Trials of Finding New Job
Discussion
Informal interview/chat yesterday and for the first time in all my interviews this year the guy said he wants me to meet his boss. Honesty and no bulls
t still exists!
Two jobs are up for grabs although the one I feel more interested in has also been applied for by somebody already working there........
we will see. still not heard yet from the interview on the 14th Dec. so thats been 2 weeks now.
t still exists!Two jobs are up for grabs although the one I feel more interested in has also been applied for by somebody already working there........
we will see. still not heard yet from the interview on the 14th Dec. so thats been 2 weeks now.
xjay1337 said:
ToothbrushMan said:
Informal interview/chat yesterday and for the first time in all my interviews this year the guy said he wants me to meet his boss. Honesty and no bullst still exists!
Two jobs are up for grabs although the one I feel more interested in has also been applied for by somebody already working there........
we will see. still not heard yet from the interview on the 14th Dec. so thats been 2 weeks now.
Have you not chased up the job from the 14th???t still exists!Two jobs are up for grabs although the one I feel more interested in has also been applied for by somebody already working there........
we will see. still not heard yet from the interview on the 14th Dec. so thats been 2 weeks now.
theyve come back today.
short email thanking me for attending the interview on the 14th dec but they are now reviewing their "recruitment needs" and will be in touch again shortly whatever the hell that means. they were screaming out for people before xmas now the demands are different (and its not seasonal work) . oh to be a fly on the wall in their HR dept.
Id love to tell them to get lost in all honesty as the salary is paltry at £17k but I have nothing else in the pipeline atm and a mortgage to pay.
its painful being out of work and even more painful being put through a series of emotional ups and downs. you feel like they are dangling you on a piece of string at times.
in other news..........the jobcentre have agreed to send me on a CPC periodic course for commercial driving so I get my CPC under the grandfather rights as I have held my licence prior to 1997 and can at least apply for driving jobs that insist on a CPC card. thats due to start on the 15th jan. and is 35 hours.
short email thanking me for attending the interview on the 14th dec but they are now reviewing their "recruitment needs" and will be in touch again shortly whatever the hell that means. they were screaming out for people before xmas now the demands are different (and its not seasonal work) . oh to be a fly on the wall in their HR dept.
Id love to tell them to get lost in all honesty as the salary is paltry at £17k but I have nothing else in the pipeline atm and a mortgage to pay.
its painful being out of work and even more painful being put through a series of emotional ups and downs. you feel like they are dangling you on a piece of string at times.
in other news..........the jobcentre have agreed to send me on a CPC periodic course for commercial driving so I get my CPC under the grandfather rights as I have held my licence prior to 1997 and can at least apply for driving jobs that insist on a CPC card. thats due to start on the 15th jan. and is 35 hours.
Edited by ToothbrushMan on Friday 4th January 16:21
yeah ive come so close a few occasions and that grates.......
no option but to keep trying. hopefully the jobcentre keep me on 2 week signings which is something as years ago they wanted me to go up there and sign on every single day of the week at different times of the day ! so it could be worse I guess.
Thing is I am only doing it for my NI stamp because currently I am getting no money despite signing on. the DWP are still "looking" at my claim for JSA since 2nd November. Bunch of ar*eholes in that place.
Why they cannot appoint a decision maker in every jobcentre is beyond me - it would make the system much quicker and far more efficient for all concerned but they seem to prefer the long winded bureaucratic approach (perhaps intentionally to slow you down or make you sign off if they grind you down for long enough).
I applied for the buses and dont mind shift work however my local firm work split shifts and because the depot is 30 mins away on a good day I could leave home at 4am work 4 hours for the peak then they expect you to go home for 3 or 4 hours then drive back to the depot and put in another 4 or 5 hours! told them straight that that just messes with my home life and work balance - no thank you. Ive no regrets on that score. I want to get up go to work do my day then at the end of it go home and switch off not have 3 or 4 hours at home watching the clock before heading back to whence I was earlier that day.....you cant start anything or do anything in that small time window.
no option but to keep trying. hopefully the jobcentre keep me on 2 week signings which is something as years ago they wanted me to go up there and sign on every single day of the week at different times of the day ! so it could be worse I guess.
