Day 644: A stressful two weeks!

Here I am on Day 644 without so much another job interview or news to report on! But it has been two weeks since my last post (oops!), because I have been staying as busy as possible and not because I have a job yet. So here's a little update...

Last week, I was so frustrated and feeling down and out that I actually went to the job centre for some advice! I didn't want to have to go there, but I am glad I did. They were not able to help me there, as it is only for people receiving benefits and whatnot, but they gave me information on Universal Job Search. It seems to be a very comprehensive list of local jobs of all sorts! I have found a position I am very interested in from that search. The cutoff is next week so I a keeping my fingers crossed that I get an interview (wish me luck, please)!

I have also been doing the one-off editing work. It is the first time I have done something like this, apart from editing my own thesis, so I am taking my time. I also wanted to do some reading first so I knew what I was working with first and talk about what the author is looking for in terms of direction. I will probably finish it this weekend, so that's good although I will be bored again.

Image Source

I've been looking into local volunteering roles as well. There are some exciting projects coming soon to the area which I would love to help out on. I am so anxious to get a job though that I can't commit myself to a long term role, so I am looking ore for support roles here and there, and possibly something I can continue even after I get a job (if that day ever comes...sigh). I do love volunteering and giving back. If everyone could do a little bit, even a one-off one weekend, it could make a huge difference to your community or even in someone's life, so I very much advocate getting involved when possible!

Something I have noticed this past week as well I just want to mention: my spam inbox has exploded. I don't understand where all this spam is suddenly coming from! But I have also noticed that I get A LOT of "Job Alerts" from companies I have never signed up with. Because it's from companies I have never even heard of, it makes me apprehensive about having a look or signing up. Should I be?

Job searching is stressful. It really is. Sending in countless amounts of CV's and application forms is very daunting and can make someone feel really down. I want to work! And I want to give all my energy into my career and using all these skills I have learned in all the education I went onto do. I know I would be a great employee for the right company. If that company can be yours, send me an e-mail, and we can chat! I am friendly, really! So please do get in touch.



Anyways...there's the "excitement" of the last two weeks. I'm off to do another job search!

Day 475 - A Pre-Holiday Update

Day: 475
Jobs applied for today: 0
Jobs heard back from: 0
Jobs applied for since starting this blog: 8

Source: baxterpersonnel.co.uk

Well, here we are. Two days before Christmas, and I have not heard back from any of the job applications I have put in. However, I just wanted to give a quick update because in the last week, although quiet on here (busy with preparing for Christmas!), I have been searching still. I have looked on job listing sites, a Twitter feed and checking my e-mails.

I also got a generic e-mail from recruiters saying to send in an updated CV for the new year. I did this, but no acknowledgement was given of receiving this.

That brings me to something that really bugs me. Out of all the jobs I apply for and CV's I send to recruiters, I only hear back from a small percentage (as you can see since I started this blog I have heard from nobody actually).

While some positions may have a hefty amount of people applying for it, I think an e-mail back saying you have been unsuccessful would be better than no e-mail at all. I have even rang a company once to follow up with an application, to which they told me it would be best sending them an e-mail. I did and received no response still. 

Some job descriptions will, ahead of time, post "Due to the expected number of applications received, assume you have not been successful if you have not heard from us in [any amount of time here]." That's fair enough, but some others I think would be nice to hear from.

Am I wrong in thinking this? Should I be doing more to hear back from companies/recruiters? Or is a response, even a generic one, just polite? Please send me your thoughts on this! You can contact me through e-mail, Twitter, or LinkedIn. You can also comment below.

While it definitely looks like I will not be getting my job for Christmas, I still hope to be relaxing a little bit, and hope you get to as well! All the best!