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The job hunting support thread

That was surreal. A video-conference interview ... never had one before. Was quite interesting, seemed to do OK. It was quite relaxed and informal actually. Will found out in a week or two after they've decided.

I suppose the thing is they are wondering 'this person will not move out to NZ' ! ... anyway, medium-to-long term the plan is to emigrate, this was a really interesting thing to do.
 
Good luck then, Sorearm.

Emailed back the people from last interview, as she asked if it was OK to keep my CV on file. I've said definitely and that I'd be interested in education or non fiction roles, and also made sure to remind her that I'm available at short notice at the moment. Thought it was worth mentioning so I might come to mind if they need someone quickly for any reason.

A bunch of project management jobs seem to have come up - haven't been able to talk to the agents about them in detail. One has good money but is in 'West London', which usually means somewhere I can't really get to. The other one is interesting - 3 days a week, 12-month contract, in education - a bit more 'production-y' than I've been doing, and doesn't say what the money is.

Got a publishing networking event on Thursday - apparently will have people from various publishers there. Been to a whole seminar about networking, including how to do these events, but still not really sure what I should be doing. I do remember something about getting people's cards and finding somewhere private soon after to go and make a note of any useful info on the back. But will go packing my card, and two versions of my CV (education and non-fiction) and see what happens.
 
Had to cancel my trial shift - too ill to go serving tables to professional people tomorrow, I can barely breathe with this cold.

FML

:(
 
Bugger, hope you geel better soon.

Finally remembered the name of an interesting character I came across at work. He consulted for us for a while, which ended badly with the contract being terminated (ooops). But I rather liked him, and he's started another new business now, so I think it's worth dropping him a line in case I can be of any help.
 
Matey seems fine about it, I rang so he could hear how ill I am. Just paranoid after getting sacked for flu last year. :(
 
I've applied for the 3-day-a-week job. It's actually for a very interesting company who I would like to work for. I think I will get to interview for it - I have the good selling point that I've actually done that sort of job while working three days a week - although if I did get offered it, it would help if my other half gets offered the job he's got a second interview for today, as it would pay him a shitload more than he gets now and then we could definitely afford me to be p/t for a year. It's not necessarily the direction I'd like to go in career wise, but I think that shouldn't matter for a 12-month contract, and my commissioning experience would still count after that.
 
My job applications folder now contains 49 files.

Admittedly, a fair few of them are versions of documents that were later finalised. But they're all CVs and supporting statements for one position or another :D
 
mrs quoad said:
My job applications folder now contains 49 files.

Admittedly, a fair few of them are versions of documents that were later finalised. But they're all CVs and supporting statements for one position or another :D
Click to expand...

Yeah I've got 27!

... received a rejection email from a job I applied for a couple of weeks ago, admittedly it was for a post-doc position and I did say in the application that I would like to be considered, albeit at a lower grade. Ho hum, worth a try eh.

Currently have 9 live job applications in.
 
Three live currently - two unlikely, one I think I'll get to interview.

Went to a publishing networking event tonight. Not too excruciating. Didn't get to speak to the guy I most wanted to see, as he turned out to a) be a speaker and b) have to leave early, so he was mobbed. OTOH, have the card of event organiser, so can probably get her to put me through to him anyway. Got one CV off to a children's publisher (not looking in that area, though would be very happy to do), and a few cards and interesting chats. As most of the people looking to network there were students or career changers, thought I'd make myself useful and gave a few people my tips on getting in to publishing. Mostly - try outside London and/or try to apply to a publisher who have a specialism you have some connection to, via work, degree or volunteering. Also, make it really clear that publishing is definitely, totally what you want to do, as they really want commitment.

Made me think I should look for more of this sort of thing, as most attendees will probably be those wanting to come in at entry level which means that, on a self-serving level, I might stand out as an experienced contact, and on a wider one, I can actually be of some help to people starting out. So good karma.
 
I might join this thread as I need to start job hunting and I am rubbish at it. Just, rubbish. Goal to get a new job next year sometimes, maybe move as well.

Anyone got any idea about where to start? I have a fairly good idea about what I want to do, but I guess, sort out the cv (I mean, use it for reference even if the jobs are application form), start to look at the type of jobs I might want to do and skills/ experience needed etc.
 
Just submitted an application for a research fellowship. It's off at a tangent to my expertise, and I'm not sure if the 'fluency in one language related to the project' includes English :D

But, ay. Nothing ventured.
 
8115 said:
I might join this thread as I need to start job hunting and I am rubbish at it. Just, rubbish. Goal to get a new job next year sometimes, maybe move as well.