Thing is I am only doing it for my NI stamp because currently I am getting no money despite signing on. the DWP are still "looking" at my claim for JSA since 2nd November. Bunch of ar*eholes in that place.
Why they cannot appoint a decision maker in every jobcentre is beyond me - it would make the system much quicker and far more efficient for all concerned but they seem to prefer the long winded bureaucratic approach (perhaps intentionally to slow you down or make you sign off if they grind you down for long enough).
I applied for the buses and dont mind shift work however my local firm work split shifts and because the depot is 30 mins away on a good day I could leave home at 4am work 4 hours for the peak then they expect you to go home for 3 or 4 hours then drive back to the depot and put in another 4 or 5 hours! told them straight that that just messes with my home life and work balance - no thank you. Ive no regrets on that score. I want to get up go to work do my day then at the end of it go home and switch off not have 3 or 4 hours at home watching the clock before heading back to whence I was earlier that day.....you cant start anything or do anything in that small time window.
pinged an email off to an agency this morning that I was dealing with last February and had a sprinkling of chats with over 2018 and simply asking for the guy to ring me when he gets a few minutes for a catch up.
what do i get in response?
"can you ring me this afternoon"
funny......I thought I was his client. sick of this.................
what do i get in response?
"can you ring me this afternoon"
funny......I thought I was his client. sick of this.................
finally heard back after the 2nd interview - they have a more suitable candidate.
am I getting paranoid but is it my age (49?) i seem to be inteerviewed by girls who I am old enough to father and beginning to think is this a millenials things where they only think youre a good fit if you are evidently a young bright thing?
the only possible saving grace to this job (even though it was merely a mortgage coverer in the short term) was that it was office based shift work including weekends anything from 8am until 8pm and the salary to compensate for that shift regime was a truly awful £17k a year. Yes folks you read that right £17k. Pretty low hey?
I had 2 smashing interviews and in my gut was thinking its in the bag as they were looking for a few people. But I was wrong.
Onwards. I am on the verge of saying "I give up" and start my own business of some sorts.
am I getting paranoid but is it my age (49?) i seem to be inteerviewed by girls who I am old enough to father and beginning to think is this a millenials things where they only think youre a good fit if you are evidently a young bright thing?
the only possible saving grace to this job (even though it was merely a mortgage coverer in the short term) was that it was office based shift work including weekends anything from 8am until 8pm and the salary to compensate for that shift regime was a truly awful £17k a year. Yes folks you read that right £17k. Pretty low hey?
I had 2 smashing interviews and in my gut was thinking its in the bag as they were looking for a few people. But I was wrong.
Onwards. I am on the verge of saying "I give up" and start my own business of some sorts.
MYOB said:
Been a year of job hunting for me to no avail. Been out of work for 3 years though as I became a stay at home dad, after a career of 20 years. The longer it goes on, the more difficult it's going to be.
This is not why I went to uni to get a business studies degree!
yep its a painful slog isnt it?This is not why I went to uni to get a business studies degree!
i'm trying to cover every base TBH. keep an eye on my speciality area but whilst thats bubbling away plough through loads of much lower paid jobs in the hope that they could act as a buffer.........theres not enough jobs out there to only say I will concentrate on my specialist area. its too narrow a wndow and I suspect thats the case for most people. its the numbers that is the hurdle. not enough of those roles.....
Coming back to whether I might be getting some headway right up until the face to face interviews then getting radio silence. the f2f is when the interviewer then sees I am not exactly a bright young 25 year old. Is it worth maybe having the grey hairs I have coming through dyed?
Sounds ridiculous but I am seriously considering it ahead of any more interviews as I am sure its tripping me up even though the companies could never admit to it. I am due a hair cut in the next week or so and am thinking of asking my barber for advice. Its not a confidence thing this by the way. I have never before been bothered by the greys coming through - I am only interested in doing as much as possible to make my age a non-event at future interviews. Its tricky when you are asked to take along ID and birth certs though which I hate doing as thats pretty much game over in my eyes.....
I am 49 btw.
Royal Mail are looking for part timers 30 hours a week near me so will apply today.
