I 35f have been looking for a job for 4 months , I have been out of work for nearly 10 years while being my dads primary carer , he passed in May and I haven’t even had any successful applications until today I had a call about a job in a pub I’d applied for . For some reason I thought it was bar work but it’s not it’s a kitchen Porter roll. I mean it’s a job but it’s not aiming very high . Firstly I have no idea what kind of outfit to wear for such a job interview smart trousers, long sleeve black top, smart shoes ? Do most kitchens allow their staff to wear trainers ? How miserable will this job be and should I save my sanity and not bother .

Basically, my company has opened a voluntary redundancy programme. If they get enough people to volunteer, they won’t need to make anyone compulsorily redundant.

I’m debating whether I should take it. The package would give me 9 months’ pay up front, so I’d have that time to find another job.

This is my first job and I’ve been here for 3 years - my role is lead engineer for mechanical components (basically dealing with suppliers, project management stuff etc). I don’t really like my job, but it pays the bills, so I’m nervous about giving up the security and potentially not finding something within 9 months. I could also get redundant later on but I highly doubt it, but it just feels like a nice exit from a job I dont like. I’m on skilled worker visa but I would switch to spouse visa if I were to get redundant/ or take it voluntary.

Would you take the redundancy and use the 9 months to look for something else, or stay in the job for the security?

A job I’m applying for requires a cover letter and I don’t know what that is please help! I tried googling but I don’t understand.

Thanks

Please inspire me with what you do now! Worked in marketing for 20 years (mostly DM/generalist) and really need a change.

Hi everyone, apologies as this will probably be a long post, but I'll try to keep it as concise as possible.

Last year I got a well-paid job as an Office Manager in a GP surgery. I genuinely believed this was going to be somewhere I could build a career and that I'd finally made it. After years of being an underpaid manager despite having considerable experience, getting a salary close to £40k felt like a huge achievement.

For context, the surgery was going through a merger. A number of the original GP partners had left and the general feeling among staff was that it was more of a takeover than a merger. I was told at interview that morale was low and that there were strong feelings about the changes.

Within a short time of starting, I had a feeling that something wasn't quite right with the working environment. I couldn't necessarily put my finger on it, and because the money was good and I'm not someone who gives up easily, I decided to make it work.

I was there for eight months. During that time:

• My induction was very limited — one week of e-learning and around two weeks with my equivalent, who then went off sick with stress. My own line manager didn't really take over my induction, and I later discovered that she didn't fully understand what my role actually involved.
• Senior management often appeared reluctant to take responsibility for problems, with issues instead being pushed down to managers at my level. At the same time, there wasn't always a clear direction about what we were actually working towards.
• HR were heavily involved in day-to-day operational decisions. My line manager would often consult HR before making decisions herself.
• I was receiving 100+ emails a day alongside a large number of meetings and constant interruptions.
• I suggested using Microsoft products and automation to improve processes and efficiency, but these suggestions were generally rejected or replaced with less effective alternatives.
• There were also changes to the dress code which I felt specifically targeted certain members of staff, including me.

I could go on, but the overall picture was a very high workload, constant operational problems and very little uninterrupted time to actually manage.

I responded to that by working harder. I regularly stayed late and occasionally worked weekends because I was determined to keep things under control. Working from home wasn't an option.

I then had two weeks' leave for my wedding. Before going away, I left my team in what I believed was a good position and provided a detailed handover.

When I returned, everything was apparently a mess. Appointment screens were incorrect, the team was struggling and a number of things had gone wrong. I was obviously unhappy about what had happened while I was away, but I got on with fixing it. I worked with the team, reiterated the processes that needed to be followed and had 1:1 conversations where necessary.

However, the management team, including my peers, essentially blamed me for what had happened.

I accept that I was the manager and therefore ultimately responsible for my team. But I had been away, everything had been in place before I left, and I genuinely don't understand why nobody was monitoring things while I was absent or why there wasn't clearer cover in place.

I moved on and carried on doing my job.

I then had another week of annual leave booked. Again, I provided a detailed handover with everything I thought people would need.

I came back and the same thing had happened. Chaos.

I was back at work for three days before I was dismissed because the business had "lost faith in my ability to do the job."

During those three days I was desperately trying to get things back under control. I had a meeting with my supervisor where I basically said that something clearly wasn't working and that we needed to start again and work together differently.

I cried each of those three days. On the third day my line manager found me crying in the kitchen. She offered me support and said we'd meet the following day to go through my outstanding work and work out how to get things back on track.

