Russ, you seemed to have applied through the normal routes we all use, but have you tried shp4jobs, Total jobs and Indeed jobs? Between them they must have 1000's jobs in H&S.

Been there done that not nice What H&S industry sector were you in ? Chris

all I can advise is that U take note of the advice given by others herein and keep plugging away doing what U can to move on and unfortunately driving is an expected norm these days irrespective of other things so U must get a licence and take any job that U can in any sector until the appropriate one comes along as gaps in CV's are looked down upon unless U are a university bod U sound like U have many plus's e.g. U are not 60 plus [as I have found that ageism is the norm also] so as I have said keep plugging away best of luck

I asked about what industries to give you the opportunity to list some of your experience on here - you never know. Also industries like construction where people move about, there is an opportunity to network with past colleagues ( you may do, but you only noted friends and Linked in etc). Even if its just the heads up a new facility is in your area. People don't build new premises then take over and then think right I guess we need a couple of employees. Company's prosecuted in your area who may need some H&S advice ??? The ability to drive would be very helpful, so don't dismiss it. All the best Chris

Russ, I sympathise, I was out of work for over half a year a while back. I applied for 125 jobs before I got the one I now have. I was registered with 8 agencies, who got me a handful of interviews. Ironically, the job I now have I got from applying personally, not through one of the agencies. Bear in mind that agencies charge a fee to the employing company, who then have to find this in addition to the salary of the person they take on, so employers would probably prefer people to apply personally, and save money. The recession a few years back, which I'm not convinced we're over yet, caused a difference in the job market. Back in the day, it was possible to break into a new industry, in fact employers often encouraged this to bring new blood in. In the last recession, all of this changed, and employers could pick and choose those who had relevant experience, and did so. It thus became extremely difficult, nay almost impossible, to break into a new industry. You were then forced to apply for jobs in the industry you had worked in, but then if such positions were available you probably wouldn't be out of work in the first place. A real Catch 22 situation. I can only reiterate what others have said - keep plugging away. Use agencies when you can (they can often find temporary contract work to tide you over, and once you're in the door somewhere this could lead to a more permanent position), get advice on your CV, get some good references if you can, and keep applying. It is soul destroying, but something will eventually come up.