Coming back to whether I might be getting some headway right up until the face to face interviews then getting radio silence. the f2f is when the interviewer then sees I am not exactly a bright young 25 year old. Is it worth maybe having the grey hairs I have coming through dyed?
Sounds ridiculous but I am seriously considering it ahead of any more interviews as I am sure its tripping me up even though the companies could never admit to it. I am due a hair cut in the next week or so and am thinking of asking my barber for advice. Its not a confidence thing this by the way. I have never before been bothered by the greys coming through - I am only interested in doing as much as possible to make my age a non-event at future interviews. Its tricky when you are asked to take along ID and birth certs though which I hate doing as thats pretty much game over in my eyes.....
I am 49 btw.
Royal Mail are looking for part timers 30 hours a week near me so will apply today.
Just done the royal mail online ability assessment........wow. my eyes hurt.
no idea how I how I scored but think I got most right but the test is very fast and you are timed with a countdown clock top right hand corner of the screen and believe me you have a very tight timescale on each of the 8 questions.
it was all about looking at two very similar columns of numbers and saying whether they were identical or not with a simple yes or no but its the time factor that has you sweating.......
all this to drive a van for them delivering parcels!
no idea how I how I scored but think I got most right but the test is very fast and you are timed with a countdown clock top right hand corner of the screen and believe me you have a very tight timescale on each of the 8 questions.
it was all about looking at two very similar columns of numbers and saying whether they were identical or not with a simple yes or no but its the time factor that has you sweating.......
all this to drive a van for them delivering parcels!
the hoop jumping is frustrating when you know they have a huge work back log and they could get a bum on a seat very quickly to crack on yet the HR team or the 3rd party its outsourced to send on these rather pointless tests and videos etc.......
i wonder if walking around to businesses and handing CVs in works still and whether you can circumvent such silliness?
i wonder if walking around to businesses and handing CVs in works still and whether you can circumvent such silliness?
went for the initial assessment today ahead of CPC training that will enable me to apply for driving work.
basic is not the word! you had to fill out a 12 page form that read like a CV so why they could get that info from your jobcentre coach or fill it out beforehand is beyond me.........filled that out. some questions in there like "can you explain extremism, can you explain radicalisation, can you explain British values etc" bonkers TBH.
they take a copy of your licence. then you had to do an untimed maths and english test.
OK the questions got a little trickier as you worked through it but it started out with this one;-
"From the pictures of coins below tick the 20p coin" - no word of a lie.
the only maths question I couldnt answer was do with pie and volume calculation of a cylinder. not a clue.
back in a few weeks for the start of the 3 week course. Applied for my digital tacho card at a cost of £32. no help on that front from the jobcentre but at least they are paying for the course.
interesting to look around the classroom - I found myself amongst a sea of similarly aged men all with either full heads of grey hair or some greys showing through like me. I only saw one youngish lad there.
one question on the first form asked "why do you think you have so far been unsuccessful in finding work?" frankly I am sick of seeing this question and rather suspect the answer will be fed back to the jobcentre as thats where I first got asked it. What a stupid question. Its almost like the implication is that its your fault you havent found work which I resent. I just answered "too many jobseekers and not enough jobs, faceless online applications meaning you dont know who the employer is and often never get any replies."
It should allow me to apply for 7.5t work. I do wonder how quickly one can move into HGV work from vans and 7.5t and what the moneys like for that. Dont fancy PCV.
basic is not the word! you had to fill out a 12 page form that read like a CV so why they could get that info from your jobcentre coach or fill it out beforehand is beyond me.........filled that out. some questions in there like "can you explain extremism, can you explain radicalisation, can you explain British values etc" bonkers TBH.
they take a copy of your licence. then you had to do an untimed maths and english test.
OK the questions got a little trickier as you worked through it but it started out with this one;-
"From the pictures of coins below tick the 20p coin" - no word of a lie.
the only maths question I couldnt answer was do with pie and volume calculation of a cylinder. not a clue.
back in a few weeks for the start of the 3 week course. Applied for my digital tacho card at a cost of £32. no help on that front from the jobcentre but at least they are paying for the course.
interesting to look around the classroom - I found myself amongst a sea of similarly aged men all with either full heads of grey hair or some greys showing through like me. I only saw one youngish lad there.
one question on the first form asked "why do you think you have so far been unsuccessful in finding work?" frankly I am sick of seeing this question and rather suspect the answer will be fed back to the jobcentre as thats where I first got asked it. What a stupid question. Its almost like the implication is that its your fault you havent found work which I resent. I just answered "too many jobseekers and not enough jobs, faceless online applications meaning you dont know who the employer is and often never get any replies."
