Trials of Finding New Job

[chunder27]

Why 5 years EXACTLY?

That makes no sense at alL!

[ToothbrushMan]

chunder27 said:

Why 5 years EXACTLY?

That makes no sense at alL!

mad isnt it. 4 you can understand as its too little maybe but 6 not being acceptable? it must be 5. how churlish can the employer be? maybe they are hoping that the bod with 5 years experience got that straight from school and will be no older than 21? 22 years old ? your too old LOL.

I honestly do not know how these decisions are made or the logic applied.

to anybody looking for work still I found an article online from Forbes magazine which said that the system for finding work is broken. we know that anyway but it had one responder saying they stopped doing the endless thankless cranky no face online applications as they were sick of hearing nothing back after spending an age tailoring their CV or cover letter or "registering their details" with the employer in order to be able to apply online and the rejections where there seemed to be the perfect "fit" (sorry chaps I hate that word companies use today for whether they like you or not). The approach was different and involved sending out pain letters - id never heard of the term. Google the term and have a read. anyway after doing this technique she got 2 offers in the bag fairly quickly.

I am planning to try this approach this coming week and will post up over the coming weeks the responses (fingers crossed if I get any).

you do have to stand out from the hundreds of other applications. maybe this will work for you.

Edited by ToothbrushMan on Sunday 23 September 11:33

Edited by ToothbrushMan on Sunday 23 September 11:34

[DJFish]

CaptainSlow said:

You should have gone back with that you weren't really paying attention for the last 13 years.

To be fair it wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate, though It was probably just a nice way of saying I’m too old.

I like the look of the pain letter approach, might give that a bash myself.

[CaptainSlow]

DJFish said:

CaptainSlow said:

You should have gone back with that you weren't really paying attention for the last 13 years.

To be fair it wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate, though It was probably just a nice way of saying I’m too old.

I like the look of the pain letter approach, might give that a bash myself.

No, not a nice way of saying you're too old. It's a way of rejecting you without too obviously triggering any age discrimination liabilities.

[Flooble]

It's entirely possible that the company demanding exactly five years experience already know to whom they are giving the job but need to ensure that they have been "seen to advertise externally" while ensuring that they don't have to actually deal with any external candidates.

[Teddy Lop]

funkyrobot said:

Just applying for a job at a supermarket doing the delivery driving.

Two fields on the online form have caught my eye:

1. Current salary
2. Minimum salary sought

What the hell are you supposed to put in the latter?

they could be asked with the best of intentions but their inclusion suggests the employer is either naive or engaging in power play

The "no salary posted" thing really bugs me too. Again its power play. Moneys the only reason most of us go to work, I mean you might be one of the lucky few to have a job you love but the money is still important. I've noticed browsing the ads for my trade as I occasionally do for amusement that in addition to a lift in wages that nearly all ads include pay now. Obviously employers are more desperate in this sector.

I'm surprised by how much ageism there is too, perhaps too much experience and maturity, maybe competence too, is threatening to the incumbent managers? Maybe you'd find more interest from someone higher up? Or possibly, and this is just a wild thought, dumbing down ones CV?

Good hunting all.

[ToothbrushMan]

i think ive tried all the tricks including the dumbing down of my cv. still doesnt work half the time.......plenty of basic driving jobs involving handball and you get passed over as unsuccessful - but you havent even got me in for interview!!!

[funkyrobot]

ToothbrushMan said:

i think ive tried all the tricks including the dumbing down of my cv. still doesnt work half the time.......plenty of basic driving jobs involving handball and you get passed over as unsuccessful - but you havent even got me in for interview!!!

I've decided my next tactic.

I'm going to identify myself as a gender neutral, lesbian Afro American, with a limp and a guide dog called Max Power.

[Teddy Lop]

funkyrobot said:

I've decided my next tactic.

I'm going to identify myself as a gender neutral, lesbian Afro American, with a limp and a guide dog called Max Power.

which area of public service are you applying in?

[funkyrobot]

Teddy Lop said:

funkyrobot said:

I've decided my next tactic.

I'm going to identify myself as a gender neutral, lesbian Afro American, with a limp and a guide dog called Max Power.

which area of public service are you applying in?

Equality monitoring and change management.

[soad]

[ToothbrushMan]

im going for a role in"Culture change and Diversity" - these departments seem to be popping up all over the place just lately.......another faddy marketing ploy?

[Vyse]

I was called by a recruiter the other day about a job from a pharma company. When I looked on the pharma companies websites own job section the job wasn't listed. Why are some jobs listed on the companies own website and some jobs given to recruiters to sort out?

Are the ones given to the recruiter the real jobs and the ones on the website already taken by internal candidates but the job must be seen as being advertised?

[oldbanger]

Experience in my current employer. Internal only roles only get advertised internally. All external jobs go on the website. The only time they’d go direct to recruiters would be to start to look to replace someone senior before their departure has been made public - 3 month notice periods are the norm so if the departing manager is on gardening leave that could easily leave a 6 month hole or more otherwise.

[ToothbrushMan]

if I could weld I think I would set up on my own repairing the plethora of "modern classics" we have out there where good quality welding seems hard to find......plenty of cowboys who will not cut out the rot and carefully weld in new steel, they just seem ok at tacking plates over the rust! Whats the point of that..........I think the money could be quite lucrative for this service as well. Id love my own little cottage business with a unit and working at my own pace.

