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You'll likely find that you get more useful feedback if you provide some background to your current situation and what kind of roles you're looking for. Are you struggling to break into a new industry? Perhaps you're not getting interviews for roles with increased seniority that you feel you're qualified for?

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  • Hi everyone. I'm a soon to be Graduate, looking for some advice as to my next steps.

    First for some context - I'm currently 23 years old, and finishing an integrated masters in computer science at a university in South Yorkshire, due to graduate in may next year. 

    Right now I'm looking for some part-time work in a desperate attempt to try to financially support myself during the last few months of my degree. My historical work experience is not the best, only consisting of a zero hours contract at a small grocery store, and student work within the university. 

    Additionally, my degree is quite a specialist subject - Instead of focusing on traditional computer science, we instead delved into game engine development with C++ - which is quite a different skillset. Still I do have many transferable skills, I'm trilingual (English, Japanese, German), and quite highly qualified to boot. As such, I'm confident in my ability to learn, and to adapt myself to any role. I've also invested in a driving license, due to take my test in January (screw those 6 month test wait times btw), but do not own a car.

    I've been job hunting for the past six months to no avail; Applying to part time Retail work, Office work, Service jobs etc., in my region. But jobs are scarce, and I've had no luck whatsoever - leading me to become completely drained of my savings to survive.

    One important thing to note as well is that I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, and so can't realistically commit to anything too physically intensive (i.e. warehousing etc.,). 

    It's safe to say that I'm quite desperate for work at the minute, especially as the graduate job market is so terrible right now. 

    As it stands, I'm spending most free moments crawling through job boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, Reed, Total Jobs, Adzuna, Jooble) in search of any opportunities. But I have to admit that the consistent ghosting and rejection is taking quite a toll on me. I make regular posts on LinkedIn, have an up-to-date portfolio of work, and actively attend industry and recruitment events. But, it still feels like I'm screaming into the void.

    Going off of my current timeline I have roughly six months left until I'm financially screwed. So no matter what, I absolutely must find work within that timeframe. Minimum wage at 20 hours a week would more than meet my needs, which makes the situation all the more frustrating.

    I'll attach a redacted version of the current version of my general CV (no technological mumbo jumbo), and would be very grateful for any advice on it, or my situation as a whole at all.

    Tl;Dr

    • 23m due to graduate in May. 
    • Masters degree in Computer Science
    • Currently restricted to part time work (to be able to finish my degree)
    • Physically disabled; unsuitable for certain types of work.
    • Nothing left in savings, desperate for any work. Minimum wage @ 20hrs/week would be amazing.
    • Open to working anywhere, though would prefer something loosely related to the IT sector. (But beggars can't be choosers)
    • ...Help! 

    https://preview.redd.it/xr9vwwlo549g1.png?width=1656&format=png&auto=webp&s=ef31f3a5c18d5575449b3b63b27c22a921e67bee

    Your CV is all over the place. Decide what you want to do (retail, tech, etc) and tailor it accordingly.

    Also you are not an expert in anything. Emphasize that you are a quick learner and hard worker, but stop saying that you are an expert. Read about the Dunning-Kruger effect.

    Thanks for the feedback 🙏🏾

    You're right, I definitely need to specialise my CV more to suit each role type. And thanks as well for the Dunning-Kruger effect tip; Ill spend some time amending my language and making some variants today 🫠

    I do have a (very) tech centric CV as well, but in light of my situation I'm definitely trying to find something more standard. My main concern is my general lack of recent relevant work experience.

    In a retail CV, for example, Would you suggest I keep my current roles in as they are? I'm not all too certain how to make myself stand out in that sector.