It should allow me to apply for 7.5t work. I do wonder how quickly one can move into HGV work from vans and 7.5t and what the moneys like for that. Dont fancy PCV.
I had some feedback via a mate yesterday from his colleague that I met last week about a job..........and its stuff like this that makes you (well me) think about just giving up because no matter how much you try to tailor yourself to any particular vacancy its like the barriers just keep on coming............
1. in the interview i touched on another area of the business that was associated with but definitely outside the scope of this role. It was to get across the point that I am not a one trick pony and could if the need arose mean I can help in that other area of the business. Its called being flexible and adaptable and I even said in the interview that I didnt want me saying that to be construed as me really wanting to do that type of work rather than the type that the role was offering but that I was telling them this to show I am willing to "meet the changing demands of the business" blah blah blah......
2. I have been out of work since 1st April. this was on my CV and my mate told the guy this before arranging the meeting yet the feedback I got was that he had concerns that "I have been out of the industry for nearly a year". I even said in the meeting that I have been looking for the right role that can best benefit from my strengths not just applying for jobs left right and centre and that this is one of the few jobs that fits the bill etc etc.....feel like telling the guy that Prince Wiliam, Mike Myers, Steve Jobs, J K Rowling, Hugh Jackman, Prince Harry, Ed Sheeran etc etc etc... have all taken gap years. Some of the most successful wealthiest people on the planet.
I felt I covered myself really well so as not to come across as a too desperate for a job, too narrow minded and pigeon holed that I couldnt adapt within the business if needs be or been lazy during the 10 months looking for work. Their website bangs on about employing creative flexible people etc etc so I went with it!
Now maybe the guy just didnt like me or felt I didnt have that special something he was looking for (I would rather hear that to be honest than to be fobbed off with none reasons) but........ taking these 2 points just at their face value and given that one of the best ways to get a job so they say is through recommendation this really does beg the question what the hell have you got to do for these people? I almost feel like emailing the guy and saying that I want to withdraw my interest in the role and tell him why too.....
interestingly he is interviewing 2 other people this week for the job and one of them is one of my old colleagues that was made redundant at the same time as me in March.
1. in the interview i touched on another area of the business that was associated with but definitely outside the scope of this role. It was to get across the point that I am not a one trick pony and could if the need arose mean I can help in that other area of the business. Its called being flexible and adaptable and I even said in the interview that I didnt want me saying that to be construed as me really wanting to do that type of work rather than the type that the role was offering but that I was telling them this to show I am willing to "meet the changing demands of the business" blah blah blah......
2. I have been out of work since 1st April. this was on my CV and my mate told the guy this before arranging the meeting yet the feedback I got was that he had concerns that "I have been out of the industry for nearly a year". I even said in the meeting that I have been looking for the right role that can best benefit from my strengths not just applying for jobs left right and centre and that this is one of the few jobs that fits the bill etc etc.....feel like telling the guy that Prince Wiliam, Mike Myers, Steve Jobs, J K Rowling, Hugh Jackman, Prince Harry, Ed Sheeran etc etc etc... have all taken gap years. Some of the most successful wealthiest people on the planet.
I felt I covered myself really well so as not to come across as a too desperate for a job, too narrow minded and pigeon holed that I couldnt adapt within the business if needs be or been lazy during the 10 months looking for work. Their website bangs on about employing creative flexible people etc etc so I went with it!
Now maybe the guy just didnt like me or felt I didnt have that special something he was looking for (I would rather hear that to be honest than to be fobbed off with none reasons) but........ taking these 2 points just at their face value and given that one of the best ways to get a job so they say is through recommendation this really does beg the question what the hell have you got to do for these people? I almost feel like emailing the guy and saying that I want to withdraw my interest in the role and tell him why too.....
interestingly he is interviewing 2 other people this week for the job and one of them is one of my old colleagues that was made redundant at the same time as me in March.
