The job hunting support thread

[Elpenor]

council i work for, the only people i've seen wearing tie and jacket are chief exec / director level.

I’m not one of them!

only council interview i have done in person since covid, i did shirt and tie but no jacket (although it was summer) and i did get offered the job.

cheers, waiting for my mate who has worked for two councils recently to let me know. If it was the summer I’d have no hesitation doing short and tie and no jacket, and I know it shouldn’t make any difference but it gives me something to panic about for the next 12 days or so!

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I’m not one of them!

cheers, waiting for my mate who has worked for two councils recently to let me know. If it was the summer I’d have no hesitation doing short and tie and no jacket, and I know it shouldn’t make any difference but it gives me something to panic about for the next 12 days or so!

Charity shop jacket that will go with a decent pair of trousers may be an answer if you can find one and maybe take it to a cleaners in time?

I'm aware that my weddings, funerals and court appearances interviews suit seemed to have shrunk after lockdown - i invested in a smartish jacket from m+s sale a little while back when a couple of interviews were on the horizon (one didn't happen, the other led to an offer i decided i could refuse so not sure it was worth it...)

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I think interview attire is much more relaxed nowadays than it used to be, unless you're being interviewed for a job with a law firm.

I reckon you'll be fine wearing shirt and tie, although even a tie might not be necessary. Can you check their website and/or LinkedIn to see if they have photos of the team so you can get some clues from their dress sense?

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Elpenor p.s. Top tip: wear your clothes the right way out!

(I had an online interview today and a few hours later realised I'd been wearing my dress inside out. )

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

My interview for the job in Lebanon is now on Friday.

Oh.

David Lammy examines plans to evacuate Britons from Lebanon

Officials trying to avoid repeat of Afghan chaos as Israel strikes and foreign secretary tells UK nationals to leave

www.theguardian.com

Unfortunately, it seems like when I was getting ready, doing last minute prep, having my job interview, the foreign secretary was discussing preparations to evacuate Brits from Lebanon. There's no evacuation order yet, but...

ETA: First interview with HR chap seemed to go okay. I should hear soon whether I'm through to a second-round interview with one of the two big bosses. I'm not minded to withdraw at this stage, things might calm down in a couple of months.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

How much research do you do:

(a) in the first instance, after seeing the job ad and before/while completing your job application; and

(b) prior to an interview?

I'm just wondering how unusual I am, and how much research and preparation other people do.

I've always kind of assumed that everyone would have a good look around the company website and also Google the company to have a quick glance through any news over the past year or so, but from some reactions I've got, interviewers seeming surprised that I know stuff about their company/products, it makes me think maybe other interviewees either haven't bothered or haven't been as thorough.

Example 1: During the course of the interview, I was asked how much I knew about the company and was able to give some general background info, and at one point I was asked how I'd describe the products to someone and because I'd read up on them, and bearing in mind some general knowledge I have about the product category, I was able to make some general comparisons about the type of product, and also mentioned some of their specific ingredients.

The interviewer seemed surprised that I'd done what I considered to be basic general research about the company and products.

Example 2: During the course of an interview for a previous job, one of the interview panel was giving a general overview about the company and said something about how they were coming up for the company's tenth anniversary the next year, in May or June... Now I'd done my research, read their website, so I was able to pipe up 'April, it will be the tenth anniversary next April'. (And I saw one of the other panellists smile at my interjection.)

Again, they seemed pleasantly surprised that I'd done what I considered to be basic general research about the company and its services.


So do other people read the company's website and learn about their products/services? Or do you think that's something you'd learn about in detail if/when you got the job? Would you have been able to mention stuff you'd learned about the company's history, or its products/services? Isn't that to be taken for granted that candidates have done that level of research?


Here's where I think I am unusual (arguably excessive?), going back to those two examples:

Example 1: During the same interview as Example 1, above, I mentioned to the interviewer that I'd managed to track down their FMCG products, buy some of them and try them. And I think he was pleasantly surprised by that.

Example 2: During the same interview, as Example 2, above, I referred to the pre-interview writing task that had been set and mentioned how I hadn't just done online research about the place I'd written about (their client), I'd not only gone the extra mile, I'd gone the extra 30 miles, because I'd hopped on a train and visited it.


I figure that maybe not every candidate would be that proactive - especially when people might be applying for lots of jobs and don't have the time and/or resources - but surely everyone reads all about the company and what they do before an interview?

 

[Sue]

How much research do you do:

(a) in the first instance, after seeing the job ad and before/while completing your job application; and

(b) prior to an interview?

I'm just wondering how unusual I am, and how much research and preparation other people do.

