The job hunting support thread

[Puddy_Tat]

in news here, i've become aware of a job doing my sort of thing in north kent. it's advertised on basis of a 3 year contract that may get extended or made permanent but they can't promise it.

current job is at the northern edge of the home counties - mostly work from home, but need to go there once or twice a month which is a bit of a pain from here. in theory it's a permanent job, but not convinced it will last more than a couple of years (there's government funding in the wider picture, and no real way of knowing what will happen after the general election - although sounds like it's going to be big cuts under the tories or 'sensible' cuts under labour in name only)

with the need to be nearer mum-tat who's in SE London, moving to somewhere on the edges of london / north kent (and having a worse journey to the office once or twice a month) is something i've been thinking about. alternative is move nearer current job, which doesn't really inspire me so much, would be no nearer mum-tat than i am now, and i'm wondering if i want to be stuck there (or have to move again) if current job does disappear.

or just stay here in berkshire which i saw as a temporary thing 20 years ago, and is not ideal for getting to mum-tat when needed...

i've only been in current job a year and a bit, so it's not as if there would be a good redundancy deal if it ended. i'd feel a bit awkward about leaving - fairly decent bunch (in terms of immediate colleagues) although wider organisation can generate a feeling of embarrassment now and then, and it came along at a time i needed something urgently after a job i'd moved to turned out to be a huge mistake.

aware that if either job does disappear in 2 or 3 years, then i'd not be the only one (in a bit of a niche) in the same position, and by then i'll be mid 50s and getting anything else will not be easy, and i'm aware i've 'had too many jobs' in recent years already.

meh

i guess at this stage i should follow what would be my usual advice and keep options open and at least apply for the kent thing. just wish i knew what to do for the best...

 

[Skim]

in news here, i've become aware of a job doing my sort of thing in north kent. it's advertised on basis of a 3 year contract that may get extended or made permanent but they can't promise it.

current job is at the northern edge of the home counties - mostly work from home, but need to go there once or twice a month which is a bit of a pain from here. in theory it's a permanent job, but not convinced it will last more than a couple of years (there's government funding in the wider picture, and no real way of knowing what will happen after the general election - although sounds like it's going to be big cuts under the tories or 'sensible' cuts under labour in name only)

with the need to be nearer mum-tat who's in SE London, moving to somewhere on the edges of london / north kent (and having a worse journey to the office once or twice a month) is something i've been thinking about. alternative is move nearer current job, which doesn't really inspire me so much, would be no nearer mum-tat than i am now, and i'm wondering if i want to be stuck there (or have to move again) if current job does disappear.

or just stay here in berkshire which i saw as a temporary thing 20 years ago, and is not ideal for getting to mum-tat when needed...

i've only been in current job a year and a bit, so it's not as if there would be a good redundancy deal if it ended. i'd feel a bit awkward about leaving - fairly decent bunch (in terms of immediate colleagues) although wider organisation can generate a feeling of embarrassment now and then, and it came along at a time i needed something urgently after a job i'd moved to turned out to be a huge mistake.

aware that if either job does disappear in 2 or 3 years, then i'd not be the only one (in a bit of a niche) in the same position, and by then i'll be mid 50s and getting anything else will not be easy, and i'm aware i've 'had too many jobs' in recent years already.

meh

i guess at this stage i should follow what would be my usual advice and keep options open and at least apply for the kent thing. just wish i knew what to do for the best...

I’d say just apply for it. Sometimes, going through the application process is a good way of thinking through how you feel about a job and gives you a bit more time to think about whether it would be a good move, if you were eventually offered the job after interview. If nothing else, it’s an opportunity to update your CV and add what you’ve been doing in your current role.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I’d say just apply for it.

Thanks - I've got another couple of weeks to apply, there's a 'for informal chat contact X' (which is increasingly rare) so will do sometime this week - last week wasn't good for that

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Had a mildly encouraging 'informal chat' with manager for possible job during last week. Need to get on with it if I'm going to, deadline is midweek.

Can mostly recycle / update the old bs from past applications for similar jobs...

If it gets that far, do people wear jacket and tie to job interviews still? I have a nasty feeling that my pre-covid suit does not no longer fit. in my current (local authority) workplace, wearing a tie seems to only to be done at chief officer level...

 

[Puddy_Tat]

managed to string some old cobblers together to get the application in, and it must have been convincing old cobblers, as have been invited to interview.

except interview is one day i'm not going to be able to get off work, and i'm not going to do the family emergency / report sick thing - they are going to think about whether they can re-schedule...

