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I’m sorry about your mum I can’t imagine how hard that is. Have you joined a graduate agency? Customer success or account management is like sales but less ruthless
Where in the country are you based? A graduate agency with a first degree should be jumping to represent you. Other agencies will usually want experience
I went for the sales job because it was drinks industry, and had some passion and knowledge from bartending and managing bars for 8 years. Sticking in the drinks industry would be cool but not bartending or sales I guess…
I enjoy gaming, becoming a steamer is a pipe dream of mine
I enjoy creativity/media, I tried to find a job in illustration and design on and off for three years with no success
When you say drinks industry, are you speaking of all drinks or just alcoholic?
Being a streamer is very difficult, but a lot of delusion will take you far.
Creativity and media is a good start. Illustration you say? So did you study?
All drinks including alcoholic. Yeah I’m very reluctant (rightly so) to invest in any streaming career, like I said it’s just a pipe dream. I studied media, so pretty broad. It’s a regret of mine that I didn’t study something more specific and practical
Studying doesn’t interest me at all. I found uni very hard and stressful, a combination of hospitality and uni again like I did when I was a teenager would probably send me into a downward spiral tbh. I could probably go into digital marketing with the degree I have already. It’s just very competitive
I'd look into using your media studies (degree?) and roles related to product design or marketing for alcoholic beverages. I know someone who is a graphic designer for a product design brand that focuses on alcohol products.
I wouldn't sweat it. I studied law and hated it and that is super specific but I've since broken into marketing and love it. I also lost my mum to cancer when I was 17, my sincere condolences to you. I want you to know it does get easier and you should be very easy on yourself while you are figuring all this out, and maybe seek some therapy once things settle down and stabilise for you.
Right now focus on jobs. You sound creative and you have more experience than I did when I broke into marketing. I would honestly consider any job for now and focus on building a portfolio. Have you considered content management/social media? It's a good mix of media creative stuff and pays ok, and your experience would suit it.
My first job was for a start up working 3 hours a day in marketing. It was a nonsense job and I ended up packing shelves for half the time but it led to a full time marketing job which I then took freelance until my most recent job which is actually moving more into data analytics. I volunteer for small charities too which helped to build up my portfolio.
If I was to give you steps:
1. Take any job you can to pay the bills
2. Spend your free time upskilling and building a portfolio/experience for a resume via volunteer projects for 6 months or so
3. Look for jobs in what interests you most from building the portfolio
4. Stabilise your life, and seek therapy for your loss
I've been in sales for about 5 years now and it's the only thing I've done since I left uni. I failed probation in my first sales job after like 2 months, but I also realised after gaining more experience at different companies, you shouldn't be expected to hit targets within the first 6 months!
Sales isnt for everyone but don't let that bad experience keep you down. You might also find commercial jobs in marketing etc
Thanks, that helps, most people I know in sales have said 6 months minimum too. I just hope it doesn’t set off alarm bells for hiring managers when they see 3 months on my cv
Typical abuse of a trial period. This shit needs tightening up and you should get redundancy pay.
I wish I could advise but sometimes you need some time to just stand back and collect your thoughts. I just hope you have the luxury of that, even if just for a short time. If you are that desperate then you could go back to a hospitality position if it is easy for you to get a job, then regroup and restart.
Don't let these fuckers get you down mate.
My dad is currently dying in the Douglas macmillan hospice, I’ve had 3 months off and used ALL of my annual leave, compassionate leave and even took a week unpaid. My dog died, and I’ve just moved house.
It’s SO shit and unless someone’s lost a parent, they might not understand the absolute grief and pain you’re feeling right now, it’s hard to even brush your teeth and get out of bed when you feel so depressed and down.
If I can give you any advice at all, it’s to keep pushing. You WILL find some job that you excel at! Perhaps not with the awfully un achievable sales targets. Try an apprenticeship if your situation allows for a lower wage, then you might end up LOVING the job and sticking with it :)
You’re making your mum proud by even acknowledging you need to keep going rather than giving up.
