Have you contacted your local colleges and councils for advice about courses. If there are no suitable courses, there may be something similar. It is worth asking anyway. Good luck with finding work. I am sure something will turn up.
This is a great website, which offers help to anyone who needs it
Thanks for the link, I just checked to see if there are courses like that in my area and there isnt any in Kent at all, nearest is Macclesfield! but Im going to ring my local college this week and ask them, as the website might not be accurate. I'll try anything.
So I have quit my voluntary job and my last day is tomorrow, reason why I quit was because I was told by the manager of the place that I would be trained up (which I was) and after a month I'd be moving onto doing something better within the company. Three months down the line and they seemed to have backed off and are not keen on the idea now, they have had a lot of changes to staff as well and some of them were not happy or they had better opportunities elsewhere.
I didnt feel I was progressing well, I guess I could have stuck it for longer but getting up at 5am and working for nothing just didnt seem fun any more. I still have contacts within the job with people and have made friends which could prove an advantage as a lot of them said to me Im a nice lad and they will let me know if some paid work comes up straight away which is nice of them. I sign on this Tuesday and its my review day that I have at least once a month so will say what happened to my advisor who is surprisingly ok to me (unlike the other workers there who look down their noses at everyone)
Perhaps Im a fool to quit but I have told myself to not linger around anywhere that there isnt an opportunity to excel, if Im going to be stuck in one place for too long and for no pay then I shall move on. Its good for my CV anyway, a couple of months working at a radio station will make people sit up won't it
I have applied for over 200 jobs this year, but have not even had 1 phone call back or interview. There is nothing wrong with my CV apparently, Goodness knows how many people have "tweaked it" just about every advisor and tutor who looks at it says I should do XYZ to make it better, now I just have it how I want it, its still top draw and most employment people agree.
Tip is to have more than one CV and even tweak the contents to appeal to the company you are applying to. If its online, then they will be running some kind of autocheck for keywords.
So it is very demoralising, especailly as my JSA was stopped and the scum told me I was under investigation, which I have still yet to recieve an official letter which they are supposed to do.
Despite the picture the Tories paint, the truth is that for most average skilled jobs hundreds of people are applying for them, so its not surprising if you are not selected for an interview, there was one time at Job Club when a dozen of us sitting around the table were told "oh this job has just come on anyone interested? " 8 of us put hands up so 8 of us applied for it around the table.
One of the best ways to try and get work is to prove you can do it. This is where voluntary work can come in useful. Voluntary work is not just about charity shop till and stockroom work, you can obtain voluntary work in all kinds of places including musems and libraires. Many admin jobs are offered and if you do your work well, there is a chance you could be taken on.
Same applies for companies, if there is a dream job you know you can do and enjoy, then find a company who employs that kind of person, then ask if you can work for free on a trial for a few days.
Problem is though its not that easy, I have been doing voluntary work every week for past 3 years and the people I worked for just did not have any openings for me.
Anyway. Its grim at times, it maybe hard being branded lazy dole scum, but of course most of us unemployed want and desperatly need a job. which is easier said than done.
This is so utterly tragic, I feel very sorry for you talentedmonkey, & everyone else chasing jobs in these grim times. I am convinced the stupid JC rules about jobseekers being forced to apply for x amount of jobs per week to tick boxes & remain in their benefit remit overwhelms small businesses to the point they are swamped with unsuitable candidates and can't see the wood for the trees.
Did anyone see Extreme Job Hunter (dot.com) on BBC news this week? He made an excellent point about the so-called 'experts' that work at the job centre - he said they only work there as they can't get a job anywhere else so it's basically the blind leading the blind.
It is absolutely appalling Talentedmonkey it really is. Sorry to hear the DWP scum have sanctioned your JSA. Absolutely disgraceful that they are getting away with sanctioning benefits of GENUINE jobseekers, for stupid ridiculous reasons. And then expect these people to live on nothing for however long the sanction is in place, they just don't care about that! The way things are going with these Tories in government and MP's like George Osborne and Iain Duncan Smith it is only going to get worst.
Spotted these on Youtube. Depressing stuff though.
