1. Completive salary: means a low pay 95% of the time.
2. Salary based on experience : Similar to the first point but used to bait you to apply, just to find out later when they call you ..that they're not even willing match your previous job pay.
3. Job with Initial/Temp tags without duration: they've written a detailed job description of what they want from you and job requirements but could take the time to say how long the job is ... probably knowing most people won't apply if they knew the duration.
4. 3 - 6 months: Too large of gap ... the difference between 3 months and 6 months is big.. made even worse when they say "likely to extend"
5. Might go permeant: 90% of the time its not. Another thing they add to try to bait you into taking the job.
6. Pay shown in hourly but no mention working hours: £20 an hour for 35, 37.5 and 40 hours are all different. Please list the amount of hours.
7. Working hours not listed: similar to the last point but this time please list out the working hours, start and end time, how long the break is ... even for jobs with annum salary listed.
8. Hybrid tag but no mention of WFH days: just write it ... saves everyone's time of you calling me just to discuss the role and tell me that it is just one day WFH.
9. Asking for reference before interview stage: just a red flag.
10. Having more that two interview stage: I have yet to find a job that justify more than 2 interviews .. maybe super upper management roles.
11. Pay base on probation: paying a lower wage during the probation with a promise of an increase after a passed probation is a red flag.
12. 8:30 to 18:30: no ... just no
13. Large salary ranges: this is only okay if they explain in the job description what requirements will be needed to get higher salary offers.
14. No Mention of benefits: is even worse when things like comparative salary is listed under benefits.... No ... basic salary and legally entitled holidays aren't benefits.
15. Vague duties: some of job description are written like spy code. Please just list out clearly what the duties are and please keep the jargon to a minimum

I’ve been in my tech job for around 6 years and whilst I have really enjoyed my time here, gotten promotions and made a real positive impact - I am getting some serious vibes that the discussion to fire me or “let me go” is coming around the corner.

I get the impression that some minor faults of mine have been used to build some kind of pretext to justify this. People are speaking to me differently and I am generally pretty perceptive of when things are changing around me.

They can’t let me go immediately because there’s a major client project which requires my attention - and there’s nobody else around to do it or understand the intricacies other than the potential firing manager. I get the impression that once this is done, I’ll be out the door. I haven’t done enough to be sacked for being bad at my job, but they could certainly justify not needing as many people in the building - AI has already seen to a couple of close colleagues within the last 12 months, who were simply told they weren’t needed and paid off.

My case is slightly different because I’d be leaving with lots and lots of knowledge (which they’re trying to extract from my brain by making me create a bunch of SOPs - weirdly enough).

Part of me wants to get ahead of the game and leave on my own terms.

The other part wants to hold off for a potential gardening leave/lieu of notice and take a few months out, without worrying about where the money is going to come from, and spend some time with the family at home over Christmas.

Safe to say I’m applying for other jobs at a rate of 1 or 2 per day so hopeful of that working out.

Anyone else been in this position where you’ve felt something? Did it happen as expected? Or were you just paranoid?

I got a job offer in retail that’s about a 20 minute drive away (I can’t drive), I expected early mornings but it turns out they’re 3.30am starts. There’s no trains that early.

I don’t have anybody that can drive me in, so my options are just Taxi or a hotel nearby for every shift right? Almost doesn’t seem worth it at that point.

19M, this would be my first job

Edit: thanks for the responses! For further context it is a 20 minute drive but 1.5 hr bicycle. I am learning to drive but am still early in my lessons. Got myself a car ready and insured to help me learn so I can’t really afford a moped.
The role is also a seasonal one over the festive period

We need to talk about how organisations sometimes use vertical movement as a substitute for meaningful financial investment.

A new title (Senior, Lead, Principal, Director) can cost an organisation considerably less than a substantial, permanent salary increase.

And when employees start expressing stagnation, disengagement or an intention to look elsewhere, it's worth asking whether the response is genuine investment in their development or simply another promotion cycle.

