The Trials of Unemployment (Personal Experiences of Unemployment)

Member Name: poonam82

Product:	Personal Experiences of Unemployment
Date:	03/06/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Are there any? The chance to serach for your dream job I guess?

Disadvantages: Countless rejections, depression & isolation

It is so easy to become so disillusioned with so much when you're unemployed.

I've been unemployed for about 9 months now, having finished my Masters last year.

CONTEXT OF WRITING:
I know most people after finishing a period of study (I went on to do my Masters straight after my Bachelors - so was 7 years studying whilst juggling various part time jobs, of which I had to quit in May last year so I could complete my thesis research overseas), would be relishing the time out, kicking back, doing the liver some serious injustice at the pub and generally enjoying the freedom of not having to study as soon as you get home.

My experience was different. Having had a lot of financial problems during my masters degree (through no fault of my own) - I juggled my masters degree and three part time jobs. I managed to pay for everything I needed to, my fees which were over £10K and clear bills. Once I had finished my masters, I needed to start earning straight away for basic survival.

I went into auto-pilot, scouring Guardian jobs, various NGOs (My field is working with charities - particularly with women and children, securing and protecting their rights - through abuse and conditions of conflict and post conflict countries) and various organisations here. I sent out application after application, thinking that surely someone would want a recent postgraduate and would be willing to take me on....

Not the case.

THE FIRST SET OF JOB REJECTIONS

At first, I was convinced it was something that I was doing wrong. I went to see various people - the job centre wasn't one of them, but university careers advisors, my old tutor, a friend of mine who is a recruitment consultant, a few job agencies to ask them what was I doing wrong with my CV? I took along some sample personal statements too and was open to the fact that clearly I was over selling myself and sounding arrogant or underselling myself and appearing to be a meek and mild employee. The fact that I read my stuff and couldn't see anything wrong, convinced me I had bad judgment as clearly I wasn't seeing anything wrong with it and others clearly were.

I was reassured I wasn't - although I'm not sure how much this helped to be honest. My recruitment consultant friend tweaked my CV only slightly and read my personal statement, baffled as to why I wasn't at least getting to interview stage. I'm not blowing my own trumpet, but I knew what I was writing couldn't be THAT awful as so much time, thought...etc was going into them and I was getting other people to proof read them, not the friends that would just say yes it's fine because they don't want to hurt your feelings, the brutally honest friends who I knew would be give me constructive advice. To anyone else out there - definitely get your CV and personal statements checked over - so many places offer this as a free service - Guardian jobs have a CV checking service which I believe is free.

So, was the case of just ploughing on. I found my Masters degree definitely a plus in what I was applying for - the fact that people wanted that postgraduate degree meant one more tick in the essential criteria box. However, experience may be what I lack - having only three years of international experience and three years here, considering I'm only 26, I didn't think that was so bad. Clearly I'm wrong. So I guess I kept trying to weigh up how much energy and time (if any) I should put into the application if they're asking for 5 years and I only have 3. Some people still read it, others simply shred it.

On the lead up to Christmas, I managed to secure a temp job for a few weeks leading a drink drive campaign, which I really enjoyed. One thing about being unemployed is that you miss the daily interaction with people. I hate the fact that I had become a recluse. I did my job hunting from home and hardly saw people. I got to the stage where I didn't have enough money for a travel card into central London and only made those trips if I knew I had about 5 things to do at the same time otherwise I couldn't justify the cost of travel. It is an isolating and lonely world.

The other thing just having this temp job for a few weeks, also made me realise that when meeting up with friends, I had nothing to say. People always ask you how's work, and the response is usually that you're busy, talking about office politics, gossip, funny things that happened.... I felt like I had nothing to contribute. My day was in front of a PC scouring for a job, day in, day out.

New Year was awful. No job to go back to. Everyone is a little down anyway, post xmas blues but I found it so hard. Having already suffered with depression, it's so easy to fall back into that cycle of life being so meaningless...

I went through peaks and troughs... peaks where I would wake up one morning, be determined to find something and apply for it that day, determined to find something temporary. Troughs, the days where you feel so tired and sick of it all that you just can't summon the energy to write another application or even look. Your eyes are sore from searching and you really start to doubt your own capabilities and strengths. You find yourself reading something and dismissing it straight away thinking that you can't do that.

NOW:

I hadn't applied for Job seekers. I must admit, this is my own pride getting in the way. Since 16, I've been independent financially and never asked my parents for money so just couldn't bring myself to go to the job centre. This is silly I know, as I've worked, and earned the right to have someone support me now while I find work. Not like I'm at home eating popcorn and watching DVD's. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I had these images of the centres being filled with Vicky Pollard's and sneering attitudes.

My 140th job application rejection was what did it. I only know it was 140 as my laptop ran out of memory and I had to start deleting files. I started going though my jobs folder and curiosity of how many I had applied for got the better of me. I wish I hadn't as that was pretty depressing.

(I use the word job rejection here loosely, what bites nowadays is that people can't even do you the courtesy anymore of actually saying "thanks for your application, but no thanks" - which actually makes you feel so little in the scheme of things. That someone can't even do you the courtesy of emailing you one line, so you don't have to wait in hope, that you're told straight up. Although, this has backfired too - where you assume you've been unsuccessful, apply to a handful of other jobs and then two months later, are called for an interview for a job you've forgotten about now as you assumed you hadn't got it. Then the person on the other end of the phone gets all huffy over the fact you can't remember... Maybe it is just me, but after 140 applications, I do forget...)

The 140th was for a job with the UN which I got and was told, two months later, had been pulled due to lack of funds.

I went to the job centre last week - and applied for job seekers. The process was a bit lengthy but as I've just started, I can't comment much on the service so far. It wasn't full of Vicky pollard's although I must admit, I found it weird, 16 year olds, myself, 40 year old professionals now been made redundant are all under the same roof. A real melting pot in that respect of people. (Advice to anyone else in that situation - there is a time and place to be proud, this isn't one of them. Use the service if you need to).

I've lost count of the amount of people that have told me "well it is the recession" - I know times are hard. But I was unemployed way before we were in the recession.

The other few things that I find hard are the organisations that advertise the job, knowing full well that they already have a person in mind. It's insulting. I've been for an interview where I was told to wait in the office and outside; my interviewer was telling the chosen candidate for the job that she just had to go through formal procedures (i.e. external interviews) and would start her induction tomorrow.

The final one is where three recruitment agencies have told me to take my Masters degree off my CV. As employers are less likely to employ me as I'd cost more and they think I'd jump ship as soon as a better job comes along. I understand this to an extent, but feel so sad, that I slaved away for two years studying and working, to be told that is has no value.

I still interpret on an adhoc basis for the NHS and Police which I love - but it is so adhoc, if everyone is healthy and are law abiding citizens, I don't get any work.

I'm still applying like crazy - I get days where I just don't want to get out of bed as I just feel so fed up. But I'm carrying on. I know a job wont land in my lap and I'm really grateful to friends who listen to be sound off each time.

Hang in there is all I can advise. Don't doubt yourself, what you are capable of and those skills and qualities you do have. It's just going to take time.

Summary: As difficult as it is, don't give up!