Job Hunting

[Ashley]

Sorry. Typo in the title. I meant to put 'c' instead of 'h'.

 

Anyway. I'm doing the dreaded job hunt and want to moan so let's all collectively moan.

 

Currently bugging me (other than my lack of a job) is online forms that essentially ask you to chop up your CV and put it into lots of tiny little boxes. So annoying, particularly as I keep coming across the same system but on different sites. Just let me tailor my CV and email that across. Sheesh!

 

So anyone else knee deep in soul crushingness?

[Eenuh]

I guess I'm in it, though to be honest I've not really done anything for it so far apart from sending out some applications to schools in June.

Had one interview (also in June) and still waiting to hear back from it. They said I probably wouldn't hear about it until August, so I'm just sorta twiddling my thumbs until then I guess. =P

 

I think come September I'll properly start job hunting if I haven't heard back from anyone. I'm signed up with a job agency so maybe I'll find some jobs through there. Maybe.

[Esequiel]

Currently running my own business but it's more of a necessity than anything and I hate the early starts and long days :/

 

Might have an offer from Rockstar on the table to go and work for them in quality control though, which is like, the first step on the ladder of my dreams.

[Ramar]

Been 'hunting' since graduating in 2009. I've had a grand total of 3 interviews, coming close to securing a job twice.

 

Sites like monster and jobsite are utter wank, the emails they send me aren't stuff I'm after then if you actually apply for anything on the site you never hear back from the companies. I've had more like emailing people directly.

[mike-zim]

had an interview this morning. really was positive and hope it works out well really like the job and really want it.

[Daft]

I'm currently putting 'feelers' out. Not going to start looking properly until I'm back from Norway.

[Grazza]

Yeah, I disagree with the extensive "tests" and such employers make you do online. What if your net connection goes down? Heck, what if you haven't even got the internet? Doesn't mean you wouldn't be able to do the job.

 

On top of that, there's a massive discrepancy between the ability needed to complete the tests and the quality of the job available. I know very intelligent people who've completed online tests and failed to get even an interview for some quite undemanding jobs.

[nightwolf]

After being dicked around by one of the job offers on places like monster and fish4jobs I'm a little wary, there's far more scammers on those places than first meets the eye.

 

Anyway, been unemployed for 5 days and started applying again for gaming places, my old TL is helping me in various places, but it looks like I won't be in the country if he carries on! -.-

[gothic_hobbit]

After being dicked around by one of the job offers on places like monster and fish4jobs I'm a little wary, there's far more scammers on those places than first meets the eye.

 

I've had the same issues on the Reed site.

 

So called 'employers' asking for bank details etc !

[nightwolf]

I had even worse than that, nice people who are reviewed on the interwebs as being bad, bad people, went for an interview and then got taken for a ride thinking it was a computer tech job and it was door to door sales, they left me in the middle of nowhere.

 

Was fun.

[Ellmeister]

I thought you were working for Jagex?

[nightwolf]

I thought you were working for Jagex?

 

I was, this was just before I got the call to go. Unfortunately Jagex could only offer my a temp contract.

 

Hopefully, with the way they've been talking about it and to me, I'll be back soon enough, it's just headcount, but for now I need another job to keep the money rolling in.

[Ellmeister]

Ah right, sorry to hear that.

 

People, just keep applying and try doing new things that people like to read about it nothing is happening e.g do some volunteering, it always looks good.

[Ashley]

But I already put that I'm your carer on my CV!

[nightwolf]

Ah right, sorry to hear that.

 

People, just keep applying and try doing new things that people like to read about it nothing is happening e.g do some volunteering, it always looks good.

 

Indeed, thanks dude.

 

Even taking on work that only lasts a little bit is always worth it too, I mean, I moved 3 hours away for two months, but now I have a nice healthy bank balance, a brilliant reference and because I worked hard I'll most likely get another job out of them soon.

 

I find I'm looking at IT stuff at the moment, I'm avoiding retail, but I'm also looking at night work, but I'd not really mind working in a book shop either, but something low key rather than waterstones..hmm. Difficult!

