Feeling like such a failure

Anonymous

Feeling like such a failure

Sitting in my car crying after I just got knocked back for another 2 jobs. 2 emails in a row telling me I’m not a desirable candidate.
I’ve been looking for part-time/casual role for over 2 months now, applied for well over 30 roles now, and only ever got a call back from 2 of them for an interview.
I went on maternity leave last year to have my son, he’s nearly 9 months now and I can’t get enough care for him to go back to my previous full-time role of Retail manager for a very large company.
I really can’t believe I have been knocked back so many times. Part of my role was hiring people - I know what people want to see in a candidate, I’ve had professional help with my resume and cover letter, yet I still can’t even get a call for an interview.
I feel like such a failure, I had no idea how hard this was going to be to come back into the workforce after less than a year off.
I have retail, hospitality, manegment experience, and it’s not even good enough for a standard sales associate/bartender/checkout chick role.
My husband is crumbling under the stress of trying to keep us afloat financially and I feel horrible that I can’t do anything about it.
I know there are agencies out there that can help, but all the ones I’ve seen are just for labourers.
I don’t know what to do with myself.

Posted in:  Money

28 Replies

Anonymous

I hate to make comparisons but I was unemployed for 8 months with no husband, no child support and my youngest was 9 so bugger all from centrelink and had a mortgage and car repayments to pay, I was trying to buy a weeks worth of food with $40! My point is your situation should not be financially crumbling! You HAVE an income earner in your house! If he is on a low income you will be getting topped up from ftb. Work your bills out so you can survive on one income so there isn't so much pressure on you having to get a job, which by the time you pay daycare won't be much left to contribute to the house anyway. I might sound like a bitch but there's a difference between needing a job to survive and needing a job because you can't live within your means.

like
Anonymous

Seriously? Way to put someone down and make it all about you. This woman needs support and you just come along and play the "I'm worse off" card. Take a bloody good hard look in the mirror.

like
Anonymous

Your kids were in school, they had a carer for the day at least. Doesn't sound like you were living within your means anyways with a mortgage and car repayments..

like
Anonymous

I love how you gained so much insight to the OPs financial status by a few sentences!
He may only be a casual or a low income earner, my partner works 5 days a week and earns $530 a week. There's no way in hell we could survive on that - our rent is $340 alone! And we certainly don't live beyond our means but we struggle with 2 incomes sometimes.

Instead of telling someone how they shouldn't be suffering, try being supportive and if you can't do that just say nothing.

like
Anonymous

530 a week is more than I had to live on with 3 kids

like
Anonymous

Oh woe is you. Good job for being able to do that. Don't discredit the OP or the lady above who had only that as an income!!!

like
Anonymous

There are people who have more kids than you and have kids who need expensive medical treatment and they could only dream of having $40 for food, what is your point? There will always be someone worse off than you. It doesn't make the OP's situation any less valid.

like
Anonymous

It's shit that you had to raise 3 kids on so little and it's shit that the OP is struggling financially but it's not a competition, we've all struggled at some capacity in our lives. It doesn't mean our struggles are more or less significant than someone else's.
No one in Australia, the so called lucky country, "should" be struggling but yet we have so many people living at or below the poverty line.

For someone who knows how hard it is, you could show some empathy rather than bitterness.

like
Anonymous

Ok so I have come across as being a massive bitch and I'm sorry to the OP for being a bit heartless. My point was that I learnt some hard lessons that I think everyone should live by financially and that is to make sure your living expenses can still be paid for when things go wrong and you find yourself unemployed. For myself and other single parents that would mean having very minimal, necessary debt or bills such as mortgage/rent so you can survive financially on what you would be eligible from Centrelink should you lose your job. DON'T include CS in budgeting. Partnered people should do the same, what is the lower earner capable of earning financially? That should be the income you can survive on should the higher earner lose their job. I don't think anybody should be in a position where they desperately need work when they are part of a couple where one is already earning.

like
Anonymous

Yep you’re a bitch. No wonder your single.

like
Anonymous

Well certainly not as mature as you that's for sure 🙆

like
Anonymous

Calling a stranger a bitch even after she has apologised says more about you than her. Grow up and have a good look at urself in the mirror.

like
Anonymous

Oh look another bitch. How about you take your own advice.

like
Anonymous

People live within their means. If they're used to being a 2 income family, their financial commitments which may not be easy to get out of would be based on that. So yes, this lady being out of work would be placing major financial pressure on the household.

like
Anonymous

Yes, but it shouldn't be!

like
Anonymous

It isn't you, it's a dog eat dog world when it comes to finding a job. There might be 50 people that apply for a position fit for 1 person, that 1 person who is going to get it is going to have the desired experience and be well above everyone else in terms of what they're looking for.