I've been advised I need to apply for at least 3 jobs per week. But some weeks there aren't 3 suitable jobs for me to apply for. There might only be 2 suitable for me, or 1, or some weeks even ZERO. Alternatively some weeks there may a good 6 or 7 or more suitable jobs to apply for, but the week after there could be only 1 suitable job for to apply for! But because of the way the Jobcentre and DWP operate and I don't want my JSA sanctioned and the anger, stress and financial hardship that will cause, I have to ensure I apply for at least 3 jobs per week even if some some of those are not suitable i.e. don't have enough experience/qualifications required, or job is too far away, etc. Lots of employers are probably finding they're getting loads of applications from unsuitable people, but that's because these people are applying for these "unsuitable" jobs to meet the strict "Jobseekers agreement" criteria and they don't want to risk their JSA being sanctioned!
Every time I sign on, whichever advisor sees me usually keeps asking about the Universal Jobmatch website and why I haven't gave the Jobcentre and DWP access to my account. I say I would prefer not to and it's not compulsory. But they have told me it soon will be and the paper jobsearch sheet will be scrapped. When that happens , it will get much worst I think as they'll find even more reasons/excuses to sanction genuine jobseekers benefits.
As I've said before a few times on other threads, these tory MP's don't have an absolute clue what it is like to be unemployed and trying to find work in the Britian of 2013!!!!
I was unemployed this year for the best part of 6 months.
I was applying for upwards of 20 jobs a week and had just two inteviews in that time.
My second interview resulted in a job offer and I am now back in the world of work.
I beat an internal candidate for the position who technically would have been better than me, I had 'transferrable skills' which suited them better.
Ironically the fact I was unemployed was also in my favour as they wanted someone who could start asap.
Two days after the interview they offered me the position and wanted me to start the next week.
So I would suggest to apply for any job where you feel you can bring something to the table, no matter how seemingly small; you never know where it may lead
I would also say to take any education/training course going. My OH has not worked for a long long time and she is doing a five week Business Adminstration course, organised by the job centre.
Irrespective of where it leads, she meets people in the same situation and can chew the fat. It has done wonders for her self confidence and has given her renewed enthusiasm in her job hunt.
Ok I have been offered a job by an agency, its full time and £7.50 an hour.... but there is a problem..
Its around 25 miles away and train fairs are way too expensive and comes to nearly £300 a month! take out the tax from this 39 hour a week job after tax etc Im left with hardly anything plus I have stuff coming out of my banks so whichever bank the pay goes in I'd be losing out Id be worse off than I am now on Job Seekers! how is that possible? cant believe after all the maths I did on it I'd be worse off Im trying anything I can to find work but just dont seem to be lucky, if this job was local say a few miles away or within easy reach on the bus or train it wouldn't be an issue.
I applied for a job today via email, sent my CV and covering letter. Then I get an email back asking me to complete a survey or else they wont take my application any further! weird! anyone else had this? the survey was pretty much what I covered in my covering letter and I found I was repeating what I already wrote, very strange!
AAAGGHHH this job hunting is nightmare, I feel like screaming. I have been applying for work for quite a while, and no luck. I worked in a call centre up to the end of the Summer and hated it and would be applying for other jobs on my time off. My contract wasn't renewed ( as the boss had a habit of offering full time jobs to his friends children ) and I was let go. I have applied for so many jobs and never hear back. I have tweaked my CV around a million times and am so frustrated. I am sick of people asking have you found work yet? I know they are being nice but it depresses me I can;t find work. I am doing some volunteer work but that's it. I am sick of this recession ;( and feel like a total looser.
I have applied for over 200 jobs this year, but have not even had 1 phone call back or interview. There is nothing wrong with my CV apparently, Goodness knows how many people have "tweaked it" just about every advisor and tutor who looks at it says I should do XYZ to make it better, now I just have it how I want it, its still top draw and most employment people agree.
Tip is to have more than one CV and even tweak the contents to appeal to the company you are applying to. If its online, then they will be running some kind of autocheck for keywords.
