Okay so job hunting is the most frustrating and time consuming thing to be doing, especially if you’re a little picky. And I know I shouldn’t be, considering getting paid is crucial to things like…surviving? That’s always a good motivator. Food on the table and hot water is a life I’m now accustomed to. However there is a part of me which stubbornly asks, “Why the hell not be a little pickier about my choices now and go for jobs I will actually be happy in? I deserve it damn it!”
You see I have been working in the same job for almost eight years before I was made redundant. I kinda…fell into my previous role and definitely wasn’t thinking of it as my long term career. I got comfortable and I was good at my job. I liked the people I worked with and, overall, there was nothing wrong with the actual work either.
Did I want to do it for the rest of my sane, rational days on this planet before my mind liquefied or stopped all together? Na.
I did, however, learn a lot from it and I gained skills I never really thought I had until I put them down on paper. And that’s one of the bonuses to searching for a job. In your CV you have to list all the things your skilled at and try and sell your working abilities to someone who doesn’t know you from Jack. I mean these people don’t know what you look like, what your personality is like or how hard you actually try at whatever role you’re given…or so you think anyway.
In actual fact, I used to tell a lot about a person from how they wrote their CV. I was in charge of hiring and I used to get the very worst and the best of applications. The layout, the information you give about yourself is actually more revealing about your personality than you think it is. Oddly, not all the flashiest CV’s with incredible educational backgrounds were the most impressive.
That paper summary of who you are, well that’s the thing which will either make you look like a shining beacon of all great employees with rainbows destined to fly out of your butt…or a weirdo loser who is possibly the future serial killer in your local area. (Extreme but you get the general gist.)
If you’re a bit down or feeling shitty about yourself then writing out your experience on a bit of paper is actually therapeutic. You find out you actually have more knowledge and skills picked up over the years than you thought. Shockingly more!
I’d recommend trying it if you need a little pick me up. Even if you’re not looking for a job! Just jot down all the skills you’ve gained throughout the years which makes you…well you!
So my complaint about the job hunting process isn’t putting together a CV or the interview process. It’s the applying and the constant mind numbing boredom of waiting for someone to just acknowledge my application. Not to mention the weird way in which stores and shops are handling recruitment now. I know that makes me sound so old, which I’m not by the way, but I’m not the only one who has this complaint. I have other friends who have been looking for a change in career or merely need a new job to get them by after circumstances similar to mine. They all say the same thing!
I decided that I wanted something low key and simple for the next year, just until I figure out what I really want to do with my future. Something which won’t put a lot of pressure on me, seeing as my job before did. So I figured that retail work shouldn’t be hard to get into, especially when my CV shows a lot of customer service experience. And yes, I might be over qualified for the role of sales assistant but that shouldn’t prevent me getting the job over some teenager with no experience right?
I mean who really turns around and says, “oh look, we have someone with actual knowledge on how a business functions and has been working as a PA for directors of a company for the last four years. We can’t have that level of experience serving customers. What will they think of us? How will this make us look if we have someone with the ability to speak without having to Google shit! Nope, bin it.” That’s not going to happen now is it.
So I started looking at retail work and small businesses. I went into my local town and went around some of the shops asking if they had any openings. During my stroll I noticed two things. When I asked the manager “is there any job openings at the moment?” I got one of two responses. “Na. Not at the moment but look online and there might be soon” or “sorry I don’t know. Check online.” Those were the helpful responses. At one stage I got “um…I dunno.” Well that was a great help. Thanks.
So I went online and sign up to all the job search apps I could find. I am literally signed up to them all. I apply and guess what? I get nothing in response!
Don’t get me wrong, I know what it’s like being the person on the other end who has to go through every application which is sent to you and it’s tedious. I understand there are hundreds who usually apply for the role and most of whom are not even worth interviewing. Horrible to say, but it’s also fact. The screening system takes a lot of time and you can spend hours skimming through CV’s and corresponding with other managers to see if this person will help the company and fit in with the team. It’s a lot of work. The thing is, the person on the other end is willing to work and is waiting for you to say something…anything. They have been ignored for who knows how long. It’s depressing waiting for someone to at least let you know they’re aware of your existence.
I spoke to a friend who is in the same boat and guess what, he actually cheered when he got a rejection email. Yes, you read that right. He was so happy someone actually bothered to get back to him, even if it was a simple “apologies but you didn’t get the position. Good luck for the future.”
The other thing, other than being completely ignored, is the job search apps and their constant spam emails. I get at least sixty a day and I wouldn’t mind if they were all about the role I’m looking for. If there’s sixty different jobs out there fitting the criteria, happy days! Yet none of them are what I’m looking for or they’re merely repeats of jobs I’ve already applied for.
“Okay I worked in an office, I did a lot of selling of specialist equipment…no I don’t want to be a plumber! And why are you telling me about a job which requires four years experience in medicine?! Where on my CV or previous job search, did I mention studying medicine?! Fuck it, I’ll apply to be a fortune teller, that looks like fun!”
Right, enough of this, I need to focus on that job hunt!
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