Edited by ToothbrushMan on Sunday 27th January 07:54
ha it is quite mind blowing this job hunting lark........
from the earlier post where i got my foot through the door at a place my mate works at........
it was looking after an insurance scheme that I used to handle (for them) before I was made redundant when i was in underwriting and the only difference here is you'd be handling it from a broking point of view but the same knowledge crosses over youre just dealing with the client instead of the just dealing with a broker.
nearly 2 weeks on from my interview and ........................silence. Id have expected to be pulled in by now for round 2. you just wonder whats going on behind the scenes.......
either they never thought much of me when I used to service their scheme when I was wearing my underwriters hat or they just havent a clue what they are doing staff wise. or maybe somebody else higher up has also referred somebody in too or the jobs been canned but that team was expanding.....
right now I am just glad to have the distraction of this jobcentre course that I am on every day now for 4 weeks with the CPC. The Tutor is really good and the lads there are ok. we are all in the same boat although unlike me who asked to go on the course some have been made to attend it. My view is youre there......so make the most of it.
We are covering basic numeracy and literacy, communication, health & safety, plant operations, PPE, teamwork etc.....some of it is a bit childsplay-ish but you do pick up snippets of info.
I am tempted to start up my own one man band business from home as I do have an idea where I could do most of the work in the garage. It requires a compressor so not sure how much noise that will generate in terms of getting the neighbours backs up (would be during normal 8 till 4pm) .
Renting a small unit is likely to cripple me cost wise but it would be good to go down that route if the business grew quickly. I should have done it as soon as I was made redundant really.
Work when I like
Working in something I like = cars
Work from home - no commuting no commuting expenses
No premises rents or rates
central location for people to drop in.
from the earlier post where i got my foot through the door at a place my mate works at........
it was looking after an insurance scheme that I used to handle (for them) before I was made redundant when i was in underwriting and the only difference here is you'd be handling it from a broking point of view but the same knowledge crosses over youre just dealing with the client instead of the just dealing with a broker.
nearly 2 weeks on from my interview and ........................silence. Id have expected to be pulled in by now for round 2. you just wonder whats going on behind the scenes.......
either they never thought much of me when I used to service their scheme when I was wearing my underwriters hat or they just havent a clue what they are doing staff wise. or maybe somebody else higher up has also referred somebody in too or the jobs been canned but that team was expanding.....
right now I am just glad to have the distraction of this jobcentre course that I am on every day now for 4 weeks with the CPC. The Tutor is really good and the lads there are ok. we are all in the same boat although unlike me who asked to go on the course some have been made to attend it. My view is youre there......so make the most of it.
We are covering basic numeracy and literacy, communication, health & safety, plant operations, PPE, teamwork etc.....some of it is a bit childsplay-ish but you do pick up snippets of info.
I am tempted to start up my own one man band business from home as I do have an idea where I could do most of the work in the garage. It requires a compressor so not sure how much noise that will generate in terms of getting the neighbours backs up (would be during normal 8 till 4pm) .
Renting a small unit is likely to cripple me cost wise but it would be good to go down that route if the business grew quickly. I should have done it as soon as I was made redundant really.
Work when I like
Working in something I like = cars
Work from home - no commuting no commuting expenses
No premises rents or rates
central location for people to drop in.
oh and this says a lot.......
i havent had a cough or cold for a year since being at home mostly not working yet 1 day on this course in a closed room with 14 other guys and yesterday I started getting the sore throat, then sneezing, streaming eyes feeling poorly........absolutely sods law. just shows though how germs fester and easily spread when you are in a room or office with other people.
it was same when I used to work in an office with about 20 people. all of us would regularly get colds year round.
i havent had a cough or cold for a year since being at home mostly not working yet 1 day on this course in a closed room with 14 other guys and yesterday I started getting the sore throat, then sneezing, streaming eyes feeling poorly........absolutely sods law. just shows though how germs fester and easily spread when you are in a room or office with other people.
it was same when I used to work in an office with about 20 people. all of us would regularly get colds year round.
