Wondering how to conquer my continuing unemployment

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I've been looking for work for 3 years and it's really starting to get to me. I started claiming welfare the week after finishing my degree. I have been on the UK's work programme for the past year and it's not been very helpful to me at all so far. I feel that one of my problems has been navigating my way through interviews but I have only had 6 in the past 3 years so I've not had many opportunities to improve how I handle myself in these situations. I was hoping to get a mock interview or two under my belt with the WP but it's definitely been a let down in that regard and I may now have to go elsewhere for that and possibly pay for the privilege of having one.

I have mainly been looking for admin/office roles but I have been struggling to get short listed for even these. I am not sure what to do. I will be 27 in July and I have a history degree. I have done various voluntary placements in the past 5 years. These have mainly been in archives but my most recent placement was as an intern for a political party where I did a number of admin tasks (website maintenance, data entry, drafting letters, preparing meetings/canvass sessions etc).

Can anyone recommend jobs that someone on the spectrum like me can do at this point in searching for work?

I do understand the dilemma. Unfortunately (for more reasons than that of distance, I am here in America) or I would practice the interview process with you. How could someone who is basically in the same "differently-designed boat" as you are walk you through mock interviews? The truth of the matter is that I managed to get through interviews, first working in retail music stores and next working in software tech companies in various Engineering gigs. All I can say is that I was able to compensate and I chose to work in places where there were people so eccentric that my intense introversion and social "strangeness" went overlooked.

I had to learn to be VERY NICE to people, even those who annoyed me a great deal. I cannot lie and say this did not bother me quite a lot and has not taken a toll on me. I took a lot of medication to keep my social anxiety under control over the years and then, I detoxed myself from the stuff (this was not easy, but as long as I had a job, I could keep myself together). I learned that as long as I could find empathy in myself for others (this took some learning and work), I could muddle my way through almost anything. When we want something very much, we become very good at it...have you noticed? There wasn't a person who would not confide in me, from janitors to the CEO of a company, to the software developer who scared the bejesus out of everyone else. And I didn't even notice this, it had become so natural a part of me. It s only after something happens to BREAK these things in a person that one notices the absence of the ability and the difficulties returning.

My advice to you is to seek out friends and family members who will practice with you. Force yourself to go out into the world and interview for jobs that are not specifically what you are looking for -- anything to keep in practice. You need not go out wearing "the ASD chip" if you'd rather not. I basically went out into the world and said "people will accept me or they will not accept me, but I will not have the treat me differently because I am Autistic" -- and you'd be amazed how far I got by saying: "I'm sorry...I'm just really a very shy person."

In these three years, I will assume you have acquired some other skills, such as blogging or web site design or researching on the internet. None of this is wasted time. Consider being more of a generalist, working in a tech company where your knowledge of history is valuable. Consider constructing and teaching online courses. The website maintenance and data entry, writing, meeting preparation, knowledge of the political process -- all of this is good stuff and you need to create your OWN web site that demonstrates the range of your abilities and your enthusiasm for learning.

I suspect that in your job searches you are aiming too LOW. Admin/office roles are not, at least in this country and in most cases, the most intellectually stimulating or demanding of jobs. Perhaps people look at your qualifications and background and listen to you during an interview and think: "this one will be bored in no time!" If I were you, I'd be aiming higher. But? practice everywhere you can. Go and interview in the most outlandish places -- don't PAY for mock interviews! Go out and interview for a job as a Dog Groomer or Bartender or Grocer or Book Store Clerk. The more experience you have getting through all sorts of strange interviews, the less frightening it will be for you.

Whatever you do, ALWAYS be yourself. If you aren't comfortable making eye contact, tell the person interviewing you that you're a shoe gazer. Be honest about what you can do, what you like to do and how quickly you are able to learn new concepts. As I mentioned before: learn to take an interest in other people, even if this means PRACTICING. If there is an animal shelter nearby where you can go in and walk dogs or brush cats and get to know staff members, practice learning to show an interest in other people there. Ask them how THEY came to work at an Animal Shelter. Think of all the people you pass by every day who are going jobs as potential people you can ask interview questions: "How did you get into this line of work?" "How did you like it?" "What did you do before you came to work here?" "Is there something you'd rather be doing?" YES, in a sense this is the infamous small talk, but it is nevertheless a life line for some of us. I'm recommending it as one way of helping yourself (and people really do appreciate when other's take an interest in them). You can still be yourself and get GOOD at this.

I've learned that when we keep spinning our wheels or going in the same direction and hitting obstacles, we've chosen the wrong course. When we choose a course that is correct, doors open and obstacles disappear. To achieve success, you need to change the way you've been approaching your life and the sort of jobs you've been looking to settle for. You are depressed, quite obviously and this will not help you get ANY job. So, begin approaching problems differently and good things will begin to happen for you. PS: Do what you most LOVE to do.

heck... This reflects my own situation... I've been unemployed for 9 years on and off and a ICT FD graduate.

I've been involved with Remploy myself, but i haven't had the chance for mock interviews and I'm particularly aiming for work without interview, a work trial at least.

Otherwise, my focus with the Work Scheme has been advised to follow Occupational Therapy. I can't handle myself well with living let alone with working.

I look for back of house office, system database management at low level or any ICT job.I am though perusing a Preparation Into Work course with the National Autistic Society.

After that can get me being signposted into access to disabled employment, this may be a good line of enquiry to look into if haven't done so already.

Have you considered trying to get any sort of additional certification or education? To be honest, a history degree is difficult to market unless you're going for a teaching position. If you get certified in another field though, it can open up different avenues of employment and make you a more desirable candidate. You mention that you're looking for admin/office roles, maybe try to get some sort of certification for Microsoft Office, in regards to Excel or the database program. Not many people are fully proficient at either so having those skills would give you an edge. Or even try to improve your words per minute for typing. And you may want to look into other areas too, there's tons of different fields that you may want to explore aside from office work (I would recommend looking into construction, it can be a really good job if you're good at it).

Well I can tell you that I also did my BA and MA degrees in history. I struggled as well in terms of finding work. If you love politics then the internship with that elected official should help. You might want to pursue that avenue.

I work an office job on the side to pay the bills it actually started out as an internship. Perhpas another internship would work, you could also look into temp agencies.
Otherwise I would suggest getting certified to teach which is what I am currently doing.

I'm in the states and have been living on Social Security. My greatest fear is having to live on the streets. My family has been less than supportive. More often than not they set me up for a fall and then come back telling me how worthless and useless I am and then they wonder why I can't interview and land a job. My parents are very old school and they say a lot of contradicting statements. Thank God that I found a community of people in the same situation as myself. I like to consider myself at least a little smarter than the average bear. I will admit I'm not a genius but that should open up a lot of things. It's really disappointing right now because of the recession that I've even been turned down for janitorial work. I have no idea why when I'm just about to grab the brass ring that everything blows up in my face. I'm faced with the dilema that if I work fulltime and make too much money than I risk losing my social security and all of the medical help I currently get.

I've been reading Temple Grandin's book Developing Talents this weekend. I wish I had found this book when I was 18 or 19. It still has useful advice and information that I will be trying to adopt in my continuing search for work but I would have been much further ahead if I had read this book in an earlier point in my life. At least I'm still young enough for this book to be of use to me and I intend to make a start on implementing some of the techniques suggested in the book to see if it makes a difference.