Trials of Finding New Job
Discussion
ToothbrushMan said:
Jimmy Recard said:
On the other side of things, I’ve been trying to recruit for months and finally this week got two promising CVs. One didn’t turn up to the interview we agreed on the phone and the other hopefully will later this week.
Other than that, I’ve had people applying for office jobs who can’t type, people who aren’t able-bodied applying for heavy manual jobs and even a guy who couldn’t drive applying for a van driving job.
We are very understaffed now. A few years ago I was worried about not getting enough orders and contracts, now we can’t get the work done.
the van driving job - youre not in Birmingham by any chance? ;- )Other than that, I’ve had people applying for office jobs who can’t type, people who aren’t able-bodied applying for heavy manual jobs and even a guy who couldn’t drive applying for a van driving job.
We are very understaffed now. A few years ago I was worried about not getting enough orders and contracts, now we can’t get the work done.
RenPug said:
ToothbrushMan said:
Jimmy Recard said:
On the other side of things, I’ve been trying to recruit for months and finally this week got two promising CVs. One didn’t turn up to the interview we agreed on the phone and the other hopefully will later this week.
Other than that, I’ve had people applying for office jobs who can’t type, people who aren’t able-bodied applying for heavy manual jobs and even a guy who couldn’t drive applying for a van driving job.
We are very understaffed now. A few years ago I was worried about not getting enough orders and contracts, now we can’t get the work done.
the van driving job - youre not in Birmingham by any chance? ;- )Other than that, I’ve had people applying for office jobs who can’t type, people who aren’t able-bodied applying for heavy manual jobs and even a guy who couldn’t drive applying for a van driving job.
We are very understaffed now. A few years ago I was worried about not getting enough orders and contracts, now we can’t get the work done.
ToothbrushMan said:
i know this is straight forward lying i admit but now what I do on roles that I am treating as stop gaps lets say the salary is from £18-20K. on the question about current salary or salary required I would put "£17k" or maybe "18k" and take a flier on that. i am not ruling myself out by not answering the question for that particular job or out pricing myself by saying for example £25k.
so far though even that tactic hasnt fooled anyone
it has now. get this. i have applied for various positions with one particular company 3 in total all "unsuccessful" based on true representations of my personal information. all posiitons in the same ball park for required experience and quals.so far though even that tactic hasnt fooled anyone
so early yesterday I spot another vacancy with the same company and decided that I had nothing to lose and would test them out on my theory about affordability on salary (ie; can they afford you with your experience, the experience they want) and are they ageist.
so on the question "what is your last or current salary?" this time i lied and stuck in a really low figure of £18,000. This position is likely to be over 30K.
also on the "ethical survey" question set asking about age i ticked the box marked "31-40" rather than "41 to 50" as I had done previously.
guess what by lunchtime i had a message from the hiring manager inviting me for an interview. I think this is proof that there is some truth to the age thing. Maybe too they looked at my last salary and though happy days here we have a guy we can get cheap and he has what we are looking for.
My turn to ghost an employer for a change and as far as that company is concerned its the last time I apply for anything with them. they can whistle.
it also shows that nobody has checked back on my previous applications (or has even clicked that I have applied before) and spotted the disparities in the application between the 1st 3 and this 4th. thats how good HR are.
Edited by ToothbrushMan on Tuesday 11th September 08:59
OP, I feel your pain.
Since I found out I’d be leaving last December I’ve sent around 270 job applications off, effectively one per day which isn’t exactly loads but I’m looking at quite specific roles.
Out of those I’ve had 100 rejections, so that’s 170 recruitment professionals who just couldn’t be bothered to reply to me.
I’ve interviewed with 7 companies, some of whom decided I wasn’t for them and some which I decided weren’t right for me.
The problems I’m facing are age (I didn’t think it was an issue until reading this thread).
No degree.
I’m trying to change roles/industry (from energy back to shipping)
At this juncture I’m seriously considering washing cars at the local Skoda garage or revalidating my old deckhand qualification & getting a job on a tug at the local docks.
Networking & education seem to the the key, so stay in school kids and learn to tolerate people at industry events!
