I think my Aspergers and lack of experience is holding me back? I am stuck in a rut!
I graduated over a year ago. I have gone to over 20 interviews since then (I can’t recall all of my interviews). I have applied to hundreds of jobs. I haven’t gained entry into the job market, that is causing me great concern and is something I constantly worry about.
I have very limited work experience due to University study commitments and anxiety associated with my Aspergers. I understand that work experience is a contributor to my continued unemployment, however, I expected to have been in employment by now, even a basic job.
It is embarrassing to me that teenagers can manage to get a job in TESCO etc but I am constantly rejected.
I don’t know the real reasons as to why I am constantly facing rejections. But I am noticing several reoccurring trends in the recruitment process. I have applied to 100+ retail jobs, as retail is the only sector with frequently advertised jobs in my location. I have noticed that retailers are quick to interview, so if I don’t hear after a few days I am pretty well certain that my application has been tossed out. I would say that only 1 out of every 10 retail application results in an interview, so this happens with most of my retail applications.
Most of my interviews have been for positions in my degree field (Meteorology). I have only had 5-6 retail interviews. Most of these interviews run smoothly. I have had a few awkward interviews as a result of not knowing how to address my lack of work experience.
However, there is never any really poor performance in the interview that would leave me leaving thinking, “Ok, I definitely haven’t got that job”. So, I’m wondering what I am doing wrong?
I had a retail interview a few days ago. During this interview, the interviewer gave the impression that I would probably get the job, she kept talking about having a huge payroll and that the shop was looking for quite a few people to fill several positions, immediately. So with her approach I had thought that I had a reasonable chance of getting this position, but no? I knew I didn’t get the job after I had left as she had not asked for my NI number. So something must’ve put her off me during the interview.
The only thing I can think of was my dress sense. I wore a suite, the others wore more casual clothing, I understand I am reaching but this may have given the view that I was well off and didn’t need the job as much as the others did. Was it fleeting eye contact due to my Aspergers?? My degree/ overqualified? I don’t know? Retail jobs seem to be extremely challenging to get!
If my degree is a problem for retail i’m not sure what I could do about that? My location doesn’t have many professional jobs so retail is what I am left with.
I am rambling. The point is that I can’t identify why I am not getting anywhere employment wise. I am consistently getting interviews every month. I am not moving beyond these interviews. So what is going wrong? Why are they calling me to the interviews if they want experience and have saw that I have very little from reading my CV?
If it is my Aspergers, how am I going to rectify this? I can’t help if I appear quirky.
I’m just constantly facing an uphill battle that I see no way out of. Employers have an obessesion with work experience and will not hire without it, but I cannot gain any work experience.
The longer I am out of work the more concerned I am about getting out of this rut and the more I worry about the impression my CV is giving to employers.
I have tried all sorts of solutions and I am becoming desperate now. I don’t know what I could do to improve my chances of gaining employment? Is a Masters worth considering?
I have very limited work experience due to University study commitments and anxiety associated with my Aspergers. I understand that work experience is a contributor to my continued unemployment, however, I expected to have been in employment by now, even a basic job.
It is embarrassing to me that teenagers can manage to get a job in TESCO etc but I am constantly rejected.
I don’t know the real reasons as to why I am constantly facing rejections. But I am noticing several reoccurring trends in the recruitment process. I have applied to 100+ retail jobs, as retail is the only sector with frequently advertised jobs in my location. I have noticed that retailers are quick to interview, so if I don’t hear after a few days I am pretty well certain that my application has been tossed out. I would say that only 1 out of every 10 retail application results in an interview, so this happens with most of my retail applications.
Most of my interviews have been for positions in my degree field (Meteorology). I have only had 5-6 retail interviews. Most of these interviews run smoothly. I have had a few awkward interviews as a result of not knowing how to address my lack of work experience.
However, there is never any really poor performance in the interview that would leave me leaving thinking, “Ok, I definitely haven’t got that job”. So, I’m wondering what I am doing wrong?
I had a retail interview a few days ago. During this interview, the interviewer gave the impression that I would probably get the job, she kept talking about having a huge payroll and that the shop was looking for quite a few people to fill several positions, immediately. So with her approach I had thought that I had a reasonable chance of getting this position, but no? I knew I didn’t get the job after I had left as she had not asked for my NI number. So something must’ve put her off me during the interview.