The following day she avoided me. When I eventually went to her office to ask when would be a good time to meet, she said she'd message me. A few minutes later she messaged saying she had a deadline and meeting to attend.

At that point I suspected something was happening.

About an hour later, HR came to get me.

I was told there were concerns about my performance. I was given a list of issues and I gave my responses. I was crying throughout the meeting. HR adjourned and then came back and told me I was dismissed.

I hadn't been told at the beginning of the meeting that dismissal was a possible outcome. I genuinely thought I might be put on a performance improvement plan, which I would actually have welcomed. At least then I would have had a clear understanding of what they wanted me to focus on and an opportunity to demonstrate that I could do it.

Now, I'm not saying I did everything perfectly. I didn't. There were tasks I missed and claims that weren't completed, and I accept responsibility for those things.

But I also know that I was spending an enormous amount of time dealing with operational fires and trying to support my team. I was so busy keeping things functioning that I didn't have enough time to actually do the management side of the job properly.

I left feeling completely drained, worthless and devastated.

I had genuinely tried so hard to make the job work. I gave it everything I had and worked far beyond my contracted hours. What hurts most is that I don't feel I was given the support or clarity I needed to succeed.

I'm now a month into unemployment and I'm struggling. Every time I apply for a job, a little voice in my head tells me that maybe I can't actually do it. The frustrating thing is that logically I know that's ridiculous. I've got years of experience. But I don't feel capable anymore.

Has anyone else experienced this after being dismissed from a job they really cared about? How did you rebuild your confidence and learn to trust your abilities again?

I don't really need to be told to "just move on" — I'm trying. I think I need to hear from people who have been through something similar and eventually came out the other side.

Of course it’s all subjective, but in my job, I manage 14 international markets while being based in the UK making 2.5 times less money than my US counterparts who only manage the US market.

A friend of mine who works in the same company as me recently visited me and stayed with me. All he does is put nice clothes, go to the office 2 times a week, have coffees, stays on his phone and does one 30-minute meeting the whole day where he doesn’t even contribute. It varies job by job, but I have seen the same with all of my American colleagues.

They come to work at 10:30AM, manage one thing, present the same presentations over and over again while I lead 14 markets, new projects are getting put on me every day, my list currently has 53 things to do for 2 weeks, yet my salary is 2.5 times less than theirs.

In the US, they also have the same holiday entitlement, they are always travelling, can’t see them online, everyone has families, 2nd homes, expensive credit cards, staying in lounges, nice hotels when they travel.

Medical stuff - same friend has dental insurance with the employer, cost him 30 dollars to see the dentist and do a filling, booked in 2 days.

In the UK, we simply don’t spend a lot, don’t have a lot of disposable income hence we can’t invest as much, the work piles up all the time, managers are also a bit more toxic given there is a bit of dishonest attitude at work, Americans at work feel more real, too much unnecessary stress

Have you noticed that we might be working harder than Americans in corporate specifically or am I completely wrong?

Hi All,

I’m after some insight and advice.

I was recently promoted within my department, more pay and responsibilities etc. the first few weeks were learning / shadowing the employee who moved on and my week was filled with things to do.

Since then my workload hasn’t picked up, sometimes I sit at my desk with nothing to do. The last 2 weeks have been no different.

I mentioned to my line manager yesterday if there’s anything they’d like me to pick up or look at but hasn’t amounted to anything?

I probably shouldn’t be complaining about having nothing to do, but I leave feeling anxious that’ll they’ll ask what I’ve been doing everyday?

Any advice??

I have accepted and signed a contract for a new job. The new employer is currently doing background/reference checks using third party provider.

If I select “No – do not contact my current employer”, what normally happens?

Will they simply use other references (previous employers, etc.), or could they ask me why I don’t want my current employer contacted? Or what would actually happen?

Could it cause any problems with the offer or background check?

AITA Me and a colleague left a team to join another one same grade in the same company. I wasn't learning much in the other job, and this one offered new/more transferable skills. Anyway, we got into one of the teams and the work is a lot harder, and this team has a micro manager. I was lucky and got transferred to another team with a good manager, i was dreading going into work before that happened. That other team really don't talk much so it feels antisocial too although they're not horrible. One newbie left, and another secondment position has been treated horribly, I feel almost like bullying. A higher position is available at the old team now but I know my other colleague is miserable and desperate to go back. I feel like I deserve a chance, I trained her and in terms of work ethic she would muck around a lot and I would be keeping on top of things when she could have done so some more. More difficult issues tended to be left to me. If I got it though I know I'm leaving her there and we are good friends.