I've always kind of assumed that everyone would have a good look around the company website and also Google the company to have a quick glance through any news over the past year or so, but from some reactions I've got, interviewers seeming surprised that I know stuff about their company/products, it makes me think maybe other interviewees either haven't bothered or haven't been as thorough.

Example 1: During the course of the interview, I was asked how much I knew about the company and was able to give some general background info, and at one point I was asked how I'd describe the products to someone and because I'd read up on them, and bearing in mind some general knowledge I have about the product category, I was able to make some general comparisons about the type of product, and also mentioned some of their specific ingredients.

The interviewer seemed surprised that I'd done what I considered to be basic general research about the company and products.

Example 2: During the course of an interview for a previous job, one of the interview panel was giving a general overview about the company and said something about how they were coming up for the company's tenth anniversary the next year, in May or June... Now I'd done my research, read their website, so I was able to pipe up 'April, it will be the tenth anniversary next April'. (And I saw one of the other panellists smile at my interjection.)

Again, they seemed pleasantly surprised that I'd done what I considered to be basic general research about the company and its services.


So do other people read the company's website and learn about their products/services? Or do you think that's something you'd learn about in detail if/when you got the job? Would you have been able to mention stuff you'd learned about the company's history, or its products/services? Isn't that to be taken for granted that candidates have done that level of research?


Here's where I think I am unusual (arguably excessive?), going back to those two examples:

Example 1: During the same interview as Example 1, above, I mentioned to the interviewer that I'd managed to track down their FMCG products, buy some of them and try them. And I think he was pleasantly surprised by that.

Example 2: During the same interview, as Example 2, above, I referred to the pre-interview writing task that had been set and mentioned how I hadn't just done online research about the place I'd written about (their client), I'd not only gone the extra mile, I'd gone the extra 30 miles, because I'd hopped on a train and visited it.


I figure that maybe not every candidate would be that proactive - especially when people might be applying for lots of jobs and don't have the time and/or resources - but surely everyone reads all about the company and what they do before an interview?

Yes, that all sounds completely normal.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Yes, that all sounds completely normal.

Thanks for the reassurance. Weird how interviewers seem surprised to know I've done some research!

(I was a bit worried my autism (and possible ADHD) was kicking in and I was overdoing stuff, and maybe coming across as too much! I can sometimes often overthink things!)

 

[Elpenor]

Doing some interview prep for a caaaancil job

Does anyone work for a council?

Do you have the option to pay council tax as a deduction on your payslip, am curious if this is possible.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Doing some interview prep for a caaaancil job

Does anyone work for a council?

Do you have the option to pay council tax as a deduction on your payslip, am curious if this is possible.

Not really an option, as such, but couldn't your pay be garnished if you hadn't paid your council tax and you'd been taken to court for it? So then it would be deducted from your pay at source.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Doing some interview prep for a caaaancil job

Does anyone work for a council?

Do you have the option to pay council tax as a deduction on your payslip, am curious if this is possible.

And good luck!

 

[Elpenor]

Not really an option, as such, but couldn't your pay be garnished if you hadn't paid your council tax and you'd been taken to court for it? So then it would be deducted from your pay at source.

A court order is not what I mean though

I think some financial institutions offer reduced rate products eg mortgages to their staff and also deduct them from net pay direct but this is not the same thing. Only a minor point

And good luck!

Thank you!

 

[Silas Loom]

Most local authorities manage citizen revenues and benefits on platforms outsourced to the likes of Capita and Civica, which would be quite tricky to interface with in-house payroll systems. Not quite sure what the advantage would be, either.

 

[Elpenor]

Most local authorities manage citizen revenues and benefits on platforms outsourced to the likes of Capita and Civica, which would be quite tricky to interface with in-house payroll systems. Not quite sure what the advantage would be, either.

Ok, thanks

My curiousity is sated.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Do you have the option to pay council tax as a deduction on your payslip, am curious if this is possible.

Most local authorities manage citizen revenues and benefits on platforms outsourced to the likes of Capita and Civica, which would be quite tricky to interface with in-house payroll systems. Not quite sure what the advantage would be, either.

I agree with Silas Loom

I can see there would be a modest reduction in admin if it was possible

But I've never heard of the idea (and certainly not the possibility of a discount for council staff) - although having said that, when I've worked for councils, I've never lived in the council area I've worked except when I worked for the county council, but council tax would have been a city council thing.

 

[Elpenor]

I agree with Silas Loom

I can see there would be a modest reduction in admin if it was possible

But I've never heard of the idea (and certainly not the possibility of a discount for council staff) - although having said that, when I've worked for councils, I've never lived in the council area I've worked except when I worked for the county council, but council tax would have been a city council thing.