The only thing I can think of was my dress sense. I wore a suite, the others wore more casual clothing, I understand I am reaching but this may have given the view that I was well off and didn’t need the job as much as the others did. Was it fleeting eye contact due to my Aspergers?? My degree/ overqualified? I don’t know? Retail jobs seem to be extremely challenging to get!
If my degree is a problem for retail i’m not sure what I could do about that? My location doesn’t have many professional jobs so retail is what I am left with.
I am rambling. The point is that I can’t identify why I am not getting anywhere employment wise. I am consistently getting interviews every month. I am not moving beyond these interviews. So what is going wrong? Why are they calling me to the interviews if they want experience and have saw that I have very little from reading my CV?
If it is my Aspergers, how am I going to rectify this? I can’t help if I appear quirky.
I’m just constantly facing an uphill battle that I see no way out of. Employers have an obessesion with work experience and will not hire without it, but I cannot gain any work experience.
The longer I am out of work the more concerned I am about getting out of this rut and the more I worry about the impression my CV is giving to employers.
I have tried all sorts of solutions and I am becoming desperate now. I don’t know what I could do to improve my chances of gaining employment? Is a Masters worth considering?
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by Frostyjoe
I graduated over a year ago. I have gone to over 20 interviews since then (I can’t recall all of my interviews). I have applied to hundreds of jobs. I haven’t gained entry into the job market, that is causing me great concern and is something I constantly worry about.
I have very limited work experience due to University study commitments and anxiety associated with my Aspergers. I understand that work experience is a contributor to my continued unemployment, however, I expected to have been in employment by now, even a basic job.
It is embarrassing to me that teenagers can manage to get a job in TESCO etc but I am constantly rejected.
I don’t know the real reasons as to why I am constantly facing rejections. But I am noticing several reoccurring trends in the recruitment process. I have applied to 100+ retail jobs, as retail is the only sector with frequently advertised jobs in my location. I have noticed that retailers are quick to interview, so if I don’t hear after a few days I am pretty well certain that my application has been tossed out. I would say that only 1 out of every 10 retail application results in an interview, so this happens with most of my retail applications.
Most of my interviews have been for positions in my degree field (Meteorology). I have only had 5-6 retail interviews. Most of these interviews run smoothly. I have had a few awkward interviews as a result of not knowing how to address my lack of work experience.
However, there is never any really poor performance in the interview that would leave me leaving thinking, “Ok, I definitely haven’t got that job”. So, I’m wondering what I am doing wrong?
I had a retail interview a few days ago. During this interview, the interviewer gave the impression that I would probably get the job, she kept talking about having a huge payroll and that the shop was looking for quite a few people to fill several positions, immediately. So with her approach I had thought that I had a reasonable chance of getting this position, but no? I knew I didn’t get the job after I had left as she had not asked for my NI number. So something must’ve put her off me during the interview.
The only thing I can think of was my dress sense. I wore a suite, the others wore more casual clothing, I understand I am reaching but this may have given the view that I was well off and didn’t need the job as much as the others did. Was it fleeting eye contact due to my Aspergers?? My degree/ overqualified? I don’t know? Retail jobs seem to be extremely challenging to get!
If my degree is a problem for retail i’m not sure what I could do about that? My location doesn’t have many professional jobs so retail is what I am left with.
I am rambling. The point is that I can’t identify why I am not getting anywhere employment wise. I am consistently getting interviews every month. I am not moving beyond these interviews. So what is going wrong? Why are they calling me to the interviews if they want experience and have saw that I have very little from reading my CV?
If it is my Aspergers, how am I going to rectify this? I can’t help if I appear quirky.
I’m just constantly facing an uphill battle that I see no way out of. Employers have an obessesion with work experience and will not hire without it, but I cannot gain any work experience.
The longer I am out of work the more concerned I am about getting out of this rut and the more I worry about the impression my CV is giving to employers.
I have tried all sorts of solutions and I am becoming desperate now. I don’t know what I could do to improve my chances of gaining employment? Is a Masters worth considering?
I have very limited work experience due to University study commitments and anxiety associated with my Aspergers. I understand that work experience is a contributor to my continued unemployment, however, I expected to have been in employment by now, even a basic job.
It is embarrassing to me that teenagers can manage to get a job in TESCO etc but I am constantly rejected.
I don’t know the real reasons as to why I am constantly facing rejections. But I am noticing several reoccurring trends in the recruitment process. I have applied to 100+ retail jobs, as retail is the only sector with frequently advertised jobs in my location. I have noticed that retailers are quick to interview, so if I don’t hear after a few days I am pretty well certain that my application has been tossed out. I would say that only 1 out of every 10 retail application results in an interview, so this happens with most of my retail applications.
