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Getting a job..

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kenney76
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Getting a job..

Post by kenney76 »

Hi Guys,

How can I get a start somewhere if every position I see advertised requires experience? at the grand old age of 41 is this dream of a career change doomed to fail before its even started?

I couldn't be more enthusiastic, I've even taken a few days leave last year to basically job shadow Health and Safety staff that have very kindly allowed me into their place of work, even though one of them (that shall remain nameless) just had me filing all day and I learned absolutely nothing, the point is I really want to move away from the land of sales and into a career I feel passionate about and a profession that helps people and businesses function from the inside out.

Before I started any kind of Health and Safety course I thought all that was needed was a fluorescent jacket and an eagle eye for trailing wires, but there is so much more to it than that and I want to be involved, I want to be part of an industry that cares about the wellbeing of others, ahh man I'm going to stop there because I'm starting to sound corny, but that's how I honestly feel.

Can anyone offer me any advice? If not then no problem at all, either way I will keep plugging away and hopefully 2018 brings along some better news, always got to be positive! :D

K
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Alexis
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Re: Getting a job..

Post by Alexis »

kenney76 wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2017 7:57 am Hi Guys,

How can I get a start somewhere if every position I see advertised requires experience? at the grand old age of 41 is this dream of a career change doomed to fail before its even started?

I couldn't be more enthusiastic, I've even taken a few days leave last year to basically job shadow Health and Safety staff that have very kindly allowed me into their place of work, even though one of them (that shall remain nameless) just had me filing all day and I learned absolutely nothing, the point is I really want to move away from the land of sales and into a career I feel passionate about and a profession that helps people and businesses function from the inside out.

Before I started any kind of Health and Safety course I thought all that was needed was a fluorescent jacket and an eagle eye for trailing wires, but there is so much more to it than that and I want to be involved, I want to be part of an industry that cares about the wellbeing of others, ahh man I'm going to stop there because I'm starting to sound corny, but that's how I honestly feel.

Can anyone offer me any advice? If not then no problem at all, either way I will keep plugging away and hopefully 2018 brings along some better news, always got to be positive! :D

K
Hi Kenny. :wave: Your grand old age? :lol: Not a problem, in fact quite a good age to be changing career in my humble opinion.

If you were shadowing to learn H&S and they had you filing, well................hope you didn't have to report any paper-cuts!! :roll:

You probably have more H&S "experience" than you are aware of! You really have to adjust your CV to suit your new career path, apply only for "sensible" (related to your job experience) roles and it will happen.

Read between the lines as written in the job advertisement. If it says "you MUST have blah blah" and you don't, then of course you cannot apply, but if they say "preferred" then go for it. Nothing to lose!

I will PM you later tonight.
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Re: Getting a job..

Post by stephen1974 »

Is there a particular industry you are looking to work in?

You often find that a lot of companies are combining job roles, so they are looking for someone to do X - with health and safety. Thats a good way to get in somewhere and get experience. So perhaps look at jobs that you've been doing that has that role attached.
kenney76
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Re: Getting a job..

Post by kenney76 »

Thanks for the advice guys.
pdhmobile
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Re: Getting a job..

Post by pdhmobile »

Kenny

I will be 42 in Feb and will be trying to get into a HSE role, I too have been shadowing the safety guy at my work.

Do you have a trade behind you? People in the Safety industry tend to prefer people with a trade background.

Lets hope 2018 is good for both of us
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Jack Kane
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Re: Getting a job..

Post by Jack Kane »

I remember the catch-22 situation well and it's really frustrating .shaking

But, I've always believed that you only need one person to give you one opportunity and your life will change forever.

Keep going, keep at it. Your new boss might just be looking for somebody with the determination and passion for health and safety over and above specific experience.

I met such a boss on these forums over 11 years ago and I'm so grateful I did.
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Garyih
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Re: Getting a job..

Post by Garyih »

Good Morning,

With reference to getting HSE Experience

I had a phone call from a recruiting company yesterday afternoon (Yes I'm activly looking for work), the long and short it was for a Facilities Management position with the HSE tagged on (I don't Facilities Management). So

1. Should this actually be advertised as a HSE Position?

2. Look for jobs that have a general HSE responsabilities attached.

Does this make sense?
Terry Daine
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Re: Getting a job..

Post by Terry Daine »

Hi Gary,

A lot of facility management jobs quite often incorporate health and safety. My uncle currently works in one of these positions, and mine is almost the same, but flipped somewhat. Health and Safety Manager with facilities management and environmental responsibilities chucked in.

It’s partly because certain industries cross over heavily with health and safety, and partly because employers want ‘their moneys worth’.

I managed to get into health and safety quite young, so the advice I can give is probably limited.

I was able to take quite a large pay cut and take a very junior role in order to gain experience. I was only able to do this due to not having many financial commitments due to my age. This may or may not be a viable option for those of you who’re currently looking.

As it happens, I used the experience and knowledge gained from this junior, and very demanding role, to gain future employment with more responsibility and a better pay cheque.

Its difficult to get a job without experience, but you can’t gain experience without a job. It’s so frustrating. But Alexis raises a very valid point...

You will all have more experience in safety than you know. Safety is a part of our everyday working lives, and spans across all industries and sectors. The key is picking out that health and safety experience and emphasising it in your CVs.

I really do wish you all the best in your search for employment. Keep going! It really is worth it in the end.

Regards,

Terry.
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