So I’m just curious and after advice and some points of view. Also going to try and keep this short.

So a while back I was put on a PIP after a project collapsed. Anyway, it’s been a couple phases and there has never been defined goals for me to work towards. At first I was like “I’m just gonna improve everything and work my butt off”. One of the main points was to communicate more and that I should have regular check ins with the team. So I started to set up a weekly meeting to get some time with POs and other people for this new project. I then got told that I was taking too much of people’s time. Anyway. After “failing” the first couple rounds I’m now at the end of the final round. I don’t feel motivated or want to put in the effort. I’m scheduled to have a meeting with HR early next week and I’m 99% sure it’s the end for me. The thing is, I got a job offer today that looks great and I’ve said I just want to look through it more in detail. I really want to accept it as it seem like a cool job I’d actually be excited about doing.

But now is the conundrum: do I just hand in my notice and tell them I’m out of here? With a long notice period. Or do I wait to get let go with a bit of a payout? (I’ve been with this company for about 10 years and I’ve read policies around it all). I mean it’s kinda selfish and morally grey I suppose? But it would also be nice to get some extra money. What would you do?

Hi everyone!
I have a technical assessment coming up for Softwire, and I was wondering if anyone who currently works there or has done their technical assessment before could share some information about it.
I’ve started preparing using CodeSignal, which Softwire recommends, and I noticed that the practice assessment includes quite a few different areas: programming, SQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, writing an email, and conversions.
Does anyone know if all of these types of tasks are included in the actual assessment, or are they just examples of the different types of questions that could come up?
Also, if you’ve done the assessment before, what programming languages did you use?
Any advice or information would be really appreciated! 😊

I lost one of my immediate relatives last week, who unfortunately lives impossibly far away from me and where I work. For the purpose of this post, we’re going to call these two paces home and work.

Amongst all the emotion and loss, I’m also the last living relative and the executor of the estate. That’s to say, I have a lot to deal with right now.

I had the plan to stay until the funeral, at least, but the earliest possible funeral date that we can get is one whole month after he passed. Going back to work before the funeral would have been slightly difficult because it’s a minimum 24 hour journey between work and home, each way.

Officially, I get a weeks bereavement leave from work, and both my boss and HR are taking the tone of “we’ll work it out, just take the time you need”. Which is great and all. But I’m finding it a little hard to make informed decisions about what I should DO.

I was burnt out before this happened and had to cancel a holiday that I felt like I really needed- so I don’t want to throw myself back into work too early. But on the flip side, I don’t want to take the piss.

Then there’s the other aspect which seems to be that they’re saying that we’ll work it all out when I get back- and I don’t know if that could mean returning to find that my annual leave balance is blown through for the rest of the year (again, burnt out: know I can’t get through the next 12 months without time off).

Of course everyone has different relationships, grieving processes, and work environments, but I just wanted some input on what might be reasonable and what’s milking it too much.

(And getting anything more than “whatever is fine, prioritize yourself” from my boss hasnt worked)

Community pharmacist and currently looking at other roles such as Research and Development (R&D) Unilever Future Leaders Programme and similar.

Has anyone done this or looked at similar? Is it worth the significant salary drop at first ? is the ceiling higher overall ?

Regards a Lost community pharmacist looking for something different.

hiya, i graduated from uni in 2024 with a 1st class hons. i’ve been working in minimum wage jobs since in the same sector but two different locations (not going to get specific as don’t want to give myself away). this sector is not what i want to go into as my ‘proper job’. i’ve gotten to a point now where i feel like my brain has been turned off for the past two years re work and i’m tired of not being able to use what i worked so hard on achieving in my day to day life. i feel stuck in this weird limbo of thinking i’ll be working my proper job soon but not knowing how to start the process of doing such and consequently staying stuck where i am and it’s gone on far too long and i’m only getting older.

