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Source: (consider it) Thread: AS: Job Search Support Thread
Zoey

Broken idealist
# 11152

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I have just been offered and have accepted a 12-month contract.

(What they said at the interview was - we really very much think that the contract posts will still exist in 12 months time and beyond, but we can't currently guarantee them 100% so can only offer them as 12-month contracts.)

They made the right noises when I asked at the end of the interview about training and development for newly-qualified social workers (and, unless you have insider knowledge, you just have to hope that the interviewer is not either lying outright or enhancing the picture of the support and training given too much).

Ooooooh - graduate-level job and salary for the first time in my life. Bit exciting really. Hope it goes okay ...

(Eek. I'm going to be a 'social worker' with no 'student' at the start of my job title. They did say in the interview - no section 47 (i.e. child protection) investigations on your own for the first 12months, no going to court on your own (i.e. without your manager) for the first 12months, we try to let your development go at your pace - I shall definitely try to hold them to this. But still - EEK [Eek!] but also YAY! [Yipee] )

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Pay no mind, I'm doing fine, I'm breathing on my own.

Posts: 3095 | From: the penultimate stop? | Registered: Mar 2006  |  IP: Logged
Og: Thread Killer
Ship's token CN Mennonite
# 3200

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Oooooo...Congrats Zoey! [Yipee]


3 months and still looking....very very weird feeling. Managers jobs are infrequent. Two interviews but nothing yet.

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I wish I was seeking justice loving mercy and walking humbly but... "Cease to lament for that thou canst not help, And study help for that which thou lament'st."

Posts: 5025 | From: Toronto | Registered: Aug 2002  |  IP: Logged
Piglet
Islander
# 11803

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Congratulations, Zoey, and best of luck. [Yipee]

I had a phone call today from someone who would like to employ me (she's a geneticist at the university and has just secured funding for a part-time secretary). I'm going to see her next week to find out more details - wish me luck!

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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music

Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
BessLane
Shipmate
# 15176

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Congratulations Zoey and good luck piglet.

Yesterday, my boss called me and offered me better hours (Saturday day-shift, Sunday and Monday off) and when I went in to work, I was informed that starting next week, I will be getting $1 more an hour. And no, they had no idea I was looking for another job. (It may not sound like much, but I have NEVER worked in a restaurant where they took better care of their employees. At my last job, I had to beg for a fifty cent raise after an entire year.)

I did the math, and there is no way I am going to make anywhere near the money I do now, without driving 25-30 miles each way so, night shifts or not, I have decided to stop looking for a new job.

They just went and made it too hard to be unhappy LOL.

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It's all on me and I won't tell it.
formerly BessHiggs

Posts: 1388 | From: Yorkville, TN | Registered: Sep 2009  |  IP: Logged
Amanda B. Reckondwythe

Dressed for Church
# 5521

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quote:
Originally posted by BessHiggs:
Yesterday, my boss called me and offered me better hours . . . . I was informed that starting next week, I will be getting $1 more an hour. . . . They just went and made it too hard to be unhappy LOL.

If only they'd all be like that! [Yipee]

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"I take prayer too seriously to use it as an excuse for avoiding work and responsibility." -- The Revd Martin Luther King Jr.

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BessLane
Shipmate
# 15176

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quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
If only they'd all be like that! [Yipee]

I know! I have never worked for people who treated their employees better, and that includes the 5 year stint I did working for a church.

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It's all on me and I won't tell it.
formerly BessHiggs

Posts: 1388 | From: Yorkville, TN | Registered: Sep 2009  |  IP: Logged
Jengie jon

Semper Reformanda
# 273

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quote:
Originally posted by BessHiggs:
quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
If only they'd all be like that! [Yipee]

I know! I have never worked for people who treated their employees better, and that includes the 5 year stint I did working for a church.
Well anyone who is aware of how the church usually is as an employer, to say an employer is better than the church ain't saying much. It should be better than most, unfortunately I fear that it is often worse than most.

Jengie

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"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge

Back to my blog

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Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829

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quote:
Originally posted by Og: Thread Killer:
3 months and still looking....very very weird feeling. Managers jobs are infrequent. Two interviews but nothing yet.

You're two interviews ahead of me... Looking at a time when science funding is just about to vanish up it's own sphincter, without a clue as to what I could actually do, is not good.

Just to add to it, I recently spoke on the phone to someone in a lab that was recruiting, for which it looked as though I fitted the essential criteria pretty well, and he admitted that the job description was nothing like the job, and that what they really needed was someone already trained in a technique that it didn't even mention. WTF? Call me a sadist, but I hope no-one who could do it applied...

AG

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"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869

Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007  |  IP: Logged
Amorya

Ship's tame galoot
# 2652

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I've nearly finished a PhD in Psychology. Sadly, I'm not going to be able to get a post-doc job straight away: I haven't been published yet, and there are loads of people with more experience than me after them. Also, I can't relocate for medical reasons, so the number of universities I could get to is small.

I need a full time job very soon, however. I've bills and a mortgage to pay, and no savings.

