Cannot Get A Job! :(

I literally signed up just to post this post (though I have a feeling that I'll be frequenting the forums) because I have been having the most unfortunate and ridiculous move to the UK. =/

This is half a 'rant' and half a plea for help.

I never graduated from my University in 2010. I ran out of loans, I had no one that could co-sign for me, and that was pretty much the end of my educational career. I dived into the food industry, and ended up hopping from job to job (because as we all know, working in the service industry isn't the best of experiences). This was also the year I met my husband, a British National.

We dated long distance from late 2009, I visited the UK for a brief 2 month period (to get used to the lifestyle) before applying for a Fiance Visa and moving out to the UK in December 2011. We were married in February 2012, and proceeded to wait until THIS April 2013 for my Spousal Visa to finally be processed and sent out. My passport wasn't even returned to me until June!! The only reason I managed to get my visa and my personal items and documents back was via the Member of Parliament's involvement.

After being unemployed for two years, one cannot imagine how incredibly desperate I am for a job. And since April 2013, I have not been able to land a single customer service/retail/sales/food industry job... AT ALL. Not one. Not even a call back/interview, etc. The only place that called me back was a scam on the Monster job seeking website.

I haven't been able to fly back to the US for two years to see my family, and now I'm praying for a job to be able to return to the US for Christmas.

But what gives? Usually, I would look at myself (the applicant) as obviously having something wrong with either their CV, or the impression they give through cover letters. I used the Reed.co.uk's CV Builder to make my CV look somewhat organized, I've spell checked everything, submitted very professional Cover Letters, after doing literally extensive research (on Marks & Spencers for crying out loud)... and absolutely nothing comes back.

I'm currently signing up for Office Angels Temp Agency, and looking for other temp agencies. I can't even get hired at McDonald's!

Is it just the economy? Do they not like hiring foreigners? I understand that my last job was at BJ's Wholesale Club in the US, but due to the visa processing, I haven't had very many options for starting to build any career path out here.

This is not only depressing that I cannot contribute to my household, but very frustrating at the same time. This is the longest period of time I've ever been unemployed...

If anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it... thank you in advance! I'll be searching the rest of the forum and looking at the CV Guidelines, comparing it with mine, etc.

So sorry that you're having so much trouble. Unfortunately, it's not all that uncommon. 

The advice we usually give here is to get yourself out and volunteering for something. It could be a charity shop, a museum, an animal shelter. Anything you're interested in, really. Volunteering is a great way to meet people and get yourself some UK-based experience and references, which are so so so important to have. No one is going to call a US reference. Usually most of the problem that people have is that they have no UK experience and no one to vouch for them, but once employers see some UK stuff on your CV, you might start to get a better response.

I would also keep trying the temp agencies route. When I was in Glasgow, I temped with ASA Recruitment (which may only be in Scotland, not sure) and they had a specific Catering/Food Services branch, which might be helpful for you. It wasn't great pay, but it was something, and since it wasn't the most glamorous work, they were always looking for people. Basically, I would be a fill-in at cafes that were staffed by the council, like in office buildings, colleges or for luncheons at the City Chambers, so I would bounce around a lot.

That temping, plus my volunteering, led to two offers for seasonal sales positions at HMV and John Lewis. I moved back to the US before I could really get things going, but there was definitely some improvement!

Hope some of that helps! And hang in there. It's really, really tough being unemployed, but you will find something!

I'd say most of it is the economy. To quote a hiring manager I spoke with recently, "we receive hundreds of applications for every one position, we randomly choose which resumes to read." Obviously do the best you can with your cv and cover letters, but don't put too much blame on yourself. It's maddening this job market... The people I know who found jobs recently found it through connections and personal referral. Reach out to people you know if you haven't exhausted those options yet. I was embarrassed at first, but now I think having someone refer you and thereby putting your application to the top of the pile is the only way these days...

Best of luck with your search

I think having someone refer you and thereby putting your application to the top of the pile is the only way these days...

Good point. The only reason I have the job I have now is through a friend who works for the company. Also, for a different job that I had an interview for recently, there were 450 applications for just one position. That was one where I didn't know anyone, but I was one of the first applicants and it was a position that was basically everything I've ever done or studied so that was more to do with luck.

This is half a 'rant' and half a plea for help.

Out of curiosity- what region of the UK do you live in? Perhaps knowing just a few more specific details, people will be able to offer additional hints/tips.

