Work

[mim731]

2 hours ago, Chili said:

Had my first interview in a while on Friday. Found out today didn't get it. Just an admin role. Hours were perfect to balance work and doing gigs in evening. Didn't get it. Everything's shit. I was a regular jobsbody until last March and it's just been two short recruitment sought jobs in that time. Failed every proper interview. Really struggling and it's just zero'd what social life I can afford when not just doing job applications all day and knowing the bank will eventually lower my OD and then I'm really going to be swimming. 

 

Could you ask them for some feedback on why you didn't get it? Perhaps there's something that could help you change your approach going forward? At least it might give you some closure on whether there was anything you could have done differently or if it was something beyond your control. 

It also might just be a numbers game unfortunately, so try not to beat yourself up for not getting it. If you keep applying something will come up. Try and keep your chin up mate, having been unemployed not that long ago I recall that applying for jobs is a full time job with twice the stress, but it will happen if you keep at it. 

[Tommy!]

2 hours ago, Chili said:

Hours were perfect to balance work and doing gigs in evening

How many gigs do you do out of interest? I assume everything you do is paid and that's what you are actually trying to make a career of.

2 hours ago, Chili said:

just doing job applications all day

If you are making that many applications and getting 2 interviews is there any other route you can go to get something, through getting on the books of different agencies or recruiter's?

 

2 hours ago, Chili said:

the bank will eventually lower my OD and then I'm really going to be swimming. 

This will sound hard, but if things are that bad you really either need more paying bookings or less and put a regular job first until you have a float back in place.

[Keith Houchen]

I’ll preface this with the fact I don’t work due to declining health anyway so my opinions are less valid than usual. 
 

If you’re applying for loads of stuff and not even getting interviews then logically it seems that your applications and CV need some fine tuning. Have a word with your job coach about it and they’ll be able to pimp it up for you. And the usual thing about having more than one CV and cutting and changing it to suit the role you’re applying for. No point having irrelevant info for the job you’re applying for etc. 

Hope things turn around for you, fella. 

[DavidB6937]

Can only echo what's been said above really. I've been looking through plenty of CVs lately to recruit for our team and the difference between them is quite minimal sometimes and it would just be a case of fine tuning and they'd get a look in. You need to make sure you're highlighting the right things etc, and I know that takes more time but it really does help. A lot of CVs are just so vague that they're easy to skip.

Also the asking for feedback thing is really useful because you'll hear from the sorts of people actually looking at your CV and you can get a better critique rather than some randoms. Not that getting people to look at it is bad per se but it's far better getting opinions from those you'd actually want to impress or at least get a look in from.

The biggest crime I see is people having the experience and skills but not driving them home enough and not selling themselves well. And I know selling yourself isn't a natural thing to a lot of people but when you're up against however many others, you've really not got a choice but to try and make yourself look like the best - as long as you can back it up!

[Chili]

My CV was actually crap and then a restart course from the UC actually helped tart it up to a standard where I was at least getting replies so it was an improvement. 

I also do ask for feedback and honestly never really get it unless it's from the recruitment agency telling me it's a no. Its just a slog and times it's just a bit walls closing in. 

Obviously getting more gigs would also be nice but it's a promoters market at the moment and not an acts market. Again, it's all just a slog. 

[DavidB6937]

Completely understand. Been a while since I've been through it but certainly before I ended up in the job I've got now (which has just passed 13 years!) I was basically unemployed for a few years apart from a few shit temp jobs. And it was absolutely fucking draining.

I got stuck in that loop of trying and failing so then not wanting to try because it never felt good enough, but then obviously not trying at all is even worse..

So much of it comes down to luck too. If your CV isn't completely rubbish and it's actually to a pretty good standard then it's mostly out of your hands and down to whoever's reading it and what else they read. And there's fuck all you can do about that.

In the end all I needed was one person to give me a chance and it took a while but it happened eventually. And I certainly hope it happens for you too. I know how much it all knocked my confidence though so I won't patronise with any "just keep going!" stuff because I know it's not that easy.

[SuperBacon]

23 minutes ago, Chili said:

restart course

This was the programme I worked on before my current job.

Depending on where you are in the country (up North IIRC?) they have Employer Solutions people (what I did) whose sole purpose in the scheme is to engage with employers about vacancies for you.