Anyone got any idea about where to start? I have a fairly good idea about what I want to do, but I guess, sort out the cv (I mean, use it for reference even if the jobs are application form), start to look at the type of jobs I might want to do and skills/ experience needed etc.
Click to expand...
Well, if you know the sort of field, you might want to look if it has an associated umbrella organisation, which could have a useful website/advisors etc. For example, I just discovered yesterday Creative Skillset, who give all manner of support for training and employment in the creative industries.

I've just emailed the guy I didn't get to speak to last night - head of a really interesting non-fiction publisher. He seemed very approachable, so I'm hoping he might respond positively to me asking whether he or a colleague could just give me half an hour to discuss non-fiction commissioning. It would really help me to find out how well qualified, or not, I might be to do it, and how different it is to the specialist commissioning I've done until now.
 
Just thought I'd pop in here to see if I could get some advice, tips and whatnot.

Got my first job interview in a year. I've actually been unemployed for about 3 years so I'm really quite nervous. It's a job I really want, a Support Worker with the National Autistic Society. I've been living in sheltered accommodation for two of those and have been studying for most of the other year. I've never done the job I've applied for before but have been applying for many jobs in that role because I want to move into community services and away from the factory environment.

Any tips? I've got to give examples of how my life and work history gives me experience for this particular role. I really want the job, so I want to make myself look employable. I feel really lucky to have got the interview in the first place, so want to come across really well.

Hope there's somebody that can help. My interview is on Wednesday by the way, only found out today so has left me little time to prepare.
 
pppPenguin said:
Just thought I'd pop in here to see if I could get some advice, tips and whatnot.

Got my first job interview in a year. I've actually been unemployed for about 3 years so I'm really quite nervous. It's a job I really want, a Support Worker with the National Autistic Society. I've been living in sheltered accommodation for two of those and have been studying for most of the other year. I've never done the job I've applied for before but have been applying for many jobs in that role because I want to move into community services and away from the factory environment.

Any tips? I've got to give examples of how my life and work history gives me experience for this particular role. I really want the job, so I want to make myself look employable. I feel really lucky to have got the interview in the first place, so want to come across really well.

Hope there's somebody that can help. My interview is on Wednesday by the way, only found out today so has left me little time to prepare.
Click to expand...
I suppose they will be looking for commitment, enthusiasm and some sense that you know what you're getting into and are going to be suited to the role. If you really want the job then don't feel shy about telling them why you want it, why you want to work with/for their company in particular (could say you've been aware of them for a while and mention ways that their view and approach to autistic are aligns with yours to show that you have a fair bit of knowledge and enthusiasm).
Read their website to get a good idea of what they are about and how this ties in with the job description.
As for being unemployed, people can often feel this is a big disadvantage and be tempted to skip over it but if you've done any community work over that time, volunteering on projects or helping out neighbours with shopping or gardening, then do all about it. I think particularly in a support worker role, the things you do outside of work and education can say a lot about your general approach.
You might also think of the time you've been unemployed as an opportunity to reassess your career path and say that you made a decision over this period to retrain and redirect yourself towards this career path because of x,y,z *insert convincing reasons here*.
Be positive and try not to think if it as an interview but as a meeting with prospective colleagues.
Sincerely,
Shifty (spin doctor extraordinaire) :)
 
pppPenguin said:
Just thought I'd pop in here to see if I could get some advice, tips and whatnot.

Got my first job interview in a year. I've actually been unemployed for about 3 years so I'm really quite nervous. It's a job I really want, a Support Worker with the National Autistic Society. I've been living in sheltered accommodation for two of those and have been studying for most of the other year. I've never done the job I've applied for before but have been applying for many jobs in that role because I want to move into community services and away from the factory environment.

Any tips? I've got to give examples of how my life and work history gives me experience for this particular role. I really want the job, so I want to make myself look employable. I feel really lucky to have got the interview in the first place, so want to come across really well.

Hope there's somebody that can help. My interview is on Wednesday by the way, only found out today so has left me little time to prepare.
Click to expand...

Have a good read of their website and other charities that work with people who have Autism; they'll want to see that you have a basic understanding of autism spectrum disorders.

They'll want to see what skills you've got that are transferrable; how would you deal with people, do you have patience, are you willing to explain things, can you come up with creative ways of explaining something to somebody who may not understand the average definition etc. You would not have been offered an interview if they didn't see some sort of potential, so don't think you have none, you do.
 
So it's just about rethinking my past jobs and how I can fit that in, such as communication etc.. I've done a couple of volunteering jobs with people on the autistic spectrum so have a little bit of experience.

Have been reading there website intently, just gotta calm my nerves I guess. Thinking of it as a meeting with prospective colleagues is an excellent idea, meeting new people rather than an interview for a job.