So it is very demoralising, especailly as my JSA was stopped and the scum told me I was under investigation, which I have still yet to recieve an official letter which they are supposed to do.
Despite the picture the Tories paint, the truth is that for most average skilled jobs hundreds of people are applying for them, so its not surprising if you are not selected for an interview, there was one time at Job Club when a dozen of us sitting around the table were told "oh this job has just come on anyone interested? " 8 of us put hands up so 8 of us applied for it around the table.
One of the best ways to try and get work is to prove you can do it. This is where voluntary work can come in useful. Voluntary work is not just about charity shop till and stockroom work, you can obtain voluntary work in all kinds of places including musems and libraires. Many admin jobs are offered and if you do your work well, there is a chance you could be taken on.
Same applies for companies, if there is a dream job you know you can do and enjoy, then find a company who employs that kind of person, then ask if you can work for free on a trial for a few days.
Problem is though its not that easy, I have been doing voluntary work every week for past 3 years and the people I worked for just did not have any openings for me.
Anyway. Its grim at times, it maybe hard being branded lazy dole scum, but of course most of us unemployed want and desperatly need a job. which is easier said than done.
Goodness me, I sincerly hope there is some light at the end of the tunnel. And that goes out to the other contributors.
When I was out of work, job hunting was depressing and I felt there was nothing for me to wake up for. You send dozens of applications, spend ages getting the CV and covering letter "right" and when you do get an offer, it does not take into consideration transport and food.
This government do not offer stable, long term jobs. In fact they have driven out one of my relatives to Germany, where she feels her skills would be more appriciated.
Sorry to hear everyones having a tough time not finding work, its the same for me too I have done my job searching for most of the morning and part of the afternoon and I just cant find anything that I am qualified or have experience in. When I do find something its too far away, in a place I cant get to on public transport and the other one that annoys me intensely is the ones where their so far away and the part time hours are not even enough to cover the travel to get there! pointless!
Seems like most places are already getting in or got the Christmas temps so Im out of luck although I have been applying like crazy.
Hey. Just discovered this thread thanks to a new one
Anyway im still job searching. Have been since July of last year Had a few interviews between then and now. I had one before christmas and they said they would get back to me a week later, did they? No. So i was left hanging. They say you always get in at a job if you know someone and this has kind of worked in my favour.
My grandmothers carer works in a shop in a city half & hour away from me, she put in a word for me after i put in my CV and their application form which i had to fill out. About a couple of weeks later the carer told my grandmother that the boss has seen my application form and was impressed, but unfortenly, this was before Xmas mind, unfortenly she wouldnt employ me before christmas as they needed someone experienced, but they would contact me in January. So January rolls around and on Wednesday the carer said they are looking to contact me once they have sorted things out as three people are leaving, one being the carer to become a paramedic and the other two had a arguement. Im just sitting here now waiting for a phonecall from them soon hopefully.
Despite it being a new year i have found the job market to be a bit dry, especially in my areas of work. I had a visit from some people today to try and entice me onto a princes trust course, 5 days a week starting soon. Some of the projects included community projects, teamwork, health and hygiene certificates, grades and work experience. Ive done this all before as i did a princes trust course the first year at college so wasnt interested at all, the only bit that would benefit me would be the work experience and they could hopefully get me into that store if they didnt want me. But apart from that im not interested.
I've been searching for a new job for the last 6 months after being made redundant. Despite working for 25+ years it is very frustrating that I am only entitled to job seekers allowance for 6 months and now that has come to an end. So much for all the tax I paid over the years. As my husband is working I'm not going to get anything from now on and its going to be very hard to manage.
I thought that given my experience and qualifications it would be relatively easy to get a job but despite applying for hundreds I haven't got an offer yet. It is very depressing and very demoralising. It has really dented my self-esteem and made me feel worthless. Ex colleagues keep asking if I have found anything yet and can't understand why I don't have another job. People who have not experienced this have no idea what it is like. I do think there is a lot of ageism around too. I am over 50 and to many that is just the scrapheap but I can't afford to retire now.