Because they have gone through this route, are more sympathetic of peoples circumstances/issues.

Also this time of year there is a LOT of job fairs happening so perhaps ask your Employment Advisor (Restart) or Work Coach (JCP) about any local ones that are happening shortly.

Best of luck. 

 

[Briefcase]

On 11/2/2022 at 5:05 PM, DavidB6937 said:

So much of it comes down to luck too. If your CV isn't completely rubbish and it's actually to a pretty good standard then it's mostly out of your hands and down to whoever's reading it and what else they read. And there's fuck all you can do about that.

Also depends when you apply for a job, I usually find that if you apply within the hour of the job going live you've got a better chance (of an interview anyway) than applying say 10 days in (by then they probably have a shortlist).

[stewdogg]

34 minutes ago, Briefcase said:

Also depends when you apply for a job, I usually find that if you apply within the hour of the job going live you've got a better chance (of an interview anyway) than applying say 10 days in (by then they probably have a shortlist).

That's an interesting one, from my experience the ones that come in almost straightaway are generic CV's/statements that don't actually meet the specifics on the application form.

The most important thing is to make sure you detail as concisely as possible the requirements of the advert.

But also as Davidnumbers says it's totally at the whim of the person looking at it, something I might give as a pass' another person might say no, or vice versa.

[Mr_Danger]

I put myself forward for voluntary redundancy yesterday. It’s a dirty trick the company are playing to get the upper hand in the dispute but it’s one that will work. It’s always been a job I’ve said I’ll do until I can’t or I get the sack but this last year it’s been so shit with a high turnover of people just fucking off for worse jobs that the opportunity to get paid a small but decent sum not to do it is a godsend. If I get the redundancy I’ll be back in here looking for CV advice, where to actually look for jobs these days and how to work the unemployment system to get my flatscreen tv and methodone. 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Mr_Danger

[SuperBacon]

Genuinely one of the most fulfilling days I've ever had in a job.

I had 6x Ukrainian people on my latest course (I help put people on CSCS courses so they can work in construction), 3x of which are women, and they all passed!!!

One woman, who has 2x engineering degrees from Ukraine, told me when we met that she wanted to study construction in the UK, so she can rebuild Odessa when she returns.

Absolutely inspiring and really humbling. 

[Chest Rockwell]

On 11/18/2022 at 3:20 PM, Mr_Danger said:

I put myself forward for voluntary redundancy yesterday. It’s a dirty trick the company are playing to get the upper hand in the dispute but it’s one that will work. It’s always been a job I’ve said I’ll do until I can’t or I get the sack but this last year it’s been so shit with a high turnover of people just fucking off for worse jobs that the opportunity to get paid a small but decent sum not to do it is a godsend. If I get the redundancy I’ll be back in here looking for CV advice, where to actually look for jobs these days and how to work the unemployment system to get my flatscreen tv and methodone. 

What's going on with the HGV plan - any movement on that?

[Mr_Danger]

7 hours ago, Chest Rockwell said:

What's going on with the HGV plan - any movement on that?

Waiting for the places to go up next year. They’ve had funding for 10 more people so I’m hoping to be one of them. If I get the redundancy, which seems to be fairly sought after so god knows how they’ll allocate that, I’ll just pay for it myself and speed the process up. 

[Browser Brady]

I work in IT and i am employed by a Service Provider. They have me based at a client’s for the last 5 years. So i don’t directly work for the client. my manager is a direct employee of the client.

 

i am quite friendly with my manager and told him i was thinking of asking for a raise, he said yeah sounds good and that he should be able to approve but he’ll discuss directly with the service provider who are my employer.

 

So my lot (service provider) get onto me like “great news your raise has been approved and it’s X amount “

I was a little underwhelmed and my manager asked me why so sad essentially. we talked and he told me that he approved a raise for 4 times what i was offered essentially.

I went back to my guys asking if they can do any better and they said “our hands are tied, take it or leave it”. I didnt let on that i’ve been told the approved raise is 4 times what they’ve offered me.

Anybody been in a similar position and any advice ?

 

Contracting makes you feel like a prostitute who has a pimp taking their cut for no reason, but taking 75% of my raise is surely a complete piss take.

Edited November 28, 2022 by Browser Brady

[Browser Brady]

double post 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Browser Brady