Thanks btw guys.
 
Your voluntary experience is a really good thing and as purenarcotic says, you've obviously got something going for you to be interviewed.

Try not to stress too much, even if you don't get this job you should view this as a good practise for future interviews. You've nothing to lose eh, and you're on the right track :)
 
Well done on getting the interview, pppPenguin, and good luck. I think one good thing is to focus on they key things they want to know: can you do the job? why do you want to do the job? and how will you fit in the team? (the latter is just about being friendly and trying to be relaxed at interview, really).
 
Good luck pppPenguin!

Feeling a bit meh today, putting in my application for JSA online today, no doubt will get screwed over as my other half works. ho hum eh.

Not heard back from any jobs for a while, noticed a research assistant job going which I could fit into nicely, will get that applied for today/this week. :)
 
Sorry to hear that, Badgers.

Just fired off another speculative CV... see what happens. I've got all sorts of advice on doing it, but as yet I can't bring myself to say in an email something like 'I'll phone you next week' because, well, I won't. I suppose the worst that could happen is that you just get told by some switchboard person that they're not there. Actually, the worst that might happen is you get put through, because honestly I wouldn't know what to say! I'm focusing ATM on non-fiction publishers, as that's the direction I'd really like to go in, and also I have a plausible 'low pressure' approach because I'm asking if I can just have a short meeting with someone to talk about non-fiction commissioning. It would be helpful to see how my experience measures up, and whether there's anything radically different about trade publishing, as opposed to the specialist fields I've worked in up until now.
 
Got my arse in gear an put that research assistant job application in this morning. Meh if there's an internal candidate.
 
Have printed off a form from a publishing charity to see if I can get a grant to do some publishing training - if I could do one of Book House's digital publishing 2 day courses, that could be a real boon. Trouble is, next suitable ones aren't until the end of March, and I sort of hope I have a job by then. Plus, it is (quite rightly) means tested, and I might just not be eligible, as we're not that badly off. But still, even a grant paying, say 30% of it would be a big help and I could probably manage the rest. It's just a bit steep on its own for something I might not actually need to use.
 
Good luck, seamus!

Just realised I'm going to feel a bit shit if I don't get offered any interviews by Friday. I've got a few applications out, and I thought maybe I'd get interviews for two, but I'd expect to hear by the end of this week if I have. One (where they wanted the CVs by last Friday) seems like a 'No' now, and i thought I might get it, though it is more of a production than editorial role, so maybe not. The other one I thought I might get I know the agents have sent the CV and they want someone to start the job ASAP, so I'm assuming they'll decide about interviews soon. It is out with about every publishing employment agent in town, though, it appears. The other ones were long shots, so I'd be pretty surprised if I got to interview with them.
 
Went to a publishing 'job club' meeting today. Some useful stuff emerged. This one was primarily about interviews and interview questions. I'm really glad I brought up describing my previous role as a problematic question. It shouldn't be hard, yet my last role seems quite complicated and hard to describe succinctly.

It was pointed out today that what I need to do is describe only the bits relevant to the job I'm going for. Seems obvious, huh, but it's funny what we miss. So I've been going for a 'My role was very varied...' sort of approach lisiting all the stuff I did, when what I need to do for, say, a commissioning role is to say: 'I was commissioning books for educational managers, which meant lots of meeting with authors, going to conferences, research [describe research] etc'

So I realise at the the 3 interviews where that was the first question, I probably lost them right there, as they'd be thinking 'Doesn't sound much like this role'
Also in the dreaded competency questions ('tell us about a time when...') - keep bringing it back to the key skills from the job spec. Not been doing that enough.

And it's all encouraging, as it gives me hope that if I don't make that mistake, especially describing my last role, I should do much better.
 
heinous seamus said:
Ooh, I've got an interview for a library assistant job :D I'm quite chuffed as I've applied for a few library jobs over the years and this is the first time I've made it this far!
Click to expand...
good luck and well done. just as long as you're not applying for jobs in libraries in south london. if you are, you're competition! ;)
 
Bit of a manic time in the last half hour.
Applied for job in southern ireland
Applied for 2 admin jobs at the local poly
Applied for a statistical analyst job via monster (vague job description)

Not heard from any applications so far.

Interesting job, a really really good one that I would love to do, has come up - bit annoyed that looking at the job description it's geared towards a PhD level (although there is another post that is a senior-scientist which is definitely PhD-level), closing date not until January but already jotting down the key areas from the job description and will match up relevant areas from my CV/experience.

Damn would love that job, I can do it, it's right close to where my other half works too. Handy for getting to after school-run too.

... still feeling pretty down in the dumps atm though :(
 
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