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The job hunting support thread

Fez909 said:
It's a local government/Department of Transport/cycling advocacy thing.
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They will already have communication systems then?
Email/websites/FB/Twitter etc?
If not the social media ones could be helpful/effective/appropriate, especially for one off expos...

Might be a good question to ask at interview? You can then suggest others that they are not using...local free papers and housing providers magazines are great for adverts too etc. Blah, Blah, blah...

Good luck! :thumbs:
 
Rutita1 said:
They will already have communication systems then?
Email/websites/FB/Twitter etc?
If not the social media ones could be helpful/effective/appropriate, especially for one off expos...

Might be a good question to ask at interview? You can then suggest others that they are not using...local free papers and housing providers magazines are great for adverts too etc. Blah, Blah, blah...

Good luck! :thumbs:
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Thanks, I wasn't asking you to suggest it all for me (though it looked like it from my last post :facepalm: ) but thank you anyway.

Much obliged :cool:
 
Monday's interview was kinda average - dunno what the outcome will be.

Today's (the serious job) was one of the worst I've ever been to. Completely HR bullshit orientated - the line manager seemed to be there only for decorative purposes. Very theoretical 'competency' based - which is all very well when you have a chance to talk about things you've done, but the questions here were so narrow and rigid and so 'closed questions' and it's fairly clear I didn't have the exact 'right' answers.

Sod it.

Two days and two trips to London wasted.

The future is starting to look pretty damn frightening.
 
went to an interview yesterday, feedback has been good. They've got to interview a couple more people, so I've got to wait a week to hear any more. I'd like this job please.
 
Fez909 said:
I wish I'd found this thread sooner...less than a week later and I've got a job :cool:

I'm not sure how I'm going to manage getting up at a set time after so long on the dole :eek:

And I'm having an afternoon piss up on my own to celebrate. I won't get any more opportunities at this :D
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:)
 
news here - haven't heard anything at all from last week's two interviews. at least the first of the two offers reimbursement of travel costs which is getting rare.

the crap interview is even more annoying as i was offered the same job about 15 years ago when the interview actually involved people who knew the job and who talked about the job - they just wanted me to start at a few days' notice which would have involved moving 150 miles and ratting on my then employer's notice period (and probably getting a bad reference for doing so which would have resulted in me getting thrown out) so I said no.

blargh.

and similar jobs don't exist with other employers anywhere i want to live.

have a first stage thing for a job i wouldn't mind (albeit in SW London) next week - although I have a nasty feeling that I'll fall somewhere between the 'trainee' and 'experienced' levels they say they are looking for.

have a few fairly uninspiring things to apply for this week.

and the one from a few weeks ago where I got a 'very good but we've got someone with recent experience' sort of answer - is being re-advertised. I've rung to ask wtf - the candidate they offered it to has changed their mind. apparently it's a procedural thing to re-advertise and they would encourage me to re-apply. i might manage to summon up the enthusiasm...
 
Puddy_Tat said:
and the one from a few weeks ago where I got a 'very good but we've got someone with recent experience' sort of answer - is being re-advertised. I've rung to ask wtf - the candidate they offered it to has changed their mind. apparently it's a procedural thing to re-advertise and they would encourage me to re-apply. i might manage to summon up the enthusiasm...
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That's rubbish.

I had a similar-ish situation years ago when I wanted to be a nurse. I applied for university and they rejected me but said I was welcome to re-apply for the next year. I asked why they had rejected me and they claimed they couldn't say :confused: I didn't bother re-applying.

Your situation is a little different, but if it was me, I'd probably not bother. If they were going to offer you the job they would have, wouldn't they? :(
 
Fez909 said:
That's rubbish.

I had a similar-ish situation years ago when I wanted to be a nurse. I applied for university and they rejected me but said I was welcome to re-apply for the next year. I asked why they had rejected me and they claimed they couldn't say :confused: I didn't bother re-applying.

Your situation is a little different, but if it was me, I'd probably not bother. If they were going to offer you the job they would have, wouldn't they? :(
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dunno really. procedures do tend to take priority over everything else, especially common sense...
 
Puddy_Tat said:
dunno really. procedures do tend to take priority over everything else, especially common sense...
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Well, at least you know your previous application was enough to get you an interview, so you can just resubmit it without any changes. And then concentrate on the interview and selling yourself better then?

:(
 
Fez909 said:
Well, at least you know your previous application was enough to get you an interview, so you can just resubmit it without any changes. And then concentrate on the interview and selling yourself better then?

:(
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it's not going to take a lot of time to apply, certainly.

the feedback i had was such that the only thing 'wrong' was lack of recent experience in that field, and i don't think that's something i can 'sell' better.