I went to see an agency yesterday to ask why they hadn't put me forward for anything and the consultant told me that my previous salary was too high. I had already agreed to drop by a large amount but all the jobs coming in were even smaller salaries than that. She seemed to think I would be lucky to get another job on half the money now as salaries have dropped so much.
There is something seriously wrong when people are working full time and scrimping to afford to get to work, let alone pay for everything else.
I would like to add that I too have had my CV tweaked numerous times (it's a whole industry in itself now) and am fed up with the constant assertions that you must be doing something wrong. I got down to the final 2 for a job and then the other candidate was picked. I was very down when talking to my job centre advisor who made me feel that I must have done something wrong in the interview. I knew that I had done my best and how can I possibly be expected to know why they picked the other candidate over me?
I guess you have probably noticed that the attitude of some posters on this forum towards the unemployed is really ignorant and offensive as well.
Ok I have been offered a job by an agency, its full time and £7.50 an hour.... but there is a problem..
Its around 25 miles away and train fairs are way too expensive and comes to nearly £300 a month! take out the tax from this 39 hour a week job after tax etc Im left with hardly anything plus I have stuff coming out of my banks so whichever bank the pay goes in I'd be losing out Id be worse off than I am now on Job Seekers! how is that possible? cant believe after all the maths I did on it I'd be worse off Im trying anything I can to find work but just dont seem to be lucky, if this job was local say a few miles away or within easy reach on the bus or train it wouldn't be an issue.
Gah! just my luck
Hope everyone else is doing ok.
This is a dilemma. Is it worth taking the job just to get back into work and then to continue looking for something else?
Am sitting here crying because the man at the job centre was just so rude to me. Told them I had applied for 20 jobs this week, attended an interview and went on a weekend course trying to find work. All have not come to anything.
He asked how many agencies I was registered with and how often I contacted them. I replied that I was contacting agencies everyday. Then he told me that if I was applying and not getting selected there must be something wrong with my writing skills. I am educated to degree level and have managed my own correspondence in work for over 25 years. I was so upset that I walked out.
Every time you don't get offered something IT IS YOUR FAULT. They certainly know how to undermine your confidence and make you feel utterly worthless. Twice recently I have left the job centre contemplating suicide and if I feel like this then there must be many others that do too.
Am sitting here crying because the man at the job centre was just so rude to me. Told them I had applied for 20 jobs this week, attended an interview and went on a weekend course trying to find work. All have not come to anything.
He asked how many agencies I was registered with and how often I contacted them. I replied that I was contacting agencies everyday. Then he told me that if I was applying and not getting selected there must be something wrong with my writing skills. I am educated to degree level and have managed my own correspondence in work for over 25 years. I was so upset that I walked out.
Every time you don't get offered something IT IS YOUR FAULT. They certainly know how to undermine your confidence and make you feel utterly worthless. Twice recently I have left the job centre contemplating suicide and if I feel like this then there must be many others that do too.
I know it's so easy to say but don't let them get you down. It's not excuse to make anyone feel like that but they do need to be hard faced as not all people they see are genuine.
My brother was recently in a an unemployment gap and was in a real rut (his own words) so I said to him try setting daily goal, apply for a job one day, investigate other lines of work another and every day I text him asking what today's goal was, within a month he'd got a Christmas temp job which he has successfully turned into full time employment.
I've actually taken my own advise and have daily reminders for goals I want to achieve.
Keep your head up and keep trying, all you need to be able to say is; I've done my best.
So i have been referred to the dreaded work programme. My previous advisor told me that i can complain about the decision to refer me to the work programme if i needed, can you do this? I got the letter today outlining the two week "gateway activity". Personally, i think this is a waste of my time when i could be doing jobsearch off my own back, i'll get things done quicker too.
Just what do you do during the work programme sessions? Are they like the old New Deal courses where you sit in a box room full of people with limited computers looking through the same papers every day?
During the summer my company went through yet another re organisation and reduced its workforce by 20%. I'd been fairly up satisfied in my job for a while so the redundancy news gave me a kick up the complacency and I got my CV up to date.