Finding a job is hard.  Even with a bachelors(US), experience, and masters(UK) it took me nearly a year to find a job in a field kind of related to my background..  So I certainly can understand your frustration, as I bet if you could have worked since arriving in 2011, you would have, but now you have to explain the gap to employers

I agree with what's been said so far, and definitely think volunteering/temping could give you some good contacts.  One other suggestion I have is to just walk into shops and simply ask if they're looking to hire at present or have any vacancies.  I landed a part time gig in London by doing exactly that (Just make sure not to go at their busiest times, and look presentable).  I think a targeted approach is probably a good idea- so if you're looking for positions in retail, food, offices, I recommend having a different, or tailored CV for each sector.  

Example: At one point I was interviewing a person who had come in off the street and submitted a CV completely focused on fashion.  It was a mexican restaurant, with uniforms.  I'm still not sure what this applicant was thinking, or how her fashion sense was related/could ever be relevant to her ability to roll a burrito and/or wash dishes...

Best of luck!

Aside from the economy, you also have no UK experience and no matter what the job that can make a difference.  Volunteering is a good way to get UK experience.

I'll echo previous comments and say that volunteering really does help. Sometimes you can even find volunteer work in the industry you'd like to get a job in. I've always worked in publishing/libraries, so when I came over I googled book charities in my area, found one nearby and wrote to them to see if they needed volunteers. They did - and it was a great experience, plus got something in the UK on my CV in that field.

There are also websites that list charities currently looking for people. Some you can do from your own home, or you can find one close to you. I've recently used this one: http://www.do-it.org.uk/

Good luck! I know it's horrible constantly job hunting, but something will come through for you!

Sorry to hear you're finding it hard to find work.

I was lucky, I got a job offer about a month after arriving.  Not a great job, but it's money/experience.  There's a lot of call centre work up here, maybe that's why.

There's a local college here that offers adult courses to get qualifications (some simple like a 10 hour one you need to prove you can stay hygienic in a kitchen, and some more complex). They don't seem to expensive, a couple hundred here or there. Might consider one if you haven't already to make you more acceptable to employers.

Sorry to hear about your difficulties. One thing that was true in the States that I still find to be true here(well not always but a bonus), is, "It's not who you are, it is who you know."

Luckily I got a job with a small close knit company before the recession hit, but even still with the economy being so crap I took a pay-cut and had to get a 2nd weekend job a couple months ago as a barman. I never went to university, ever had to write a CV, and didn't even have any previous bar experience, but I knew my boss who runs the place that knows I'm a hard worker. As far as the foreigner thing goes, well that worked in my favour because you don't meet many yanks living in small Northern Irish towns, so it makes for conversation with the customers....

If you're having to go to temp agencies with your CV, it might be worth a shot just mixing in your social circles and seeing if anything is available from people that know you and what you're capable of. I know it's still extremely difficult as I know people with university degrees know being shop baggers(or were before this 5p thing came in), and the hundreds that apply for maybe one add in the paper waitressing or something, but it's worth a shot.....best of luck hopefully sooner than later!

 

The economy is crap! I've been out of work since I was made redundant by a bank last October. I'm British, 30 years experience in IT, I certainly didn't think it would take me so long to find something else. Had a meeting with my advisor at the job centre yesterday and he agreed funding for me to do Microsoft SQL Server certification, i have experience of IBM databases and know there isn't a great deal of difference but I'm applying for the SQL roles and getting nowhere.

Wow. Not really liking reading this thread.... I'm just starting my research into moving to the UK so any help/info I can gather is great. Though really. This sounds like bad news. Any good news?

Wow. Not really liking reading this thread.... I'm just starting my research into moving to the UK so any help/info I can gather is great. Though really. This sounds like bad news. Any good news?

Are you moving over as a spouse or partner of a UK citizen? What is your career field?

Wow. Not really liking reading this thread.... I'm just starting my research into moving to the UK so any help/info I can gather is great. Though really. This sounds like bad news. Any good news?

It depends on where you're going to live and what you do.  I live near London and I work in television production, and have had no trouble finding work since I moved over in 2007.  If I lived somewhere more remote or in a different field, it could easily be different.

Are you moving over as a spouse or partner of a UK citizen? What is your career field?

No. I'll be moving alone. I have a master's (US) in Marketing Communication and have worked as a freelancer for the last 10 years.

It depends on where you're going to live and what you do.  I live near London and I work in television production, and have had no trouble finding work since I moved over in 2007.  If I lived somewhere more remote or in a different field, it could easily be different.

I'm sort of targeting 1:30ish from London. Not sure I want to live in London. I've done the big city thing. I'm more of a country girl really.