I've got a week or two to think about it.
 
Puddy_Tat said:
it's not going to take a lot of time to apply, certainly.

the feedback i had was such that the only thing 'wrong' was lack of recent experience in that field, and i don't think that's something i can 'sell' better.

I've got a week or two to think about it.
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Now that you know that that's your 'weakness' (in their eyes) you can think of ways to mitigate that in your answers?

Anyway, good look, whatever you do. Hopefully one of the other jobs will come through and you can tell then to get to fuck.
 
Fez909 said:
Now that you know that that's your 'weakness' (in their eyes) you can think of ways to mitigate that in your answers?

Anyway, good look, whatever you do. Hopefully one of the other jobs will come through and you can tell then to get to fuck.
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:D

dunno really. without wanting to go into great detail, I'm still fairly well up to date with what's going on in that field. What I can't do is show recent experience of working in that field, or familiarity with things like the bespoke software packages used - I've tried searching online and while there's sales pitches, there's no training material or anything like that. it's a bit specialised, and I guess the firms that do the software keep a lid on training material so they can sell it...

i'm in two minds - it's somewhere that's right on the limit of how far I'd want to commute daily, and an area that's even more expensive than here to live. what it would be is a chance to get back into that line of work, as there's few vacancies that don't say "recent experience essential" so it could lead to something better / better located after a year or two.
 
:confused:

did I kill this thread or has everyone got a job now?

latest from here is I have two interviews this week.

i have to do a presentation at one - Aaaaaaaargh

and the other will be my 3rd visit to them - one assessment session, one interview last week (which I thought was a bit brief) and second interview.

:mad:

While I don't have the difficulty that someone in regular work would have of taking 3 half days off at fairly short notice, this will mean getting on for £ 70 in fares to get there three times...
 
Puddy_Tat said:
:confused:

did I kill this thread or has everyone got a job now?

latest from here is I have two interviews this week.

i have to do a presentation at one - Aaaaaaaargh

and the other will be my 3rd visit to them - one assessment session, one interview last week (which I thought was a bit brief) and second interview.

:mad:

While I don't have the difficulty that someone in regular work would have of taking 3 half days off at fairly short notice, this will mean getting on for £ 70 in fares to get there three times...
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Can you ask for help for the fares from the Job Centre (assuming you're claiming)? I doubt you'll get £70 but you might get something.

Good luck, btw!
 
Fez909 said:
Can you ask for help for the fares from the Job Centre (assuming you're claiming)? I doubt you'll get £70 but you might get something.

Good luck, btw!
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1 - I think the formal 'travel to interview' scheme was scrapped by the con-dems

2 - I'm not claiming anyway, I have a casual job which pays just a bit more (on average) than what the dole does, but it means I don't get poked with sticks by IDS's minions.

And thanks.
 
I start a new job tomorrow. I did not apply for it. It was arranged for me by the work programme. They arranged an interview, which I went to. In a sense, I almost did too well at interview. Instead of offering the job outright, they offered me a four day work trial, which starts tomorrow morning. All my costs are covered, but I am not getting paid, I am continuing to receive JSA. I am sure the work programme talked them into offering a work trial instead of saying no.

I really really don't want this job. It is absolutely not right for me. I will be working in a very small office of about five people, completing purchase order documents and creating excel spreadsheets. If I were to be taken on, I would be on minimum wage, and there would be no chance of getting a pay rise, and obviously no chance of advancement. It is really a massive step down for me.

I am hoping that during the work trial they will understand that I am not right for this job. But, like the interview, I am worried that I am going to perform so well that they will offer it to me, and I wont be able to refuse. Because the work programme people will be in touch with them.

I don't mean to sound big headed saying that I am brilliant at interviews and too good for this job. It's just not the right environment for me and it doesn't suit my skills or experience at all. It is all just wrong and it is really frustrating that I am being pushed into it.

I was going to write a standalone thread documenting my history of mediocrity and failure, and my sense of narrowing horizons, which this episode has me dwelling upon. But I won't.

fucking cunts.
 
What they want me to do is so limited that it is going to be hard to be purposely incompetent. It will literally be typing some numbers and words in a box all day long. They really should be hiring someone much younger who needs the experience rather than me.

My plan is to just drop loads of subtle hints that I wouldn't stay there long and would leave as soon as I found something else. Which is absolutely true.
 
The four day trial thing is such bullshit too. I had that for a waiting job a while back as well but it was just one day trial with no pay.

Sorry for the situation you have been put in, I think Orang Utan is right and that you should just be extremely obnoxious.
 
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