  • Advice regarding potential bad references sought

    So briefly, my partner has left her job as a care assistant, and has applied as an activities co-ordinator at a nursing home. She was offered the job and then a week later had her job offer recinded due to unsatisfactory references. She was previously the home manager, and due to a medication error, she stepped down. Essentially, she was held responsible for not picking up medication from a pharmacy which led to a resident not recieving medication for a weekend. Common practice from that pharmacy was to deliver that medication the next day (as they did the week prior and the week after) with the rest of the meds, but as the GP did not send the script over, the pharmacy did not deliver, and as my partner was on annual leave, and the deputy manager (now manager and the one who raised the safeguarding) did not bother chasing up the missed medication, my partner finds out once she has returned and resolves it then. After months of mediation between the home's managing director and the council, regulatory bodies, my partner was demoted (by mutual agreement) and then handed her notice (again, by mutual agreement). No disicplinary action was taken by the home, council or regulatory body. My partner disclosed all of this to the new potential employer, who after apparently internally confirming that this would not preclude my partner from the job role, invited her to the interview and gave her the job. A week later the offer was recinded due to unsatisfactory references. She asks which reference was unsuitable, to be denied that information under GDPR. Now, i am aware that a poor reference is fine as long as it is factual, however, as my partner was completely upfront, we are both concerned that the reference may have been malicious and what the implication may be for future applications. Obviously she should call ACAS, but is there anything else she can do to obtain a copy of her reference?

  • Have two job offers, one which I have already signed to start in the new year and one which Ive just been offered, not sure what to do.

    Job 1: - one of the "big four" consultancies - have signed contract for £45k - offered a senior title, my most recent position was junior, idk why they've offered it, maybe to look good to clients? I know they did the same to someone else who has similar experience to me. Not sure if it will look weird on my CV. - contract says 3 days in office, they said in reality it's 2 (I'd rather WFH) - brand new team, might not be that good for learning? Especially if I'm a senior! - the recruitment process really made me feel unwanted, the interview was in July and they've strung me along to here, I think in hindsight it was to save money while they wait for contracts for the new team to roll in in January.

    Job 2: - smaller consultancy - £50k - non-senior - 3 days in office - established team of ~30 - recruitment has been swift as they know I'm due to start the other in the new year

    I don't know whether to prioritise the "prestige" of the big 4 company or the more money with a company that's not messed me around.

    Based solely on what you’ve put here, my own decision would be option 2.

    • ⁠I’m assuming the roles are very similar as you haven’t said otherwise

    • ⁠titles are very company specific - what is junior at one is a senior at another so don’t worry too much about that in this decision

    • ⁠I’m hearing of big companies starting to push for 5 days RTO - option 1 might not do this but it’s possible. It’s also possible that option 2 will as well but big companies tend to be more influenced by what their competitors are up to.

    Congrats for having two offers and good luck with your decision!

    Thanks for your opinion! Yes the roles are the same. Both contracts have the office days in the contract so they'd have to make me sign a new contract if they wanted to do that, but it's worth thinking about so thanks for this.

  • Quandary: I'm on a FTC which is currently up at the end of March. My manager and manager's manager want to keep me (it's been extended once already), but the org where we work is undergoing a restructure and nobody knows what will happen, or if the necessary consultations for my level will take place before my contract is up.

    I have an interview tomorrow at the UK Management College for a Librarian role; on paper it's a dream role for me, and could help to open doors down the line, but the pay is 6K less than I'm on now (and am on 4K less than my previous job, currently). From the introductory call, it seems the pay is set, but I'm not sure how often it might be reviewed and increase (I'm not confident). I've also not previously heard of this institution before, so a bit nervous about that. However, if I'm offered the role and turn it down, and it then transpires that my contract isn't extended and I don't have anything else lined up come March, I'll be kicking myself. I've been applying casually since April, applied for over 100 jobs easily, mainly via Indeed and LinkedIn, and only 4 interviews in that time. Not sure what to do for the best (if I'm offered this role).

    You have to put yourself first - I’ve no doubt that the people at your current company want to keep you but sometimes the decision is taken away from them and their hand is forced because of financial pressures.

    Until you hear otherwise, take interviews and offers so you aren’t left in a bad position.

    I hope your interview went well today and you got some reassurance about who they are.