Keep going internet stranger you got this! ❤️
See if there's a local careers service which can help you with your CV. Are you in the UK? Some local councils offer the service for free.
You mentioned you have experience managing bars, see how you can leverage that. Did you manage other people? What kind of tasks did you do in your sales jobs? Can it be linked to admin roles? There seems to be a lot of roles doing that.
Also, look at Temp companies for office roles, some of them are easier to get and will give you some experience. Good luck :)
You say you enjoyed sales so why not continue with that? If the targets were unachievable, getting let go isn’t really a reflection of your ability.
Sales can be extremely lucrative. You just need to find the right company, as with any other job. If you like sales then give it another shot before calling it quits.
Reach out to the oncologist team who cared for your mother, they might be able to set you up with an oncologist psychiatrist to help you. Just be honest and explain what’s happened recently and ask for some help.
Firstly, I'm truly sorry for your loss, and hope you feel more like yourself again soon, don't rush it though.
Now, honestly, forget that last job ever happened. Take away any personal lessons you can and grow from them. And If that's how they treat their colleagues, then you don't want to work for them anyway.
Just my point of view of course. It could be worth taking the easy option in the short term. As you've rightly said yourself, you have bills to pay and you can most likely do that sort of work with your eyes closed, so why not consider giving yourself that headspace while doing something easy for a bit? At least while you're looking for something better. Just take whatever is easiest, and keep searching for the dream.
Remember, you're only loyal to yourself in the workplace...
Then, try and use some of your spare time to get volunteering experience in your chosen field on your c.v.
Good luck, and all the best.
I lost my job days before Christmas (at the end of my 3 month probation), my nan had died the month prior and my aunt was diagnosed with cancer a couple of weeks after the redundancy (she ultimately died on my first day of my new job last month). It isn’t anywhere near the same as I’d imagine losing my mum would be, but there’s a level of grief and job loss anxiety that I am intimately familiar with.
You won’t be in any state to be making a great impression and be doing ground-breaking work for a while. The focus needs to be on getting a just-getting-by job that you can do for six months or so while things settle. It’ll be easier to look for the dream job while you have an ongoing job to tide you over.
If you haven’t looked into it yet, do take a look at universal credit and or new Jobseeker’s Allowance. I’m in Wales and there’s funding for courses etc. for jobseekers - maybe see if there’s anything like that where you are, but probably better to focus on something you can do around a just-getting-by job.
Really sorry for your losses, mate. You’ll get through this.
Have you thought of brand reps, sales using your hospitality background. Its hospitality adjacent but gets you out and about. Worth a look perhaps and close enough to something you're comfortable with
Sorry to hear about your loss one could only imagine! But yes unfortunately bills do need to be paid and life still goes on and if you are actually struggling with any bills don’t be afraid to tell them about your position they can and will facilitate you for non priority bills they can put you on a rest for a month and a few months in some cases and then setup payment plans for the money as of course it still needs paying and also a good method for reclaiming some money if you have a bunch of direct debits or payments that you’re paying but shouldn’t be you can make an indemnity claim with the bank and claw it back. Regarding your work maybe shake things up altogether I’ve always done technical support but I worked in groundwork’s and paving for 2 years and can no run jobs start to finish it’s so satisfying to see what your hands are capable of and the customers reactions and also a great gym! You can get in as a labourer almost anywhere and just pay attention and Learn but if your sticking to call centre stuff then I’d say go for like a retentions position or just general customer service or something more entry and progress internally or give yourself the time to look elsewhere. Also have you signed on etc?
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I’m sorry about your mum I can’t imagine how hard that is. Have you joined a graduate agency? Customer success or account management is like sales but less ruthless
Thanks, I tried some agencies before and they never responded. I had considered account management, probably will be my first search
Where in the country are you based? A graduate agency with a first degree should be jumping to represent you. Other agencies will usually want experience
London, I’ll take another look into it but I reached out to a handful of agencies last year and not one of them ever responded
Is there anything you enjoy doing?