 

I know I'm being particularly fussy about my choices, but last time I wasn't I ended up working in house of fraser for 7 months and I was utterly miserable on incredibly low pay (4.92 an hour, min wage. Eurgh).

[ReZourceman]

I've had muchos luck with agencies. Specific people agencies like. And my last two jobs (albeit one of them HELLISH) were found by agencies approaching me - i.e. search for local agencies/upload your C.V. to loads of "Find Me!" sites.

 

Specifically the two legend agencies I used were Tate and Company Fusion.

 

But yeah. It becomes apparent pretty soon into job hunting that its just like...ugh. Not much out there. Of...specific types.

 

 

Hell I didn't even get a warehouse job I applied for/that one. Which was silly. Good thing in the end though.

 

---------

 

Speaking of jobs.

 

Schwarzkopf was actually so shit it isn't even funny.

 

9-5:30, with 45 minutes for lunch.....then getting you in an hour early sooooo bloody often.

 

Whereas where I am now;

 

 

(Jake) is my friend from HBOS, I sit next to him here. Its great. Anyway, its 9-5 (well 8-4, 9-5, 10-6) rotating shifts with 30 minutes for lunch + two ten minute breaks....(which you didn't even get at Schwarzkopf even the full time phone peeps ~I was half and half~ ~Which I don't like to yell the ILLEGAL phrase, but thats....possibly illegal lol~) so its like....35 minutes less work than Schwarzkopf and a BILLION times more tolerable.

 

So success at the end of the tunnel. But yes. Job hunting is hax.

[nightwolf]

I think it was hellish at Jagex in a way because we were quite spoilt, now everything seems awful.

 

Hour break, 5 minute break every hour, only working 4 days a week at 10pm til 8am, so much easier than 9-5.

[Jimbob]

I've had muchos luck with agencies. Specific people agencies like. And my last two jobs (albeit one of them HELLISH) were found by agencies approaching me - i.e. search for local agencies/upload your C.V. to loads of "Find Me!" sites.

 

Specifically the two legend agencies I used were Tate and Company Fusion.

 

But yeah. It becomes apparent pretty soon into job hunting that its just like...ugh. Not much out there. Of...specific types.

 

 

Hell I didn't even get a warehouse job I applied for/that one. Which was silly. Good thing in the end though.

 

---------

 

Speaking of jobs.

 

Schwarzkopf was actually so shit it isn't even funny.

 

9-5:30, with 45 minutes for lunch.....then getting you in an hour early sooooo bloody often.

 

Whereas where I am now;

 

 

(Jake) is my friend from HBOS, I sit next to him here. Its great. Anyway, its 9-5 (well 8-4, 9-5, 10-6) rotating shifts with 30 minutes for lunch + two ten minute breaks....(which you didn't even get at Schwarzkopf even the full time phone peeps ~I was half and half~ ~Which I don't like to yell the ILLEGAL phrase, but thats....possibly illegal lol~) so its like....35 minutes less work than Schwarzkopf and a BILLION times more tolerable.

 

So success at the end of the tunnel. But yes. Job hunting is hax.

 

You get 30 minutes lunch with 2 10 minute breaks.

 

At the Tax Office, i get 1 hour PAID lunch. 2 15 minute breaks, and 4 x 5 minute breaks per day. Enough breaks, i think so indeed.

 

Job hunting is crap, 10 months of it and i was near-brain dead. Same routine, same things being said day in and out. "Sorry, no work", "Sorry, unsuccesful this time". Drove me nuts, and i was close to watching Jeremy Kyle.

[jayseven]

Had 3 interviews in the last 2 weeks. I say 3 - first one was a fuck-up as the recruitment agency emailed me wrong date. Second interview was with a tosser who clearly adored the apprentice (never got back to me), third interview went really well but they didn't take me.

 

I was unemployed for 9 months prior to what was essentially a temp job. I had one interview in that time for a kick-ass mega-money job but came 3rd (lord knows why they said that). Searching for jobs online is full, full, full of shite.

 

direct.gov.uk is, for my area, 80% sales jobs, 10% cleaning, 5% building-related, 5% specific-qualifications-needed.