    Good luck!

    Thanks! I think it went well, I may hear back today. My concern is the drop in pay, but it's not unmanageable, and it offsets the concern about my current contract being in limbo. If they offer, I think I'll accept, though if something happens during my notice period, I may reconsider things. I don't want to mess the new place around but, as you say, need to do what's best for me.

  • Rescinding offer / desire to join company

    Just looking for some advice!

    I am certain I have a senior software engineering role about to be offered to me, but the compensation isn't great (technically 3k less but less office time). They have suggested there is no real movement to increase it.

    I think there are positives around the role: some nice techs on my cv, and potential room to move into engineering manager role etc if desired.

    However, some other great companies are on the market (some I am interviewing with and some only applied for) so there may come a point where I've accepted the first role but another MUCH better paying role comes back to me.

    How bad is it to rescind my desire to join? Anyone have any tips on wording etc?

    Cross this bridge if you come to it. No point agonising on what you might say if no other offers have been extended to you yet.

  • How long should CV be?

    No more than 2 pages. How long it ends up being is dependent on your work experience, qualifications etc and the style you choose.

  • Hello, I need a pep talk. I'm losin' it, friends, and my crummy mental health is trying to do me in.

    I'm 32f. Have both a BA and MA (Politics and Publishing, 2:2 and Merit, respectively). I've spent most of my working life toiling away in retail, usually in businesses that have minimal or slow progression to management roles. My current job pays 28k per annum but I had the luxury of being Mon-Fri, which is WILD in retail, except now my company is going under, and I've only been here about ten months, so no redundancy pay. I'm a hard working person and I've got at least a couple of braincells — but I've never had any job sense. I have crappy self-esteem and desperately scrambling for a new job has me on the verge of continual panic attacks. My pay was/is pretty crap considering that I live in London, but par for the retail course.

    Am I cooked? Do I just accept that I've made my bed and lie in it? I don't know how to even remotely try to shift myself in a new direction, in something that could actually be a career as opposed to a monthly scramble to pay my bills and my extortionate rent on my grimy flat. I would love to get some advice on how the hell to salvage my work life, because I'm at my wits end. I'll scramble for the bottom rung of whatever I can, if it means that maybe I can make it work out eventually.

    I'm just so ashamed of myself at this point. I feel like such a failure, because I'm not a complete fool, and yet when it comes to work, I might as well be a dodo. My friends say to try looking for a lower rung office job and work my way up, except no one KNOWS what an office job is??? And there are basic sounding jobs with terrible pay that still say you have to have x amount of years or whatever experience, and it's just!!! Very overwhelming and my job spidey-senses are painfully underdeveloped

    It sounds like you’re at a crossroads, but luckily you’ve come to the right sub! There are a lot of great people here who are happy to help you, like u/ThatOneAJGuy has offered to. And to reiterate what he has said - you are NOT cooked.

    I think before going for any old job, take some time to figure out what you ACTUALLY want to do. What excites you? What have you enjoyed doing in the past? What are you good at Conversely, what do you not like? What environments do you not enjoy? What have you not liked about jobs in the past?

    Really think about it, be honest with yourself when doing it and jot it all down.

    There are tools online that can help you answer some of these questions too including Skills Assessment hosted by the National Careers Service.

    Once you’ve done that, you’ll have a bit of clarity about what’s next for you and what you might need to do to help you get there.

    Good luck!

    Hey there, sorry to hear it's all incredibly overwhelming right now. Poor mental health and job uncertainty is a vicious cycle. Are you cooked? Not at all, people do start careers and pivot later in life. I won't lie and say it's easy but it's absolutely possible. I'll offer that pep talk, if you ever want to take me up on it then shoot me a dm :)

  • Education is too vague. Be clear about what subjects you did and what grade it was. I assume you did a levels if you’re at uni? Add those.

    Have you checked what roles your uni has?

  • Looking to move jobs after being at the same place for over 20 years, where do I even start?