You get a more impressive title, a broader scope of responsibility and perhaps a modest pay rise. Meanwhile, your contribution increases, but your purchasing power and personal time may not.

That's the strange illusion of career progression: you feel like you're climbing, even when the material benefits of moving up don't quite follow.

Of course, titles can have genuine value. They can open doors, strengthen your CV and create opportunities for future growth. But that doesn't make them a substitute for fair compensation.

At what point does career progression stop being genuine professional development and start becoming compensation theatre?

Have you seen a promotion used as a substitute for paying someone what their role or the market actually demands? I'm curious to hear how this plays out across different industries.

I have reached breaking point in my current job, just perpetually stressed, anxious, feeling like I am failing everyone. I am 0.8WTE working in the NHS but feel like my workload is more than would be achievable in 1.2WTE. I also feel fundamentally quite ill-suited to the job and think trying to stick at it is harming my self-esteem. I work only part time as I have two young children, ages 5 and 2. My wife works also around 30 hours per week and earns significantly more than me.
As I recently became quite unwell with the stress, I saw a GP and am currently off work with a fit note for 2 weeks.
I think a primary cause of stress is feeling like I am becoming a bad dad, constantly irritable and angry, not much fun anymore and also not often around for pick-ups, homework help etc. I have realised I care much more about being there for the kids and ensuring they get the best start in life possible than personal career ambitions.
I would really like to take the next approx year off work to focus on the kids, domestic chores etc, as well as hopefully explore other options for work long term (do some training courses etc). We have enough in savings to allow this and my wife is supportive of it. Only stumbling block is I am quite fearful that when I feel ready to go back to employment it may not be as easy as I think, and a year out of work could put employers off. I think my employment record has been pretty good up to now, 12 years in the NHS across a couple of trusts, progressed through a few different job titles, stayed at least 2 years in each.
I think I will try to request a Career Break for 1 year to give the security of returning to my current job if needed - this is offered at my work, but subject to whether the employer thinks it beneficial. But I guess I am interested to hear others’ perspectives on if I were to just resign and then try to find something in a year, how difficult I am likely to find that?

So mine is a medium sized company with around 300 employees and out of blue they decided to make 15 positions redundant last month from a redundancy pool of 20 people as part of cost cutting. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was in the 20, but somehow managed to not get fired this time. The team I was working with for the last 2 years, they sidelined it saying there wont be more funding to that initiative and 8 out of 10 got fired from my team alone. Me and another person, we were technical people (data) somehow managed to keep our heads this time.

But after relief, came another round of uncertainty and anxiety. The company is going through restructuring at the moment (related to the positions made vacant) and I literally had no work since last 2 weeks. My manager is away on vacation for the next 2 weeks, so I wont be able to get any direction/help from him. At the moment, I am making myself useful by picking up some random work. I dont feel going and asking around for help from anyone else in the company as I am not sure how it will get perceived after the recent redundancy fiasco.

This is the first time in my life I have gone through something like this. So I am little curious/anxious on what happens next in most cases - will there be another round of redundancies soon? will I be the first to go as I was already included in the redundancy pool once? What will you do if you were in my situation? Wait for my manager to be back from vacation or already start looking for other jobs?

Please be kind in the comments, already going through a very stressful phase. :)

If you’re paying minimum wage you’re going to get minimum skill. You’re literally paying for the lowest level of ability. You cannot expect someone to have previous experience, these jobs are literally meant for people just entering the workforce and some people who are happy in the jobs and have no desire to “climb the ladder” and don’t upskill which I completely understand. Some jobs have you fill out a questionnaire and do scenario based assessments on the application, and then at interview they ask a series of scenario based questions “tell us about a time….” These people have nothing to tell you because they probably have no previous work experience. The interview questions should simply be are you willing to learn what days can you work and when can you start. I understand you need people to be able to do the job so a few questions relevant to the role are fine, but for example if you’re applying for a warehouse job and they’re asking questions about a time you’ve worked in a team or a time you’ve shown leadership skills these questions are simply irrelevant. The interview for a minimum wage job should include at most be a basic literacy and numeracy test and a FEW job specific questions, most jobs you just have to learn… on the job.

