The Why Don't You Get a Job Thread

[Frankie Crisp]

It may not be the norm to post vacancies in here, but I've had the Mod nod so we'll see how it goes.

Our business is growing rapidly and steadily and we've recently advertised some jobs to join our development team, so if anyone local to Liverpool wants to/knows anyone looking for work then they're welcome to get in touch. The latest roles we have are for two Junior Developers, spec below:

Essential: Java with Spring/Hibernate, MySQL, AngularJS

Advantegeous: Git, TDD, API integration, AWS console management, chart/map integration (amCharts ideally)

Someone with a really good UI/UX approach is needed, as our software is for corporate use but we aim to deliver it so training and familiarisation is minimal for users.

The role is based in Liverpool City Centre and all of our team are placed on a Personal Development Plan to provide career progression. We usually put our new team members on a starting salary for their first six months and then pending a performance review, they'll be given a pay-rise and issued with the first (mutually agreed) phase of their PDP. The PDP bring bonuses and further pay-rise as targets are met. Usual office hours but a really relaxed environment, casual dress code and early darts and beers on a Friday. We've recently secured some large client deals, one of which is with a massive international company so our business size will be growing sharpish and it's a great time to join.

We'll have some PHP roles coming up in May/June and would happily keep CVs on file if that back-end language is more suited to someone on the lookout.

Best to DM me for formal company/contact details so we don't get weirdos or bots causing mayhem.

And you saw this on LinkedIn, not a wrestling forum. OKAY?

Edited February 20, 2018 by Frankie Crisp

[ColinBollocks]

Anyone on here have any experience working in support work etc? How do you find it? I'm after a bit of a career change because I'm bored of my current career, and my new(ish) boss has sort of crippled my enthusiasm and some of my confidence.

I've obviously got no experience, but is that a massive hindrance for most employers? Also, how tricky is the interview?

Anyone that can help is a prince.

Edited March 10, 2018 by ColinBollocks

[hallicks]

They'll probably ask you if you have any questions, so try and think of one. I couldn't think of any when they put me on the spot, happened in each of my 3 interviews! Edit: for my current job, I mean. 

Edited March 13, 2018 by hallicks
Current

[Chris B]

I always find "What's the average day like?" is a good question if you're asked for one (although I'm in marketing, where there's never a straightforward answer to that, which usually lets you talk about your ability to balance priorities, etc). Alternatively, "Are there any areas I haven't covered, or have I said anything that might raise concern that I could address?" has given me a second chance to sell myself on some things.

[Carbomb]

1 minute ago, Chris B said:

I always find "What's the average day like?" is a good question if you're asked for one (although I'm in marketing, where there's never a straightforward answer to that, which usually lets you talk about your ability to balance priorities, etc). Alternatively, "Are there any areas I haven't covered, or have I said anything that might raise concern that I could address?" has given me a second chance to sell myself on some things.

I can vouch for the effectiveness of that second question. I used this (at Chris B's suggestion), and got the job - although, obviously, it wouldn't have been all down to that, but I definitely felt like it helped. The reactions of the interviewers gave me that impression.

Also, another question that I've found works really well is if you turn a classic of theirs on its head, and ask "Assuming I get the job and I do well, where do you see me in five years' time?" You get to bypass a predictable question that most interviewees find annoying, but it also impresses them that you put the ball in their court, and that you're thinking ahead of them.

[BomberPat]

"What's the average day like?" has always been my go-to, in case no possible questions come up during the interview itself. You can pretty much guarantee that the answer, regardless of the job, will come down to, "Oh, well, no two days are the same!"

[CAREBEAR LUVVA]

On 10/03/2018 at 10:21 PM, ColinBollocks said:

Anyone on here have any experience working in support work etc? How do you find it? I'm after a bit of a career change because I'm bored of my current career, and my new(ish) boss has sort of crippled my enthusiasm and some of my confidence.

I've obviously got no experience, but is that a massive hindrance for most employers? Also, how tricky is the interview?

Anyone that can help is a prince.

I've been in that sort of area for going on 8 years now. I went for three or four interviews around the same time, and ended up being offered all of them despite having no previous experience at all at the time. I came to realise that support workers are pretty thin on the ground, and most places are crying out for people to work for them. Give them the "no experience but more than happy to do any training" sort of line (because there will definitely be some training involved before you start work) and you'll most likely be offered the job. You'll need a current DBS certificate, but a lot of employers will organise this for you if needed.

Something to be aware of is that if you take a job with an agency, you might end up being sent all over the place until you've firmly got your foot in the door. As the newbie you'll most likely be at the top of the list when they're ringing round trying to fill any shifts that they already know nobody else will agree to doing (ie. the particularly grim ones). If you're getting enough regular hours, don't be afraid to say no to any extra shifts, even if it makes you feel like you're being awkward. Some places can really take advantage if they think you're a pushover. Also, there's a chance that the job you apply for might not be the job you actually end up with. As an example, I applied for a job with someone who was described in the advert as a 24 year old music fan whose main interests are watching films and going to gigs. I got the job, and found I was going to be working with a 30-something year old who was into football and pubs and had no interest in music or films whatsoever. After a while I brought it up with my manager who admitted the "24 year old music fan" didn't even exist - it was completely made up to get people to apply for a job with the company. You get the same thing with locations as well, so if an advert says they're looking for support workers in a certain area, it doesn't mean that's where you'll actually end up working. A lot of companies are so short on staff that they create adverts that sound appealing just to get people in, then send you to someone completely different. 

