Failing miserably
Discussion
Mid 40s
Financial services commercial/relationship/sales type background
20 odd years blue chip background
Professional qualifications
Absolutely failing to a) even get interviews for jobs and b) if I do get an interview failing to get a job
Feel completely worthless and unwanted by society/the economy yet feel like I’m in my prime and have loads to offer
Facing redundancy and feel really bad for my wife and kids and wife. Only just started earning good money in last few years and now the holidays and decent (not extravagant) lifestyle look like they are stopping
Just feel like the world is making me redundant and I have no say in it whatsoever
Anybody gone through the journey to obsolescence and back?
Some days I just feel utterly despondent and helpless
Financial services commercial/relationship/sales type background
20 odd years blue chip background
Professional qualifications
Absolutely failing to a) even get interviews for jobs and b) if I do get an interview failing to get a job
Feel completely worthless and unwanted by society/the economy yet feel like I’m in my prime and have loads to offer
Facing redundancy and feel really bad for my wife and kids and wife. Only just started earning good money in last few years and now the holidays and decent (not extravagant) lifestyle look like they are stopping
Just feel like the world is making me redundant and I have no say in it whatsoever
Anybody gone through the journey to obsolescence and back?
Some days I just feel utterly despondent and helpless
I'm no expert but I would suggest things like:
Polishing up your linkedin. Connect with all your colleagues past and present plus everyone else you know personally. Then endorse them for stuff they are good at, and hopefully they will reciprocate. Fill in the sections on your profile to list your achievements etc. Then mark yourself as open to work / looking for work.
Get a friend or a pro CV writer to look at your CV, I used to struggle with writing a CV and it helped me.
If you do get made redundant and have a no work, then I would suggest doing something to keep the CV looking good - a bit of volunteer work or similar. Then you can at least say you have been doing that with your time.
Polishing up your linkedin. Connect with all your colleagues past and present plus everyone else you know personally. Then endorse them for stuff they are good at, and hopefully they will reciprocate. Fill in the sections on your profile to list your achievements etc. Then mark yourself as open to work / looking for work.
Get a friend or a pro CV writer to look at your CV, I used to struggle with writing a CV and it helped me.
If you do get made redundant and have a no work, then I would suggest doing something to keep the CV looking good - a bit of volunteer work or similar. Then you can at least say you have been doing that with your time.
Babber101 said:
Thanks both. Have already done as you suggest
Network is limited. Most senior people who know me or have managed me are now retired
Reliant on website applications so falling foul of AI screening / drippy HR analyst / outsourced agency
Website applications are not very effective, get calling recruitment consultants, adding recruitment consultants on LinkedIn, get them doing the work! Come up with some LinkedIn posts that show your knowledge on topics, use ai to assist but don’t just post the ai content it is too obvious Network is limited. Most senior people who know me or have managed me are now retired
Reliant on website applications so falling foul of AI screening / drippy HR analyst / outsourced agency
Babber101 said:
Thanks both. Have already done as you suggest
Network is limited. Most senior people who know me or have managed me are now retired
Reliant on website applications so falling foul of AI screening / drippy HR analyst / outsourced agency
Tailor your CV to include the keywords a given job role is looking for.Network is limited. Most senior people who know me or have managed me are now retired
Reliant on website applications so falling foul of AI screening / drippy HR analyst / outsourced agency
I'd also say dont scatter gun loads of job ads with the same CV. Be selective, and fine tune your CV. Keep variants of your CV that highlight particular aspects of your skillset.
I'm an IT contractor, so i'm up against finding a new role every 18 months to 2 years. LinkedIn and Jobserve work for me. With jobserve in particular, definitely make sure the key skills they are asking for are clearly visible in your CV, even down to the specific keywords.
If you're doing all of that, then it may be you are aiming too high in the market. Maybe consider a step down from where you have been financially and responsibility wise (particularly if you have been in a role in a company that pays highly in that sector).
I'm 56 and if i'd listened to the nay sayers over the years, i'd have been on the scrapheap at 40. Theres work out there, and theres many companies that value experience and maturity.
I'm in the same boat different industry though and late 40s never been out of work before.
Got made redundant in February and really struggling to find anything.
Had interviews and some of them you get the impression you're there to tick a box complete waste of time.
Had one place interview me three times the last interview the project director shook my hand and told me the job was mine and he'll get HR on getting me started ASAP. Not heard a thing since and can't get a reply to email or phone.