 

[Elpenor]

I’d probably go work trousers shirt and tie for an office based interview. Summer is a good excuse to ditch the jacket IMO as well - a bit much.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

interview do-able next week on a day i'd already planned to be off work, still seriously not sure how keen i am.

feel like i'd be taking too big a risk leaving a 'permanent' job for fixed term, but not really sure how long the current job is going to last.

blargh.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

interview had (first 'real' rather than online interview since before teh plague) - think tie but no jacket was the right answer today as would have been too damn hot to wear a jacket.

think it went ok, i've had interviews that felt better where i didn't get an offer, i've had interviews that felt a damn sight worse where i did.

at this stage (i won't hear until the end of the week at least) i'm not sure i'd be that disappointed if i wasn't offered it. hmm.

 

[flypanam]

I arrived back home in ireland a montha ago, and have had two interviews for various positions. Luckily I was offered a job but need an ACRO certificate because I'll be working with minors. Applied for the ACRO back in August, just got acknowledgement of receipt from the police today, so I'll be unable to take that job.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

hmm

missed a phone call friday afternoon from manager at job where i went for an interview a couple of weeks ago - wasn't really in a position to call back until a bit too late, so will call monday.

enthusiasm level for the job has gone down further - suggestions of financial troubles at organisation in question. don't think i want to get in to that...

 

[Puddy_Tat]

well, phone call was a job offer. he was upfront about saying i was second choice and first choice had turned it down (i'm pretty sure i've been in that position before, but they usually just flannel and say the decision was delayed)

i've been given until wednesday morning to make a decision.

fairly high meh factor at the moment.

ETA - going to say no thanks.

meh

 

[newme]

Well decided I don't care about my review today, all it would do was extend my notice period weirdly past the end of my contract and it seems unclear about this being renewed and since someone quit last week who has been here longer they seem not to enforce it. Been giving me work that doesn't match my job title for 2 months that they also can't bill for so likely be pleased to get me off the costs. Despite having been given some idea a 1 year contract was just a standard and they were supposed to be aggressively hiring they do not appear to have the work coming in to actually give me any of what I was hired for despite saying they would have it. Can't see that suddenly changing over Christmas unless they land more work in a hurry so better to get ahead of it.

 

[newme]

Well decided I don't care about my review today, all it would do was extend my notice period weirdly past the end of my contract and it seems unclear about this being renewed and since someone quit last week who has been here longer they seem not to enforce it. Been giving me work that doesn't match my job title for 2 months that they also can't bill for so likely be pleased to get me off the costs. Despite having been given some idea a 1 year contract was just a standard and they were supposed to be aggressively hiring they do not appear to have the work coming in to actually give me any of what I was hired for despite saying they would have it. Can't see that suddenly changing over Christmas unless they land more work in a hurry so better to get ahead of it.

Just as well since they had obviously decided beforehand this was not continuing. Got two weeks notice, so thats fun, all their upcoming work does no fit me at all, frankly it does not appear to fit them either since they are having to get specialists in to do it for them which is a weird model but that is not my problem. Basically everyone I worked with in the first 6 months is going in the next few weeks but they do happen to know the head of my specific area for a large organisation that are recruiting and have offered to do an introduction and CV review if I want. I got the job title from this one which seems to be what stopped me from getting in the door a lot of places before and more experience plus it appears some useful connections. So much for 2 months to get sorted seems thats a bit shorter now.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Got an interview next week for a teaching job. Just sent off an automated social media check thing, turns out it not only digs up private facebook posts but it sends a report directly to my prospective employer. One (friends-only) flagged post was a six-paragraph rant from last year where I swore to never work in mainstream schools again because they're irredeemably corrupt etc etc insert standard spookyfrank education diatribe here. It was all derived from a day where I'd been particularly annoyed by my then employer's uniform policy, but the whole thing does not look good

So the people who might offer me a job, and who were up until yesterday so keen that they offered to bring my interview forward if I had any others lined up, now get to read about how much I fucking hate schools. Not sure how I can spin that, or if I'll even get the chance.

The moral of the story is, read the form before you press the 'consent' button and don't try and do important shit on your phone while on the train home from work on a Friday afternoon.

