Try and stay positive.
It will happen soon.
There's something out there for you.
So many times I've heard this recently. I have one thing to say to those comments.
Easier said than done.
Funny though, what many people don't realise is, those who say that to me... they are the ones with a job.
They are the ones who don't see behind the fake smiles and fake upbeat attitudes.
They don't see you spending endless hours searching for jobs.
They don't see the other side.
The hours trawling all the job sites. Results show 1000+ jobs.
Take the first 1000. Now look a little closer. How many of those 1000 jobs can you actually apply for?
Firstly, rule out the 500 Manager roles, then the 250 odd jobs with a mix of Deputy Manager, Assistant Positions or jobs that require 5-10 years minimum experience within the specific role.
That leaves 250 possible job applications.
Out of those 250, 150 positions require alternative qualifications, experience within a specific area or at least 2-3 years minimum experience overall.
That leaves 100.
At least 50 of those are graduate positions. Maybe my luck has changed, I'm a graduate with a decent degree right? Great.
No. 1-2 years minimum experience or a degree grade above what I have achieved. Kick in the teeth or what.
50.
25 of these are no experience needed, no degree or other qualifications, immediate start, minimum wage. Fine. Let's apply. These are more 'up my street'. Read the fine print before clicking 'apply'.
Sales & Marketing. No specific wage, commission based.
Turns out one or two of these I have actually applied for before. Same job, on more than one occasion. Oh look, immediate interview, same spiel, same Manager scrawling all over some paper explaining the job role, same phone call 3 hours later to say I got through to the next stage - a staged door to door walk through. No.
That leaves 25.
15 are retail positions. OK that's fine. No. 14 require previous retail experience, usually a minimum of 12 months. Those that don't, are for 0-5 hour contracts.
1 I can apply for. That 100+ others have also applied for. But I do.
Woo 1 job application so far.
10 left.
10 Admin based job roles. Majority of which 100+ others have also applied for. That doesn't necessarily mean 101 other people. It could mean 101, it could also mean 2-300 other applicants all looking for the same basic job role, filing, data capturing etc. That's all fine with me. Go for it.
10 more job applications made. Phew. 11 out of 1000.
Better than nothing is what most people say when they hear I've managed to apply.
Or is it?
No call back. No reply. Or if by some miracle I do hear back its usually a bog standard 'thanks for your application, we have reviewed the situation and unfortunately you have not made it through to the next stage. We have gone with someone more suited to the role'.
How?
I have IT Skills, I know how to organise a folder and files, I have a good telephone manner, I grew up in a family business, I've done data capture, I'm a team player, I work hard, I'm eager to learn.
What am I missing?
Oh what, the 1-2 years minimum experience needed to prove that to you? Maybe if you let me get to the interview stage and meet me in person you will see I am just more than a few words on a piece of paper. A CV doesn't show you Me.
A person cannot gain work experience without being offered work in the first place.
A person who tells me to stay positive, doesn't see all that.
They see no interviews, no call backs, no success story so automatically assume I'm doing nothing.
I say I applied for 11 jobs today. They say go you! Well done. I'm sure that one of those will be the one for you! It'll happen any day now.
But when they don't see the any day now appear they just assume that I am sitting around on my lazy behind - which yes I may be doing right now as I write this - but what you don't realise is the 5 or 6 tabs I have open alongside Blogger, with job applications and job websites.
The alternative comments off other people include
"why don't you go in stores and hand out CVs the 'old fashioned way'."
I have tried that and there are usually 2 or 3 follow up comments.
'Please check our website for further details as we cannot accept CVs directly.'
'We have no job openings at the moment.'
Or even better, the ones that do accept CV hand-ins. A look that makes you feel so degraded, so humiliated for even asking the question that you wish you could snatch the CV back and erase the last 10 seconds of your life. The looks can vary from what on earth are you talking about, to oh dear me, asking for a job? My, you must be desperate, or don't be so silly do I look like i give a rats rear end that you're unemployed and seeking work, I'll just play along and say I'll put it aside and when something comes up we will be sure to give you a call.
Roughly translated as, as soon as you turn your back that CV is going on the pile to collect dust along with all the others that within a couple of weeks we will have accidentally on purpose forgotten about and there is no way we will be calling YOU back.
So back home you go, deflated, depressed, humiliated.
Back to the laptop. Back to the Internet. Back to the Job websites. The cycle starts again.
It's not all fun and games people. We can't all just stay positive.