Interview 1 was on teams with the PD and HR
Interview 2 was on teams with the PD, other directors and technical director
Interview 3 on site which was a 420 mile round trip for me.
I keep thinking about getting in the car and going and asking what the hell went wrong.
Got a holiday that I've had booked for ages starting next week when I return I'm thinking of setting up working for myself.
Luckily I paid my mortgage off last year. I know exactly how you're feeling and it's s
t.
Got made redundant in February and really struggling to find anything.
Had interviews and some of them you get the impression you're there to tick a box complete waste of time.
Had one place interview me three times the last interview the project director shook my hand and told me the job was mine and he'll get HR on getting me started ASAP. Not heard a thing since and can't get a reply to email or phone.
Interview 1 was on teams with the PD and HR
Interview 2 was on teams with the PD, other directors and technical director
Interview 3 on site which was a 420 mile round trip for me.
I keep thinking about getting in the car and going and asking what the hell went wrong.
Got a holiday that I've had booked for ages starting next week when I return I'm thinking of setting up working for myself.
Luckily I paid my mortgage off last year. I know exactly how you're feeling and it's s
t.Its all a bit rubbish looking for jobs, im in finance and looking to move on from my current place for somewhere that I can study but the pay is lower than what ive seen previous, im on 35k, im seeing very similar jobs that are 30-32, a job at my place has come up as someone is leaving, he started on 28k 3 years ago, they are now offering 25k-28k
Ive seen tips previously saying about updating the cv for each job, lots of checking the ad to make sure I use all the right keywords and not getting much back, one I had an interview for was a 20 min slot and from what I could tell they was interviewing loads of people, other than that its just rejections
Ive seen tips previously saying about updating the cv for each job, lots of checking the ad to make sure I use all the right keywords and not getting much back, one I had an interview for was a 20 min slot and from what I could tell they was interviewing loads of people, other than that its just rejections
I’ve been through miserable times - financially and emotionally (I take rejection quite hard - childhood history?).
Apart from the employment side, focus on your mental health and resilience. Personal decision, but consider (almost!) any job in the meantime? Shelf stacking at a supermarket, customer services at a local airport, etc?
Meeting people, earning money, and an OK story to tell when you get an interview for what you really want to do.
Apart from the employment side, focus on your mental health and resilience. Personal decision, but consider (almost!) any job in the meantime? Shelf stacking at a supermarket, customer services at a local airport, etc?
Meeting people, earning money, and an OK story to tell when you get an interview for what you really want to do.
Hang in there !
The hardest bit is to keep the chin up. With respect to the job hunt what happened until today, doesn't decide what will happen tomorrow. What helped me when i was in a similar zone was to apply with gusto every day and bring in your cheery normal self as and when the interview happens.
Find one or two things which you like doing, and do it without fail every day. Gives you something to look forward to, takes your mind way from the worrying job hunt and helps in keeping good mental health.
The hardest bit is to keep the chin up. With respect to the job hunt what happened until today, doesn't decide what will happen tomorrow. What helped me when i was in a similar zone was to apply with gusto every day and bring in your cheery normal self as and when the interview happens.
Find one or two things which you like doing, and do it without fail every day. Gives you something to look forward to, takes your mind way from the worrying job hunt and helps in keeping good mental health.
Yes I have and it's awful and I felt just like you it's like you've bene kicked to the kerb by society (as feeling) but you have to KBO, failing isn't the issue you think it is, if you're failing you're trying and that's all you can ask of yourself, you win through failure there is no other path.
If you're truly feeling down in the dumps then do as I did and go speak to someone weekly about it, it will really help, also if you're not get fit and if you do stop drinking, you don't need that clouding your thoughts and learn to control your mind, do not dwell act instead.
Good luck.
I was in a very similar position job wise a few years ago, although I was trying to engineer a redundancy...early 50's, financial services, blue chip name, prof qualifications, totally fed up with things, etc. Mentally, I was in a better place because I could, if I'd have wanted, packed in work and semi-retired. But I didn't want to jack it all in too early. I thought about other employed positions and applied, with v limited success. And then had a light bulb moment. Self employment.