Even after not being made redundant I got a call from a recruitment agency asking me if I wanted to apply for a job at another company in their IT department. I thought why not and went for an interview in November and then back for a second interview in December. I start my new job on the 10th February.
It's amazing the number of people who've done the same after not getting made redundant. I'm guessing like me they updated their CV when redundancies were announced and didn't stop looking when they found out they weren't. I get on well with my colleagues so I hope it isn't rats leaving a sinking ship but it feels like it.
Am sitting here crying because the man at the job centre was just so rude to me. Told them I had applied for 20 jobs this week, attended an interview and went on a weekend course trying to find work. All have not come to anything.
He asked how many agencies I was registered with and how often I contacted them. I replied that I was contacting agencies everyday. Then he told me that if I was applying and not getting selected there must be something wrong with my writing skills. I am educated to degree level and have managed my own correspondence in work for over 25 years. I was so upset that I walked out.
Every time you don't get offered something IT IS YOUR FAULT. They certainly know how to undermine your confidence and make you feel utterly worthless. Twice recently I have left the job centre contemplating suicide and if I feel like this then there must be many others that do too.
Hope you're having a better day today. Don't let them get you down (easier said than done I know as everytime I come out of that place I feel about a centimetre tall).
Have you thought about doing any voluntary work in either your chosen field or something that interests you? It would give you something for your CV and you never know where it would lead.
So i have been referred to the dreaded work programme. My previous advisor told me that i can complain about the decision to refer me to the work programme if i needed, can you do this? I got the letter today outlining the two week "gateway activity". Personally, i think this is a waste of my time when i could be doing jobsearch off my own back, i'll get things done quicker too.
Just what do you do during the work programme sessions? Are they like the old New Deal courses where you sit in a box room full of people with limited computers looking through the same papers every day?
Ah which one? I'm with A4e and I would describe it useless at best. My advisor although nice, hasn't done anything for me. They're not happy with me volunteering even though interview feedback has always been about experience so you would think they would back my decision to go out and gain that experience to help my get a job. I've only done one job search with them, I ended up speaking loudly to the receptionist who got my name wrong AGAIN after me telling her every time I've been to there, half of the job websites are blocked, the man running it insulted me by telling me I ought to get qualifications (I have A levels & a degree) and I sat there wasting my time for two hours googling places on maps and travel pages to see if I couuld get there - to make it look like I was doing something!
Ah which one? I'm with A4e and I would describe it useless at best. My advisor although nice, hasn't done anything for me. They're not happy with me volunteering even though interview feedback has always been about experience so you would think they would back my decision to go out and gain that experience to help my get a job. I've only done one job search with them, I ended up speaking loudly to the receptionist who got my name wrong AGAIN after me telling her every time I've been to there, half of the job websites are blocked, the man running it insulted me by telling me I ought to get qualifications (I have A levels & a degree) and I sat there wasting my time for two hours googling places on maps and travel pages to see if I couuld get there - to make it look like I was doing something!
They've referred me to the Seetec provider. I've dealt with them before when the work programme was known as "New Deal" when i was out of work in 2008. All that consisted of was a box room with six computers and a very heavy censor filter that blocked every word that had the letters 'sex' in it and you had to apply to the technician to get the word you wanted removed from the filter.
You would be there from 9.30am - 4.30pm with other people looking for work reading through the same papers looking at the same jobs with an hours lunch break and a 15 minute break in the morning and after lunch.
What they don't realize is that the work programme is taking up your time when you could be actively out there looking for work yourself or volunteering instead of being stuck in a room 9-4 every day for two years.
Thought I'd resurrect this thread after almost 2 years
How's it all going ?
I'm 20 in March and I currently do BANK work for the local mental health services provider
Health care isn't even what I want to do but I'm merely doing it because It's better than nothing
Because hours aren't regular, I'm still looking for a new part time or full time job, looking for an apprenticeship also, but because I've currently got some income on top of my universal Credit I'm not all that desperate so I can afford to take things easy for a few days a week
Thought I'd resurrect this thread after almost 2 years
How's it all going ?