    I've got to the point in my job that I've had enough of the company I work for it's been going downhill slowly for years and I'm absolutely done with the place and want to get out asap. The problem is I haven't had to apply for work in 20 odd years and the thought of going to an interview scares the life out of me!

    Last time I updated my CV was in 2007 I don't even know what a CV should look like nowadays it's a different world out there. Can anyone share a good standard format for a CV so that I can at least start the process. I think once I have an updated CV I'll feel a lot better about things mentally it's just a little overwhelming at the moment.

    Thank you.

  • I’ve been unemployed for 1 year I don’t know what to do anymore. My background is in tech sales ans I HATE sales. I’m trying to transition to project management but it’s seeming impossible. When I got into sales I was told it was one of the easiest ways to transition careers but it doesn’t seem to be the case. I’ve switched up my cv so many times I even paid someone £100 and still 0 interviews. I did the apmg agile course. I’ve contacted recruiters and I don’t know what to do anymore. If there are other careers paths I could go into I’m open to it. The only time I am contacted by recruiters is for bdr positions and I just cannot go back to sales. I was so burned out at my last job it’s really not for me.

    As with all jobs, you’re competing against a market where people have the qualifications and the experience - and you’re in need of the latter which you can’t get until someone gives you a job!

    If you haven’t already, reach out to charities in your area and see if they have any opportunities available for you to gain this sort of experience through them. If they are applying for grants or funds for a program for instance, they’ll need documentation, project plans etc put together for that. Or if they want to kick off a new service or an event, this is where you could come in. Volunteering can help to expand your network and give you connections at local authorities, funding partners etc that can be incredibly useful when paid roles come up.

    Good luck!

  • I was wondering if anyone might be willing to offer any feedback on an unsuccessful application so I know what to try and address moving forward?

    It was an OTA with Inverclyde Council role. Im in the West Midlands, but I do mention in the application that Im moving to Glasgow in January.

    Ok, I'll go page at a time and there might be a gap between responses. Broadly I think you are underselling yourself.

    - For a start it looks like instructions were missed. They asked for a chronologic history with no gaps including periods of unemployment. Late 2017 to early 2018 and Mid 2018 to late 2018 are missing. Unless I just can't see them in the above document?

    - You have a big list of responsibilities but very little on the knowledge or experience gained. I would look to focus on less key responsibilities in the future but more details of each.

    As an example "Leading on a jobs fair" is very broad, what skills did that give you that will make you great at the new role. Did it improve your organisation skills? Maybe it made you a better speaker as you had to engage with a lot of people? Did you negotiate around costs?

    "Meeting in a public spaces and providing confidence boosting advice" is rather specific and not applicable to many jobs but it sounds like you demonstrated leadership to inspire people and have a lot of experience dealing with people who might be in a stressed state and showing empathy towards your stakeholders? These are qualities that are useful to any employer.

    Appreciate it sounds like self important nonsense but this is how a lot of roles expect you to sell yourself.

    - Also a big fan of measurable outcomes where you can add some, you mentioned maintaining an excel sheet, maybe you made some changes that reduced time spent on the spreadsheet by 10%. How many people did you help a week/month? What percentage of those individuals secured employment or otherwise showed improvement? Examples of where you can add some outcomes in.

    I like this feedback because I can respond to it properly!

    • add in the unemployment phases, I can do that. The first phase I was signed up to an agency that provided no work and was searching for work. The second phase is very similar, but I did some work in Amazon Flex and commissioned painting whilst I tried to get better in myself.

    • the capacity for words in those text boxes is quite small, but Ill look to adding a “lessons learnt” part to each of my “responsibilities.”

    The first part of your response: I appreciate “leading on a jobs fair,” is very vague.

    However, the second part I wonder if it is worth changing because you came to a quite positive conclusion yourself. Also, in the roles Im pursuing, being comfortable conducting health conversations in a public setting is quite important.

    • measurable outcomes is doable. 35% of my clients entered work, 68% maintained beyond 13 weeks, and 90% of them maintained beyond 26 weeks. I’ve supported over 200 clients over the years. That sort of stuff?

