Universal Job Match - Do NOT sign!

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,186
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    Apparently its now compulsory from last week.. or so i was told yesterday at the Job Center :confused:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 349
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    terry45 wrote: »
    The more time you spend looking for work, the more chance of finding work.

    Agreed, but other factors still come into play.
    jenzie wrote: »
    you meant the more you look on sites, the more you realise it's the SAME ONES over and over again :rolleyes:

    "...and just to make it worse, it seems the proposals to make claimants spend a mandatory 35 hours a week jobsearching is moving forward too!"

    this is all about you getting out to the WORK PROGRAMME for 35 hours a week!

    I've noticed the same jobs over and over again. I always get excited when I see a job I can apply for, to then find out that it's the same job I applied for yesterday through a different site with a few added words to the advert is a let down.

    Who ever thought of suggesting a 35 hour job search obviously doesn't live on this planet.
    terry45 wrote: »
    If you are restricting yourself to just searching on the internet then it shows you have no real intention of finding work. There are plenty of other options.

    All future governments are going to have to implement such measures.

    To say someone who only uses the internet has no real intention of finding work is wrong, you don't know their circumstances.

    I don't rely on just the internet but there is only so much someone can do. I spent a lot of time especially just before Christmas visiting a range of employers to ask about temp jobs over Christmas or possible jobs in the New Year. 99% of the time I was told 'vacancies are advertised on the website' and to apply through there, so that's what I did. Just shows that the internet is often easiest.

    Plus, the useless a4e man who ran a 'training' event told everyone to take a different area each day and phone up/visit/enquire. Now that's fine, but a business or whatever isn't going to want to be harassed by a number of people who keep ringing up or visiting to enquire about a job that isn't there! Chances are as well, they have their own recruitment process which the person will still have to go through. Then it comes down to again, circumstances of a job seeker, they may not have the money after bills and necessities to spend a horrendous amount of money, especially if they have to get public transport, on a wild goose chase.

    My main barrier to work is experience. I know this and am trying to find more voluntary work after my last one finished. Job Centre switch between being supportive and not supportive, I've stopped listening to what they say. Work Programme advisor said no at first and then changed her mind. I had to send her my speculative letter that I would send out to ask for volunteering opportunities. I sent her it a week ago and she's not bothered replying. If she hasn't replied by Monday, the letters go out anyway, I don't see why I should sit round being labeled as 'scrounger/ lazy/ work shy' when I'm waiting on the advice of someone who is supposed to 'help'.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 36,630
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    Just got back from the Job Centre and there was absolutely no mention of UJM nor of it becoming mandatory.

    I presume then that this is just being piloted in certain areas.
  • NicolaClareNicolaClare Posts: 488
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    The advisor who saw me said this to me:

    It's is not mandatory for you to sign, but the reason we ask for your permission to look on UJM is so we can check your activity history, we want to so this as we can save paper and it'll be easier for the you/the public to look at.
  • Ancient IDTVAncient IDTV Posts: 10,124
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    phill363 wrote: »
    This used to happen on New Deal, and you would sit in some pokey room at a table with nothing to do allday because you couldn't get on a computer because they would all be full.

    Haha, yeah, I went through that. For a couple of weeks there were about sixty of us in the centre, and never more than two members of staff. They had six computers, one printer, and not enough chairs for everyone.

    It got really grim sometimes. Staff being threatened with violence/ their cars vandalised, staff threatening to call the police if they found any more evidence of drug usage in the toilets, someone kept dropping all the toilet rolls into the toilet bowl, people trying to sneak out unobserved all the time, someone kept printing hundreds of ink-heavy identical pictures etc. The staff were abysmal.

    Not good.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 36,630
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    God yeah, I was on New Deal the last time I was unemployed several years ago.

    Several hundred people spread out across two buildings. The buildings were falling apart, the lifts would fail every other week leading to disabled clients having to be unceremoniously carried down the stairs and sent home, broken toilets, shite up the walls of some of the cubicles, 60 odd of us crammed into a room with one working computer, two that didn't work and a printer that lasted only a few days then wasn't repaired until my last day, advisers that spent most of their time outside smoking, chavs arrested on the premises for violence and threats etc. etc. We even had one guy arrested for groping some of the women sent on the courses.
  • CrimsonmonCrimsonmon Posts: 1,116
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    I didn't mind new deal, but then most days I just did sudoku in the morning then got let home at lunch.
  • Ancient IDTVAncient IDTV Posts: 10,124
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    Yeah, it was awful.