I'm 20 in March and I currently do BANK work for the local mental health services provider
Health care isn't even what I want to do but I'm merely doing it because It's better than nothing
Because hours aren't regular, I'm still looking for a new part time or full time job, looking for an apprenticeship also, but because I've currently got some income on top of my universal Credit I'm not all that desperate so I can afford to take things easy for a few days a week
How is everybody else doing on this thread ?
That certainly would be a good option to aim for since there would be training and a job afterwards. It might even be worth using the internet to find any suitable apprenticeships locally and ask their personnel/human resources departments about applying. If any applications result in interviews, the internet is useful for finding out about companies and organisations prior to an interview. Good luck!
Wow my old thread resurrected. Hope everyone is doing ok? Ive been in about 3 jobs since 2013 and all were temp, I last worked in July 2015 so now back on the dole. Im on a work program and Im sitting in a room job searching which is demoralising to say the least.
Wow my old thread resurrected. Hope everyone is doing ok? Ive been in about 3 jobs since 2013 and all were temp, I last worked in July 2015 so now back on the dole. Im on a work program and Im sitting in a room job searching which is demoralising to say the least.
Firstly, you have my very best wishes in finding a job. I also know how frustrating it can be to try to convert an application into an interview and then convert the interview into the job itself. What I did in between my main jobs was try and do agency work.
Comments
Thanks for the link, I just checked to see if there are courses like that in my area and there isnt any in Kent at all, nearest is Macclesfield! but Im going to ring my local college this week and ask them, as the website might not be accurate. I'll try anything.
I didnt feel I was progressing well, I guess I could have stuck it for longer but getting up at 5am and working for nothing just didnt seem fun any more. I still have contacts within the job with people and have made friends which could prove an advantage as a lot of them said to me Im a nice lad and they will let me know if some paid work comes up straight away which is nice of them. I sign on this Tuesday and its my review day that I have at least once a month so will say what happened to my advisor who is surprisingly ok to me (unlike the other workers there who look down their noses at everyone)
Perhaps Im a fool to quit but I have told myself to not linger around anywhere that there isnt an opportunity to excel, if Im going to be stuck in one place for too long and for no pay then I shall move on. Its good for my CV anyway, a couple of months working at a radio station will make people sit up won't it
This is so utterly tragic, I feel very sorry for you talentedmonkey, & everyone else chasing jobs in these grim times. I am convinced the stupid JC rules about jobseekers being forced to apply for x amount of jobs per week to tick boxes & remain in their benefit remit overwhelms small businesses to the point they are swamped with unsuitable candidates and can't see the wood for the trees.
Did anyone see Extreme Job Hunter (dot.com) on BBC news this week? He made an excellent point about the so-called 'experts' that work at the job centre - he said they only work there as they can't get a job anywhere else so it's basically the blind leading the blind.
Spotted these on Youtube. Depressing stuff though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWqIYwJ99tA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViJcHXRM0mc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZdXXFqcqfQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqegujnGX4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfnGDDTWOZ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLgg75stn4
I've been advised I need to apply for at least 3 jobs per week. But some weeks there aren't 3 suitable jobs for me to apply for. There might only be 2 suitable for me, or 1, or some weeks even ZERO. Alternatively some weeks there may a good 6 or 7 or more suitable jobs to apply for, but the week after there could be only 1 suitable job for to apply for! But because of the way the Jobcentre and DWP operate and I don't want my JSA sanctioned and the anger, stress and financial hardship that will cause, I have to ensure I apply for at least 3 jobs per week even if some some of those are not suitable i.e. don't have enough experience/qualifications required, or job is too far away, etc. Lots of employers are probably finding they're getting loads of applications from unsuitable people, but that's because these people are applying for these "unsuitable" jobs to meet the strict "Jobseekers agreement" criteria and they don't want to risk their JSA being sanctioned!
Every time I sign on, whichever advisor sees me usually keeps asking about the Universal Jobmatch website and why I haven't gave the Jobcentre and DWP access to my account. I say I would prefer not to and it's not compulsory. But they have told me it soon will be and the paper jobsearch sheet will be scrapped. When that happens , it will get much worst I think as they'll find even more reasons/excuses to sanction genuine jobseekers benefits.
