Will I ever find a job again?

amother

Lime

Wed, Oct 21 2015, 12:37 pm

It turns out, I'm not very good at what I wanted to do. I lost 2 jobs in 3 years. I decided not just to look for more if the same (how would I even explain in an interview) but to look in related areas where my degree and experience would be useful. I can't even get a toe in the door! I've applied for nearly 100 jobs, networked, talked to anyone I think could be helpful. I've gotten a grand total of one interview and I didn't get the job. I'm so demoralized. And the longer I'm out of work, the harder it will be to find work. I'm afraid I might never work again at this rate. It's a very depressing thought and it's really getting me down.

amother

Violet

Wed, Oct 21 2015, 1:06 pm

I lost around 7 jobs in the past 16 years. I asked a rabbi if I should take ADHD medication and he said no. He told me to ask for feedback frequently while I was at my jobs and try to work with the bosses on improving. Every time I interviewed I blamed my job losses on something else, like the economy or the shifting business landscape. Other employers assumed that I was bouncing because of having kids (that's what my current employer told me - he said - wow I see you have many jobs but it's probably because you had upheavals due to having kids Smile

). Anyway, just keep a positive attitude. I have had long stretches of unemployment (like 6 months) but I just collected unemployment and bonded with my kids. And now B"H I have tons of experience and I am gradually getting my act together.

I ended up staying with the same field the whole time, because I don't dislike it and I don't feel like training for anything else. I've gotten better at it. It is much easier to find interviews when you match the credentials exactly, rather than re-inventing yourself.

amother

Violet

Wed, Oct 21 2015, 2:11 pm

I asked a rav because I wasn't sure if I had ADHD or not - I had been a top student but I was not thriving at work. I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong. And anyway, I was right in the middle of being pregnant, TTC, etc. My husband saw that some guys in his shul were violently addicted to Adderall that they had started taking in order to concentrate better at their jobs. They had terrible withdrawal symptoms on Shabbos when we would see them. So he said - please don't go down the road of ADHD meds. So I asked our hashkafa rabbi what to do, because I was demoralized from losing so many jobs. But he said - no, you don't need ADHD meds, you just need to get feedback and try to do what the bosses say. And by the way, years of experience have helped me navigate the corporate world and what is expected. So at this point I have learned to manage expectations and keep a pleasant demeanor at work, and B"H I am doing ok and making good money B"H.

amother

Lime

Wed, Oct 21 2015, 2:20 pm

I know exactly why I lost my jobs. I'm lousy at that particular type of work. I have no problem with the universal aspects of work- being reliable and getting along with coworkerscoworkers, etc. My skills and credentials can be applied elsewhere and seeing as I'm not good at my original field, I think it would be wise to look elsewhere at this point. But you certainly gave me chizzuk that it's not the end of the world and can rebuild myself. I just feel like I'm at a brick wall right now and will never break through or figure it out...

singleagain

Wed, Oct 21 2015, 6:01 pm

I was out of work for nearly 4 years, before I found my current job. my current job also has absolutely nothing to do with my degree...

I'm sure you have other skills besides your degree's... not to mention life skills that you can transfer to a work-place application

I think you should have a friend look over your resume, and maybe help re-do it, add things like skills from other aspects of life -- however do not go over one page

it might be a good idea to have more than one resume for instance, at one point during my job search I had a resume geared to office work and another for child care

also post your resume online to job boards, bc the companies also look for resume's besides receiving them --- there are also Facebook groups and such

if you want you can pm me for more tips or assistance.

amother

Brown

Wed, Oct 21 2015, 9:09 pm

In answer to your question, while it totally sucks being out of work for so long, that does NOT mean that you can't find a job again.It might be helpful to make some changes to your job searching methods though to help you find something sooner rather than later.

If you're sure of the reason why the previous jobs didn't work out, then your best bet is to try to get experience in the new field where you're looking to move to. It's a hard situation... No one wants to hire someone without experience but how can you get experience without a job? A good way to do this is to volunteer or try to get a low paid internship sonewhere. That way, you're not only gaining experience but you'll also have an opportunity to network and see it this new area is really a good match for you. It also could give you new energy if you feel like you're in a rut from the job searching.

Regardless of how simple your responsibilities are, if you can present this experience on the resume as an actual job, it will make you seem more marketable (you should never lie of course.) Again, it's not fair but at this point your lack of employment might be working against you.

Other tips is to make sure your resume is focused on whichever job you're applying to- if necessary create a few different resumes. And definitely ask a friend or career counselor to look over your resume.

If you post more details about your career, someone might be able to give more specific advice... Good luck!

amother

Amethyst

Sun, Nov 08 2015, 5:02 pm

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this to you before I skimmed through the above posts. You have to prove everyone wrong that you are smart and are good at everything!! As someone who has been fired and laid off before, don't let it get to you. Main thing is be confident at interviews!! You are the person they want for the company! You are willing to learn anythying! How do you act during interviews? Do you get very nervous? Go into the interview in your mind thinking you don't want the job that will calm you, maybe take a shot before:)
Dress very nicely to interviews. Please do not let it get to you! You are the person they want and you will show confidence!

seeker

Sun, Nov 08 2015, 8:03 pm

amother wrote:

This, combined with also have you been networking among friends and relatives or just sending your resume to companies? You never know if your cousin's friend is looking for someone to do this kind of work on the cheap side and would be willing to hire a newbie on the friend's recommendation to do you a favor. If you can, look for short term work like that and then use that experience as a springboard to make you more qualified for the real jobs that you really want.

I'm doing some graphics work for pennies for a relative's relative because he was willing to trust me with the job and I had just enough time to commit to something minor. I'm hoping I can use that as a feather in my cap if we manage to make Aliyah and I need to look for a different type of job than I do here.