Backed into a corner, unemployable?

GasCat

WARNING: very long post ahead

I have ended up making myself near unemployable, or so i believe, its a somewhat long story, due to my various mental health issues i never completed any higher education so i began my working life doing standard warehouse work, eventually i managed to find a job as a repair engineer for mobile phones (one of the few things im naturally very good at) unfortunately due to another health problem i had to have an operation on my right lung, during this operation they damaged my brachial plexus crippling my right hand and robbing me of the ability to solder etc.

following this i managed to pivot to use another of my innate skills, an affinity for computers, especially embedded systems to work on a very specific area of mobile device software but because of the way technology has moved on the position no longer exists and i was no longer needed.

after i was made redundant i decide that id use my accumulated knowledge and experience to get a few IT certifications and move into IT support, i assumed this would be easy given my skills, i was very wrong. i made hundreds if not thousands of applications and attended probably over 100 interviews since feb with no luck, more annoying is the feedback i received which was usually along the lines of:

"no negative points, the other candidate just had more experience"
"we think youre too technical for a 1st line job, youd be better suited to a 2nd line position"
"sorry we went with another candidate this time but would invite you to apply again in future"

it seems my knowledge was apparently too high for an entry level position but my lack of experience in that specific role puts me at a disadvantage for higher roles as most applicants have done the job previously hence are a better prospect than me

This is all made worse due to the fact that since i last had to apply for work i have been diagnosed with both Aspergers Syndrome and ADD (inattentive) alongside already having a connective tissue disorder and a disabled right hand

Of course having failed to get a job in the industry where i excel i attempted to apply for "standard" jobs in shops and warehouses which didnt require heavy lifting etc due to my damaged hand but i have not even had responses from these sorts of jobs, but i have theories as to why this is:

1. Im in my 30s, for a min wage position its much cheaper for a company to employ someone younger (and without my disabilities) 

2. My jobs for the last 10 years have been in technical positions earning over £20k, i suspect they overlook me because "why would a software technician want a job working in burger king?" etc, they likely assume its something youre getting for a transition period and wont stay so why put the effort/time in to teach me?

i know its possible im looking at this negatively due to the amount of time and number of failures ive experienced but im starting to feel like ive backed myself into a corner, my age, work history and disabilities have left me an incredibly poor employment prospect and im unsure what i can do at this point. as it is i am currently not getting any sort of benefits (i do not deal well with "the system")

honestly i dont even really know what im asking here, has anyone else found themselves in a similar situation? ive dabbled with getting other qualifications but i dont believe they will help as it seems my lack of experience is what holds me back from one of the few roles im actually suited to

the only option ive thought that could help the situation is to completely fabricate my CV writing out all the tech jobs i did and saying i worked for now defunct shops such as currys, maplin, toys r us etc but im not particularly keen on lying so if anyone has other suggestions or advice id be very grateful

Pia_Scope

Hi@Gascat,

First of all, thank you for your query.
Where shall I start, if not but saying to you that you are not unemployable.
In your case I think the best advise that I can offer, is for you to have a think about and look at all your transferable skills.
If you can no longer do a certain job, is there any skills and/or experiences gained in your employment history that can be transferred into another job role?

If you apply for different job roles it is advisable to have different CV's that is tailored to each type of role that you apply for.

How is your interview skills?
Do you attend interviews with a positive mindset? Do you feel confident that you can provide good answers to the questions asked? Do you do your homework in regards to reading up on the company?

When it comes to being successful for a job there is a lot of factors to consider.
CV, cover letter, communication skills (verbal & non-verbal)  interview skills etc.

Lying on a CV is not advisable but you don't have to include everything if you feel that it would not be beneficial for a specific job.

I hope that my advise will be of some support, and remember, you are employable but might just need to improve on your employability skills.

And why not take a look at support by clicking the link below
https://my.scope.org.uk/supporttowork/
to see if our service could be beneficial for you.

I wish you all the best with your job searches.

Kind regards
Pia