Struggling to find employment

I know exactly what you mean, I have spent most of my life on benefits and doing voluntary work, sometimes to a very high level like ecological surveying and helping write policy for the Green Party. I get lots of interviews but despite performing OK I think in the interviews, never get the jobs and can never find out why, except lack of experience which is inevitable since no one will give me a job. Lately I have had a lot of success going self employed however. I worked as a gardener and did really well, I met my customers one to one and I found that all my voluntary work had given me the social skills to cope with that - my main problem now is that I have been out of work so long that no employer will touch me (except as free labour). Being outside in nature worked well, with peace and quiet, space to move and the opportunity to pick my jobs and customers to suit - there is so much demand for gardeners that getting work is fairly easy.  I could choose my time to start and finish, take time off when I needed, got space to decompress while driving from job to job and the physical work and fresh air helped me sleep and did my nerves good. I am now studying MSc Ecology to be an eco-surveyor and there is some good work experience with different organisations to be had. Outdoor work or working in the safe and highly structured environment of my university seems to suit me well, especially as it's a small quiet campus.  High anxiety is my main challenge but I am doing my best with careful pre-planning of activities and also  taking nutritional supplements for the nervous system which are really helping. I think self employment may be the way to go, make your own job, make your own rules.  The conventional employment world is so inaccessible to us but that doesn't mean we can't succeed, really need to think outside the box a lot. It's a question of finding a really good fit for our talents and characteristics. It's far from easy but when you do succeed it's the best feeling in the world.  

I know exactly what you mean, I have spent most of my life on benefits and doing voluntary work, sometimes to a very high level like ecological surveying and helping write policy for the Green Party. I get lots of interviews but despite performing OK I think in the interviews, never get the jobs and can never find out why, except lack of experience which is inevitable since no one will give me a job. Lately I have had a lot of success going self employed however. I worked as a gardener and did really well, I met my customers one to one and I found that all my voluntary work had given me the social skills to cope with that - my main problem now is that I have been out of work so long that no employer will touch me (except as free labour). Being outside in nature worked well, with peace and quiet, space to move and the opportunity to pick my jobs and customers to suit - there is so much demand for gardeners that getting work is fairly easy.  I could choose my time to start and finish, take time off when I needed, got space to decompress while driving from job to job and the physical work and fresh air helped me sleep and did my nerves good. I am now studying MSc Ecology to be an eco-surveyor and there is some good work experience with different organisations to be had. Outdoor work or working in the safe and highly structured environment of my university seems to suit me well, especially as it's a small quiet campus.  High anxiety is my main challenge but I am doing my best with careful pre-planning of activities and also  taking nutritional supplements for the nervous system which are really helping. I think self employment may be the way to go, make your own job, make your own rules.  The conventional employment world is so inaccessible to us but that doesn't mean we can't succeed, really need to think outside the box a lot. It's a question of finding a really good fit for our talents and characteristics. It's far from easy but when you do succeed it's the best feeling in the world.