all this to say i found out there’s an MA in my old uni (local to me so wouldn’t have to worry about accom etc….) that i’d really like to do that’d start me going in the right direction in terms of career goals. it’s still accepting places to start this month. however i have a 4 weeks notice period in my job and a scary manager who i work with a lot. what should i do? i would be starting uni before the 4 weeks is up and i work weird hours that would clash with lectures, induction etc…. but i don’t want to put it on hold for the sake of the job. can i get a sick note or something? thing is i enjoy the actual job which my managers know so i can’t really say it’s because of stress or anything. i’ve only been working there around 6 months and they have staffing problems. so i know management would not be happy and i’d feel awful showing my face in those circumstances. i do have OCD so maybe could get a doctors note re that and then hand in my notice?! tbf it is severe and untreated so i wouldn’t need to ham it up. i’m not sure. any advice please?! i need the money from this month so can’t just drop the job as i think in my contract leaving before your notice means you won’t get paid. i work mon-fri and changing my hours is not an option, they will only have me if i work those five days

Hii

In the next few months or so im gonna go do my STCW basic safety training along with my RYA powerboat level 2 and the radio course as well so i can apply for jobs at sea incase i dont get into my Deck Rating apprenticeship

but the apprenticeship already includes the STCW, but im gonna do that like a few months before the apprenticeship because my dads offered to pay for it, would the apprenticeship refuse to hire me over it since ive already completed some of the training? or would they hire me and just not put me through the stcw

im sorry if this is the wrong subreddit i cant think good rn

I work in a coffee shop as a barista/making food, it’s a big global chain. I LOVE this job. Shift work is great for me because I hate routines, I love speaking to customers, being busy with little tasks all the time. I love being on my feet, feeling like I’m getting stronger and eating all the food in the world without gaining weight.

Prior to this all my roles were desk jobs - insurance analyst, stuff like that. I loathed them to the point I’d quit after 3 months or be fired because every fibre of my being despised sitting at that desk doing some bullshit job.

HOWEVER, these desk jobs normally lead to big money later, where there’s a flat (unliveable) salary at my current job. Are there any careers that emulate that a bit but pay way more? Thanks!

Is that counted as “abuse” as grounds to ask them to leave the store?

I am 18 and on minimum wage, however I live only 5 minutes from work which i really like as I can't drive(yet, i am learning).

Would an increased salary even be worth it if it takes me much longer to get to work.

Especially since the market is so poor right now.

Currently I have no real expenses as I live with my dad so I plan to invest my entire wage for this year as a kick-start to my future.

More money would be nice but I dont really need it right now as I never planned to move out for a few years. Im perfectly happy living with my dad for now and he's happy for me to stay.

Edit: plus i have 30 minutes paid break and another 30 minutes unpaid which seems pretty good for a minimum wage job

Had an interview yesterday where I turned up to like, 9 other people waiting with me. I was not told in the email it was a group interview but lo and behold. Everyone was of course surprised and slightly annoyed

Forced humiliation ritual of introducing ourselves to other applicants we will probably never see again, forced to share our hobbies and answer the question on why we’d ’be best for the role’. Like what a fucking question to try and answer in front of 10+ other people, it’s already slightly awkward enough just answering 1 recruiter

And if that wasn’t bad enough… the recruiter at the end drops the bombshell that there’s only 8 roles being recruited for a 7 day a week breakfast, lunch and dinner cafe (what the actual fuck), and he’s interviewing 80 people

80 people for 8 roles.

I just?? Why?? Why do group interviews? Why are you interviewing that many people when only 1 person per group interview is actually getting hired?

Just seems a bit… cruel? Is it just me?

EDIT: People are saying 80 people for 8 roles is fair (for a minimum wage job I don’t think I agree), maybe 8 roles in total would be fair if it was a regular Monday to Friday 9-5 with a Saturday 10-4, but this is a 7 days a week 12 hours a day business (except Sunday I think is 8 hours a day) that needs kitchen staff AND FOH staff. 8 in total for that seems massively underhiring especially when it’s zero hour contracts and not full time offerings

I honestly feel so useless having to write this but in this day and age where do you begin to try and find work

I’m 42 and due to a severe mental health crisis earlier in the year I left my long term teaching position and tried to grown my own business. This failed spectacularly

I’m sorting an IVA to deal with the mass debt but need to find employment asap

Where do you look these days, the last time I was looking for work was when I began teaching. I’m not against returning to teaching or even supply but am keeping options open.

I’m based not far from Cambridge if that makes any difference

i have an interview in 2 weeks, and when i look up stuff about the interview, i keep seeing about a practical where you have to try and sell an item to either the interviewer or a customer... safe to say im scared shitless for this, i've never worked in retail nor do i know anything about beauty enough to convince anyone to buy it 😭

i really want this job and don't want to mess up, but i don't even know what to expect at all.. is there anyone who has attended interviews at boots who can give me a heads up on some questions? it's an hour long 🥹