The Why Don't You Get a Job Thread

[Tommy!]

Am I right in saying you're a union rep Keith, or am I mistaken?

 

I've always been amazed how many people don't bother with them (and in some cases even know what a Union is) but they would always be my first port of call on work matters.

In hindsight there have been times I should have consulted them for advice.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Tommy!

[Keith Houchen]

I used to be, was one for 5 years.

[Briefcase]

Going back to the lying on CV's. I would never do that but would elaborate and bullshit my way through interviews. As long as you can talk a good game and by doing something that the interviewers are unlikely to know (different field/industry) you are fine. 

[Tommy!]

Going back to the lying on CV's. I would never do that but would elaborate and bullshit my way through interviews. As long as you can talk a good game and by doing something that the interviewers are unlikely to know (different field/industry) you are fine.

My ace in interviews, so I've been told was always "it wasn't my job but it was best for the business".

 

Its true, but apparently it shows passion.

[gbacon85]

 

Going back to the lying on CV's. I would never do that but would elaborate and bullshit my way through interviews. As long as you can talk a good game and by doing something that the interviewers are unlikely to know (different field/industry) you are fine.

My ace in interviews, so I've been told was always "it wasn't my job but it was best for the business".

 

Its true, but apparently it shows passion.

You interviewing for Triple H?

[Ian 86]

 

Going back to the lying on CV's. I would never do that but would elaborate and bullshit my way through interviews. As long as you can talk a good game and by doing something that the interviewers are unlikely to know (different field/industry) you are fine.

My ace in interviews, so I've been told was always "it wasn't my job but it was best for the business".

 

Its true, but apparently it shows passion.

 

 

Depends on the role/company/interviewer/etc - if someone pulled that on me I don't know if I'd count it as a plus - what part of your work didn't get done as a result of you taking on tasks outside of your role? What were the consequences of this? Who made the call for you to do this instead of your own job?  If you had capacity to take on this additional work what did you do the rest of the time as your role clearly wasn't stretching you/filling your time?  That sort of thing. I am a bastard to please in interviews though, especially when the cliché answers start rolling out.

[Briefcase]

Some of the CV's I have seen as well are just brilliantly terrible. One that springs to mind was from someone who didn't type fluent english so had spelling errors everywhere and had things like "I started in a factory and was sacked after two weeks" which was comedy CV gold and another CV was under the name of 'READ ME' but didn't even give any clue as to who the name was, great for catching attention but seriously?

 

[gbacon85]

Oh they kill me sometimes. Saying that if under interests it says Spurs, Heavy Metal, Sci Fi or Wrestling, they get a call, no matter how bad the CV!!!

[ElCece]

Not a CV thing but being on an Interview panel I still remember 1 of the candidates answering the question "telling me a weakness yout have an how you've addressed that?" With " I can be really very lazy but I work round that leaving my work for my colleagues to finish". The only time I've ever outwardly sniggered in that situation

Edited September 6, 2015 by ElCece

[Tommy!]

 

 

 

Going back to the lying on CV's. I would never do that but would elaborate and bullshit my way through interviews. As long as you can talk a good game and by doing something that the interviewers are unlikely to know (different field/industry) you are fine.

My ace in interviews, so I've been told was always "it wasn't my job but it was best for the business".

 

Its true, but apparently it shows passion.

Depends on the role/company/interviewer/etc - if someone pulled that on me I don't know if I'd count it as a plus - what part of your work didn't get done as a result of you taking on tasks outside of your role? What were the consequences of this? Who made the call for you to do this instead of your own job? If you had capacity to take on this additional work what did you do the rest of the time as your role clearly wasn't stretching you/filling your time? That sort of thing. I am a bastard to please in interviews though, especially when the cliché answers start rolling out.

Ohh yeah, I don't just roll that out as a line its more the underlying concept, but that approach of having done a little on initiative and not giving the "that's not my job" approach seemed to be a plus based on feedback.

[Van Dammer]

Notice periods are there for the protection of the employee. If you were being made redundant, that's what the notice period is for. As long as the new employer is happy with it, you could start the next day, foregoing any pay that's due.

 

Id heard this recently and thought it was bollocks. I googled it too but could only find that redundancy pay was worked out based on the length of service, i.e each full years service equates to a weeks redundancy pay. 

 

The reason I was looking for it was because my company was trying to raise notice periods from 1 month to 3 and used it as a selling point.

[Chest Rockwell]

Notice periods are there for the protection of the employee. If you were being made redundant, that's what the notice period is for. As long as the new employer is happy with it, you could start the next day, foregoing any pay that's due.

That's simply not true. My last job explicitly had two different notice periods in my contract - how long I had to give notice for if I wanted to leave, and how long they would have to give me notice for if they wanted to get rid of me before the end of the term of the contract.

[Keith Houchen]

 

Notice periods are there for the protection of the employee. If you were being made redundant, that's what the notice period is for. As long as the new employer is happy with it, you could start the next day, foregoing any pay that's due.

That's simply not true. My last job explicitly had two different notice periods in my contract - how long I had to give notice for if I wanted to leave, and how long they would have to give me notice for if they wanted to get rid of me before the end of the term of the contract.

Just because it is in a contract that you've signed doesn't make it legally binding. People always used to say this to me, that they've signed it so they assumed there is nothing they can do about it. If your contract said if you were late three times in a month, they'd cut off your finger, does that mean they legally can?

 

If you were leaving for a competitor, you'd probably be put on gardening leave. They can terminate your contract on the spot by sacking you, works both ways.

 

Although I've noticed you mentioned the term of the contract. To be honest, I was going on full time contracts, not fixed term ones. I Should have clarified that.

[Adam Turner]

Keith is right. People put things in contracts all the time which wouldn't hold up / aren't legally enforceable, regardless of whether you signed it or not. 

[Keith Houchen]

Keith is right. People put things in contracts all the time which wouldn't hold up / aren't legally enforceable, regardless of whether you signed it or not.

 

And in the vast majority of times, it's because the employer is unaware. It's not a deliberate act of malice or anything. Van Dammer, the point about redundancy was if your notice period is two months, that means you get two months notice from the employer. Usually as a gesture of goodwill, you don't have to work them and they give you two months wages. You're right about the length of service, you also get the length of service payment tax free, although you do pay tax on any wages or owed holidays / notice period payments.