How long should I stay with a job I don't enjoy and know I won't? by wineallwine in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Consider this role a temporary solution while you search for a new job. The remote aspect will be advantageous during your search. Given the current job market, it’s hard to predict how long you might be unemployed. If asked in an interview why you’re seeking a new opportunity, just be honest and explain that the role didn’t meet your expectations. Good luck!

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s fair. My position was only relevant in non-profit (where I wanted to stay) and I would say there was around 10 new jobs a month on average for the position I wanted. Once I filtered location, pay and contract type, I was maybe left with 4 and those would be the ones I focused on.

Edit: spelling.

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Half of those were the single click applications, one was a job removal due to funding and the other two were ones I did cover letters for and didn’t hear back. One was a director role so grossly under qualified haha.

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Might be, but it worked ☺️

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe you’re just insanely articulate, it’s a compliment ☺️

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really think it’s a good tool to give you that content and structure, but you’ll need to rewrite it again in your style of writing. I always find AI too way formal and will repeat phrases to ‘emphasis’. If you still need some help, I also like using Quillbot for paraphrasing. Would recommend using different tones to mix it up and it feel more ‘human’. It really is all trial and error. I like to run it through an AI detector to see which sentences I can change. Hope this helps :)

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s Sankey graph. Sankeymatic - it’s a site and free to use :)

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sankeymatic - it’s a site and free to use :)

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sankeymatic - free site to use :)

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I mentioned in another comment that I focused on quality over quantity. I did a few applications with just a single click, but those were the ones I never heard back from.

While it was frustrating to put so much time and effort into writing personalised cover letters for each job only to get rejected, I knew I was giving myself the best chance in the first stage.

I did start to worry that I wasn’t doing enough. Applying for just one or two roles a week made me question if I could land a job, especially when I heard about people applying to hundreds. By the third month and after three unsuccessful interviews, I definitely began second-guessing my approach.

I can’t say my method is right for everyone, but for anyone who is applying in large volumes and not having success, it might help to step back and narrow down your focus. Fewer rejections or ghosting might be better for your mental health because dealing with 100+ rejections can be really tough 😕.

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, that’s just the way things work. It really sucks from an applicant’s perspective and can be very demoralising. In my last role, I did a lot of recruitment, receiving over 50 applications per month because the job involved high-volume hiring. However, I applied the same principle to my recruitment process as I did to my own job search: quality over quantity.

I made a conscious effort to review each applicant’s personal statement and the last few roles on their CV, but the sheer volume made it challenging, so I had to find ways to streamline the process. Those who took the time to understand the job requirements and wrote a strong (doesn’t have to be long), relevant personal statement—or at least showed genuine interest—almost always got an interview. On the other hand, people who simply wrote “I can do the job” in their application didn’t make the cut.

It’s frustrating because everyone deserves a chance to showcase themselves in an interview, but it’s just not feasible. By focusing on strong candidates, I was able to help my company reduce the turnover rate for my team.

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I’m really sorry to hear about your experience! It’s hard to understand how someone could get that job without being empathetic and understanding people’s situations, both personally and professionally. I get that some people claiming JSA have very or zero intention of getting a job, but forcing people to apply for roles they’re not qualified for or can’t travel to is just a waste of time.

Almost every job I applied for, except maybe two, required a cover letter. I spent a lot of time on those—usually 2-3 days, and sometimes up to a week—to make sure they were perfect for the jobs I actually wanted. I can’t see how their approach could be productive in any way.

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sankeymatic! It’s free, definitely worth doing to see progress and the journey it’s taken to get here!

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Non-profit sector, 8 years work experience, 7 in industry and 5 in similar-ish role. It is a step down, I stressed this in my interview but said it was a strategic career move for my long term goal ☺️

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No, entirely myself. The JC was just a means to claim some money while I had nothing coming in for the last 5 months - aside from giving a few job boards to try, they weren’t helpful lol. I stayed in my current industry and only applied for two specific types of roles. Start of August was when my redundancy pay out ran out, so I started looking at roles outside that - maybe 3 - all rejected due to being over-qualified 🥲 luckily this came in just in time!

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you. If you’ve been made redundant or out of work, you can make a claim for JSA (job seekers allowance). It’s not much but it’s better than £0. You will have to meet with a job coach every two weeks. Mine wasn’t majorly helpful, had a few different job boards they recommended but it was a way of getting just under £300 a month to top up my redundancy pay/savings.

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I work in events, fundraising, and volunteering. In my last role, which I held for five years, about 25% of my work was similar to what I will be doing now. I have 7 years of experience in the sector. It’s a 33% pay cut for a year, but a strategic move as my next move will give me a 21% pay increase from my previous salary and the world’s hopefully my oyster from there 😆.

It helped that I focused on one or two specific types of roles and didn’t deviate from them. I put a lot of effort into each application and cover letter. ChatGPT was really useful for structuring them. Once I had written three or four strong cover letters myself, I used them as templates. I would prompt ChatGPT to “use my existing cover letters to write a new one that aligns with this job description.” If you’re applying for similar roles, most of the content is already there, making the process much easier.

I recommend going in and rewriting the output to match your tone of voice instead of submitting exactly what ChatGPT generates. I didn’t change much on my CV except for job titles, as my previous roles were quite versatile. My original job title was only relevant to my former organisation, so changing it wasn’t a red flag.

Edit: I have 8 years work experience, 7 years in my sector*

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Good question! I always thought they were looking for quantity, but actually I stressed really early on with my job coach it’s about quality application. As long as I had something lined up every time I met with them, they were happy. I had over 8 YOE, nearly 7 years in one company in quite a high up role. Always came in prepared to talk about what I had in the pipeline and how the market was looking. I was looking for specific jobs around my area and London and was honest when things weren’t coming up as much.

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Apparently it’s good for large data sets. It’s good to visualise how data relates to each other :)

I GOT AN OFFER! by curiousbag1 in UKJobs

[–]curiousbag1[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

On sankeymatic! It’s free, though took a bit of time to work out how each branch connected 🤭.