Is it just me or are basic jobs extremely hard to find?
Hello All,
I have been struggling to get a job, I’ve refined my CV a couple of times, I am simply looking for a basic job such as retail, receptionist or a door to door sales person etc. I am looking at the basic minimum wage jobs and still I am getting rejected on a daily basis.
I’ve applied to over 40 jobs this year with 50 last year.
The closest I’ve come to getting a job is 1 failed interview, 1 potential interview and 1 interview pending which I should get the result of which today.
Everyday, I am waking up to emails saying I’ve been rejected.
I just feel like giving up, why is it like this? I would claim benefits, but that doesn’t seem like a reasonable option at this point.
What to do, have others experienced the same thing, what’s the cause?
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There will be more competition for jobs with low barriers to entry so you need to distinguish yourself from the other likely hundreds of applicants. Research the company you’re interviewing for a little, be keen and friendly, avoid anything in your appearance that might be controversial (large piercings, too casual, etc).
Please don’t fall into the trap of door to door sales. It’s literally not a job, in the vast majority of cases. And I don’t mean because it’s “annoying” to potential customers (which it is), but because you’re almost guaranteed to earn extremely little, or even absolutely nothing at all.
If you’re entitled to benefits, you should be claiming them, whilst you job hunt. Why isn’t it a reasonable option?
Good advice so far. I would add volunteering to this; unpaid experience is still experience and could definitely help get you more interviews.
Do you drive and have a license?
Driving agencies (Driver Hire for example) are always taking people on the work is steady.
Recruiters have literally hundreds of applications to sift through and don’t have time to read through lengthy CVs, so ensure yours is simple, clear and concise. No paragraphs of more than a few sentences, all your qualifications, previous experience, and any other pertinent information should be in bullet points that can be scanned quickly.
It is frustrating and difficult, a lot of people have to apply to many jobs.
As you asked how, I wonder from the way you talk about these jobs in the post (“simply”, “basic”, and how many roles you apply to each day) how much enthusiasm you are showing for the roles?
Are you editing your personal statement and CV for each application? Do you ensure your application (and interviews) clearly links to the job description? Are you going through their websites, or just applying through the job advert without looking into their company?
It’s tough when it’s not your dream job, or even a job you especially want apart from the money. But there are people who are enthusiastic about these sorts of roles.
Can you be a receptionist? I’m sure most people could meet the requirements, it doesn’t need qualifications. But theres people who are “people people” and love to meet a variety of people every day, thrive with organisation, and take pride at being a companies friendly face. They will have CVs and personal statements full of examples of why they want this job, and show it during the interview. They will stand out, but basic CVs that could be for any retail, reception, sales role won’t.
I have found a lot of roles are less focused on training and experience, even quite technical jobs say they will offer training to the right applicants. Personality and enthusiasm is unteachable, so it’s worth a lot. They want someone who wants the job and will stay for a while, not someone who just wants any job.
You should be applying for 50 jobs a week at the minimum.
Some people have uploaded sankey diagrams showing hundreds of applications, which were leading to just a few interviews.
I’m struggling to find an IT job too.. I hope you find something soon.
if you’ve only applied for 40 jobs this year, I doubt you are waking up to rejection emails everyday. There’s no need to exaggerate.
It really is a numbers game tho. You need to be applying for at least 10 jobs a week, and preferably more (5 a day isnt unreasonable). If you’ve had 3 interviews (or potentials) for that amount of job applications, you’re at least getting some traction.
You just need to up your game a bit, apply for more, and give your CV a bit of a tailor for each application. Good luck!
Have you tried going out and knocking on Agencies’ doors? I did this 6 years ago and found a job in 2 weeks. And for about 4 months, I was receiving calls of said agencies giving new shifts, ended up like having 6 different jobs. Was it good? No. But it did the trick until I found a proper job.
Not just you! I haven’t figured out the solution yet myself but I really struggle to find a job too so just thought I’d let you know you’re not the only one. Jobs are being replaced and companies have less money to hire, as well as scams online that post fake job listings with no intention of ever getting back to you, so don’t be disheartened but it’s hard, I know.