Hey @Dapper_Alpacca
this may be long post because I’m in the position you’re in right now, or similar. Because of my mental health condition I was always on the verge of crisis or in crisis and have been in and out of hospitals numerous times. Now you can imagine what that would mean for employment. I was never stable enough to hold down a traditional job with regular hours just one day stuff and was once a Christmas casual for David Jones. Whilst battling my mental health I graduated from uni (congrats to you for accomplishing that too!). I studied Social Work (I’d love to know the field you studied) and once I felt stable enough I decided to start the job search. Now let me tell you this- out of 99 jobs there would only be 2 that I actually met the criteria for. My problem was all the entry level social work jobs required a license and I only have my learner’s because I have a huge phobia related to operating a vehicle. I finished uni in 2020 so 2 years I was jobless and dependent on DSP as an income and lucky enough to with my parents so I don’t need to worry about bills and things like that. I understand that isn’t the case for you and it must be so draining and disheartening when your told you didn’t get the position. I’m sorry you’re going through such a difficult time. it was only this year that I discovered a platform called Hireup which is for NDIS members in need of disability support workers. I am employed as a casual worker but to get to this point it took me years after graduation. It’s still not my final destination, I’d like to work in mental health but it’s a stepping stone.
Here’s a few things to think about:
1. Check what welfare payments you are eligible for with Centrelink like JobSeeker. Also Centrelink has a service called Jobactive which supports you in getting ready to find jobs
2. As disillusioned as you might get with these rejections try reframe it as a way of narrowing down your search field. People leave jobs everyday and there are openings everyday, you will find opportunities for as long as you keep looking (it’s hard work as it is and I know the Pandemic has made it harder 😓 )
3. Volunteering is a great way to gather experience and references
4. This will only be relevant if you have a disability but there are services called disability employment services (DES) and they can actually help match your with potential jobs so you’re not alone in the process. I’m not sure where you live but if you type disability employment services near me, you’ll find suitable ones
5. For every interview and application that doesn’t pan out, email the recruiter or the person who held the interview and ask for feedback k about what you can improve on
6. These are two article about common reasons in struggling to find a job https://careersidekick.com/why-cant-i-find-a-job/ and https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/trouble-finding-a-job
7. Take good care or yourself. This is a tedious, tiring process and all your worries can make you neglect yourself. You need to be healthy in order to get anything done not just looking for jobs.
I resonate with how your feeling so much that’s why I wanted to offer you some support and advice I’ve received over the years from my psychologist and family members.
Do you live on your own? Are there any concessions available to you in terms of rent and bills. I’m sorry I can’t give you much help on that side of these because I’m not experienced but I hope sharing your story has brought you a bit of respite. I totally get what you mean by feeling a little better when you put it into words. Does journaling help?
I wish you all the best and whenever you feel this way come to RO and post something. You’ll definitely get support from everyone here. Take care 💜
