Unemployment is tougher for men

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*This article is a few months old now (Feb '09) but probably truer given the ever-rising unemployment figures*

The latest jobless figures fail to reveal the psychological toll of being out of work – something that affects men in particular.

"The impact of being out of work on mental health is well documented. The fact that it frequently leads to depression and relationship and family breakdowns, particularly for the long term unemployed, is well known."

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Interesting that Totaljobs.com have sent me an email that says "It's not easy being unemployed; excessive time on our hands can lead to negative feelings and thoughts which impact on other areas of our lives"

After 14 months unemployed I can certainly say it does have a pyschological impact !

 

Well i'm actually looking forward to my contract ending, be nice to have some time off.

"It's not easy being employed; no time on your hands can lead to negative feelings and thoughts which impact on other areas of your life"

After 9 months employed I can certainly say it does have a pyschological impact !

I guess its all down to balance !

I hope you find something soon UKDarkstar, i do remember things getting rather strained with a previous gf when I spent 3 months unemployed, even though I still paid the rent !

I heard a thing on the radio this week stating 60% of women wished their partner earn't more ! Guess madonna was right eh, we do live in a material world.

 

UkDarkStar, I would not concentrate on what the media has to say about employment as this would only impact more negative feelings about the job market. I believe you need to work on your self confidence and start hunting for a job as if you're already in a full time job.

I have noticed your post in recently tend to address or spread negativity surrounding the job market. Unfortunately, the economy as a whole is feeling the hardship. I do wish you well and hope you find something soon.

I have been in a similar position as yours in the past and worked as a customer service rep for a mail handling firm as well as did clerical admin jobs before eventually landing an IT role well over five years in total.

I also landed lots of interviews in that time with reply of sorry but you were unsuccessful in this occassion. It was starting to get to me but I told myself it would happen one day and it did eventually.

We can all achieve our goals if we work hard enough, have a good attitude and always look on the bright side regardless of what life throws at us. It boils down to choice

By the way you can get any job for the time being whilst still studying for certs and looking for an IT role. The choice ultimately is yours to make. Best wishes, as I would be waiting to see your post stating I've got a new job. I know that day would come for you and would be glad for you too.

 

How ?

I mean, there are plenty of works out there to be honest but:

1- People are too picky.
2- They want lazy arsed jobs that require minimal effort.
3- Lack of commitment to actually find one.

And so many more...

I got myself a job, and im a very fat guy and this was a real downside for me but instead of going to the benefits paradise, I lifted myself and just went for it like a damn bear!

Its not my area as I would prefer IT, but at least I am working and saving for my certifications.

So everything is possible dude.

 

actually, there's so many people unemployed that there are loads more applicants for one job.

Some people at my place got made redundant a couple of months ago and a local supermarket had a position for a shelf stacker. There were 197 applicants for this job.

Yes some people are too picky but the lack of decent jobs puts people off

Yes there are people looking for LAzy arsed jobs but UKDarkstar aint one of them and the ones who are too lazy wont get anywhere in life anyhow.

 

I am not saying he is one of them. But I find that 14 months is a bit too long mate.

Everywhere I go, I see some complete idiots with jobs, and I always wondered myself how in the world they got it.
So, there is something anyone can do to get a job.

Sure, there are hundreds of applicants now for the same position, but its not all doom and gloom as some might say.

Good luck out there though

 

I think you need to wind your neck in a bit mate. The job market is absolutely f***ing brutal right now - in ANY career, let alone one that is as competitive as IT. Factor in the stigma attached to people who work in IT for a few years then end up having to do something else out of necessity to pay the bills and have a bitch of a time getting back into IT and I can understand UKD being p***ed off.

He needs people half his age telling him to stop moaning like he needs a hole in the head right now. Chill out and wait until you've been a taxpayer as long as he has before telling him to buck up.

 

I am a student yes, and if you come to think of it we are all perpetual students. The IT industry moves extremely fast, and we have to keep up to it.