    - To be clear with the unemployment phases, I wouldn't add it unless the application specifically asks for it, but this one does. I think it's pretty rare for the application to ask for you to detail those periods. I would either put Amazon flex for the period as employment or that you were working on developing skills and detail the skills. You want to have a clear reason from it, if in doubt you can also say made redundant from previous job, searching for new job.

    - With the public spaces thing, that's fair, I didnt look too deep into the role, It's just making sure you focus less on the exact responsibilities of the current role and more on how they relate to the new role.

    - Yes on the outcomes. "Leading a jobs fair" could have resulted with the job fair burning to the ground, there should be something to evidence your competence or what value you offered and numbers are quick and easy to digest. You don't need to go overkill on every point but have some results for a few

    - This is probably a personal thing to me, I have spoken to other hiring managers who don't care as much but I really dislike when the majority of sentences start with "I". It really impacts the flow when reading something and feels like the most basic way of communicating information when you are applying for a job where you want to highlight your communication skills.

    - The main thing that sticks out to me on this second page though is that you did not provide specific examples as per the question. You mentioned what you did at a high level but didn't go into any details. A lot of your points here need to be backed up. Again as a random example:

    "I am a committed team player who goes the extra mile to help my team thrive and surpass our goals"

    How? What did you do to go the extra mile? When something asks for specific examples I would be thinking of the STARR format in terms of the type of information you want to cover. What specifically did you do, what was the outcome and what did you learn that you can apply to this role.

    • Even if it’s a personal thing, I quite agree it doesn’t flow nicely. I gave my applications to my colleagues to advise on, and they came back to me that I need to talk more about me and my actions, and that it sometimes gets a bit waffley; examples and deeper details are for an interview, bullet point style statements of experience are for the application stage.

    I just don’t like writing like that though, I far prefer to write, like, a story I guess.

    • this feedback is hard for me to action in this websites particular application style because I used up every character allowance with just this. So, ultimately, I need to refine it.

    Thanks for these, by the way, I really do appreciate it.

    In terms of actioning it. Your colleague is right a bit about the waffle but I want to highlight a few parts.

    "I am a committed team player who goes the extra mile..."

    "I Keep other professionals informed and updated"

    "I enjoy identifying and developing collaboration"

    "I am a natural engager, networker and active partnership developer" (less so on this one to be fair)

    "My career is built on teamwork"

    There is a little nuance here but all of these are broadly about being a team player, you don't need state it 5 times and if you cut down on the duplication you would have room to expand. One key example that really highlights your skills for each main aspect of the job description.

    I would usually agree deeper details are for interviews but they are asking for specific examples in the question.

    ... also unrelated but I just happened to spot it now, there is a typo at the top of page 3. "Including but nit limited to" so definitely have to be careful on rereads!

    What are you after feedback on specifically? It's hard to know with an application but I can take a look.

    I know it’s quite vague, but any ideas of why it might have been unsuccessful so that I can try and address these ideas moving forward.

  • Could anyone give me any advice on finding someone to help with both my cv and some career guidance?

    For a bit of context, I'm in the UK, am 40yrs old, was initially working various admin type roles before learning a trade. There was a gap of a few years whilst I relocated, and set up a business, then covid shut all that down. I've since been in and out of trade-related jobs, but for various reasons the jobs do not stick. I'm retraining (social type work) and want a segway job thats adminish, but in my new sector.

    Its a tough market out there, my current profession is not good for me physically, I'll be studying for another year and a half. I genuinely want to be progressing but I cant even do that in my current job, so I'm on the hunt for some serious guidance and advice.

    Not sure if I should meet with someone in person or online? Is it a purely email based thing? Are there any specific things I should check before contacting someone?

    Thanks!

    I would try the National Careers Service! If you book onto one of their workshops, afterwards you get access to an advisor who can help you from there. I’ve just started using it myself so can’t attest to how good it’ll be, but seems to be worth a try!