I understand employers want the best candidate of course they do, but people are being hired after all of these tests and still can’t do the job, I just think the interview should be in person with a practical element, actually trying the job, and this will tell you more than asking 30 questions which someone can just lie about on their computer.

Hi everyone, I am 34 and I live in the east midlands, its been a rough ride this year and I've realised after taking redundancy for a large telecoms company that the job market is very tough rn and there arent many entry level roles going to get a foot into a new industry.

I say this because after 10 years of service as a customer service broadband engineer with over a decades experience in copper and fibre tech I am lacking in recognised qualifications and certs. I do not have a degree, only training NRSWA, SA001, 002, 008. I managed to land a self employed role as a fibre installation engineer but it's a real graft for not great money and I really fancy moving away from telecoms and braving the outdoors and the varying weather all year round.

Whilst I remain optimistic about finding a new job thats permanent and pays decently I feel quite lost and under great pressure to keep working a temp job I'm not enjoying, to invest in myself and obtain some new skills and qualifications but in what industry? Sales, class 1 driver, data center tech, where is hiring right now where I can use my skills and experience or start anew and develop new skills for a new career?

I am open to new possibilities!

I have savings left from the redundancy I can use for a course or training.

Thank you

There's literally been zero jobs for over a week. Zéro jobs of any sort. What's going on?

I have been offered a new job but currently work on a long term agency contract at a school I like. I don't have a noticeperiod for agency work - I can leave at any time. However, since I like the school and would like to return on odd days where I can, I want to be courteous and give a heads up.

However, I'm worried giving too much notice could mean the agency or school want to remove me much earlier to get someone new in to fill my role for "consistency" purposes.

What should I do?

Short post: every job listed on indeed, or any other career site, is incredibly low pay (like minimum wage) yet will require 2 sometimes 3 years of experience.

Even if there’s a graduate job, that obviously requires multiple years of study for a degree, the pay is so unbelievably low.

And that’s with the very few jobs that are on the market right now, makes it very hard for someone to either switch jobs or get their first time job.

I'm a fresh postgrad. Before I took the year out to study I did a year of sales, accounts and customer service. I was very good at it, but I'm determined not to go back to that old role because it burnt me out severely, and at my old company the pay was shocking.

With this job hunt, I am seeking to find something that pays better than my old role, and ideally, something that won't burnt me out as much as dealing with customers did. I need better pay because I am seeking to move out of my parents and forge my own path.

The issue is, I am struggling terribly with applying. The written tasks and cover letters are constant, and I've found myself unable to write them. When I do they take me days. There's an immense mental block. It's all pointless, I won't get the job, I won't progress, I'll die alone, ETC.

The last job hunt ended with me getting that awful sales job, at that role I felt demeaned and humiliated especially by my family. All my friends are working in good industries even with the same degree that I have due to their familial connections. It all feels unfair.

I don't know how to get over this mental block.

Furthermore, in anticipation of a lengthy job hunt, I'm now claiming UC. This is stressing me out severely as my Job coach is basically threatening me with jobs I don't want to do. I am not suited to construction, security and retail. I want to progress my career not regress two years. I'm not physical enough for security or construction.

It will be long, I'm very scared, Like I said, I don't know how to escape this rut. I struggle with my mental health and frankly right now I want to hurt myself. I'm talking to the doctor to see if they can do anything regarding the pressure put on me by the job coach, but I feel very isolated and scared for the future.

Hi all,

I completed a final round interview just over a week ago with the hiring manager and was told to expect a decision this week. I then receive an email today from the internal recruiter handling this role so far that they'd like to share the update over a video call instead of sending an email.

