The job hunting support thread

[Orang Utan]

I have a dilemma and it's sort of job seeking related.
I start the new job on Wednesday. I was initially supposed to come in next Monday, but the lady whose maternity leave I'm covering had her baby early, so I agreed to come in earlier. Then yesterday I got an email from a school I'd applied to for training, inviting me for an interview on Friday. Now I have to get the agency to tell them I can't come in on Friday. It's not going to look good, is it?

 

[xenon]

Teacher training isn't it?Can you do that round your job or is it gonna be a full time thing. Is it PGCE or something.

I mean it wouldn't look so bad if it's something you'd be doing around the job anyway. Otherwise might take some diplomatic explaining.

Anyway, applying for stuff where you don't know the name. I always do Dear sir / madam. You can't find out the name for a lot of applications because most jobs online seem to be advertised through agencies. Mind you, often times they put their agent's name as a contact too.

 

[Orang Utan]

My placement should start after I have finished the job as I'm supposed to just be covering this year I think.
Surely they must understand that I have to think ahead of a temporary job?

 

[Orang Utan]

'Dear sir/madame' ... a bit impersonal though... i'd try and find out the name if possible (shows initiative).

First day as a jobseeker in about 12 years today. Fuck!! (Still, at least I woke up nice and early so i can draw the curtains at the front of the flat to keep any tories at bay).

You could cause offence if you spell it like that!

 

[jakethesnake]

You could cause offence if you spell it like that!

oops... i got a nasty feeling i'm going to be unemployed for a while!

 

[xenon]

My placement should start after I have finished the job as I'm supposed to just be covering this year I think.
Surely they must understand that I have to think ahead of a temporary job?

Does the employer know? Didn't realise it was a temperary job. Reasonbly, they shouldn't have a problem. Especially since you weren't originally meant to start til next week.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Orang Utan - I'd be inclined to tell the temporary job people that yes, you can start earlier than you said, but you've got something you can't get out of on Friday. May be better not to go into detail what, though.

jakethesnake Miss Caphat - beware of interweb job hunting / CV advice - make very sure it's a UK based site you're getting the info from, as a lot of 'the done thing' is different in the US for example.

having said that, even in the UK there's several conflicting versions of (for example) the "right" way to do a CV - I've known people get told by one agency that it's wrong and you should do it like "this" - then being told by the next agency that "this" is wrong.

as for e-mails, if it's taking the place of a business letter, I'm inclined to think that erring on the side of formal won't do you any harm, so if in doubt, starting "Dear Sir / Madam" and ending "Yours faithfully" is probably the best option.

and at (jakethesnake) becoming unemployed. welcome to the thread, though.

 

[Orang Utan]

Oh well, I've told them now. They never asked what my plans were beyond this academic year, but they may want to extend the contract beyond it.
My agency chap said he would just tell them I had a pre-existing engagement, so I am not fibbing too much.

 

[Orang Utan]

Orang Utan - I'd be inclined to tell the temporary job people that yes, you can start earlier than you said, but you've got something you can't get out of on Friday. May be better not to go into detail what, though.

jakethesnake Miss Caphat - beware of interweb job hunting / CV advice - make very sure it's a UK based site you're getting the info from, as a lot of 'the done thing' is different in the US for example.

having said that, even in the UK there's several conflicting versions of (for example) the "right" way to do a CV - I've known people get told by one agency that it's wrong and you should do it like "this" - then being told by the next agency that "this" is wrong.

as for e-mails, if it's taking the place of a business letter, I'm inclined to think that erring on the side of formal won't do you any harm, so if in doubt, starting "Dear Sir / Madam" and ending "Yours faithfully" is probably the best option.

and at (jakethesnake) becoming unemployed. welcome to the thread, though.

Aye, 'yours faithfully' if you do not know the name of who you are addressing, 'yours sincerely' if you do.
Avoid 'kind regards' and 'many thanks', until the email exchange gets more informal.

