Helping partner find work

[Leejay55]

My boyfriend has been independently searching for work for 3 years via online websites including seek, etc. On a weekly basis he applies to at least 100 and on average has 2 interviews a week. He has not had success with it yet. In the past he received help from case workers from centrelink. No success with them either. I think he has to know people to get work.  What else can we do? Oppressed, frustrated... 

[AGrace]

Hi Leejay,

I can just imagine the frustration that both you and your boyfriend must be feeling.

Is your boyfriend looking for work in particular field? Does he have any specialised qualifications? Has he considered joining a recruitment agency? Does he submit resumes to companies in his field even when jobs are not advertised? 

Has he been working before? Are there any opportunities with your friends or family members for employment? Has he tried volunteering in the interim? This can be a good way to network, but also to get a sense of achievement from contributing.

Is it worthwhile for him to go back and do some studies? Or even have a chat with a course or careers guidance counsellor?

Sorry it's lots of questions. I guess it's better to know the full picture. Look forward to hearing more from you.

AGrace

[Leejay55]

Thank you. 

He's been to 2 or more recruitment agencies. Originally he was looking at aadministration work but now everything including packaging. He has been a couple of places to apply for work without there being an ad.  He did as much volunteering as he could but there hasn't been a lot advertised. 

Do you suggest asking companies to volunteer to get some experience? 

He hasn't got much experience. Whenever he has done volunteering he steps up and becomes something like a 2nd in charge. He is good with teams. 

I think age could be a factor too because he is 34 with little work experience to show.

I'm not sure if he could afford many courses. 

[AGrace]

Hi Leejay,

Yes he could definitely try to get some work experience with a company.

The other field of work, whereby they are always looking to recruit is team leaders of call centres. He could always start as a call centre operator and work his way up to being a team leader.

Making sure that his resume is up to date to incorporate all the volunteering he has done is another suggestion. 

I know it might not be ideal but is he also looking in hospitality and retail? Sometimes just having a job looks more attractive to a potential employer than someone who is unemployed. I know the retail sector will be on the hunt for Xmas casuals very soon, so this could be a good time to get a foot in the door.

It must be so frustrating for both of you, but I'm sure he will eventually find something.

AGrace