The wording used which I'm overthinking is "catch up" and thanking me for my time, that they look forward to speaking with me. Another candidate was completing their rounds after me and I'm assuming the worst that they got the offer over the week and I'm now being informed of the rejection?

The language is vague and neutral. I don't understand why, if it is an offer, the email isn't more reassuring? Makes me assume this is a rejection call. I appreciate anyone who has received similar emails over this time frame and could share their experience. Thanks!

I resigned my job and the salary ws 35k per year. Its been 3 months I couldnt find a better 1 yet. Im a business development manager and till I get new job in same field with better salary, if its okay to do a low skilled job which has minimum wage ?

Im.wondering if I get a sr BDM job, what if they consider my last salary which is minimum wage ?

Pls advice, if this is an issue

This condition doesn’t affect my life whatsoever as it’s well-managed through a sort of treatment I do (just something I can do at home). But technically the law says to disregard effects of the treatment when considering the condition, so this does count as a disability.

I just wanted to know if putting this down actually does increase my chances of getting an interview or does it actually hamper my chances as it might be seen as an invisible cross on my application?

I am happy to share that I have been offered a Housing Manager position in one of the HA in the north part of the country.

I almost lost hope after waiting for more than one month for a decision to be made.

Does anyone else have colleagues who just don’t listen to you and think they know best, even thought they’re wrong? It’s driving me nuts.

Currently living abroad and not resided in the UK since 2021.

Been thinking of coming back lately, so decided to bring up the topic of jobs in our groupchat.

No surprises, all of my friends were complaining that jobs have become harder to come by and were expressing extreme disappointment at the job market.

The part that I was surprised about is that they all seemed to mutually agree on one thing.

If you want to get an in at the moment, you've got to lie on your CV.

When I left the UK, this wasn't the normal position that anyone openly took - sure, we'd exaggerate and professionalise what we actually did, but flat our lying about positions, titles and experience?

Nope.

One of my friends was telling all of us how he had to use his father as a 'professional reference' for a job and a bunch of achievements that don't exist to get his current job.

Another friend was saying that he's been making up freelancing work and 'American references', who are just his friends from Camp America - who he believes are less likely to get contacted and/or vetted because his references are abroad. He claims that by lying he's been getting more interest, though still no job.

Is this just the norm now?

I made the horrible mistake of leaving my job 5 months ago for what I thought was a better opportunity. It was a step up in title, not much in pay, but I was eager to learn so I took it thinking it would be an exciting new opportunity. 2 weeks in I began to feel that I had made a mistake.

I was lied to about how much the department makes and was told if I kept it at the number it was at I would get a bonus. When I started and looked through handover documents which included company records I discovered that the finances were a lie and they had not made that much and there was an 80k discrepancy between the figure I was told and the true amount.

The company is small and consists of 11 people. I haven't clicked with any of them and I am in the office 4 times a week. The days feel SO long. They have worked with each other for a number of years and told me it feels like a family. I can see how they all get on, but it just isn't my vibe at all. I did really try to throw myself in there but there was often a mismatch of energy and they all seem to understand each other in a way that I don't. I realised early on this was a mistake but I thought I needed to give it some time, but week after week I am beginning to hate being there more and more. I want to cry at my desk every day and I feel so trapped in such a small team of people. I can't afford to quit on the whim. I've been applying for things but the job market seems shit for everyone and I'm not even landing interviews. I live alone and left an abusive turbulent family so I can't go back. I feel so trapped and I am trying to not feel like I've ruined my life but it's hard. I literally want to cry everyday and I don't know how to make this better.

Hello everyone, I recently interviewed with Royal Mail for the postal delivery driver job and have been offered it. I’m hoping to get some honest answers before I decide.

What I want from the job
I wouldn’t mind being busy. I love physical exercise and being out and about in the local community, and I’ve always enjoyed delivery days in previous jobs. They kept me busy, gave me a clear goal and structure, and made the day fly in. I also like my own company and driving, and I’m trying to get in better shape. I was delighted to get the offer and thought it would be a great fit, but after reading the complaints on this subreddit and in employee reviews, I’m unsure.