    Additional New Deal ramblings......

    Everyone had to choose a course to attend. I chose Warehouse Training, thinking I'd actually be getting work experience in a warehouse environment, using barcode scanners and computers. Not the case.

    There were three days in a classroom, listening to the 'instructor' droning on about his long ago days working as a brewery driver and copying the worthless drivel he wrote on a blackboard, a couple of safety videos from the 1980s, and on the last day we finally went into the warehouse. It was empty apart from a few empty cardboard boxes. We were then shown how to safely pick up a box, and then everyone had a posed photograph taken of them picking up a box. The whole thing took about half an hour.

    Warehouse Training..........
  • DiazDiaz Posts: 220
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    What is the latest news about this being made mandatory from 4th March? I cannot seem to find anything official on the DWP website.
  • karapote monkeykarapote monkey Posts: 3,688
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    sarah0890 wrote: »
    Agreed, but other factors still come into play.



    I've noticed the same jobs over and over again. I always get excited when I see a job I can apply for, to then find out that it's the same job I applied for yesterday through a different site with a few added words to the advert is a let down.

    Who ever thought of suggesting a 35 hour job search obviously doesn't live on this planet.



    To say someone who only uses the internet has no real intention of finding work is wrong, you don't know their circumstances.

    I don't rely on just the internet but there is only so much someone can do. I spent a lot of time especially just before Christmas visiting a range of employers to ask about temp jobs over Christmas or possible jobs in the New Year. 99% of the time I was told 'vacancies are advertised on the website' and to apply through there, so that's what I did. Just shows that the internet is often easiest.

    Plus, the useless a4e man who ran a 'training' event told everyone to take a different area each day and phone up/visit/enquire. Now that's fine, but a business or whatever isn't going to want to be harassed by a number of people who keep ringing up or visiting to enquire about a job that isn't there! Chances are as well, they have their own recruitment process which the person will still have to go through. Then it comes down to again, circumstances of a job seeker, they may not have the money after bills and necessities to spend a horrendous amount of money, especially if they have to get public transport, on a wild goose chase.

    My main barrier to work is experience. I know this and am trying to find more voluntary work after my last one finished. Job Centre switch between being supportive and not supportive, I've stopped listening to what they say. Work Programme advisor said no at first and then changed her mind. I had to send her my speculative letter that I would send out to ask for volunteering opportunities. I sent her it a week ago and she's not bothered replying. If she hasn't replied by Monday, the letters go out anyway, I don't see why I should sit round being labeled as 'scrounger/ lazy/ work shy' when I'm waiting on the advice of someone who is supposed to 'help'.

    I wouldn't even bother waiting. If you're going to send them regardless if she looks or not, you may aswell send them. She probably won't bother, there's no point in waiting around for others, do what's best for you.
  • jenziejenzie Posts: 20,821
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    phill363 wrote: »
    This used to happen on New Deal, and you would sit in some pokey room at a table with nothing to do allday because you couldn't get on a computer because they would all be full.

    but now the only difference with that is that SOMEONE ELSE DOES IT!!!
  • DiazDiaz Posts: 220
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    The advisor who saw me said this to me:

    It's is not mandatory for you to sign, but the reason we ask for your permission to look on UJM is so we can check your activity history, we want to so this as we can save paper and it'll be easier for the you/the public to look at.

    Did they say it is not mandatory for you to sign up at all or just that it is not mandatory to allow them access to your account?

    So many advisors are giving conflicting information it seems, my advisor said that I must sign up to Universal Jobmatch and if I do not allow the Jobcentre access I must print off jobs I have applied for.