 

[Miss Caphat]

Orang Utan - I'd be inclined to tell the temporary job people that yes, you can start earlier than you said, but you've got something you can't get out of on Friday. May be better not to go into detail what, though.

jakethesnake Miss Caphat - beware of interweb job hunting / CV advice - make very sure it's a UK based site you're getting the info from, as a lot of 'the done thing' is different in the US for example.

having said that, even in the UK there's several conflicting versions of (for example) the "right" way to do a CV - I've known people get told by one agency that it's wrong and you should do it like "this" - then being told by the next agency that "this" is wrong.

as for e-mails, if it's taking the place of a business letter, I'm inclined to think that erring on the side of formal won't do you any harm, so if in doubt, starting "Dear Sir / Madam" and ending "Yours faithfully" is probably the best option.

and at (jakethesnake) becoming unemployed. welcome to the thread, though.

Thanks Puddy_Tat and also jakethesnake
I actually am in the US, but you guys often do things with a bit more style so I thought I'd check. I like dear sir/madam and I know it is used here sometimes, but I will check first before using it.
Yours faithfully,
Miss Caphat

 

[Miss Caphat]

ooh I got a call-back already but I don't think I want the job though. hmm. well, that was a nice surprise anyway and yes, I'll still do the interview.

 

[jakethesnake]

Hopefully managed to sort out a few temporary jobs for next week... not technically unemployed yet, getting paid for this week but they don't want me to turn up to work (probably because they know i'd steal everything that wasn't actually nailed down)... back into town tomorrow for more networking... i'd rather have a portfolio of temp gigs, relief work etc than get bogged down working for one employer full-time again.

 

[Cloo]

Got interview at 5 today - dammit I really want this job now, to the point I had anxiety dreams about it all weekend, and I really want an end to all the worry and 'oh shit' about considering what we'll do if I don't have a job in n month's time and so on. The agent's sent me a good luck email and suggested that it's really important to stress a particular issue, which says to me she's picked up from the interviewers that they might not have heard enough about this yet. It's something I don't have direct experience of, but I definitely can talk about knowledgeably, and with some commercial awareness.

 

[Orang Utan]

Good luck Cloo & Miss Caphat!

 

[weepiper]

Yes, good luck both!

Bracing myself to sit and smile and nod through my Jobcentre work-focused interview later. Seeing as I'm not even getting interviews I don't know what they're expecting of me

 

[Orang Utan]

What's a work-focused interview? The one you have every time you sign on?

 

[Cloo]

I think I'll be the last person she's seeing; as gsv said, this could be 'haloes or horns' - she may already have set her heart on one of the candidates, or she may not have been grabbed by anyone really and be especially open minded to me. I'm glad I visited the place already so know a little of what to expect.

 

[Orang Utan]

Cloo - you seem very organised. How do you prep for an interview? It's something I've never really done.
I think I need to learn how to do this!

 

[weepiper]

What's a work-focused interview? The one you have every time you sign on?

no, I'm still on Income Support so you only get this once every six months or so but it's like an hour-long look at what you could do/how they can help you into it/how much financial difference a job could make etc etc. Thing is I know all of it already as I was in work for three years recently so I know about cost of childcare/how much of it tax credits will and won't pay and all that so it's a box-ticking exercise really but I have to go along with it.

 

[Orang Utan]

Sounds crushingly dull! I got sent on a few sessions with the work programme where they spent all morning telling you not to slouch, chew gum or swear or say innit in an interview.

 

[Cloo]

Cloo - you seem very organised. How do you prep for an interview? It's something I've never really done.
I think I need to learn how to do this!

I've only really started it something like properly with this job! I've literally been writing down all answers to standard questions to give myself an idea of the key points, then I've been practising saying them (without moving my bloody hands around so much) and today I'm kind of boiling everything down into 'beginning. middle and end' for each question so I might feasibly remember that much at least and not ramble too much.