Since I found out I’d be leaving last December I’ve sent around 270 job applications off, effectively one per day which isn’t exactly loads but I’m looking at quite specific roles.
Out of those I’ve had 100 rejections, so that’s 170 recruitment professionals who just couldn’t be bothered to reply to me.
I’ve interviewed with 7 companies, some of whom decided I wasn’t for them and some which I decided weren’t right for me.
The problems I’m facing are age (I didn’t think it was an issue until reading this thread).
No degree.
I’m trying to change roles/industry (from energy back to shipping)
At this juncture I’m seriously considering washing cars at the local Skoda garage or revalidating my old deckhand qualification & getting a job on a tug at the local docks.
Networking & education seem to the the key, so stay in school kids and learn to tolerate people at industry events!
ToothbrushMan said:
RenPug said:
ToothbrushMan said:
Jimmy Recard said:
On the other side of things, I’ve been trying to recruit for months and finally this week got two promising CVs. One didn’t turn up to the interview we agreed on the phone and the other hopefully will later this week.
Other than that, I’ve had people applying for office jobs who can’t type, people who aren’t able-bodied applying for heavy manual jobs and even a guy who couldn’t drive applying for a van driving job.
We are very understaffed now. A few years ago I was worried about not getting enough orders and contracts, now we can’t get the work done.
the van driving job - youre not in Birmingham by any chance? ;- )Other than that, I’ve had people applying for office jobs who can’t type, people who aren’t able-bodied applying for heavy manual jobs and even a guy who couldn’t drive applying for a van driving job.
We are very understaffed now. A few years ago I was worried about not getting enough orders and contracts, now we can’t get the work done.
After being in the freelance special fx game for some years and seeing work migrating down south and me not wanting to move there, at 50 i decided to start looking for something more regular with a decent monthly wage rather than a constant battle to find decent work. was having no luck at all, until today, was notified ive passed the online civil service test for the valuation office agency in leeds , now have two telephone interviews lined up. just want something i can crack on with, steady and secure now. commute is a bonus too 20 mins each way 
Went to sign on today as usual in between the job hunting......appointment was first thing on a group session (a talk for half an hour about something I dont know what). anyway I get there early and wait until 10 minutes past my allotted time then I was going to be signed by my usual advisor (no group session afterall) I asked whats happened to the group session? The advisors response "the provider has not turned up".
I wonder if the provider was sanctioned? they failed to turn up for one session so I hope the employer will be stopping their salary for 4 weeks. At least people who might be a bit late for their sign on do actually turn up but to not turn up at all? Its all one sided.
Then the advisor asked me for my job search and I handed her my handwritten records of activity for the last 2 weeks. She asked me if I had a smart phone. I said yes and she said there will be no need to carry on writing activity down once the universal credit switch comes in next November the staff can check your job search on your smart phone. I just shrugged and she signed me and I left. If anybody knows whether allowing the the JC to look at your phone is going to be mandatory or whether they are just trying to sneak it under the radar of the less well informed like me as this can be interspersed with other private emails that the JC have no business seeing even if they cant see all the detail without opening each email. This is my privacy here. I wont have my job applications all in one place on the email account on my phone.
I threw this into the pot too - I said with broadband costing about £35 a month there could come a time when I cannot actually afford it anymore and will have to stop my contract and disconnect - then where will my smart phone get me? The advisor said well we have computers here you can use. I can see where it is going....... they want people strapped to chairs for 8 hours a day in the noisy drafty distracting job centre using dated kit that I have seen other people frequently become frustrated with due to IT glitches and screen freezes etc. You could end up with your whole life on a JC computer.
to think that the whole system is heading toward a total lack of analogue and human inter-raction in the near future is frightening. thank god I am not disabled or have learning difficulties or suffering with an illness to wade through this increasingly thicker welfare treacle.
I have just read an article on Linkedin stating that apparently 3 in 5 companies are struggling to find skilled workers to fill their vacancies. My mind cannot compute this.
I wonder if the provider was sanctioned? they failed to turn up for one session so I hope the employer will be stopping their salary for 4 weeks. At least people who might be a bit late for their sign on do actually turn up but to not turn up at all? Its all one sided.