    I would like to know exactly what the situation is.
  • DiazDiaz Posts: 220
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    Are we any nearer to knowing what exactly is going to happen from Monday? Any DWP documents available online yet that state UJ is mandatroy from 4th March?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 36,630
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    Diaz wrote: »
    Are we any nearer to knowing what exactly is going to happen from Monday? Any DWP documents available online yet that state UJ is mandatroy from 4th March?
    There's still a lot of confusion. It seems some people HAVE been given updated Job Seeker Directions that mandate people to sign up, but it doesn't appear to be in all areas. I signed on on Friday and was given no such direction, nor any information on UJM.

    However, the Consent Me blog has details of a Tweet from Unity (one of the major unions) that says the DWP are changing the rules so that it is to be mandatory from Monday, but the PCS Union itself hasn't released any statement or confirmation.

    So the truth is, we still don't know for definite.

    You CAN be mandated to sign up under a new JS agreement, but it doesn't appear every JC is doing that yet. If you aren't mandated, then don't sign up but if you are, take advice from here:
    http://consent.me.uk/2013/02/26/mandatory/
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 36,630
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    Incidentally, it seems some claimants are facing sanctions if they don't apply for jobs online, even where they have continued to apply for jobs offline:
    http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=22161
    Evidence collected showed instances of people being penalised at the Jobcentre for not applying for jobs online. This was even found to have happened when people had applied for jobs in writing or by phone due to their inability to use a computer.

    That's appalling, so if someone who has suffered the bedroom tax/LHA cuts and from April having to pay a chunk of their Council Tax, feel they have to cancel their broadband account they still face being sanctioned simply for not having access to the internet to apply for jobs online. :eek:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 36,630
    Forum Member
    An interesting article from an IT professional, looking at UJM, the security issues and the problems with fake job adverts and possible identity theft:
    https://speye.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/getting-benefit-and-have-a-facebook-account-oh-dear/

    I wasn't aware that Universal Credit will also incorporate Child Tax Credits, if that is the case then many, many more people will be brought into the system and have to face signing on, WorkFare, The Work Programme and possible sanctions than was originally thought. The author speculates this could mean almost everybody who earns less than £60k a year, which seems high to me so I am not sure how accurate that figure is. Up to what income level are CT credits paid?.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 349
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    A

    I wouldn't even bother waiting. If you're going to send them regardless if she looks or not, you may aswell send them. She probably won't bother, there's no point in waiting around for others, do what's best for you.

    Thanks for saying this. Makes me feel a little better that someone seems to understand what I'm saying. I've seen a friend today and she said that she will look over it for me, so I'm going to do that before I post them. My friend is much more reliable and it can't hurt to have someone else's opinion either.
  • CharnhamCharnham Posts: 61,157
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    amusing front page this evening

    https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/
  • DiazDiaz Posts: 220
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    Charnham wrote: »
    amusing front page this evening

    https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/

    What was it showing?
  • CaldariCaldari Posts: 5,890
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    Charnham wrote: »
    amusing front page this evening

    https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/

    What, this?
    This website uses cookies and we have put some cookies on your computer. We use cookies to help improve this website. You can find out more about how we use cookies in our Cookies policy.
    If you do not want us to put cookies on your computer, do not continue to use this website.
  • CharnhamCharnham Posts: 61,157
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    Diaz wrote: »
    What was it showing?
    yes its just gone back up

    a Monster logo, and saying it was off line, as upgrades were being made.

    This was planned (I think) but I had not expected to actually see the Monster logo on the website.
  • DiazDiaz Posts: 220
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    Charnham wrote: »
    yes its just gone back up

    a Monster logo, and saying it was off line, as upgrades were being made.

    This was planned (I think) but I had not expected to actually see the Monster logo on the website.

    Can you take a screenshot of it? There is no Monster logo for me.
  • jenziejenzie Posts: 20,821
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    EVERY SITE ON THE INTERNET uses cookies
    now they have to legally tell you they are, NOT they just started using them!
  • jenziejenzie Posts: 20,821
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    no, they scheduled maintanence today
  • DiazDiaz Posts: 220
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    jenzie wrote: »
    EVERY SITE ON THE INTERNET uses cookies
    now they have to legally tell you they are, NOT they just started using them!

    Difference is any other site the user has a completely free choice whether or not they want to use it, people are actually given written directions to use Universal Jobmatch. People have no free choice whether or not they want to have UJ cookies on their computer.
This discussion has been closed.