I research the organisation - in this case I had the lucky break of being able to attend an event there, but I looked at what their publications are and tried to get a grip on what they do, as they're a pretty unique set-up. Normally one might look at the competition - this particular org doesn't have any as such, though I've thought about who their allied orgs and similar publications are. I've also read copies they sent me of the journals I'd be working on, given it's possible they might ask me to talk about anything I found interesting. IME, I think it's worth having something to say about products/websites, as they might ask you what you think about it and you need to have something say.

I try to condense everything down into questions I will ask them and key points that I want to make sure I bring up at the interview - just so it will fit on two facing pages of a notepad. That way I can look at it at on my way to the interview without overwhelming myself. I can also potentially take out the notebook at the 'any questions' point if I feel I need reminding of what to ask (or if they answer several of your potential questions during the interview and you need to resort to slightly different ones from usual) and then I can also discreetly check out whether I've got through all the key points I wanted to raise.

I've not yet really made so concerted an effort, so be interesting to see if this pays off.

 

[Orang Utan]

Oh right, I'm down with the reading and research, but I'm no good at rehearsing answers. I'm too self-conscious of people thinking that I've clearly rehearsed my answers. I also have trouble recalling anything more specific than general points. Need to practice that more somehow. On Friday, i have to convince a bunch of people that I know lots about the state of education currently and I only really just learned what academies were last night.

 

[weepiper]

Sounds crushingly dull! I got sent on a few sessions with the work programme where they spent all morning telling you not to slouch, chew gum or swear or say innit in an interview.

yeah at least this time I don't have the kids with me... last time was in school holidays so I had to drag all three along

 

[Cloo]

Oh right, I'm down with the reading and research, but I'm no good at rehearsing answers. I'm too self-conscious of people thinking that I've clearly rehearsed my answers. I also have trouble recalling anything more specific than general points. Need to practice that more somehow. On Friday, i have to convince a bunch of people that I know lots about the state of education currently and I only really just learned what academies were last night.

I'm rubbish at it too - I had a practise interview at the Jewish charity who've been helping me, which was great, as I find it utterly impossible to do it with people I know. Tried it with gsv, and he said I sounded too flat and asked me to start again with some more personality and I simply could not pull it out of the hat like that, so we had to give up. I was skeptical of rehearsing working, but I think a bit of practising on my own has made some of them more fluent - does seem weird though, as I fear it just creates anxiety about 'did I do it right?' . Part of me just wants to go in there and talk and seem natural, not do all this crap! But it's so much harder than it was 9 years ago when I was last looking, as I'm at a higher level now so I have a lot more to prove - I can't just say what I did, I have to actually give the impression I've really achieved something, and sometimes I find that hard to see.

 

[Orang Utan]

Know exactly what you mean, Cloo. I think you have the right approach though.
More organised than me! I need to get better at that. Preparation is all. I'm rubbish at it but it is a necessary skill that needs developing. I'm not sure how I got though school without revising.

 

[_angel_]

no, I'm still on Income Support so you only get this once every six months or so but it's like an hour-long look at what you could do/how they can help you into it/how much financial difference a job could make etc etc. Thing is I know all of it already as I was in work for three years recently so I know about cost of childcare/how much of it tax credits will and won't pay and all that so it's a box-ticking exercise really but I have to go along with it.

An hour? Have they really got that much time to spare, I can't believe they won't have you bundled out the door after maybe 15-20 minutes...???

 

[weepiper]

An hour? Have they really got that much time to spare, I can't believe they won't have you bundled out the door after maybe 15-20 minutes...???

Last time it was maybe 45 minutes and we'd already been waiting for half an hour before they started. Kids were doing their nut.

 

[_angel_]

That's waay too long. How do they possibly fill in the time?

 

[Orang Utan]

They read scripts with tedious obvious hackneyed advice out to you very slowly and patronisingly no doubt.

 

[Sapphireblue]

I chased up by email a job app i made through cwjobs for a perfect sounding job that i didn't hear anything back from, politely asking if they were still recruiting for the position (was direct with the company not agency).

i got a reply saying yes and could i please resend my cv as she couldn't find it, so i did.

it may still come to nothing but at least it means my cv will be properly looked at and not lost in the pile of original applicants.
*fingers crossed*