Then the advisor asked me for my job search and I handed her my handwritten records of activity for the last 2 weeks. She asked me if I had a smart phone. I said yes and she said there will be no need to carry on writing activity down once the universal credit switch comes in next November the staff can check your job search on your smart phone. I just shrugged and she signed me and I left. If anybody knows whether allowing the the JC to look at your phone is going to be mandatory or whether they are just trying to sneak it under the radar of the less well informed like me as this can be interspersed with other private emails that the JC have no business seeing even if they cant see all the detail without opening each email. This is my privacy here. I wont have my job applications all in one place on the email account on my phone.
I threw this into the pot too - I said with broadband costing about £35 a month there could come a time when I cannot actually afford it anymore and will have to stop my contract and disconnect - then where will my smart phone get me? The advisor said well we have computers here you can use. I can see where it is going....... they want people strapped to chairs for 8 hours a day in the noisy drafty distracting job centre using dated kit that I have seen other people frequently become frustrated with due to IT glitches and screen freezes etc. You could end up with your whole life on a JC computer.
to think that the whole system is heading toward a total lack of analogue and human inter-raction in the near future is frightening. thank god I am not disabled or have learning difficulties or suffering with an illness to wade through this increasingly thicker welfare treacle.
I have just read an article on Linkedin stating that apparently 3 in 5 companies are struggling to find skilled workers to fill their vacancies. My mind cannot compute this.
Edited by ToothbrushMan on Thursday 13th September 10:06
Asked a mate who works in the dwp and is a union rep well versed in the can and cant does about this, he said absolutley no way do any advisers have any right to look at details on a private phone just the same as the adviser doesnt have to show you whats on theirs. he mentioned that if you sign up to universal jobmatch they can see your jobsearch activity but you are not required to sign to that by law now either and written evidence is accepted hence the sections in the signing books. he did say a lot of advisers try to hoodwink people into it but just say no. Also rather than use the jobcentre computers if you cant affort tinterweb, librarys are much better ive found when my laptop was in for repair. just took headphones got a coffee and was actually a nice environment. my local library is a nice place though and has just been renovated.
my "trade" is actually in the financial services sector(so sat in an aircon office riding a computer and phone) but I have found myself scouring allsorts of lines of work because I have a mortgage to pay which is really all that matters. (i wont go there on the subject of getting fack all help covering that yet if I was a private landlord with property portfolio and had a tenant on benefits in residence the state will effectively cover his mortgage). I cant apply for mortgage interest support until 39 weeks has elapsed by which time i might have lost the house so who came up 39 weeks needs shooting.
Anyways I applied for a tyre fitters job today and I never thought id hear myself say that coming from a suit and tie job ! Anyway I am a petrolhead so to me it wouldnt be a real hardship to change career path and full training is provided too which is a nice rarity these days so we will see. i am not averse to manual work.
Spotted that Virgin Media was after installation techs (again full training provided no experience required ) but this is through Kelly Communications and if you read the reviews of working at KC in this role on the Glass door review website you soon change your mind as the pay often works out to be below NMW. Not sure how they get away with this legally but most of the reviews left make for scary reading. Glassdoor is a very useful website for those that havent heard of it before. Everybody is entitled to a decent net wage at the end of every week or month but we seem to be in this race to the bottom on paying UK workers. I wont be applying to Kelly anyway.
Anyways I applied for a tyre fitters job today and I never thought id hear myself say that coming from a suit and tie job ! Anyway I am a petrolhead so to me it wouldnt be a real hardship to change career path and full training is provided too which is a nice rarity these days so we will see. i am not averse to manual work.