You're not a failure at all, a position will soon become available. Can you go back to your old job until you find something?

Make sure you're applying for positions that match your experience and you're not overqualified. It's a huge turnoff when you apply for a bartender position after coming from management. It scares them away thinking you'll expect bigger bucks.

like
Anonymous

Just gotta keep on that horse mate!

Try not to take it personally, jobs are hard to come by and 150 other people could have potentially applied too. It's hard from an employers perspective too because they only have limited positions and have to chose from so many great candidates, so please don't think you're not good enough!

Don't dismiss the idea of using a job seeking agency though, it's their job to find something suitable for you!

like
Anonymous

Are you in Melbourne by any chance? I'm looking at cutting down to part time hours and will need to find someone to take over my shifts I will cut out

like
Anonymous

Unfortunately not I’m in Wollongong NSW but thanks for thinking of me x

like
Anonymous

Wollongong has an extremely competitive jobs market at the moment. Our youth unemployment is one of the highest in the country. There are 100s of ppl applying for just one job here. Don't beat yourself up

like
Anonymous

Iv applied for over 300 jobs and haven’t had anything
You just have to keep looking and applying

like
Anonymous

Your job before you went on leave by law need to offer you a new position even it is down the bottom of the pecking order. Look into your rights and theirs. Only reason this won’t happen if you quit already

like
Anonymous

I thought that’s only whilst pregnant or returning full time?

like
Anonymous

A simple google search will give you all the answers you need. They must keep your position for you for when you return if you choose to work less hours they must try to help but if it’s not possible to do that role within less hours they must offer you something else within the company that suits your hours your can work and their company needs

like
Anonymous

I’ve thought about this a lot, and I have a few ideas for you.

1. Obviously, cutting down expenses until you land a job.

2. Upskill. Take an online course that can be completed at home. No, it doesn’t solve your problem, but it can be put on your resume.

3. Net Work!! Do you have any friends in the old company? Can they help you find a job?

4. Join a recuirtment agency. I see you mentioned your in Wollongong, try speaking to Sydney recruitment agencies, and try searching new for home phone jobs. Companies like P&O cruises have home office office people and your only required to go To Sydney for training to start and for updates (like once a quarter) and it’s decent money!! Other overseas companies do this too, like tesltra, Centrelink, Australia energy, Sydney water, ING direct, bupa, bankwest, NAB, hitachi etc.

5. Find your local real estate agents, I know a few in Wollongong are hiring!

6. And this is a last resort... traineeships. Yes, it’s shitty money BUT you could work disability, aged care, childcare and get paid to study. Because of the low wage you would also be eligible for JET for childcare, so you’d be paying peanuts for childcare.

like
Anonymous

Can you take a different roll within the company or have you quit. I worked for a very large company when i was on maternity leave, but due to a huge change in our circumstances and even a change of manager who i had never met I was able to return to the same company in a different roll. I even came back early from maternity leave. If you havent quit I would speak to the boss if you havent already. If you have quit keep going. The job market sux everywhere and this is not uncommon. Keep your head up and good luck.

like
Anonymous

As much as it sucks, consider the labouring. It usually pays pretty well and you can often get shift work negating the need for a lot of child care. I worked afternoon shift for 5 years while my partner worked days. I started at 3pm so at 2 I'd drop our son off at grandmas (we were damned lucky there that grandma was a SAHM to her own daughter just 18 months older than our son) and at 5 pm dad would pick him up. After a lot of knock backs for just about every other type of work I was put on at the first factory I applied to within a few weeks, it's 20 minutes from home and I've worked up to management dealing in many facets including product specification, government regulation and law as it pertains to our industry, customer satisfaction and quality assurance, customs documentation, logistics and freight, and many others to some degree. I wouldn't say it's ever been my dream job and sometimes it can be downright frustrating but for the most part it is mentally stimulating and I have learned I have quite the flair for both logistics and problem solving. Every one of us in management have worked our way up unless particular skills are required (HR, Payroll/Accounting), The Plant Manager started cleaning floors, Shift Managers, QA Manager, Production Manager, Environmental Manager - we all started on the floor so we walk the talk and I like to think it shows. It's not quite the dead end many think it is.

like
Anonymous

I was made redundant from my job of 20 years at the age of 43. (I didn't see the redundancy coming and if the whole company went under I could have accepted it, but it was just 4 people in my division that were let go....and those 4 all had over 20 years experience.) I applied for absolutely anything and everything, but go knocked back all the time because I didn't have a degree or paperwork to show I had qualifications. My point is unfortunately it happens. Something will come along that will be perfect for you. And just a tip, most, not all but most SEEK job applications do not go through. So you think you are applying but you're not. If you can, try and contact the company direct or even better still, offer an hour or two of your time for free so they can see how you work. Good luck x

like