    Thanks, I appreciate that, Ill take a look!

    If you pop an anonymised version of the CV here i'll take a look. It's what the thread is for. I would generally advise against paying anyone to look at it.

    What are you looking for out of career guidance?

    It's because I'm aware of being in-between jobs, of trying to change careers, or at least re-route it for the next couple of years, of being 40+, and of having a fairly unstable job history in the last 5-10 years (relocation abroad and then post-covid jobs).

    I've tried to apply for so many things and explain my absences from work, my new goals, how my earlier experience is relevant, but I just dont seem to get anywhere. I figured professional guidance could be helpful?

  • I'm unable to find a software developer job in UK.

    I'm 27, recently finished my Master's degree in AI and Robotics with distinction. I have 3 years of professional experience as a full-stack web dev, before I started this degree. I have applied for dozens of positions; mid level, junior, entry, internships etc, but they seem to immediately reject me and I do not even get an interview.

    Is being an international student such a put off for these companies? I'm literally happy with whatever salary is offered and willing to relocate to any part of the country but as soon as i answer yes on the 'Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship' question, I get a rejection email within a week. Keeping in mind that I will soon get a graduate visa which will allow me to work full-time for another 2 years and I do not even need the company to sponsor me, all I need is just any job in the field because all the time I am spending away from the field, I am just losing the mastery and knowledge that I had built from my past experience.

    What do you guys recommend I should do in this situation? It can't be said that I don't have enough experience or enough skills because even jobs that require zero experience have rejected me stating 'my experience didn't align with what they were looking for'.

  • Hello, hoping for some guidance from recruiters or hiring managers please. 

    I have been working for 24 years and have worked my way up the ladder from Marketing Assistant to Marketing Director. However in that time I’ve had A LOT of jobs. This is a combination of two things: 1) being made redundant two times and moving countries twice and 2) getting bored easily which I discovered a few months ago is down to being AuDHD 🙄

    I’m working on my CV as my current job is at risk. I’m seriously considering leaving marketing entirely as I want to go part time for mental health reasons but assuming that I stay in these corporate type roles, how do I deal with having eight jobs in 24 years? 

    Google suggested that I put the senior level ones (which date back to 2014) and just put a sentence saying something like “previous roles in junior and mid-level marketing roles in the private sector”. 

    But is that better or worse than having a long list of jobs I’ve been in for theee years each?

    Thank you for any advice. 

    8 jobs in 24 years is really not a problem. You won't be triggering warning bells unless you have lots under a year. I would only include the 4-5 most relevant roles on your CV. With 24 years of experience your entry level stuff is barely relevant as you probably used all the skills to a higher degree in other roles.

  • [deleted]

    The latter, you should be using specific examples rather than general word soup.

  • Currently feeling dejected over a recent rejection from a job.

    A little context: I am about two years post graduation, had two roles in that time, both FTCs. My last job was a bit of a unicorn in a lot of ways and I was fortunate enough to build up some decent savings and some light freelance connections during my time there, but it was always going to be finite. I live with parents still because I don't want to burn through said savings, but I do very much want to get on with my life and move out.

    I had an interview this Monday after passing a longlisting session. It was a 3 hour assessment centre with a group task, interview, and written task portion. I of course did everything people recommend- lots of detailed research, showed enthusiasm, very polite and interested in the people I spoke with, dressed appropriately. Only 4 other candidates. I think it went very well- I was the leader in my group, I delegated tasks in a tight timeframe and helped them handle basic IT tasks like embedding videos and images in our powerpoint, my portion of the work was the only one that had citations and statistics, one other person just copied their portion from Google's AI summary, and I was the strongest public speaker. They were all great people but I did feel I had a competitive shot.

    My interview also went really well- I got to discuss at length the client projects I worked on in my prior role and the skills I developed, discussed parts of my CV the interviewer was very interested in, he said he had no confidence issues with my CV, and I did my best to sell him on my aptitude and enthusiasm for the role's core responsibilities.