I wasn’t thinking of a discount, I used the financial services example of a way of paying for an organisations products direct from pay. I know that Nursery chains deduct childcare costs (as in those above the limits of the the Childcare voucher / tax free childcare schemes) from their staffs pay too.

I really wanted to show that I knew it was possible if it was indeed a thing, but it sounds like it isn’t!

 

[scifisam]

I wasn’t thinking of a discount, I used the financial services example of a way of paying for an organisations products direct from pay. I know that Nursery chains deduct childcare costs (as in those above the limits of the the Childcare voucher / tax free childcare schemes) from their staffs pay too.

I really wanted to show that I knew it was possible if it was indeed a thing, but it sounds like it isn’t!

Purely curious - since it's you I'm sure there is an answer that makes sense - but what would the advantage be to employees if that were available?

 

[Elpenor]

Purely curious - since it's you I'm sure there is an answer that makes sense - but what would the advantage be to employees if that were available?

There probably isn’t one help with budgetting perhaps?

It may have made more sense in the days before direct debits, as it would reduce the need for making payments, reconciling etc but there are a number of practical issues when I unpack it a bit more. I suppose I was thinking about companies which I know make deductions for similar things and wondering if such a thing could be applied in a council.

 

[Elpenor]

Had the interview today, I didn’t think it went amazingly but it’s always hard to tell.

I am not sure it’s really the right place for me - the organisation plus the actual site adjoining the local tip, and some busy roads, whereas my current office is on parkland!

I can’t really think of a reason to take it if offered except the extra (50% more) money really. This would be incredibly helpful and allow me to be comfortable rather than struggling based on my current lifestyle.

I have done jobs like this before and felt quite alone in a sole role; to the point that it makes me unhappy and usually leave a job quickly. Currently I get to do interesting bits of work but the buck doesn’t stop with me - and I like the comfort of being part of a big team plus the collegiate feeling.

Currently I work in a team of around 20 people and being honest they feel like family to me. I am close with a few of them and have huge professional respect for a number too, not least the manager who gave me the job 3 years ago when I was at an incredibly low point in my life. It’s hard to describe, and perhaps I shouldn’t be assigning such emotion to a job. But I suppose I have immense personal loyalty to her, she took a chance on me and that has allowed me to build my current life. It’s silly but it’s how I feel.

This all sounds a bit negative but I suppose what I’m saying I would be comfortable with the actual work but not the dynamics of the place, the size of the team etc. I did enjoy the 30 minute payroll test which I had to do on paper (they had provided a laptop with excel but for some reason I couldn’t get the keyboard on the laptop to type into excel). It was challenging but I hope I did my best and showed them that the actual work is not a problem for me.

Ultimately I am not sure it is worth risking being unhappy and a bit better off. Let’s see what they say anyway. This was a speculative application as it’s the next step up and it is my local council.

Anyway I should hear at some point later in the week.

 

[Winot]

Had the interview today, I didn’t think it went amazingly but it’s always hard to tell.

I am not sure it’s really the right place for me - the organisation plus the actual site adjoining the local tip, and some busy roads, whereas my current office is on parkland!

I can’t really think of a reason to take it if offered except the extra (50% more) money really. This would be incredibly helpful and allow me to be comfortable rather than struggling based on my current lifestyle.

I have done jobs like this before and felt quite alone in a sole role; to the point that it makes me unhappy and usually leave a job quickly. Currently I get to do interesting bits of work but the buck doesn’t stop with me - and I like the comfort of being part of a big team plus the collegiate feeling.

Currently I work in a team of around 20 people and being honest they feel like family to me. I am close with a few of them and have huge professional respect for a number too, not least the manager who gave me the job 3 years ago when I was at an incredibly low point in my life. It’s hard to describe, and perhaps I shouldn’t be assigning such emotion to a job. But I suppose I have immense personal loyalty to her, she took a chance on me and that has allowed me to build my current life. It’s silly but it’s how I feel.

This all sounds a bit negative but I suppose what I’m saying I would be comfortable with the actual work but not the dynamics of the place, the size of the team etc. I did enjoy the 30 minute payroll test which I had to do on paper (they had provided a laptop with excel but for some reason I couldn’t get the keyboard on the laptop to type into excel). It was challenging but I hope I did my best and showed them that the actual work is not a problem for me.

Ultimately I am not sure it is worth risking being unhappy and a bit better off. Let’s see what they say anyway. This was a speculative application as it’s the next step up and it is my local council.

Anyway I should hear at some point later in the week.

If you get an offer can you use it to leverage more money in your current role?

 

[Elpenor]

If you get an offer can you use it to leverage more money in your current role?