 

[Nivag]

Got an interview next week for a teaching job. Just sent off an automated social media check thing, turns out it not only digs up private facebook posts but it sends a report directly to my prospective employer. One (friends-only) flagged post was a six-paragraph rant from last year where I swore to never work in mainstream schools again because they're irredeemably corrupt etc etc insert standard spookyfrank education diatribe here. It was all derived from a day where I'd been particularly annoyed by my then employer's uniform policy, but the whole thing does not look good

So the people who might offer me a job, and who were up until yesterday so keen that they offered to bring my interview forward if I had any others lined up, now get to read about how much I fucking hate schools. Not sure how I can spin that, or if I'll even get the chance.

The moral of the story is, read the form before you press the 'consent' button and don't try and do important shit on your phone while on the train home from work on a Friday afternoon.

was this job application done with the same email address you use for social media?

 

[SpookyFrank]

was this job application done with the same email address you use for social media?

No but I voluntarily gave them my actual facebook, which is all private and not even in my real name. Probably didn't need to do that at all. Had no idea it would find friends-only posts.

Oh well either the school has a sense of humour about it or they don't. Find me a teacher who has never thrown up their hands and sworn they'd never do the job again. Most, particularly recently-qualified teachers like me, make good on it and actually do leave the job for good. I'm still here. I've applied to this particular school and not anywhere else because I've worked there before and I know the culture there is generally good, and hopefully won't drive me back to the mental state I was in when I wrote that post. If they don't cancel my interview and give me a chance to explain myself I can tell them all that.

 

[newme]

No but I voluntarily gave them my actual facebook, which is all private and not even in my real name. Probably didn't need to do that at all. Had no idea it would find friends-only posts.

Oh well either the school has a sense of humour about it or they don't. Find me a teacher who has never thrown up their hands and sworn they'd never do the job again. Most, particularly recently-qualified teachers like me, make good on it and actually do leave the job for good. I'm still here. I've applied to this particular school and not anywhere else because I've worked there before and I know the culture there is generally good, and hopefully won't drive me back to the mental state I was in when I wrote that post. If they don't cancel my interview and give me a chance to explain myself I can tell them all that.

Very odd they could access private data, my Facebook is intentionally private and friends only. Nothing sketchy there but thats a ridiculous invasion of your personal life.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Very odd they could access private data, my Facebook is intentionally private and friends only. Nothing sketchy there but thats a ridiculous invasion of your personal life.

It had an option to consent or not but you know how it is with these things, it wasn't pitched as though 'not consent' was a valid option.

 

[MBV]

Why don't you remove said post in advance?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Got an interview next week for a teaching job. Just sent off an automated social media check thing, turns out it not only digs up private facebook posts but it sends a report directly to my prospective employer. One (friends-only) flagged post was a six-paragraph rant from last year where I swore to never work in mainstream schools again because they're irredeemably corrupt etc etc insert standard spookyfrank education diatribe here. It was all derived from a day where I'd been particularly annoyed by my then employer's uniform policy, but the whole thing does not look good

So the people who might offer me a job, and who were up until yesterday so keen that they offered to bring my interview forward if I had any others lined up, now get to read about how much I fucking hate schools. Not sure how I can spin that, or if I'll even get the chance.

The moral of the story is, read the form before you press the 'consent' button and don't try and do important shit on your phone while on the train home from work on a Friday afternoon.

i do not do anything on the interweb with my real name, and if any potential employer asked me for my social media accounts etc (i don't do farcebook - partly because of the real name only policy) i'd say no.

best of luck with the next application...

 

[SpookyFrank]

Fun thing is I already work there one day a week as agency staff so if my interview gets cancelled or it still happens and I crash and burn, I have to be back in two days later.

And yeah, 24 hours ago I was thinking I've got this in the bag, I'd have to do something really special to fuck it up. And as always, the universe says 'hold my beer'.

Might turn out to be for the best. For all the time I've been teaching I've wondered to myself how long I can cling on for. It's a ridiculous and impossible job and it's putting years on me. The offending facebook post was explicitly written as a reminder to myself not to do it any more. Most likely, frank from last year had a point. Litmus test will be how this school responds. If they write me off because I had a bad day and went off on one for an audience of 150 randoms, that'd kind of prove my original point about the whole thing being a crock of shit.

That being said I feel pretty angry and stupid right now and could do with some supportive platitudes or something

 

[muscovyduck]

Fun thing is I already work there one day a week as agency staff so if my interview gets cancelled or it still happens and I crash and burn, I have to be back in two days later.