As I've said before a few times on other threads, these tory MP's don't have an absolute clue what it is like to be unemployed and trying to find work in the Britian of 2013!!!!
I was applying for upwards of 20 jobs a week and had just two inteviews in that time.
My second interview resulted in a job offer and I am now back in the world of work.
I beat an internal candidate for the position who technically would have been better than me, I had 'transferrable skills' which suited them better.
Ironically the fact I was unemployed was also in my favour as they wanted someone who could start asap.
Two days after the interview they offered me the position and wanted me to start the next week.
So I would suggest to apply for any job where you feel you can bring something to the table, no matter how seemingly small; you never know where it may lead
I would also say to take any education/training course going. My OH has not worked for a long long time and she is doing a five week Business Adminstration course, organised by the job centre.
Irrespective of where it leads, she meets people in the same situation and can chew the fat. It has done wonders for her self confidence and has given her renewed enthusiasm in her job hunt.
Good luck
Its around 25 miles away and train fairs are way too expensive and comes to nearly £300 a month! take out the tax from this 39 hour a week job after tax etc Im left with hardly anything plus I have stuff coming out of my banks so whichever bank the pay goes in I'd be losing out Id be worse off than I am now on Job Seekers! how is that possible? cant believe after all the maths I did on it I'd be worse off
Gah! just my luck
Hope everyone else is doing ok.
I applied for a job today via email, sent my CV and covering letter. Then I get an email back asking me to complete a survey or else they wont take my application any further! weird! anyone else had this? the survey was pretty much what I covered in my covering letter and I found I was repeating what I already wrote, very strange!
When I was out of work, job hunting was depressing and I felt there was nothing for me to wake up for. You send dozens of applications, spend ages getting the CV and covering letter "right" and when you do get an offer, it does not take into consideration transport and food.
This government do not offer stable, long term jobs. In fact they have driven out one of my relatives to Germany, where she feels her skills would be more appriciated.
Seems like most places are already getting in or got the Christmas temps so Im out of luck although I have been applying like crazy.
Anyway im still job searching. Have been since July of last year
My grandmothers carer works in a shop in a city half & hour away from me, she put in a word for me after i put in my CV and their application form which i had to fill out. About a couple of weeks later the carer told my grandmother that the boss has seen my application form and was impressed, but unfortenly, this was before Xmas mind, unfortenly she wouldnt employ me before christmas as they needed someone experienced, but they would contact me in January. So January rolls around and on Wednesday the carer said they are looking to contact me once they have sorted things out as three people are leaving, one being the carer to become a paramedic and the other two had a arguement. Im just sitting here now waiting for a phonecall from them soon hopefully.
Despite it being a new year i have found the job market to be a bit dry, especially in my areas of work. I had a visit from some people today to try and entice me onto a princes trust course, 5 days a week starting soon. Some of the projects included community projects, teamwork, health and hygiene certificates, grades and work experience. Ive done this all before as i did a princes trust course the first year at college so wasnt interested at all, the only bit that would benefit me would be the work experience and they could hopefully get me into that store if they didnt want me. But apart from that im not interested.
I thought that given my experience and qualifications it would be relatively easy to get a job but despite applying for hundreds I haven't got an offer yet. It is very depressing and very demoralising. It has really dented my self-esteem and made me feel worthless. Ex colleagues keep asking if I have found anything yet and can't understand why I don't have another job. People who have not experienced this have no idea what it is like. I do think there is a lot of ageism around too. I am over 50 and to many that is just the scrapheap but I can't afford to retire now.
I went to see an agency yesterday to ask why they hadn't put me forward for anything and the consultant told me that my previous salary was too high. I had already agreed to drop by a large amount but all the jobs coming in were even smaller salaries than that. She seemed to think I would be lucky to get another job on half the money now as salaries have dropped so much.
There is something seriously wrong when people are working full time and scrimping to afford to get to work, let alone pay for everything else.
I guess you have probably noticed that the attitude of some posters on this forum towards the unemployed is really ignorant and offensive as well.