Not a chance of that being a possibility.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Anyway I should hear at some point later in the week.

there's times it's good to have an offer but to be able to afford to think about whether to take it or not.

i've been offered a few jobs and said no thanks for one reason or another.

it's hard to balance combination of job location / ease of commute / money / responsibility + hassle / general office environment in terms of colleagues and so on. (bloody toxic environment has been one factor in me moving jobs before now)

at the risk of stating the obvious, may be worth a mooch on indeed and glassdoor to get some views from people who work/ed at (potential) new place - although within one organisation, different offices / departments can vary widely.

seems odd that 'next step up' is '50% more money' - i know some councils have moved away from the national agreement on pay scales and so on, and some are more generous with gradings than others.

not expecting you to go in to detail in public, but are there people at the next level in your organisation who are at the stage where they might be looking to move on / retire in the next few years? would waiting for the right job in the right organisation be a better deal? will you be pissed off if that opportunity doesn't come along within the next X years?

 

[Elpenor]

seems odd that 'next step up' is '50% more money' - i know some councils have moved away from the national agreement on pay scales and so on, and some are more generous with gradings than others.

It is perhaps a grade higher than I may have thought it, though I haven’t got much of a comparison other than where I work. The % jump up in pay is more to do with the different size of the organisations and so the team (20 people versus 2).

not expecting you to go in to detail in public, but are there people at the next level in your organisation who are at the stage where they might be looking to move on / retire in the next few years?

Probably, though these would involve a lot of line management which I am not at all sure about.

would waiting for the right job in the right organisation be a better deal?

Almost certainly.

will you be pissed off if that opportunity doesn't come along within the next X years?

Probably not. I tend to do OK at getting these more senior jobs in my field but not quite so well at actually performing them.

 

[bcuster]

Maybe a person won't be conducting the interview

AI Avatars Are Doing Job Interviews Now

“This HR AI avatar is a perfect demonstration of late stage capitalism,” Jack Ryan, someone who was interviewed by a tool called Fairgo.ai, told 404 Media.

www.404media.co

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Maybe a person won't be conducting the interview

wonder how long it will be before employers' avatars start interviewing job seekers' avatars for a job?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Hmm.

Some of the current funding for the sort of thing I do is propped up by central government post-covid money, which like most things the tory government has been paying for with IOUs. and the local authority i do it for is making noises about being in the financial shit next year.

i've been there long enough now to qualify for redundancy pay, but not long enough for it to be worth waiting for if something else comes along.

currently trying to decide whether to apply for something fairly dull civil service, on the basis of just do the job and think about the pension. part of me doesn't fancy 10 - 12 years of that, but the idea of involuntary semi-retirement / scratching around for temporary work doesn't appeal either. but aware it's at the civil service level i was in briefly nearly 35 years ago, and feeling faintly uninspired.

blargh.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

and feeling faintly uninspired.

decided not to go for it - it felt too much like a 'give up' option. all around current job / line of work is very unclear until at least the budget, and may be some time after that. fear is that if the shit does hit the fan, there will be other people who do the sort of stuff i do in other places getting made redundant at the same time (as happened post-2010, and then took some time to get a proper job after that, as didn't want to have to move house for short term contracts which was all that was on offer.)

hope it ends up not being a mistake not to...

Had the interview today

are we allowed to ask if there's any news?

 

[Elpenor]

are we allowed to ask if there's any news?

Oh i thought I had updated the thread sorry! I didn’t get it, but neither did anyone else as I noticed the job has been readvertised as it’s back on the councils weekly email newsletter with a new closing date. Relieved really and it’s confirmed for me I don't want to do a role along those lines and want to stay in a big team.

I did ask for feedback, and the HR person said they’d let me know when someone was back from leave and I think that was around 10 days ago

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I didn’t get it

but neither did anyone else as I noticed the job has been readvertised

Relieved really and it’s confirmed for me I don't want to do a role along those lines and want to stay in a big team.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Oh i thought I had updated the thread sorry! I didn’t get it, but neither did anyone else as I noticed the job has been readvertised as it’s back on the councils weekly email newsletter with a new closing date. Relieved really and it’s confirmed for me I don't want to do a role along those lines and want to stay in a big team.

I did ask for feedback, and the HR person said they’d let me know when someone was back from leave and I think that was around 10 days ago

I reckon it's no loss, because it's good to have gone through that thought process, like 'Do I really want this?' and to have that kind of closure.

So now instead of wondering if the grass is greener, you've had a peep over the other side of the fence and realised that the grass is green enough where you are, so the 'what ifs?' are closed down, because you've thought and acted on the 'what if?,' or at least taken the first steps, and thought, Nah, not for me, which sounds like a satisfactory conclusion.

Good to have confirmation that you like where you are and what you're doing.