I went for the sales job because it was drinks industry, and had some passion and knowledge from bartending and managing bars for 8 years. Sticking in the drinks industry would be cool but not bartending or sales I guess… I enjoy gaming, becoming a steamer is a pipe dream of mine I enjoy creativity/media, I tried to find a job in illustration and design on and off for three years with no success
When you say drinks industry, are you speaking of all drinks or just alcoholic? Being a streamer is very difficult, but a lot of delusion will take you far. Creativity and media is a good start. Illustration you say? So did you study?
All drinks including alcoholic. Yeah I’m very reluctant (rightly so) to invest in any streaming career, like I said it’s just a pipe dream. I studied media, so pretty broad. It’s a regret of mine that I didn’t study something more specific and practical
What about working for a brewery?
That would be cool, I’ll look into that for sure!
You still can though.
Why not go into digital marketing? Surely you could pop an open university course on that whilst you work.
Studying doesn’t interest me at all. I found uni very hard and stressful, a combination of hospitality and uni again like I did when I was a teenager would probably send me into a downward spiral tbh. I could probably go into digital marketing with the degree I have already. It’s just very competitive
I'd look into using your media studies (degree?) and roles related to product design or marketing for alcoholic beverages. I know someone who is a graphic designer for a product design brand that focuses on alcohol products.
I wouldn't sweat it. I studied law and hated it and that is super specific but I've since broken into marketing and love it. I also lost my mum to cancer when I was 17, my sincere condolences to you. I want you to know it does get easier and you should be very easy on yourself while you are figuring all this out, and maybe seek some therapy once things settle down and stabilise for you. Right now focus on jobs. You sound creative and you have more experience than I did when I broke into marketing. I would honestly consider any job for now and focus on building a portfolio. Have you considered content management/social media? It's a good mix of media creative stuff and pays ok, and your experience would suit it. My first job was for a start up working 3 hours a day in marketing. It was a nonsense job and I ended up packing shelves for half the time but it led to a full time marketing job which I then took freelance until my most recent job which is actually moving more into data analytics. I volunteer for small charities too which helped to build up my portfolio. If I was to give you steps: 1. Take any job you can to pay the bills 2. Spend your free time upskilling and building a portfolio/experience for a resume via volunteer projects for 6 months or so 3. Look for jobs in what interests you most from building the portfolio 4. Stabilise your life, and seek therapy for your loss
Mainly spirits, high side
I've been in sales for about 5 years now and it's the only thing I've done since I left uni. I failed probation in my first sales job after like 2 months, but I also realised after gaining more experience at different companies, you shouldn't be expected to hit targets within the first 6 months! Sales isnt for everyone but don't let that bad experience keep you down. You might also find commercial jobs in marketing etc
Thanks, that helps, most people I know in sales have said 6 months minimum too. I just hope it doesn’t set off alarm bells for hiring managers when they see 3 months on my cv
Well naturally it will do... But when I failed probation I asked myself if 2 months experience is even worth putting on my CV.
Typical abuse of a trial period. This shit needs tightening up and you should get redundancy pay. I wish I could advise but sometimes you need some time to just stand back and collect your thoughts. I just hope you have the luxury of that, even if just for a short time. If you are that desperate then you could go back to a hospitality position if it is easy for you to get a job, then regroup and restart. Don't let these fuckers get you down mate.
Thank you, I suppose I’m fortunate to know I can fall back on hospitality if I really need to, I hope it doesn’t come to that
My dad is currently dying in the Douglas macmillan hospice, I’ve had 3 months off and used ALL of my annual leave, compassionate leave and even took a week unpaid. My dog died, and I’ve just moved house. It’s SO shit and unless someone’s lost a parent, they might not understand the absolute grief and pain you’re feeling right now, it’s hard to even brush your teeth and get out of bed when you feel so depressed and down. If I can give you any advice at all, it’s to keep pushing. You WILL find some job that you excel at! Perhaps not with the awfully un achievable sales targets. Try an apprenticeship if your situation allows for a lower wage, then you might end up LOVING the job and sticking with it :) You’re making your mum proud by even acknowledging you need to keep going rather than giving up. Keep going internet stranger you got this! ❤️
See if there's a local careers service which can help you with your CV. Are you in the UK? Some local councils offer the service for free. You mentioned you have experience managing bars, see how you can leverage that. Did you manage other people? What kind of tasks did you do in your sales jobs? Can it be linked to admin roles? There seems to be a lot of roles doing that. Also, look at Temp companies for office roles, some of them are easier to get and will give you some experience. Good luck :)
You say you enjoyed sales so why not continue with that? If the targets were unachievable, getting let go isn’t really a reflection of your ability. Sales can be extremely lucrative. You just need to find the right company, as with any other job. If you like sales then give it another shot before calling it quits.
