My most recent last day of paid work was 26 November 2025 so I’ve been without employment for nearly three months. My most recent job was a seasonal post in visitor services so the end was not a surprise and, in fact, I had a contract extension for an extra month. So, no complaints. I had time off for the December holiday season and a final very welcome pay cheque in December which I did not expect when I took the job.
Why am I writing this blog? I guess it’s to show what I’ve not been idle, that I’ve been contributing where I can, trying to improve my skill set over these past months, and hoping to find work. (Full disclosures: I can return to my seasonal job this spring, but when this will be is as yet unclear. Also, I have a spouse in full-time work so have financial support. Not great for my self-esteem, tax obligations, or pension contributions, but our bills are paid!)
I need to convince myself that I’m working even when I’m not paid, that I’m using my time well, and that I’m not slipping into a slough of despond. This post is not at all suitable for LinkedIn’s ‘all’s well’, ‘success!’ vibes, but I feel that I need to justify myself and convince myself, if no one else, that I’m doing my best in an uncertain time.
Job hunting
I’ve applied for several jobs since November – each with bespoke CV re-writes to match my experience and skills to job descriptions and cover letters that explained how and why I was worth considering for each post. For most I had no reply after a confirmation of receipt – if I was lucky enough even to get that. I secured a job interview for a permanent job I would have really liked recently, but I was not the successful candidate.
My #OpenToWork tag has featured on LinkedIn since the start of the year. Some days, my feed is a forest of green #OpenToWork tags wrapped around hopeful faces; I am not alone.
I’m not writing this to complain. The job market is extremely tough, especially in two industries that I have experience in, that is libraries and academia. I’m now in direct competition for jobs with younger, brighter, more freshly qualified people. This is not the first time I’ve faced poor odds.
Promise not Despair
Skills development
My LinkedIn profile features two new certificates of completion:
- Microsoft Office Skills Diploma (Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint), IT & Cyber Security
- The Basics of Art Conservation
I also did a ‘CV Writing Masterclass’ online with Reed (but declined the option of paying £10 for a certificate. I’m unwaged and that’s two bus or tram trips into town to do some the things listed below!). This resulted in my upload of a two-page version of my CV to LinkedIn. Was I doing CV writing wrong? Apparently so, so I fixed it. Two-page CVs do not have space for academic publications or volunteering exploits when you have decades of relevant work experience to include. Many employers don’t want a CV at all since they prefer application forms that the applicant must spend time filling with the same information that a CV contains. (Rant!)
Projects
There were also the Jean Guild Grants from the Old Edinburgh Club to work on:
I spent a couple of weeks in December writing case studies from John Watson’s applications and formatting them for web publication. I also formatted our applications and administration spreadsheets for web publication.
‘Book Borrowing Surgeons’ is a continuation of work from the Books and Borrowing Project. This involved transcribing thousands of borrowing records from the Edinburgh University library from the 1780s to 1810s as well as bibliographical and biographical reseach. I wrote a short article (3500 words) on the project that will be published this spring. I have a presentation to prepare for delivery in April.
Displays & Exhibitions
With the Winter Olympics in mind, I found an old legal case involving a contested curling stone in the Signet Library’s Session Papers collection and curated and captioned a small display of books about curling held at the Signet Library: ‘Scotland’s Ain Game’
Also at the Signet Library, I cleaned a first edition of Vanity Fair (1848). I adapted a talk I delivered on the Bibliotheca Polonica at the Signet Library in January 2025 as a web publication to be included as part of the Library’s annual online exhibition for 2025. (There’s more about that interesting collection of books here. I’ve also received peer review comments for a forthcoming chapter about the Bibliotheca Polonica. I haven’t had the heart to engage with the critique in my jobless state. Fortunately, the deadline is not immediate.)
Various other things
Add to this, web editing for a charity involving cleaning up old code, fixing broken links, and updating content (‘Why, WHY do I keep volunteering for time-consuming and unenjoyable web editing’, I ask myself?), answering bibliographical and art history enquiries from Paris and Edinburgh, attending a committee meeting for a charity, assembling retail shop units, and learning how to clean chandelier crystals.
As I write, I have two job descriptions sitting … lurking … next to me, both for temporary jobs. I have a better chance at winning tonight’s Lotto than getting either of them. (This would also solve my income and pension outlook problems so it’s worth a punt…) If … when … I don’t win, I’ll go through the process of applying for the jobs and hope for at least one positive outcome. A job application is much like the Lotto … need to be in it to win it. But the next attempts can wait until Monday.