And yeah, 24 hours ago I was thinking I've got this in the bag, I'd have to do something really special to fuck it up. And as always, the universe says 'hold my beer'.

Might turn out to be for the best. For all the time I've been teaching I've wondered to myself how long I can cling on for. It's a ridiculous and impossible job and it's putting years on me. The offending facebook post was explicitly written as a reminder to myself not to do it any more. Most likely, frank from last year had a point. Litmus test will be how this school responds. If they write me off because I had a bad day and went off on one for an audience of 150 randoms, that'd kind of prove my original point about the whole thing being a crock of shit.

That being said I feel pretty angry and stupid right now and could do with some supportive platitudes or something

Wish we had a "care" emoji response on here.

I reckon there's a third highly likely possibility you haven't considered: it's theatre and they're not going to pay attention to it.

Or (less likely than that one) they're looking for safeguarding problems rather than the sort of commentary you made

 

[SpookyFrank]

I had considered that I might spend days mulling over exactly how to pitch this and then they either don't mention it or gently suggest that I delete a few things (already done incidentally). They apparently didn't notice a two-year gap on my CV despite insisting that your entire life must be accounted for. Schools aren't exactly spoiled for choice at the moment. There's only one other candidate.

Elsewhere on my facebook there was just a fair bit of moderate bad language and one very old reference to undercover cops as 'pigs'. I thought I'd purged everything controversial long ago but obviously hadn't been as thorough as I thought.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

I've long thought that too. I've applied for three jobs this week and gotten one rejection.

The hardest thing is sending off applications into a black hole and hearing nothing, just nothing.

Good luck with your search. It's just never easy, even in a good economy.

A year ago, I filed an application for a library job. I received a rejection email 10 minutes later. Since this was about 11:00 pm on a Sunday, I'm pretty sure no human even looked at my application.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

A year ago, I filed an application for a library job. I received a rejection email 10 minutes later. Since this was about 11:00 pm on a Sunday, I'm pretty sure no human even looked at my application.

I got one (almost certainly automated) rejection within 2 minutes or less once

 

[Elpenor]

Hard to understand the reason for these auto-rejects, have they already hired but not closed the job advert off, have they reached a predetermined limit of applications?

Would be interesting to find out if it was actually possible to speak to a human being

 

[newme]

I had considered that I might spend days mulling over exactly how to pitch this and then they either don't mention it or gently suggest that I delete a few things (already done incidentally). They apparently didn't notice a two-year gap on my CV despite insisting that your entire life must be accounted for. Schools aren't exactly spoiled for choice at the moment. There's only one other candidate.

Elsewhere on my facebook there was just a fair bit of moderate bad language and one very old reference to undercover cops as 'pigs'. I thought I'd purged everything controversial long ago but obviously hadn't been as thorough as I thought.

Its weird with that, some insist you must have the exact start and end date of every single job you had for 30 years, I have this somewhere but its basically guessed months let alone days they insist on you putting in. The last job I got I didn't even bother including anything on the CV past 7 years ago as it was irrelevant. No one asked, no one cared, got hired anyway.

Found about 10 or 15 likely places to apply to now, bit restricted when its looking at full or almost full remote but that seems to be more of a standard in my area now.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Hard to understand the reason for these auto-rejects, have they already hired but not closed the job advert off, have they reached a predetermined limit of applications?

I suspect it's scanning for certain 'right' words and possibly for certain 'wrong' words.

 

[newme]

Hard to understand the reason for these auto-rejects, have they already hired but not closed the job advert off, have they reached a predetermined limit of applications?

Would be interesting to find out if it was actually possible to speak to a human being

Likely a filtering algorithm or similar, no degree if required, rejected, not hit the right keywords somewhere, rejected, etc. Saw something with a recruiter who said about 70% went to the bin straight away for being entirely irrelevant, like unqualified completely/need a visa where there wasn't one/etc, then maybe 20% of the rest were filed for later possible jobs, they would say to people it was being progressed/assessed or examined or some bullshit in another reply for that if people asked. Then of the remaining 10% or so they would pick 5-10 depending on requirements to actually put forward for anything.

 

[Elpenor]

I suspect it's scanning for certain 'right' words and possibly for certain 'wrong' words.

Feels like a blunt instrument.

Reminds me of the apocryphal story about someone who had 100 applications back when they were all on paper and chucked 80 of them in a bin, leaving 20 of them to review.

“I want the person I hire to be lucky” was the punchline