    Here's where I'm troubled by something: I am disabled and my fine motor control is impaired. My handwriting borders on illegible. I use a computer for all writing. This would NOT have been an issue in the role itself. This being a techy company I was a bit blindsided by being given paper for our final written task; I had requested other accommodations but not that. I requested being able to use a laptop and after a period of discomfort and miscommunication between the people running the assessment (who seemed to find the request suspicious) I was allowed to. I wrote and submitted the task as I was expected to do. But this seemed to really sour the air, and as my writing style is quite formal I worry it came off that I was using ChatGPT or another AI tool to generate them- they didn't monitor me or anything to check, but I wish they would have. I also wonder if the feeling of being inconvenienced that they had to accommodate me might have put some marks against me.

    Obviously I don't really know what happened or how the decision was made. I'm fully willing to accept that there was an entirely different issue and I've reached out for feedback. But I feel very dismayed that the best interview I've had so far in a role I was genuinely passionate about against other candidates I felt I had a competitive shot against just didn't work for me, and of course things aren't always that favourable. As a disabled person it also hurts because an office/computer job is sort of my only option, I can't do warehouse or barista or even supermarket work to give me a little income, I just have to hope I'm approved for JSA.

    Obviously I'm going to keep going, I have a chat booked for the 17th with another company and I apply for several jobs a day, but it's disappointing that I can't think of anywhere I could have improved here besides not being myself.

  • Where do I find jobs that are wfh?

    I’m currently looking for jobs that I can do at home due to a knee injury.

    I’m out of work at the minute and have been since October. I worked for 4 years at a pub but I’ve since been put on UC.

    I’ve only ever worked at one place and only got my first job at 18 so trying to find a job on my own has actually been quite difficult. I haven’t had to go through a lot of this for over 4 years and I didn’t have to restrict my options to jobs that don’t require any level of physical work.

    I’m only getting £310 a month. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful to be getting anything but I’m finding it very difficult to manage living off of that much whilst having around £110 worth of bills come out a month (luckily I still live at home so its not any higher).

    The thing I want most at the minute is to be back working again but everywhere I’ve applied for, apprenticeships or other jobs have all turned me down and my work coach at the job centre thinks it’s because I don’t have a set time for when I’ll be back on my feet after my injury has healed.

    I’ve been looking on indeed and on Google, but a lot of the wfh jobs feel like some sort of scam/MLM and I just feel so lost.

    A lot of local authority jobs are fully WFH, even if they don’t explicitly say it on the ad. Worth trying, good benefits and flexibility.

  • Hi please can I ask for help with my CV?

    I've been an administrator/receptionist for well over 7 years (I'm nearly 40). I got made redundant in May and looking for another admin/receptionist role but it's been very hard. At the moment I'm bartending part time.

    I know I'm a good employee, I'm diligent and conscientious and get things done quickly, I'm very self motivated, quick learner and I enjoy meeting people, helping people and problem solving. But most of the work is just ordinary work, I don't know how to make it stand out, I'm just a hard worker. I don't know what recruiters want.

    I find adding keywords hard as well as my personal statement in particular but I never know whether anything I write on CV's is any good.

    I wonder if it's all too vague or I'm trying too hard to sound impressive. I really have no idea.

    Any constructive feedback would be appreciated.

    BTW I was made redundant by my last two jobs, I wanted a stable and secure role but being made redundant twice means that hasn't happened. I'm still looking for a long term role.

    https://preview.redd.it/pushnyv0hl5g1.png?width=944&format=png&auto=webp&s=66b7af05564b86ddadc23ee776f984671a2c2dfa

    Some suggestions:

    • Get rid of the 5-dot bar next to your skills - it’s not really adding any value
    • Self-motivation is a skill but it looks off here and I can’t figure out why - maybe have professional skills (I.e. Office 365) and personal skills (Comfortable using initiative) separately - you’ve got a lot of wasted space in the side bar so you should either utilise it or get rid of it
    • Capitalise each initial on Work Experience, Personal Details
    • Check your use of commas in the summary - if you’re looking for admin roles, your grammar has to be perfect
    • When you say boost efficiency, what’s the measure for that? Saving x hours that could be used for other value added tasks?
    • Don’t say you’re looking for a stable and secure role - it can come off as a bit naive as the market right now is volatile. Recruiters are looking for someone who can come in, do stuff and get it done well in often ambiguous environments
    • In your most recent role, it sounds like you helped to make decent changes with good impact - shout about that more in your skills and intro. You seem quite passive in those bits when actually you have more to offer.

    Side note, if you haven’t already, I’d recommend you sign up with some agencies to do temp work. It will be good for you to see some other systems and tools and keep your experience current. It also can be a foot in the door for a more permanent role.

    Good luck!

    Appreciate you always being in these threads offering great advice PinkFlamingo.

    Same to you - the help you give is excellent!

  • Stick to Data Science in Big tech or BB Firm?

    I (24F) currently work as a data scientist in “Big Tech” - not FAANG, think spotify, adobe, tiktok etc. I’ve received an offer for a similar role at an investment bank and I’m having trouble picking between the two.

    This firm is 5 days in office, I’m based just outside london living with family but can relocate if necessary. I’ve also been told the culture can be toxic depending on the team but I think that’s the case with most places. My company is 3 days in office and mostly pleasant however I have a new manager who has no clue what they’re doing. There has been quite a few lay offs and re-orgs recently and frankly morale is quite low at the moment but it used to be a very lovely company to work for.

    My current company is the only one I’ve worked for since leaving uni and I’m quite happy here however I’ve always been interested in doing a similar role in the finance industry as I studied a Finance undergrad and I’m considering a MSc, or potentially going into quant (long shot I know). This seems like a great opportunity to pivot into an area I’m interested in but I don’t know if there’s much opportunity here as the finance industry can be quite old fashioned and this firm is not exactly fintech.

    Taking into account TC both are basically around the same but glassdoor and levels.fyi don’t have much info around progression and salaries for DS roles at IBs and the salaries that are listed are for quants so I’m unsure how to benchmark. Which would realistically offer better salary progression and career opportunities?

    TLDR; Should I remain a Data Scientist in Big Tech or transition to Financial Services/Investment Banking?

  • I'm a mum. I work full time but the place I work at gives me full flexibility. I also get unlimited sick pay, even if my son's sick. And 7 weeks AL a year. But I'm pretty underpaid and there's no progression.

    I've been offered a job - more money, room to progress, the place will look great on my cv. But they don't offer unlimited flexibility, which will make it harder to work around childcare etc. And they give the minimum amount of AL.

    Do I take the risk and take it or stay where I'm comfortable? Please help!

    What does dependent leave look like at your new place?

    And how much annual leave does your new place have?

  • I've been looking for my next opportunity for about 12 months now, done hundreds of applications to companies of various sizes, contacted and been contacted by dozens of recruiters and had a few referrals by friends and I've got... absolutely nowhere. I've got a few years experience in .NET software engineering now since coming out of uni but over the entire time I've been applying I've had 2 interviews and been ghosted by both.

    Every professional I talk to says my CV is great and that I'm a great fit (I imagine they tell everyone this but I'd still like to believe them lol) but then nothing ever happens, even when I send follow-up after follow-up. I'm never informed of why I didn't get the position or what I was lacking, and it's really driving me mad. Anyone else having a similar experience / know any cheat codes?

  • Does anyone have ideas on getting references as someone who’s only ever worked (technically volunteered) for a tiny family business? (No one there I’m not related to). I’m a total shut in trying to get just a charity shop volunteering position but it’s incredibly hard to think of anything I can use. I’m so frustrated over this

    Slightly unethical but just get a family member to do it and claim they were a coworker. Only real thing you might have to do is change their surname for this purpose.

  • Can you put pic or pdf here?