I did loads of research and ended up using only a small part of the redundancy money, bought a little one man business in a sector that was totally new to me, and off I went. My wife helped with some initial office and admin stuff, but I had the business for 5 years, it gave me a really steady income and I sold it for almost 3x what I bought it for. It was a perfect solution for my situation and, tbh, wished I'd have made the move earlier. It was hard work, full A-Z responsibility for everything, deffo not 9-5 hours but really quite satisfying.
So, OP, can you use your situation to maybe similarly head into a totally different direction, maybe running your own small business? It's not as difficult as you may think.
I did loads of research and ended up using only a small part of the redundancy money, bought a little one man business in a sector that was totally new to me, and off I went. My wife helped with some initial office and admin stuff, but I had the business for 5 years, it gave me a really steady income and I sold it for almost 3x what I bought it for. It was a perfect solution for my situation and, tbh, wished I'd have made the move earlier. It was hard work, full A-Z responsibility for everything, deffo not 9-5 hours but really quite satisfying.
So, OP, can you use your situation to maybe similarly head into a totally different direction, maybe running your own small business? It's not as difficult as you may think.
Yes, OP, I know how you feel.
It's important to realise that "equality" has shaken up the recruitment process and made it totally unfair.
"Experience" used to be valued, but now it's not. Getting a job is all about "competencies", and you have to show you have them, however irrelevant they are. So any reference in your CV to loads of experience in the field is a negative. They equalitists say that's because it discriminates against the younger ones who don't have experience.
I'm not saying the process is correct, it's just the way it is, and you have to play their game.
Or, do what I did (and others above) and go self-employed.
It's important to realise that "equality" has shaken up the recruitment process and made it totally unfair.
"Experience" used to be valued, but now it's not. Getting a job is all about "competencies", and you have to show you have them, however irrelevant they are. So any reference in your CV to loads of experience in the field is a negative. They equalitists say that's because it discriminates against the younger ones who don't have experience.
I'm not saying the process is correct, it's just the way it is, and you have to play their game.
Or, do what I did (and others above) and go self-employed.
Thanks for all of the posts
As sad as it sounds it does help to to hear that others have been through and are going through similar
I think I’m turning into Victor Meldrew - I just can’t make sense of the world and have a sneaky suspicion I don’t fit into the world of work much anymore. Cheaper, overly enthusiastic, naive, younger, more diverse individuals seem to be preferred over more experienced, solid, unspectacular and perhaps cynical/realistic people.
For those who set up businesses (which is where my head is starting to go) - how did you find the niche you were comfortable and knowledgeable about? (I feel I’ve only worked in big Plc’s which aren’t really the real world and you are insulated from real markets and dynamics)
As sad as it sounds it does help to to hear that others have been through and are going through similar
I think I’m turning into Victor Meldrew - I just can’t make sense of the world and have a sneaky suspicion I don’t fit into the world of work much anymore. Cheaper, overly enthusiastic, naive, younger, more diverse individuals seem to be preferred over more experienced, solid, unspectacular and perhaps cynical/realistic people.
For those who set up businesses (which is where my head is starting to go) - how did you find the niche you were comfortable and knowledgeable about? (I feel I’ve only worked in big Plc’s which aren’t really the real world and you are insulated from real markets and dynamics)
There's really only one way to find out if you can run your own business and that is to try.
Do you have good relationships with current or previous clients you could approach and sound out? Would they be willing to jump ship with you, more importantly would they be willing to 'make their own decision' to jump ship should you leave? Could you service these clients yourself without the back office support you have now?
Can you afford to not be paid for a few months while you get cracking? Can you handle the stress on a regular basis of wondering when or if you are going ot be paid while you build up a buffer? How are you with sales/business development? Can you go out there and sell yourself to find new clients? What else do you need to do your job? Subscriptions, support, sub-contractors? Could be the best thing that ever happened. What doesn't work so well about your current place, what could you do better?
Do you have good relationships with current or previous clients you could approach and sound out? Would they be willing to jump ship with you, more importantly would they be willing to 'make their own decision' to jump ship should you leave? Could you service these clients yourself without the back office support you have now?
Can you afford to not be paid for a few months while you get cracking? Can you handle the stress on a regular basis of wondering when or if you are going ot be paid while you build up a buffer? How are you with sales/business development? Can you go out there and sell yourself to find new clients? What else do you need to do your job? Subscriptions, support, sub-contractors? Could be the best thing that ever happened. What doesn't work so well about your current place, what could you do better?
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