just wish I could pick anything up. I'm sitting at home like a bum and can't even contribute to the housekeeping. I'm still leaching off of my parents FFS. I just wish I could find something suitable.

BostonB

I would advise doing something else while looking for work. Allocate X amount of time, for job hunting then Y amount of time for something else, creative, voluntary or sport related that you work towards.

jendafer1

Aoifums wrote: »

I just dropped out of college, so my only qualification is my Leaving Cert and the only experience I have is a few weeks of summer work. I've searched through so many jobs and applied for any that don't need a degree or experience even if I think they look rubbish. I've heard back from one of them. That's really annoying me. I just wish I could pick anything up. I'm sitting at home like a bum and can't even contribute to the housekeeping. I'm still leaching off of my parents FFS. I just wish I could find something suitable.

It is absolutely heart-breaking to stay at home doing nothing all day. I agree with Boston - try your best to do things outside of job hunting, try to get fit (if you're not already!), learn something new - like a language, or typing/computer skills which would come in v handy for entry-level office jobs. Have you considered job-bridge or FAS courses? It seems to me that theres nothing HR hate more than a gap in someones experience, so try your best to fill your time doing something constructive. Being able to say in an interview that you took some time out to figure out what you wanted to do as a career and also to learn computer skills, sounds much better than saying "I sat around all day and watched tv for 6 months".
Is there any area in particular that you would like to get into? Because if so you could get in touch with specialist recruitment agents who can help. Or what about temping?
Good luck with the hunt

BostonB

When you get a job you will regret you didn't get something else done while you were off Like do a photography course do a 10k or something. Its good for your head too.

fits

Its really tough out there at the moment. Graduates are expected to work for nothing. People with experience get minimum wage. And the people further up the food chain seem to have pulled the rope ladders up after them.

I wasnt in the worst position in the world but I was at a dead end and sick of working contract after contract with no hope of career progression or security so I left. And I'm not sure if I'll be able to come back. The managers are losing their brightest and they dont seem to care because theres plenty of cheap fresh blood to be had.

Twee.

Fresh out of college and currently doing an internship. It finishes in three weeks though, and I'm starting to stress. All the job postings I've seen for my field are looking for at least two years experience I could do one more short bout on interning if it was really, really going to be worth it. But I do see myself handing out CVs soon for some Christmas retail work.

MizzWolfie

My JobBridge internship finishes in three weeks and I'm stressing too. It looks unlikely there will be a role for me in this small company and all similar roles advertised now appear to be internships too. I'm 30 with a humanities PhD and no idea what to do. If I thought I'd get a job somewhere else I'd emigrate.

NeonCookies

MizzWolfie wrote: »

My JobBridge internship finishes in three weeks and I'm stressing too. It looks unlikely there will be a role for me in this small company and all similar roles advertised now appear to be internships too..

Sorry to hear you're stressing out MizzWolfie. While I can see some of the benefits of these internships, I really think a lot of companies are just using them as an excuse for free labour. People used to get paid for these jobs, but now they're "internships". Of course they're good for experience and building up skills, but people can't work for free indefinitely with no hope of progressing to paid work! I've noticed it too trying to get experience with children and special needs. So many funding cuts = no paid work.

shortie_chik

Completely understand your frustration! I've been job-hunting (or internship-hunting) since March, and I'm quite sick of people asking me how the job hunt is going. I think because I don't have anything by now, they think I'm sitting at home doing nothing!!! :mad:

I finished a work placement in Feb, and asked the director if she'd consider keeping me on as an intern (I'm eligible for JobBridge). She was enthusiastic, went off to find out about it. After 6 weeks of me calling & emailing to see what the update was, her superior (HQ is in America) had issues with JB so no go.

So contacted a place in town, got called for interview, result was they're looking for sales staff rather than workshop staff. So why interview me when you know I'm looking for a workshop position??? Actually I'd be happy to do 50/50 as long as I'm at least part-time in a workshop, but they just wanted sales.

Contacted the next guy; he's very enthusiastic, would love to take me on. Starts the JB process, turns out he's not eligible as he's working on his own.

This guy passes me on to another guy, who I do a trial for. He's also enthusiastic, would be happy to take me on. After 6 weeks of calling him up every 2-3 days, he still hasn't even filled in the forms for JB, despite me sending him an easy-peasy-step-by-step of what needs to be done to save him reading the website. Abandon this. :mad:

Contact yet another company, who offers me a JOB straight out. Would be happy to have a trainee on staff (translation: cheap worker, but I can live with that as long as I'm working & learning). After a week, I'm told they'll have to let me go as they need someone with much more experience (actually an immediate replacement for a very experienced guy in his 70s who could go off sick at any moment). I was very clear about my experience on my CV. Eff's sake! :mad: :mad: :mad:

So the same day I call a guy who contacted me recently to do an internship (which I couldn't take up as I'd just been offered the job above), & I'd seen it still advertised on FB the previous day. Went to meet him, turns out he couldn't have me start until Feb 2013 as he already has a JB worker at the moment. But will call in me 4-5 months!