My previous job
I finished university in April and, like graduates across the UK, struggled to find work, even the same retail jobs I’d held years before. I was then offered a customer service role at a bank. At first it went well. I got on great with my training group, I enjoyed finally having a routine, and I liked the learning side. Training then finished earlier than expected because other branches closed, so we were put on the phones much sooner than the advert said.

That’s when I found out I hated it. Because of the closures, the queue was constant, with sometimes only around 40 seconds between calls, many of them emotionally heavy. The work was step-by-step processes, whereas I prefer having a target and working out my own way to reach it. Calls were constantly monitored, and we were expected to arrive 15 minutes early to log on to outdated equipment and stay for overtime if calls ran on. The loud open-plan office meant I couldn’t concentrate. I handed in my notice about two weeks ago.

What I’m worried about
I have AUDHD, and I feel my Vyvanse usually helps. It stopped working because of the stress, which followed me home. It affected my energy through the day and the time I spent with my friends, girlfriend and family. It shattered my confidence, and I’m afraid of it happening again. I don’t mind stress at work and expect some of it. What I can’t accept is taking it home and affecting other people. I also don’t want another job where I'm put on the job before understanding it or that I only commit to for a few weeks before it’s too much or I’m let go.

My questions

• I understand the job is physically exhausting, but is it mentally?
• Will bosses shout at you if you take longer than expected on a round?
• Can they put you on whatever hours they want, or do you only work what you’re scheduled in your contract?
• Do you have any say in shift patterns, and how do holidays work?
• Do they sack people easily?
• Are you micromanaged, or do you work things out yourself?
• What does the first month look like? I’ve never driven a van and would need time to get used to it. Do you go out alone or with others, and is training shorter than it used to be because of staff shortages?

Thanks in advance, any honest advice, especially from someone with ADHD or autism would be so appreciated thanks.

This account is somewhat of a throwaway, honestly partially because I feel ashamed, but also because my old account has way too many work related memories and posts, and I really don’t want to see them right now.

So, I’m 38. I’ve worked in the same career path since I was 18 (offshore structural & underwater welding) and loved it, but following a pretty significant head and shoulder injury (not work related) which resulted in multiple surgeries, lots of rehab, and permanent inner ear damage, it’s no longer possible to do; as I often have to walk a lot slower, swimming is……questionable/near drowning now, have a lot less balance than I used to, and can’t keep up the pace. I can’t even weld in my garage anymore, which is a shame, but if the vertigo kicks in when I’m doing it, injury is going to wreck me - on that point, I can’t weld at all anymore. It’s all I ever wanted to do, I was good at it, and it compensated me well over the years. But now it’s not really an option anymore; and since all my skills and relevant experience is in that one area, I’m not really qualified for anything else. It’s taken me nearly three years of surgeries, PT and intensive rehab, but I really want to get back into the job market. I will say that the experience of the benefit system has been simultaneously a lifeline, and very dehumanising; it’s one thing to want to go back to work but can’t until you recover, it’s truly another when every single person bar one I’ve dealt with in the system, seems to treat you as either scum, a scrounger, or beyond help. I’ll be glad to be back on my feet.

So I’m facing down the barrel of starting over, and this is where I’m stuck, and any advice anyone can give, I’ll take it. I’m happy to retrain, happy to follow a new path, and happy to take on new challenges; but I literally have ZERO idea where to start. Contacted job coaches, and they seem to either want me to do entry level work for the rest of my career, or go back into welding - not a great idea. Asked the job centre, they basically told me to go be a cashier or perhaps a taxi driver (direct quote), and I don’t even know where to start with looking for retraining advice. What I can say is the trades is now off the table for me, so I need to look elsewhere. To be clear, I’m happy to start at the bottom at entry, but I don’t want to stay there, much like no-one else does of course.