 

Gumtree is mostly "wanna work from home and earn A TRILLION POUNDS?!" or "wanna work ABROAD so we can STEAL YOUR KIDNEYS?!!"

 

And general job sites are full of employers over-dramatising their vacancies.

 

We have an exciting new opportunity in our lively, busy branch five minutes [20 minutes] from the city centre. We are looking for individuals who are capable of working as part of a team, as well as able to use their initiative and drive to take on more than they have been asked to do. Successful applicants must have excellent communication skills, a strong will to seek out new lines of thinking and a strong ability to pick up new skills.

 

Pay is £5.03 p/h.

 

A typical advert for any job. Instead of just saying "look, we want you to answer teh phone and make sure we aren't ever double booked. Even a monkey could do it." They have to dress up the job as if it's the best thing ever.

 

The majority of job advertisements are extremely vague. Many are provided by recruitment agencies who, themselves, don't really know what the job is about. Application proceedures range from phoning an answer machine and leaving your details, emailing a CV, filling out an absurd questionnaire with multiple-choice riddles where all choices are surely right, to interactive flash nonsense, phone interviews, and so on.

 

Most jobs will say something like "training given - experience preferred but not essential" which means if you have the experience you'll be chosen over someone who would waste the company's time to be trained. Many jobs require certification or qualifications that cost money to do - from insurance-based compliance you find in building/etc to competence signs for food-related or even computer-related.

 

Job hunting is soul destroying because you realise that the world does not know who you are, and do not believe you when you say you can do it regardless of experience. It's depressing because you basically have to lower yourself to their level in most instances with having to provide jargon to quantify your response to their questions. There's an unnecessary steeple-chase ine very job inquiry that just seems, in most instances, jarring to the actual job itself.

 

So yeah - volunteer. Sign up to recruitment agencies as they'll do a lot of leg-work for you, and at the least usually can get you interviews. Make sure your CV is good.

 

Oh! And lower your standards.

 

(whoops that was massive)

[Nolan]

I luck out in that as an apprentice in a Union our Business Agent calls different contractors and asks if they have work and then goes down the list of unemployed apprentices and calls them and asks if they want to go to such and such.

 

It's been checkered though, it was 10 months before I went to work, and that was a month job followed by about a month and a half off then two months on and two off followed by my current job which I started 3 months ago today. Here's hoping it sticks for a while.

[Ashley]

Gumtree is mostly "wanna work from home and earn A TRILLION POUNDS?!" or "wanna work ABROAD so we can STEAL YOUR KIDNEYS?!!"

 

Gumtree is good for a laugh: http://www.gumtree.com/p/jobs/male-and-female-actormodels-needed-for-channel-4-series-the-joy-of-teen-sex/83629139

 

http://www.gumtree.com/p/jobs/prince-williams-bum-lookalikebumalike-needed-urgently-for-major-tvnewspaper-project/83674911

 

Not so good for a job though. Although I did get one (an actual one) through it but turned it down.

[mike-zim]

Well i have been called back for a second interview. Heres hoping!

[nightwolf]

Started applying for Web development roles, which is a bit scary, I've not really touched any coding since college, but some of these roles are too good to not go after.

 

Always hoping to apply for blizzard, valve, rockstar and ttgames today, which is crazy given that two months ago I wouldn't have bothered, but I might as well!

 

Also looking at sumo in sheffield and bbc! Crazy name dropping.

[Kurtle Squad]

From what I've heard it's not even worth trying to get a job unless you know someone who can secure you a job personally.

 

It'd probably be best for the UK if more people just went on benefits for a while anyway. Maybe then society would realise how utterly moronic the entire system is and fix it sooner rather than never.

[nightwolf]

From what I've heard it's not even worth trying to get a job unless you know someone who can secure you a job personally.

 

It'd probably be best for the UK if more people just went on benefits for a while anyway. Maybe then society would realise how utterly moronic the entire system is and fix it sooner rather than never.

 

You're just all kinds of positive.

 

New leader for most negative member of the year 2011?