Most of my interviews have been for positions in my degree field (Meteorology). I have only had 5-6 retail interviews. Most of these interviews run smoothly. I have had a few awkward interviews as a result of not knowing how to address my lack of work experience.
However, there is never any really poor performance in the interview that would leave me leaving thinking, “Ok, I definitely haven’t got that job”. So, I’m wondering what I am doing wrong?
I had a retail interview a few days ago. During this interview, the interviewer gave the impression that I would probably get the job, she kept talking about having a huge payroll and that the shop was looking for quite a few people to fill several positions, immediately. So with her approach I had thought that I had a reasonable chance of getting this position, but no? I knew I didn’t get the job after I had left as she had not asked for my NI number. So something must’ve put her off me during the interview.
The only thing I can think of was my dress sense. I wore a suite, the others wore more casual clothing, I understand I am reaching but this may have given the view that I was well off and didn’t need the job as much as the others did. Was it fleeting eye contact due to my Aspergers?? My degree/ overqualified? I don’t know? Retail jobs seem to be extremely challenging to get!
If my degree is a problem for retail i’m not sure what I could do about that? My location doesn’t have many professional jobs so retail is what I am left with.
I am rambling. The point is that I can’t identify why I am not getting anywhere employment wise. I am consistently getting interviews every month. I am not moving beyond these interviews. So what is going wrong? Why are they calling me to the interviews if they want experience and have saw that I have very little from reading my CV?
If it is my Aspergers, how am I going to rectify this? I can’t help if I appear quirky.
I’m just constantly facing an uphill battle that I see no way out of. Employers have an obessesion with work experience and will not hire without it, but I cannot gain any work experience.
The longer I am out of work the more concerned I am about getting out of this rut and the more I worry about the impression my CV is giving to employers.
I have tried all sorts of solutions and I am becoming desperate now. I don’t know what I could do to improve my chances of gaining employment? Is a Masters worth considering?
A Masters is definitely not the answer, you will just be in the same position in a year's time with more debt and no more work experience.
Actually, if you are getting to interview 1 in 10 times, that's not bad at all. Some people send out 100s of applications and don't get any interviews.
So if you are failing at interview, then it probably is your interview style. That may in part be to do with your Aspergers, but you are also over-analysing the events, which is making things seem worse in your head. For example, just because you aren't asked for your NI number, doesn't mean you haven't got the job - it's a bit strange to collect that at interview. If you are getting to interview, it's not your degree/overqualification.
If I were you, I'd keep going, tweaking your CV to make it best fit every application. I'd bookmark and look out for smaller employers where there is less competition. Finding adverts easily means everyone else can find them easily, means the competition level is likely to be much higher. So think outside the box for roles and organisations that might have opportunities. Also, look to volunteer as much as you can in the interim and pick up experience and contacts that way. People often say they can't afford to volunteer - but if they aren't earning anyway, at least they can be picking up skills. Look at the Do-it volunteer website.
Employers aren't obsessed with 'work experience' they are "obsessed" with 'experience'. It's the measure by which they decide to invite people to interview - who seems to have the best fit of experience. And you seem to be passing that part reasonably often. You might explore places that can give you help on job interview techniques.
Original post by Frostyjoe
I graduated over a year ago. I have gone to over 20 interviews since then (I can’t recall all of my interviews). I have applied to hundreds of jobs. I haven’t gained entry into the job market, that is causing me great concern and is something I constantly worry about.
I have very limited work experience due to University study commitments and anxiety associated with my Aspergers. I understand that work experience is a contributor to my continued unemployment, however, I expected to have been in employment by now, even a basic job.
It is embarrassing to me that teenagers can manage to get a job in TESCO etc but I am constantly rejected.
I don’t know the real reasons as to why I am constantly facing rejections. But I am noticing several reoccurring trends in the recruitment process. I have applied to 100+ retail jobs, as retail is the only sector with frequently advertised jobs in my location. I have noticed that retailers are quick to interview, so if I don’t hear after a few days I am pretty well certain that my application has been tossed out. I would say that only 1 out of every 10 retail application results in an interview, so this happens with most of my retail applications.
Most of my interviews have been for positions in my degree field (Meteorology). I have only had 5-6 retail interviews. Most of these interviews run smoothly. I have had a few awkward interviews as a result of not knowing how to address my lack of work experience.