What I want is a career that I can at least feel fulfilled in again, and perhaps help others. I’m not expecting to earn the same as what I used, that will never happen; but more than minimum wage over time is pretty important with two kids and wife at home. I’m not proud, and I’m willing to put my head against the grindstone and graft, but I just don’t know where to go from here.

I’m not really asking for someone to suggest a job or career path; more so that I don’t know where to start when you’ve only ever done one thing and it’s something you can’t do anymore.

So any suggestions, pointers or advice will be graciously appreciated. Honestly just getting this off my chest has made me feel a little better, so that’s something. Point me where to look, and I’ll dig in. Thank you all for your time.

Hi All,

Just looking for some perspective here. I’ve been at my current job for 3.5 years and I finally managed to secure a role elsewhere after 6 months of looking, humiliating myself in interviews and getting rejected from jobs that I was very much qualified for. I currently have a hybrid setting so I am in the office 3 days a week (although I must admit, I’ve been cheeky to only come in for 2) because I get so exhausted and with the fuel prices it’s just not feasible to drive to and back from work, also I’ve had issues in the office with my colleagues micromanaging and just general drama around the workplace. My new role offers a fully remote working environment, so I’ll be at home and the pay is decent (35k) I only accepted it because without the commute I save on fuel and since I live with family and contribute towards groceries and bills.

My question is, anyone that has been working remotely- what is your experience and how do you have a good work/life balance? I’m really excited for my new role but I don’t want the remote job to allow me to essentially become a bum at home and become lazy.

I need advice over whether or not to put up with my current job and situation until I find a similar/better job or just bite the bullet and accept a supermarket job I’ve been offered.

My current role is admin in a law firm, this is the sector I want to be in and stay in. The job is in a place I hate and there is no progression in this specific firm. I commute there which takes about an hour and a half to get there and an hour back (traffic is very strange) which is absolutely killing me in multiple ways. 1. Don’t care for the place or the specific job so it doesn’t even feel worth it 2. Time commuting means i literally work eat and sleep everyday then spend my weekends bedrotting to recharge and 3. The cost of commuting is not something I can afford. It’s about 30 miles each way in petrol and car use/£15 via train.

I have tried to apply for jobs in the free time I do have but i have mostly just been ghosted. I have only had two interview so far. One was for a similar role to my current role which I didn’t get as I was ‘overqualified’ as they thought I should be going for paralegal roles instead (but I get ghosted for every paralegal role) and another for a supermarket which I got (very ironic). The supermarket job is pretty much the same pay as my current one, maybe like 20p an hour less if that, and only 28 hours but possibility of overtime. The supermarket job is also only a 10 minute walk from my house. If I take this I would be taking it with the view of freeing up my money and time to apply for other jobs, and maybe trying to improve my cv by attending talks and things like that. The shift scheduling also means I would be free to interview during core business hours instead of taking last minute annual leave days like I currently do.

I am just worried how this will look on my cv in the future? Especially if it takes me another 6 months or more to get another job. Don’t get me wrong I don’t look down on those jobs at all, I lived a lot closer to my current job last year so had more time and worked weekends in a supermarket, and I worked in one before my current role as well. I’m just not sure how a future employer would see me quitting a legal job for a supermarket. Would my explanation of the fact that I relocated and the commute became too much be okay? Especially if my new job ends up having a commute. My mum is insisting that it’ll look awful on my cv and that they’ll probably assume I was fired or something.

New grads have just started at my work, apparently competition has been fierce and as with other graduate roles, the number has shrunk.

This should mean we get a wider pool and get to pick the best.

I don't know if I'm turning into a boomer but I have started to see across all sectors a lack of effort from people.

New grads want to all work from home and despite having access to AI take forever on simple tasks.

Customers service agents don't seem to be able to provide any help.

Tradies arriving high and forgetting their tools.

Wait staff at restaurants act like I'm asking for their first born when I'm placing an order.