But, that did not stop me of getting my arse out there and get a job, and a good one I must say.
And I had everything against me, no previous work, big fat build, no experience in the business...
It didnt stop me.

So it is possible, but your reward is equally proportional to the effort you put in.

And I didnt mean to offend anyone, I just expressed what I think. I think that it is too long.
I dont know the situation of course, so each case is a case and I am assuming it is a healthy willing person.

But I guess not everyone is ready to handle a bucket and a mop, while being certified in some areas.
It's tough, but it pays until you get your career ball rolling.

Peace.

PS: The bucket and the mop was an example.

I have to add that this is an example of "getting by". If you really need something to eat and survive.
Not everyone is in the same situation, but I was also some time unemployed and I was unexpectedly finding myself in a very bad end of things.
This is a personal experience obviously, but dont lose the hope on things because there is something out there for you.

 

Trust me mate

All the weed and all the careers lecturers don't mean **** until you have got out and are actually having to experience life for yourself

 

The post was intended just to highlight a known issue that has been identified with which (at various times) I can sympthasise with. There is another side of unemployment and I felt it was topical (givent hat Totaljobs are emailing people about it also) to mention it.

It wasn't intended as a statement on my personal life which I would never trot out on a publicly viewable forum. My circumstances are personal and private to me.

'nuff said

 

From what I have heard and seen it is a tough job market out there.

However, I can only go by personal experience, of what I have found, which is I have changed jobs three times in the last two years and have had no difficulty in finding employment in three entirely different industries over this time frame.

Now, you could say that once, lucky, twice, your taking the ‘mick’, three times you are going to win the lottery. I say, nope, you create your own luck in this world.

I left my first job after 12 years, taking voluntary redundancy, had 3 months off on 'garden leave' and had a job the very next day after this in a totally different business sector. During this time we had our first child.

Did that for 6 months and handed my notice in (14 months ago), without any other job to go to, but a 'feeling' that IT could be right for me. This was when the job market started to get a bit ‘rife’.

So I had a wife, who wasn't working, no job and a new babie, so I changed my CV (removing every single one of my previous achievements, so I looked like a normal ‘Dave’) and applied for a few jobs (taking just under a 3/4 pay cut) and landed my first job in IT.

It took just over a week of applying to get my first job, which I started on the 2nd June 2008, and I start my new job on Monday in Third Line Support.

Bit of a strange feeling, as this is the first time, I have actually had another job to go to!

Have I noticed, any difficulties, finding a job, or getting opportunities, no. But again, I do most things differently to everyone else.

If I was unemployed at the moment, what would I do? Send the wife to work!

Nah, seriously, I would look at my skillset and then apply for jobs where I knew there was demand for ‘my experience’ and do everything I possibly could to secure my next role.

The last thing to remember is that being unemployed, you have an advantage, in the fact that you are able to start work immediately, which can be a massive bonus for some employers.

 

Nice reply craigie.

I have a question though, when you said you took certifications off your CV, did you mean that it would be detrimental to actually get a job in an industry where you dont need them (the certs) ?

As if they would ask themselves something like: Why this guy is applying here with all these qualifications ?

Did you do an "IT" cv and a regular one ?

Cheers

 

another couple of reasons:

If there's a large amount of applicants you need to get to the point quickly or end up in the reject pile. Making someone wade through irrelevant material to find what they need to know isn't going to help your chances of making into the "possible interview" pile. Especially if your CV is the 73rd one they've looked at that day.

They might also wonder how long you're going to stay in the job with all those qualifications.

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Personally, I have 3 CV templates: One for my old job, focusing on my 20 years experience, a general one, focusing on soft skills, and an IT support one, focusing on certs and customer skills.

 

Not really taken off qualifications, just all of my achievements, then made the CV more IT related.

I actually have three CV's:

- IT, which now being third line, will get alot of my key sales skills, as I want to try and become a pre-sales architect in the next 12 - 24 months.
- Sales & Management
- Operations & Management