This is a dilemma. Is it worth taking the job just to get back into work and then to continue looking for something else?
He asked how many agencies I was registered with and how often I contacted them. I replied that I was contacting agencies everyday. Then he told me that if I was applying and not getting selected there must be something wrong with my writing skills. I am educated to degree level and have managed my own correspondence in work for over 25 years. I was so upset that I walked out.
Every time you don't get offered something IT IS YOUR FAULT. They certainly know how to undermine your confidence and make you feel utterly worthless. Twice recently I have left the job centre contemplating suicide and if I feel like this then there must be many others that do too.
I know it's so easy to say but don't let them get you down. It's not excuse to make anyone feel like that but they do need to be hard faced as not all people they see are genuine.
My brother was recently in a an unemployment gap and was in a real rut (his own words) so I said to him try setting daily goal, apply for a job one day, investigate other lines of work another and every day I text him asking what today's goal was, within a month he'd got a Christmas temp job which he has successfully turned into full time employment.
I've actually taken my own advise and have daily reminders for goals I want to achieve.
Keep your head up and keep trying, all you need to be able to say is; I've done my best.
Just what do you do during the work programme sessions? Are they like the old New Deal courses where you sit in a box room full of people with limited computers looking through the same papers every day?
Even after not being made redundant I got a call from a recruitment agency asking me if I wanted to apply for a job at another company in their IT department. I thought why not and went for an interview in November and then back for a second interview in December. I start my new job on the 10th February.
It's amazing the number of people who've done the same after not getting made redundant. I'm guessing like me they updated their CV when redundancies were announced and didn't stop looking when they found out they weren't. I get on well with my colleagues so I hope it isn't rats leaving a sinking ship but it feels like it.
Anyway I've got a leaving do to plan!!
Hope you're having a better day today. Don't let them get you down (easier said than done I know as everytime I come out of that place I feel about a centimetre tall).
Have you thought about doing any voluntary work in either your chosen field or something that interests you? It would give you something for your CV and you never know where it would lead.
Ah which one? I'm with A4e and I would describe it useless at best. My advisor although nice, hasn't done anything for me. They're not happy with me volunteering even though interview feedback has always been about experience so you would think they would back my decision to go out and gain that experience to help my get a job. I've only done one job search with them, I ended up speaking loudly to the receptionist who got my name wrong AGAIN after me telling her every time I've been to there, half of the job websites are blocked, the man running it insulted me by telling me I ought to get qualifications (I have A levels & a degree) and I sat there wasting my time for two hours googling places on maps and travel pages to see if I couuld get there - to make it look like I was doing something!
They've referred me to the Seetec provider. I've dealt with them before when the work programme was known as "New Deal" when i was out of work in 2008. All that consisted of was a box room with six computers and a very heavy censor filter that blocked every word that had the letters 'sex' in it and you had to apply to the technician to get the word you wanted removed from the filter.
You would be there from 9.30am - 4.30pm with other people looking for work reading through the same papers looking at the same jobs with an hours lunch break and a 15 minute break in the morning and after lunch.
What they don't realize is that the work programme is taking up your time when you could be actively out there looking for work yourself or volunteering instead of being stuck in a room 9-4 every day for two years.
How's it all going ?
I'm 20 in March and I currently do BANK work for the local mental health services provider
Health care isn't even what I want to do but I'm merely doing it because It's better than nothing
Because hours aren't regular, I'm still looking for a new part time or full time job, looking for an apprenticeship also, but because I've currently got some income on top of my universal Credit I'm not all that desperate so I can afford to take things easy for a few days a week
How is everybody else doing on this thread ?
That certainly would be a good option to aim for since there would be training and a job afterwards. It might even be worth using the internet to find any suitable apprenticeships locally and ask their personnel/human resources departments about applying. If any applications result in interviews, the internet is useful for finding out about companies and organisations prior to an interview. Good luck!
Firstly, you have my very best wishes in finding a job. I also know how frustrating it can be to try to convert an application into an interview and then convert the interview into the job itself. What I did in between my main jobs was try and do agency work.