unemployed/or employed

[coventrygull]

As an HCA in the NHS. I consider my job as safe but if the recession deepens then I can see massive cuts in public spending. My wife works in banking so i am a bit worried for her.

 

[public school boy]

There are jobs available as traffic wardens.Enterprise car hire in Eastborne employ mosly University craduates.

 

[bhaexpress]

Hmm, I've always been a permie, but I think contracting might offer some advantages to me at the mo, if I can get something of course.

My advice, don't do it ! Not in the current financial climate anyway.

 

[algie]

No work for me for that last 6 months so i'll let others pay my way.

Free dental care
Free eye tests
Free prescriptions
Rent paid in full every month
Council tax paid in full.
Free giro every 2 weeks £125
Reduced child maintenance
Plus other perks which cannot be revealed

I've decided to take two years out to relax and catch up on things i enjoy like fishing.

 

[Basil Fawlty]

I've been at Somerfield for two years now, I really want to get a new job but there is absolutely nothing round at the moment. I'm considering about playing Darts for living, but I will need practice, sponsorship, pub team before I even do it.

 

[bhaexpress]

You're unfortunate because you're in an industry that boomed massively a few years ago, meaning a load of new IT agencies (or even Consultants working out of their bedrooms) sprung up and made a load of money very quickly, which breeds cowboys. IT Recruitment has an awful reputation and there are a hell of a lot of cowboys in it, but there must be some good ones as well. I'd never do it because of the reputation it has, and because now days it is too bloody hard.

To be fair I don't think that IT recruitment consultants are any worse than any other industry from what I can gather. There are several factors that have affected my industry in the last few years however. I used to do a lot of work in call centres but as many of them have now moved abroad obviously the support roles have gone with them. Additionally there's no denying that hard and software is now a lot more reliable than it was say, ten years ago. Ten years ago you would have had to dismantle a PC to put a scanner on it as it would have needed a SCSI card. Now of course it takes seconds as you just need to plug it into a USB port. That's just one example.

Also, far more people are computer literate than 10 years ago, very few people nowadays have no idea at all. Writing programs now is a lot easier with the languages that are available compared to ten years ago (let alone 36 years ago when I started). All in all it's just one of those things. I remember that thirty years ago and long as you were abacus literate you could get a job in IT were as now it's not the same. I doubt that many industries have changed so radically in thirty years and that is also a consideration.

Still, I am in many ways not as badly off as many so I can't complain.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Reduced child maintenance

I thought the whole point of being out of work is that you dont have to pay child maintenance as you are not earning wages. The CSA just syphon the money from you if you're working.

 

[Commander]

I can see your point. But you must use some criteria to select some and not others. So for the benefit of those on here trying to get noticed by an agent even before they can get to impress a client, what tips can you share?

How can we get noticed out of the 200 CVs you will receive?

What should we be doing to get your attention?

Your perspective would be more than useful.

Most important thing is to try and build a relationship with the Consultant so they actually want to help you, and you become a person rather than just a CV. If I was looking for a job now I would send my CV to a Recruitment Consultant, then phone them and speak to them and ask to meet them. When it is hard like it is at the moment, you need to be doing the chasing. When things are going well and there is loads of work it will be them chasing you.

You need to get them to actively looking for a position for you, not just waiting for something to come in and then sending over your CV with 100 others. Also, and this might sound a bit radical coming from a Recruitment Consultant, but be honest with them! Tell them if you are registered with other agencies and if you have interviews set up with anyone else. Despite what people think, they will still work on you. There's nothing more annoying than someone telling you they aren't registered with anyone else, and you speaking to a client and selling you into them, only to be told that they already have an interview set up through another agency. It makes both you and the candidate look stupid.

Try a few different agencies and you'll see the difference in some of them. Then only work with the ones that give you regular contact and keep you informed of what is going on. Tell the other ones you're not interested in working with them anymore, and tell the ones you are working with that you have done this.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

My advice, don't do it ! Not in the current financial climate anyway.

My point was that I'd never realy thought about contracting before, but now I'd take pretty much anything I can get in my line of work.

The way I see it, if I can't get a permie job, but can get 6 months contracting, that's 6 months of making money, a bit of varied experience (unless the job was utter sh*te), and 6 months nearer easier times (maybe).

However, my redundancy package is enough to last me probably over a year (maybe two) if nothing comes along.

 

[algie]

I thought the whole point of being out of work is that you dont have to pay child maintenance as you are not earning wages. The CSA just syphon the money from you if you're working.

Bollocks i know but you still have to make a small contribution.