RanchoGrande said:
I had an interview recently which was setup by a good friend, the person interviewing asked how many A-Levels I had and how old I was...wasn't sure how relevant these points are given I've been working for 17 years! Plus, I didn't think it was the done thing to ask someone's age in an interview.
this is bad form. if you get the job great no worries.
However if you dont you could go one of two ways.
1. forget it and move on or
2. seek legal advice because although being asked your age is not illegal as such in the UK the law is designed to protect people against work related ageism. Clearly you are no spring chicken so I could understand it maybe if the employer needed somebody of a certain age 21 or 25 for driving insurance purposes so the circumstances surrounding why you was asked your age is something that only you can make a judgment call on.
Me I am 49 and if I was asked that bluntly at interview I think I would invest some time in getting advice on my rights.
a friends wife suggested we start a cleaning business up but frankly after doing the sums and as she is a mum who could only commit to part time hours it wouldnt really have been a goer and I do feel that certainly as far as domestic cleaning goes its largely the preserve of the ladies. dont know any blokes who do home cleaning as a job. same for commercial tbh. I have looked at cleaning vacancies but there just doesnt seem to be the hours there. even part time hours are classed as anything up to 25hrs so you get hammered with your benefits if you fall into that category. getting the balance right is not easy.
for those that have been unemployed for any length of time in the last 5 years will know that the face of recruitment and HR has changed to a point where personally its unrecognisable today. Lost count of the interviews where the smiling assassins look you in the eye and say that when they say they will call you they will call - they dont call. they vanish of the face of the earth. They could pick up the phone and say thanks for coming to the interview then deliver the news but I think social media and texting has a lot of answer for in getting ghosted by companies.
Ive tried the scattergun go for anything approach and the more targetted approach.
I have tried to second guess and hedge bets with companies, anything to increase the chances of getting invited back or an offer and its not happening. I sometimes feel like the worlds most unemployable bloke but know thats just a bunch of words.
I reckon there is a lot pooling going on now too where companies will build up a nice supply chain of people should they need them and not because they actually have any live vacancies.
ha then you see some CEO's on breakfast TV that cant string a cohesive sentence together and wonder how they got that top job.........
for those that have been unemployed for any length of time in the last 5 years will know that the face of recruitment and HR has changed to a point where personally its unrecognisable today. Lost count of the interviews where the smiling assassins look you in the eye and say that when they say they will call you they will call - they dont call. they vanish of the face of the earth. They could pick up the phone and say thanks for coming to the interview then deliver the news but I think social media and texting has a lot of answer for in getting ghosted by companies.
Ive tried the scattergun go for anything approach and the more targetted approach.
I have tried to second guess and hedge bets with companies, anything to increase the chances of getting invited back or an offer and its not happening. I sometimes feel like the worlds most unemployable bloke but know thats just a bunch of words.
I reckon there is a lot pooling going on now too where companies will build up a nice supply chain of people should they need them and not because they actually have any live vacancies.
ha then you see some CEO's on breakfast TV that cant string a cohesive sentence together and wonder how they got that top job.........
Edited by ToothbrushMan on Thursday 31st January 09:45
could be true then you see coaching videos online that boast "dont worry......its not you...... its them"..........6 of one half dozen of the other.
i had to up my interview techniques fairly quickly last year after fluffing 2 interviews through just not being fully prepared for the types of questions.
i had to up my interview techniques fairly quickly last year after fluffing 2 interviews through just not being fully prepared for the types of questions.
just got back from an NHS jobs "interview"
apparently it was informal but ive taken longer dumps on the toilet......I got there and was kept waiting for 5 mins then called in. must have been about 10 mins max. got asked for my driving licence and "can you tell me about yourself" plus a brief desc of the duties involved. that was it.
paid £3 parking plus petrol for that and missed this mornings course session.....
found out the job would require me to attend 3 different hospitals in the area not the one that was on the job advert.....
apparently it was informal but ive taken longer dumps on the toilet......I got there and was kept waiting for 5 mins then called in. must have been about 10 mins max. got asked for my driving licence and "can you tell me about yourself" plus a brief desc of the duties involved. that was it.
paid £3 parking plus petrol for that and missed this mornings course session.....
found out the job would require me to attend 3 different hospitals in the area not the one that was on the job advert.....
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