What is the longest you have been unemployed?

I have been for 3 months now but I am not signing on till monday. Its really getting depressing because its like a roller coaster, I go to an interview come out positive only to find I didn't get the job.

So far I've had one pratt telling me I was crap on the phone, only to find that their company sites did exactly the same thing he didn't like about mine (a home page link on the home page).

My last interview was very positive but 100 applied so I had no chance.

One interview was a waste of time becuase of a poor job discription, it turned out they wanted a flash designer and I loath flash as its against my principles of the web.

It just feels like I am getting no where.

 

trust me 3 months isn;t long - one thing you must remember is that getting a job is easier if you have a job especially in areas where a lot of stuff can be outsourced to india and eastern europe / russia.
i'd have taken the flash job and kept looking.
cheers

julian.

 

Since graduation.... graduated in july 2003, first day of work august 22nd 2003.

Informed of my redudancy march 2nd 2004. Started work at current job May 24th 2004.

However, my brother:

Graduated Cambridge June 29th 2001. Accepted onto PGCE course 14th september 2005. In between.... nothing.

Computer Science has the highest rate of unemployment after 6 months of all degree courses (note that this does not state that employment is in the same line as degree... working in macdonalds counts as employment). Part of the problem is:

That's like me not doing my job because vinyl is so much better than digital. Whatever I might believe or not believe about cables, stands, analogue v digital, capacitors, linear vs switching, etc is all very nice, but in the end I'm being paid to do something. It doesn't violate my moral principles (I would be uncomfortable working on nuclear weapons for example) so I do it. I enjoy it too...

 

I was unemployed for 3 months before I went to uni - that was the only time I have been umemployed in my life...got a job within 2 weeks after uni, but it was different times then, well, it was 1998...

my ex done a full time PGCE (whic finished a xmas) and she was offered jobs whilst on the course and walked into jobs when she finished - she got so involved in her work she didn;t need me anymore...sigh...

 

9 months in my early 30's, careers never really recovered years later so 3 months at your age ain't too much to worry about really AT.

 

With regard to the flash thing I am not very good at flash becuase its not my area, flash is all about design and fancy graphics, I am a web programmer I had no chance of getting the job I would not have applied for it if I had known.

I am hoping the job centre might suggest somthing. I know computer science has poor employment rates this is one the reasons why I might do a masters in somthing completly different, but I would have to be a masters which has good employment statistics ideal one with some kind of placement scheme.

I suppose I just need to keep looking and not get so depressed. My full time job at the moment seems to be applying for jobs, playing Vice City (can't afford the new one) pushing leaflets through peoples and doors and DJ'ing in my bedroom.

Issac electronics is similiar to computing isn't it? Its supposed to be very hard to find work in that field which is one of the reasons a lot of universities are scrapping it.

I personaly think they should come down hard on companies that export technical jobs to India.

 

After I graduated I was unemployed for a year. It was the recession in the early 90's however.

The important thing is to keep yourself busy, so you can say you've been doing voluntary work or whatever.

Have you thought of trying web-designing FOC for charities (expenses-only), just so that you can gain experience and also be seen as being pro-active?

 

Yep I did that before for a charity but the organisation ran out of funding and was closed so it never got past the initial meeting stage.

This is a very good idea however but how would I go about it? I suppose the job centre may be able to help. I think I could do with improving my portfolio.

 

Id just pick up the phone and call round some smaller charities from Yellow Pages, or go to www.yell.co.uk

They will love the idea of getting a free web page designed for them.

 

Two years, in my mid-thirties, but that was by choice. I quit my job and sailed around the world on a tight budget for two years.

Then it took me almost 18 months to find a job, but it was worth it

Now I long for yesterday

 

Two years between 19 and 21. Another 2 years between 24 and 26.

 

None at all - luckily. Took my first full-time job up a year before I graduated. Final year was hard work but worth it. Finished my previous job on 15th April (a Friday). Started my new one on 18th April (a Monday). However, it did take me nearly 3 years to find more of an IT related job, as opposed to data entry/admin - my previous job, which I did for about 3 years.

 

AT - yes, electronics is far from rosy... it has the second highest unemployment rate. another reason that many universities don't want to do it is because it's very expensive to keep people in up-to-date electronics equipment (whereas computers for IT are cheap... in electronics you need the computer, a high-speed digital scope, multiple power supplies, components, expensive micros/programmable arrays, etc, etc. Southampton also have their own chip fab and fibre optics facilities).