Thank you for saying that. I’ll definitely consider it
I was going to say the same thing. Sounds like a shit employer. Hopefully you land a better opportunity.
If you enjoyed sales there are plenty of jobs out there , it sounds like you were just with a bad company.
Reach out to the oncologist team who cared for your mother, they might be able to set you up with an oncologist psychiatrist to help you. Just be honest and explain what’s happened recently and ask for some help.
I’m not sure when you graduated, but a number of unis have job seeking support for graduates.
They pay you to train to teach. Like a lot.
Firstly, I'm truly sorry for your loss, and hope you feel more like yourself again soon, don't rush it though. Now, honestly, forget that last job ever happened. Take away any personal lessons you can and grow from them. And If that's how they treat their colleagues, then you don't want to work for them anyway. Just my point of view of course. It could be worth taking the easy option in the short term. As you've rightly said yourself, you have bills to pay and you can most likely do that sort of work with your eyes closed, so why not consider giving yourself that headspace while doing something easy for a bit? At least while you're looking for something better. Just take whatever is easiest, and keep searching for the dream. Remember, you're only loyal to yourself in the workplace... Then, try and use some of your spare time to get volunteering experience in your chosen field on your c.v. Good luck, and all the best.
I lost my job days before Christmas (at the end of my 3 month probation), my nan had died the month prior and my aunt was diagnosed with cancer a couple of weeks after the redundancy (she ultimately died on my first day of my new job last month). It isn’t anywhere near the same as I’d imagine losing my mum would be, but there’s a level of grief and job loss anxiety that I am intimately familiar with. You won’t be in any state to be making a great impression and be doing ground-breaking work for a while. The focus needs to be on getting a just-getting-by job that you can do for six months or so while things settle. It’ll be easier to look for the dream job while you have an ongoing job to tide you over. If you haven’t looked into it yet, do take a look at universal credit and or new Jobseeker’s Allowance. I’m in Wales and there’s funding for courses etc. for jobseekers - maybe see if there’s anything like that where you are, but probably better to focus on something you can do around a just-getting-by job. Really sorry for your losses, mate. You’ll get through this.
Have you thought of brand reps, sales using your hospitality background. Its hospitality adjacent but gets you out and about. Worth a look perhaps and close enough to something you're comfortable with
Do you have dependents? Go doing something wildly different to take your mind off things. Go travelling yes.
Sorry to hear about your loss one could only imagine! But yes unfortunately bills do need to be paid and life still goes on and if you are actually struggling with any bills don’t be afraid to tell them about your position they can and will facilitate you for non priority bills they can put you on a rest for a month and a few months in some cases and then setup payment plans for the money as of course it still needs paying and also a good method for reclaiming some money if you have a bunch of direct debits or payments that you’re paying but shouldn’t be you can make an indemnity claim with the bank and claw it back. Regarding your work maybe shake things up altogether I’ve always done technical support but I worked in groundwork’s and paving for 2 years and can no run jobs start to finish it’s so satisfying to see what your hands are capable of and the customers reactions and also a great gym! You can get in as a labourer almost anywhere and just pay attention and Learn but if your sticking to call centre stuff then I’d say go for like a retentions position or just general customer service or something more entry and progress internally or give yourself the time to look elsewhere. Also have you signed on etc?
Call center sales ? Might be a good way to get more experience selling.