Emailed another guy the same day, who will call me this week to meet. No call today, but I'll be calling him tomorrow if I don't hear by lunch. :rolleyes: So fingers crossed!

But since I figured it could take me a long time to get a job, I started an online distance course in my area which sounds really good to potential employers (I've not been doing nothing for 6 months & it's an interesting course & will be useful to me in future. I may do the follow on course in a year or two - if I can find €2500 - €3000 for the fees.) I'm also training for my first marathon. I could get very lazy with exercise if I've no routine or goals, and there might never be a better time! :cool: Only 4 weeks away today & I am mega excited about this! And I think (*hope*) it will look good on my CV! :P

Maggiesims, that interview experience is beyond frustrating! Some employers really are taking the p*ss with the power they're now wielding! Would they (could they afford to) do that work for that salary? :rolleyes:

you wha?

I know the feeling!been looking for ages now and keep getting emails back saying we'll be in contact and NO CONTACT or i go for interview and nothing!its very disheartening!and now i get a letter from the dole saying i must join this tus program thing for a year.I dont particulary mind doing it but its making me feel like im a failure and given i cant get anything else(not for want of trying!)im being forced to do something for an extra 20euro!things are already super tight so i dunno how im gonna cope PITY PARADE being thrown at my place tonight ha!

NeonCookies

Stuck between a rock and a hard place at the moment. Working abroad, teaching English and turned down sponsorship (working holiday atm) because tbh, I miss home too much and I need to start building up specific experience for my future which I can't get here. I'm terrified about coming home! All news from Ireland is bad - on the news, from friends and family, on boards.

My parents think I should stay away (not as bad as it sounds, they miss me loads - just looking out for me ) But, having lived away I realize now that Ireland IS where I want to settle down. This situation is driving people away from the country - people who would otherwise work hard and contribute, and be proud of where they're from. Having said this, if any of you are in the position to go abroad for a year, I do recommend it. It takes you out of the situation, you can de-stress, and see things more clearly. I've accepted that I won't be coming back to much financially / practically, but emotionally I can't stay here indefinitely.

This thread has made me realize that we can't all be too hard on ourselves. In the majority of cases, the problem is with the situation. Not you. We just have to keep trying, lean on people who understand for support, and we WILL get through it and come out the other side. shortie_chik has the right idea (although I'm miiiiles off marathon ready right now :pac:)

Mc Kenzie

Augmerson wrote: »

I wish I could give some helpful, constructive advice, but I am not great at that, but hang in there, I really hope something comes your way, because if your doing your best you deserve it

How Lovely

Mrs Garth Brooks

I've been 5 months out of college and its getting me down a bit. I loved the course and I absolutely love the job. I had some work experience on the course.

It was something I wanted to do even as a kid. I finished school 11 years ago, there wasn't alot of options so I did another course for the sake of it. Then ended up in a job I hated for 6 years. So 9 years after finishing school at 27, I still wanted my dream. I knew I had to go for it. Or il be 40 and nothing. And at 40 I mightn't have the funds to go back. I might have kids to support, who knows. But I couldn't put it off.

I had a few interviews and phone interviews for jobs in england. And they dont even get back to me. Its depressing. My last interview even asked me why the change after working for 6 years. I said the usual, had an interest in it, looking for a challenge. I wasn't sure if I could throw in some personal reasons too. Its the only thing I have ever lived for. I wasn't in a position to get up and leave work. I knew I wanted to at some point so I worked on myself and lost 5 stone. To look good for when I did.

Anyway, 5 months out of college and i'm still buying books. Thats how much I loved it. Have my own library. In case I forget stuff. But wondering if I ever get work and if I dont, its all a waste.

All this and I didn't think it would take so long. Feel like giving up, so tired and fed up.

castaway_lady

Aoifums wrote: »

I just dropped out of college, so my only qualification is my Leaving Cert and the only experience I have is a few weeks of summer work. I've searched through so many jobs and applied for any that don't need a degree or experience even if I think they look rubbish. I've heard back from one of them. That's really annoying me. I just wish I could pick anything up. I'm sitting at home like a bum and can't even contribute to the housekeeping. I'm still leaching off of my parents FFS. I just wish I could find something suitable.

Id advise doing a PLC course at least. Being a drop out is a huge turnoff to any recruiter, in their head that means that if the going gets tough you dont have staying power. By not getting at least a fetac level5 you're condemning yourself to this situation very very longterm.

syjg18

I know the feeling. So sick of it. We should try and try until we have it.

fillefatale

I can't believe that its been a year since I graduated. I'm on my second internship. I worked as a waitress in Scotland where I was studying for 7 months but I missed home too much. Now I'm trying to save what pitiful money I have to leave again. I love Ireland, but I'll just have to become another number elsewhere and romanticize home when the reality doesn't really match up. Its hard not to be bitter, and I'm only in my early 20s, I haven't even got my foot on that "career ladder" yet. Handed out CVs for Xmas work, didn't hear anything back, despite have 3-4 year experience in customer service. Looking for jobs is disheartening when at every turn theres another below to my self confidence.