I am not sure what the best route to take might be as I have heard of MIG and TIG.....I could at least look into college courses maybe???

Wonder if the state will pay for a course?

[anonymous-user]

ToothbrushMan said:

if I could weld I think I would set up on my own repairing the plethora of "modern classics" we have out there where good quality welding seems hard to find......plenty of cowboys who will not cut out the rot and carefully weld in new steel, they just seem ok at tacking plates over the rust! Whats the point of that..........I think the money could be quite lucrative for this service as well. Id love my own little cottage business with a unit and working at my own pace.

I am not sure what the best route to take might be as I have heard of MIG and TIG.....I could at least look into college courses maybe???

Wonder if the state will pay for a course?

Where i live, near uttoxeter they were offering free (might have to pay if fail, unclear)welding courses with a job assessment after 5 weeks, as local manufacturing company can't get enough.

[ToothbrushMan]

Vyse said:

I was called by a recruiter the other day about a job from a pharma company. When I looked on the pharma companies websites own job section the job wasn't listed. Why are some jobs listed on the companies own website and some jobs given to recruiters to sort out?

Are the ones given to the recruiter the real jobs and the ones on the website already taken by internal candidates but the job must be seen as being advertised?

glad its not just me mate. Ive noticed this and the reason I noticed it was because I am very wary about these online applications so if I see a vacancy for arguments sake a Ford dealership in a nearby town but the application takes you off to an agency site to apply- I have been looking at the dealerships own careers or vacancies section on their website to check or apply direct and many are not shown.

I do wonder how many "jobs" are phoney. Is it recruitment agencies scraping the barrel for more CV's to top up their database "stock" by attracting new applicants by simply posing as the employers agent ?

I do wonder. For jobs that I can take or leave if its with an agency I have not heard of before then I pass.

[ToothbrushMan]

Thesprucegoose said:

ToothbrushMan said:

if I could weld I think I would set up on my own repairing the plethora of "modern classics" we have out there where good quality welding seems hard to find......plenty of cowboys who will not cut out the rot and carefully weld in new steel, they just seem ok at tacking plates over the rust! Whats the point of that..........I think the money could be quite lucrative for this service as well. Id love my own little cottage business with a unit and working at my own pace.

I am not sure what the best route to take might be as I have heard of MIG and TIG.....I could at least look into college courses maybe???

Wonder if the state will pay for a course?

Where i live, near uttoxeter they were offering free (might have to pay if fail, unclear)welding courses with a job assessment after 5 weeks, as local manufacturing company can't get enough.

very interesting - and in fact I see my highly skilled jobcentre "advisor" tomorrow morning so I will ask them the question and see what reaction I get!

I do tire of hearing about loads of employers who report that they "cannot find the staff"........where are these illusive employers with these vacancies why cant they find staff?
are the roles paying crap minimum wage?
are they prepared to train people up?
are they only seeking pre-trained and qualified staff?
is it that the recruiter they think is doing them a great service not doing a very good job at sending them the right candidates for interviews or sifting out the best applicants or relying on recruitment artificial intelligence in the initial stages?

Maybe we should put up "Job Wanted" posts on here stating areas of work sought/skills, town and any bosses on here with their heads screwed on can PM us and help us out? Even short term assignments........cut out the middleman (the agents) and their fees.

Personally I would be happy working as a van driver for £10 an hour full time - based in Birmingham. Anybody?

[Flibble]

ToothbrushMan said:

very interesting - and in fact I see my highly skilled jobcentre "advisor" tomorrow morning so I will ask them the question and see what reaction I get!

I do tire of hearing about loads of employers who report that they "cannot find the staff"........where are these illusive employers with these vacancies why cant they find staff?
are the roles paying crap minimum wage?
are they prepared to train people up?
are they only seeking pre-trained and qualified staff?
is it that the recruiter they think is doing them a great service not doing a very good job at sending them the right candidates for interviews or sifting out the best applicants or relying on recruitment artificial intelligence in the initial stages?

Maybe we should put up "Job Wanted" posts on here stating areas of work sought/skills, town and any bosses on here with their heads screwed on can PM us and help us out? Even short term assignments........cut out the middleman (the agents) and their fees.

Personally I would be happy working as a van driver for £10 an hour full time - based in Birmingham. Anybody?

We have a ton of vacancies at the moment, at least 25 on the website, multiple recruitment agencies, adverts, the whole shooting match. We can't fill them.

Not minimum wage (far from it), some training provided, but they are all for qualified staff, which seems to be the rub - finding people who are qualified.

[Europa Jon]

I've read most of the postings here and have the deepest sympathies for the OP. I too have spent periods out of work over the last decade or so, and my personal experiences are as follows:
1) Recruitment Consultants often appear to be on your side. Their money comes from employers, not employees. They spout a lot of 'shullbit'.
2) Applying for jobs online with large companies was a waste of time. They won't even inform you that you haven't been successful, despite seemingly perfect credentials.
3) There's no substitute for direct communication: telephoning companies and visiting in person. The success rate is poor, but as there's no expectation, there's little feeling of failure or rejection.
4) There's no substitute for friends. A vast amount of positions get filled by company colleagues or relatives.

The above 4 points aren't fair but in my experience but that's how life is. We can't change a lot of what we don't like.
I haven't tried LinkedIn much for jobs, but have had communication with fake/fraudulent recruitment outfits on the site.
Never give up. Each time I've been jobless I've managed to find something, even if it has taken a few months.