However, there is never any really poor performance in the interview that would leave me leaving thinking, “Ok, I definitely haven’t got that job”. So, I’m wondering what I am doing wrong?
I had a retail interview a few days ago. During this interview, the interviewer gave the impression that I would probably get the job, she kept talking about having a huge payroll and that the shop was looking for quite a few people to fill several positions, immediately. So with her approach I had thought that I had a reasonable chance of getting this position, but no? I knew I didn’t get the job after I had left as she had not asked for my NI number. So something must’ve put her off me during the interview.
The only thing I can think of was my dress sense. I wore a suite, the others wore more casual clothing, I understand I am reaching but this may have given the view that I was well off and didn’t need the job as much as the others did. Was it fleeting eye contact due to my Aspergers?? My degree/ overqualified? I don’t know? Retail jobs seem to be extremely challenging to get!
If my degree is a problem for retail i’m not sure what I could do about that? My location doesn’t have many professional jobs so retail is what I am left with.
I am rambling. The point is that I can’t identify why I am not getting anywhere employment wise. I am consistently getting interviews every month. I am not moving beyond these interviews. So what is going wrong? Why are they calling me to the interviews if they want experience and have saw that I have very little from reading my CV?
If it is my Aspergers, how am I going to rectify this? I can’t help if I appear quirky.
I’m just constantly facing an uphill battle that I see no way out of. Employers have an obessesion with work experience and will not hire without it, but I cannot gain any work experience.
The longer I am out of work the more concerned I am about getting out of this rut and the more I worry about the impression my CV is giving to employers.
I have tried all sorts of solutions and I am becoming desperate now. I don’t know what I could do to improve my chances of gaining employment? Is a Masters worth considering?
I have very limited work experience due to University study commitments and anxiety associated with my Aspergers. I understand that work experience is a contributor to my continued unemployment, however, I expected to have been in employment by now, even a basic job.
It is embarrassing to me that teenagers can manage to get a job in TESCO etc but I am constantly rejected.
I don’t know the real reasons as to why I am constantly facing rejections. But I am noticing several reoccurring trends in the recruitment process. I have applied to 100+ retail jobs, as retail is the only sector with frequently advertised jobs in my location. I have noticed that retailers are quick to interview, so if I don’t hear after a few days I am pretty well certain that my application has been tossed out. I would say that only 1 out of every 10 retail application results in an interview, so this happens with most of my retail applications.
Most of my interviews have been for positions in my degree field (Meteorology). I have only had 5-6 retail interviews. Most of these interviews run smoothly. I have had a few awkward interviews as a result of not knowing how to address my lack of work experience.
However, there is never any really poor performance in the interview that would leave me leaving thinking, “Ok, I definitely haven’t got that job”. So, I’m wondering what I am doing wrong?
I had a retail interview a few days ago. During this interview, the interviewer gave the impression that I would probably get the job, she kept talking about having a huge payroll and that the shop was looking for quite a few people to fill several positions, immediately. So with her approach I had thought that I had a reasonable chance of getting this position, but no? I knew I didn’t get the job after I had left as she had not asked for my NI number. So something must’ve put her off me during the interview.
The only thing I can think of was my dress sense. I wore a suite, the others wore more casual clothing, I understand I am reaching but this may have given the view that I was well off and didn’t need the job as much as the others did. Was it fleeting eye contact due to my Aspergers?? My degree/ overqualified? I don’t know? Retail jobs seem to be extremely challenging to get!
If my degree is a problem for retail i’m not sure what I could do about that? My location doesn’t have many professional jobs so retail is what I am left with.
I am rambling. The point is that I can’t identify why I am not getting anywhere employment wise. I am consistently getting interviews every month. I am not moving beyond these interviews. So what is going wrong? Why are they calling me to the interviews if they want experience and have saw that I have very little from reading my CV?
If it is my Aspergers, how am I going to rectify this? I can’t help if I appear quirky.
I’m just constantly facing an uphill battle that I see no way out of. Employers have an obessesion with work experience and will not hire without it, but I cannot gain any work experience.
The longer I am out of work the more concerned I am about getting out of this rut and the more I worry about the impression my CV is giving to employers.
I have tried all sorts of solutions and I am becoming desperate now. I don’t know what I could do to improve my chances of gaining employment? Is a Masters worth considering?
show the world the power of neurodiversity good luck
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