The main problem in electronics employment is that china is cheaper.

 

If you want money goto a temp angency and do some washing up for a while, there is no excuse, I have not ben out of work more than a week since I was 17!

 

Yep thats why the department at Salford closed down, student numbers were falling and the labs cost a fortune to run. Although the video labs were not cheap (each work station cost £10k) but they don't cost much to run. Where as with electronics you have to spend a lot to keep it.

Garyi - I have been doing leaflets I have not been stuck in all the time but when its wet like today I can't do them.

 

Currently unemployed.
Started work at 16 after GCSEs thinking it would be an ideal summer job until college started. Turned out to be ideal for working around college so stayed on. Blah blah blah...

Available work cut down, and it was the kick in the ass I needed for a change anyhow.

So, I've been on JSA for a little over a MOnth now, and though I was technically still "on the books" at my last job, I'd not done a shift there for a few MOnths before then. (just to make that 100% clear, I've not been signing on while working!).

Hoping to start a new course toMOrow in forestry, but transport's looking like a real shitter.

I was hoping to do something even slightly related to forestry/conservation part time while doing the course, but seems to be zero opportunities without a driving license. So, I've been applying for various odds and ends (MOstly care work) to earn some driving lesson funds, and to keep myself going in general.

AT, as others have said, just because you can't necessarily find something you want to do, that doesn't mean you can't do something else in the meantime. You don't have to stay there. Supermarkets, factories, etc... are full of students and graduates. It will keep some MOney coming in - xmas isn't that far away remember!

 

Yeah I was thinking I might try and get a christmas job, especialy if I want to setup my own business. I am not even sure how easy it is to get jobs in places like that though, I mean its not a case of saying I want a job here is it?

If it was a supermarket job it would have to be on a checkout as well, I often get back problems so shelf stacking would not be ideal.

 

Amazingtrade

You must be doing something wrong.

I am 56 and there is the old saying " fine at thirty, finished at forty and I am still doing ok.

I retired last year as a Purchasing Manager and intended never to work again.

One day (three weeks later) I walked past an agency, was interviewed by Honda the day after and started the day after that. I left because it was dull and it was frankly a minions job.

I then took a break for a month and on a whim put the word around and within a fortnight was doing nicely as a consultant. I also did a spell with an engineering company.

I then did more consultancy and am now in the energy business where there is ample opportunity to make money. I love these high fuel prices.

I have turned down jobs in China (just did not fancy it at my age) plus a few in London where mega bucks can be made. I didnt fancy the hours.

The hardest part is landing the job, after that it is usually plain sailing.

I would think it would pay you to get someone to cast an eye over your CV and also get a few stock answers to a few stock questions that interviewers love to throw up. Your weakness seems to be getting an interview and then fluffing it.

Regards

Mick

 

Mr Trade I think what Mick is saying is that you seem to potter around the forums saying how unlucky you are and how bad your back is and how unemployed you are, and frankly its not very impressive.

Putting leaflets in cars its not very impressive.

Goto an agency and get a job of some kind. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and if your day is spent on forums, stop it. You have the capability and you seem to want work, go and get it and stop moaning about it. So there is not a computer job right now, so what, there is plenty of other work.

Sorry to sound harsh.

 

Left college july '94, first job (stores person at local VX dealer) Nov '94 (for a whopping £50 a week), got better paid job May '95 made redundant Aug '95, went part time back to VX Dealer till finally made redundant again Mar '97 got a job in parts factors (worst job I EVER had) Mar '97 to Feb '98 when Parts manager left at original employer and guess who they phoned ! was there till Sept '00 when we moved to Exeter but I couldn't get a job in the trade, so went to work for Local Governament starting part time in admin, in Sept '00 and still there (well not in admin anymore).

So I think I've been pritty lucky so far, only the first few months out after college, but i was still getting my bearings so it was ok, my first job was actually on a government scheme to get disabled people into work, which was cool, how thay managed to find a garage willing to take me on was impressive, really enjoyed my years there, was on and off from '94 to '00 felt like I was doing something different and challenging (for a disabled person anyway), it was good fun and the lads and lasses where a good laugh, unlike my current place of employment, less said about that the better, but it pays well, about the only thing keeping me there!

Hope things work out for you AT, its a numbers game I'm aftraid, you have to get yourself known, maybe a bit of charity work, it'll gt you out the house anyway. What kind of jobs are you applying for?

Sorry rambaling again, I'll get my coat.