Spotted that Virgin Media was after installation techs (again full training provided no experience required ) but this is through Kelly Communications and if you read the reviews of working at KC in this role on the Glass door review website you soon change your mind as the pay often works out to be below NMW. Not sure how they get away with this legally but most of the reviews left make for scary reading. Glassdoor is a very useful website for those that havent heard of it before. Everybody is entitled to a decent net wage at the end of every week or month but we seem to be in this race to the bottom on paying UK workers. I wont be applying to Kelly anyway.
i was out of work for 6 months, no luck with office based jobs, i now work in assembly in a factory. 50-60 hours a week but in 8 months cleared 8k of debt, whilst tackling a longteerm illness. its been hard and i'm not preaching just it is possible, i thought i couldn't do it.
i younger than you 38 but i work with people 50+ who started not done manual work before. to get your life on track with handwork it is possible, sometimes need a difference approach.
i younger than you 38 but i work with people 50+ who started not done manual work before. to get your life on track with handwork it is possible, sometimes need a difference approach.
Thesprucegoose said:
i was out of work for 6 months, no luck with office based jobs, i now work in assembly in a factory. 50-60 hours a week but in 8 months cleared 8k of debt, whilst tackling a longteerm illness. its been hard and i'm not preaching just it is possible, i thought i couldn't do it.
i younger than you 38 but i work with people 50+ who started not done manual work before. to get your life on track with handwork it is possible, sometimes need a difference approach.
i wouldnt mind actually. i have applied for a few in fact but didnt hear back.i younger than you 38 but i work with people 50+ who started not done manual work before. to get your life on track with handwork it is possible, sometimes need a difference approach.
the thing is if you get paid extra for 50 to 60 hours thats great because you can build up a nest egg whereas many high paying office jobs almost pressure you to put in 50 or 60 hours anyway wothout any extra pay . plus with assembly work you can leave the work at the factory door but with office work you get emails and calls after 5pm. i would like some clean assembly work for sure. go in head down clock off. decent wage.
soad said:
If you mean agency work, will get paid next to nothing. It's unskilled labour, after all.
That is what I am doing. I get 13.5 an hour, overtime 1.5 double on Sundays. I take home on average 470-600 quid a week.Yes it is nights days is 10.5 an hour per 39 hours. I work with people with degrees who have struggled to get work. It's not a career choice but to get yourself out a hole quickly it works.
ToothbrushMan said:
i wouldnt mind actually. i have applied for a few in fact but didnt hear back.
the thing is if you get paid extra for 50 to 60 hours thats great because you can build up a nest egg whereas many high paying office jobs almost pressure you to put in 50 or 60 hours anyway wothout any extra pay . plus with assembly work you can leave the work at the factory door but with office work you get emails and calls after 5pm. i would like some clean assembly work for sure. go in head down clock off. decent wage.
Electronic assembly might suit. Just Google companies names where you live and just give them a ring ask which agency they use. It is clean but hard work. Or just search. Keep trying. Near me there were advertising a free welding course with an assembly for a job at the end of it. There is demand you just need to find focus your job search of what is in demand. Warehouse Jobs are ten a penny.the thing is if you get paid extra for 50 to 60 hours thats great because you can build up a nest egg whereas many high paying office jobs almost pressure you to put in 50 or 60 hours anyway wothout any extra pay . plus with assembly work you can leave the work at the factory door but with office work you get emails and calls after 5pm. i would like some clean assembly work for sure. go in head down clock off. decent wage.
OP, interesting thread. Just hitting the job market myself. Have already had some rejections and some companies that haven't even bothered getting back to me, despite me taking a while to fill out their lengthy applications.
I'm looking at anything really as I've worked in IT for years and I'm utterly sick of it.
I do have a first interview tomorrow with a national retail chain though (phone interview). Applied for a part time job selling bicycles as I like bicycles. They got back to me within 24 hours. Job will probably be min wage, but it's a start.
I guess I need to look at signing on too. Don't know if I can though. I resigned from my last role due to a bully of a manager. I thought you had to be sacked to get financial help? I did mention my issues in my resignation letter though.
I'm looking at anything really as I've worked in IT for years and I'm utterly sick of it.
I do have a first interview tomorrow with a national retail chain though (phone interview). Applied for a part time job selling bicycles as I like bicycles. They got back to me within 24 hours. Job will probably be min wage, but it's a start.
I guess I need to look at signing on too. Don't know if I can though. I resigned from my last role due to a bully of a manager. I thought you had to be sacked to get financial help? I did mention my issues in my resignation letter though.
Edited by funkyrobot on Thursday 13th September 22:53
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