Not wanting to sound all doom and gloom, but it's all stuff that's worth knowing before you take the plunge yourself. Some places will mention all this sort of stuff during the interview (there's a thinking that if they give you the negatives and you still want the job then you're more likely to stick around when you find out what's actually involved), but other places will gloss over the negatives to make you think it's all going to be a piece of piss with nothing to worry about.

Over the years I've found that your job satisfaction basically comes down to how much you get on with the person you're working with. One to one support (ie. working on my own with the person I'm supporting) was fine for a while, but over time it got more and more difficult as I was the main carer for someone who came to depend on me pretty much 24 hours a day. Even days off weren't really days off, as he'd be constantly ringing and texting "just for a chat". We didn't have anything in common at all, and to be honest things got pretty bleak at times. The pay wasn't great either, which is still the case with a lot of support jobs. At one point I was doing five 16-hour shifts a week, and barely had any spare cash left at the end of the month.

I changed track and moved into classroom/learning support with kids with learning difficulties which was pretty fantastic, then ended up being privately employed by one of the students when he left school. I'd definitely recommend going for private employment if you can find it. No unreasonable demands from pushy agencies, working with a bunch of people who all get along really well, the lad we're supporting gets up to all kinds of interesting stuff, and with the added bonus of the pay being much better than any other support work I've had before. 

A final note, something else to bear in mind is whether or not you can cope with "personal care". It isn't guaranteed to be part of the job (depends if they're able to go on their own or not), but taking someone for a dump and cleaning them up afterwards isn't everyone's cup of tea...

[ColinBollocks]

Thanks, @CAREBEAR LUVVA. Appreciated.

For the most part, do you find it enjoyable and how much can you earn with a few years experience in the job - a mate reckons his sister is on around £20k-ish doing Care work with the elderly? (DM me if you want). It's a little unsettling that people always bring up the worst parts of the job whenever I ask, even if I'm aware. I'm already unhappy doing what I'm doing so switching to something that people don't enjoy is maybe not for me, IDK.

I'm at a weird crossroads right now. My current job is misery so I don't know if I should change career by doing care/support work which I always thought could be a worthwhile (if low paid) endeavour, or get a job at some random Boots or something and head back to Uni this year and finish my degree in Graphic Design for more opportunities and to polish up my portfolio which has collected dust in my current role. Of course, no guarantee I'd get a great design job after the year.

Edited March 13, 2018 by ColinBollocks

[CAREBEAR LUVVA]

It can be the most amazing job in the world, but it definitely has its down sides as well. But then you get highs and lows with pretty much any job. It's great to know you've helped someone do something they might not have been able to do otherwise (not wanting to sound soft but there have been a fair few joy-cries over the years), but in the past I've felt like I've been breaking my back all week and nobody's noticed or appreciated anything I've done. Not that I was ever expecting a round of applause every time I do something, but being treated like you're "just one of the staff" isn't much fun when you consider how much you might be having to do for somebody. I'm sure you could apply that to any number of other jobs as well though. My current job is by far the best I've had. We have a right laugh, get up to all kinds of stuff that I genuinely find really interesting, and it ends up not even feeling like work. It comes back to finding the right people to work with, I guess. If you get on with them, things are much easier/more fun than they might be otherwise.

I've not come across any support jobs in the 20k region, but it depends on your role and how many hours you're willing to put in. Some places will pay more for overnights and weekends, but that depends on whether or not you'd want to work those sort of hours. The more specialised areas tend to pay more (working with people with complex needs, for example), and of course it pays more again if you were to end up as a team leader or even moving into a management sort of role. The office side of support work pays better than being an actual support worker, but I could never be arsed with the stress and headaches that are involved with doing something like that. There's a reason why care companies have such a high turnover of office staff!

[Keith Houchen]

A couple I ask that always sets them on the back foot are "What is it about this company that keeps you here" and "What is your proudest moment working here", it gives them a chance to expand on things they've done and they always like doing that, shows that you have an interest in what can be achieved as well.

 

Best of luck.

[drkopen]

On a similar line I used to ask the question "why should I want/choose to work for xyz?"

It reverses the roles a bit and gets them to sell the company to you. If they can't it's a bit of a red light.

[ColinBollocks]

Best of luck, Ralphy.

[Keith Houchen]

Quite honestly, Ralphy, the best thing you can do now is to not give it another thought.  You have done all you can to influence the decision making process so try not to worry over it or think about it too much.

[Bellenda Carlisle]

It sounds like you were relaxed and enthusiastic about the job Ralphy, I've hired people with less experience because they seemed more fun to be around or were more excited about the job so you never know, good luck.

[Briefcase]

I have said this a few times on here but to me every interview is a good practise and good experience and you will learn from them, even if its almost remembering your script to sell yourself. 

When I was looking for jobs I had quite a number of interviews and learned what to say and what not to say from each of them, its funny as the ones I thought I would do well in I was probably terrible and the ones I thought I might struggle I came across well. It all depends on the day, surroundings and to an extent the people who interview you.

I have had interviews in offices, coffee shops, restaurants, football stadiums, airports.  Sometimes even the environment and surroundings can be offputting, sitting in an airport cafe that is rammed with people literally touching your elbows wasn't the most comfortable experience.