 

[bhaexpress]

Unemployed in 2 weeks time with no pay off, because I was only ever on contract.

I have a BA(Hons) degree and Masters degree. Yet I can't get any work. If I get an interview for crappy admin work I cannot get a job because I am "over qualified and will leave as soon as something better comes along" (I have had this reply FOUR times following job interviews now!). If I go for any decent work, I get an interview but always get passed over for candidates with "more relevant experience".

That is so true. It's a shame some people don't get that though. If I was to apply for a job stacking beans at Tesco I would get knocked back as they would say (quite rightly actually) that I would take the first IT job that came up. I get a bit tired of the way Daily Mail readers and their ilk think that jobs are that easy to get.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

I've been at Somerfield for two years now, I really want to get a new job but there is absolutely nothing round at the moment. I'm considering about playing Darts for living, but I will need practice, sponsorship, pub team before I even do it.

Out of interest, will you be moving over to the Co-op when the Somerfield purchase is completed next month or, if you're store based, has yours been purchased by another group?
Our son's on their graduate training scheme and is currently based at the Broadfield store in Crawley; that's been bought by Morrisons and it sounds, from him, that there's many more opportunities within the Morrison group.

 

[e77]

Journeyman IT Contractor who finished a job last week. Actually the worst company I have ever worked for and that's saying a lot. For various reasons I think I could be out of work for a while not the least for the fact (as published this week) that there are over 35,000 non EEC workers employed here in the IT profession. Obviously a situation not unique to IT.

35,000? Might explain a lot.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

Been out of the country for three years now and pretty safe in my job provided I play the politics. You really wouldn't believe how political the corridors of academia are when you're head of a department.... and how easy it is to fall.

Having said that I've heard very disturbing stories from my ex-colleagues at Pearson, which has stayed relatively unscathed so far.

 

[e77]

Sorry to say it but it's quite true about recruitment consultants however, from their point of view business isn't great either. These people work on commission and thus don't have the time to sort through all the CVs they receive. You also have to factor in that they have to deal with Human Resources teams who are so often utterly clueless. The HR department picks up a few buzz words from what ever industry they are looking for and then tend to ignore an individuals background. I get ignored because of my experience (too much for many) and the fact that I am a contractor. I only contract as it's better than not working at all however you can seriously messed about because an agent will tell you anything to get you working. I packed in my last two contracts because both agents were complete idiots. They were extreme but in fairness there's usually two sides.

My big gripe at the moment is that the last three times I have started work and the Job Centre have completely screwed up my benefits and in fact owe me several hundred pounds. Despite telling them repeatedly by letter, phone and visit it was only when I told them I intended to take legal action that they did anything. What's so ironic is that the letter they sent to me proved that they were in the wrong ! I find that far more annoying than any recruitment agent.

I tend to find employers and agents are equally to blame. Agents could get back to people more but companies are being unbelievable picky in such things as insisting people live near their offices.

 

[88brighton]

Been in the same job for 2 years now. Work at Worthing jobcentre....

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Out of interest, will you be moving over to the Co-op when the Somerfield purchase is completed next month or, if you're store based, has yours been purchased by another group?
Our son's on their graduate training scheme and is currently based at the Broadfield store in Crawley; that's been bought by Morrisons and it sounds, from him, that there's many more opportunities within the Morrison group.

There are three stores in Shoreham. The one in the High Street, our one now and the one near Holmbush. The ones in the High Street and Holmbush are being refurbished. But we will be finding out in 6 months time if we're going to be Co-Op or someone else.

 

[bhaexpress]

I tend to find employers and agents are equally to blame. Agents could get back to people more but companies are being unbelievable picky in such things as insisting people live near their offices.

To be fair to agents a lot of it is that they just don't have the time. The rewards are there but they do tend to work very long hours compared to most. The only time it annoys me is when I have done an interview and get no feedback, that's annoying and frankly rude.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

That is so true. It's a shame some people don't get that though. If I was to apply for a job stacking beans at Tesco I would get knocked back as they would say (quite rightly actually) that I would take the first IT job that came up. I get a bit tired of the way Daily Mail readers and their ilk think that jobs are that easy to get.

The problem is that all the big supermarkets have a recruitment freeze in existing stores , the only vacancies will occur when new stores open and you have to live in the locations around the UK where they are being built unless you are prepared to relocate.

 

[BLOCK F]

Retired ,but not old enough for state pension.Pension fund and general stockmarket investments both hammered.Virtually no interest on cash savings.Luckily ,my wife works self-employed and is doing O.K.Kids still in education and living at home.
Was made redundant 5 times during my career.
Ain't life grand!!