So… anyone any tips on applying for things for which I'm probably over-qualified and under-experienced? I've got a few things like departmental secretary in my sights, however I worry that when the recruiters see I've spent the last three years working on a PhD they'll discount me.

At this point I'll take almost any full-time job except telemarketing, but since I can't drive nor can I move house, the options are somewhat limited.

Amorya

Posts: 2383 | From: Coventry | Registered: Apr 2002  |  IP: Logged
Piglet
Islander
# 11803

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Amorya - if you can get in somewhere, whether it be a university, local council, Civil Service, whatever, even in a modest post (I doubt if they'll object to your Ph.D.), it'll always be easier to find something more suitable. Ironically, it's always easier to find work when you've already got it. Best of luck.

BessHiggs - [Yipee] for getting a rise!

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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music

Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528

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Alas, the PhD does rather catch the eye (and get the resume discarded). If you're allowed, consider leaving it off. That would get me fired once discovered here, but maybe not in your area. If you must include it, NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK and include the urgent verbal info that you are willing to consider anything (well, I suppose be more tactful!) and would be glad of any job.

Sorry, this is what I had to do! In the end that networking prevented the recruiter from round-filing it as she confessed she would otherwise have done.

Um, how shall I put this other point? Consider working for nonprofits, as they are known to be, um, enthusiastic about snapping up a "real deal" for less than half the salary you ought to get, and are often deluded enough to believe that the treat of working for them cancels out any other occupational disadvantages (like low salary). Dang that sounds cynical. I'm sorry!

The bad side of that is obvious. The good side is that it gets your feet on the career ladder, and as was just pointed out, it's far easier to job hunt when you already HAVE a job. What it is with these people...

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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!

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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528

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Oh, hey! just realized you're not yet DONE with the PhD. That makes you MORE employable, because they figure they're getting everything but the sprinkles on the cake for half cost. Particularly if you're job hunting in academia. Rejoice!

And if you're NOT job hunting in academia, consider eliding those PhD studies into "master's degree" and "graduate school" (generic, nature of precise degree being done at the time left unspecified). With luck, they'll think you've just earned the master's, which I THINK makes you ideally suitable for any number of positions. You needn't confess the PhD till you actually have it.

[ 17. October 2010, 02:57: Message edited by: Lamb Chopped ]

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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!

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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58

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quote:
Originally posted by Amorya:
At this point I'll take almost any full-time job except telemarketing, but since I can't drive nor can I move house, the options are somewhat limited.

If as your location suggests you're still in the Coventry area, and are prepared to use public transport, you are strategically placed for work in Coventry, Warwick, Leamington, Birmingham, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Northampton, if you don't mind commuting by train. You come across as having strong IT skills and being technically minded. That's a real asset, and there's always a need for IT people. You do seem to understand Apple Macs (I'm just going on your board postings over the years) which could lead to a helpdesk job or some such. It may not be what you wanted to do, but might tide you over.
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The Kat in the Hat
Shipmate
# 2557

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No news on dream job. I think I'd rather get rejected now, than after interview though.

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Less is more ...

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les@BALM
The Ship's Visionary
# 11237

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Had interview this morning for an Adult Ed teaching post in Moncton, it is on the assumption the funding for the post gets the nod from the new govt.

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il sole d'Italia mi è rimasto nel cure
Italia campioni del mondo ****

Tiggs the cat.

Posts: 1863 | From: Canada, eh! | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Piglet
Islander
# 11803

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Best of luck, Les. I've been in touch with the Potential Employer, and she's got the funding; now we've to arrange a meeting to see if my skills (such as they are) match what she needs. I've also applied for a (temporary) secretarial post at the university that was advertised in the local press, but as it's in the office of the President, and almost obscenely well-paid, I'm not holding my breath.

Does anyone else on this thread find the policy of notifying only those who are to be interviewed irredeemably rude? Presumably, it would only take a little electronic tweak of the online application to provide the applicants with a way of knowing whether the appointment's been made or not.

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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music

Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
Sober Preacher's Kid

Presbymethegationalist
# 12699

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Yes, but that is par for the course nowadays. I have actually gone to interviews and then never received another word. I count myself lucky if I get a rejection e-mail.

When I drive all the way to your company, you can't be bothered to take a minute to send me a form e-mail saying that the process is over?

[Mad]

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NDP Federal Convention Ottawa 2018: A random assortment of Prots and Trots.

Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007  |  IP: Logged
Jack the Lass

Ship's airhead
# 3415

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Yes agreed, it's only good manners. After waiting nearly 2 months to be shortlisted for the job mentioned upthread, it took them another nearly 2 weeks to inform me I wasn't successful - fortunately I wasn't convinced at the interview that this was the job for me so it wasn't a surprise or devastating news or anything, but I was quite cross that it took so long for them to take the trouble to acknowledge I'd given up a day for them.

I'm now hoping to hear in the next few days if I've got the nod on some distance learning tutoring. I already tutor for the Open University, and this new opening came up very suddenly (a tutor resigned just after the course started) so I have the advantage that they're desperate [Big Grin] I should hear soon, so keeping everything crossed for that.

[Votive] for everyone posting here. And a very belated congratulations to Zoey too.

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"My body is a temple - it's big and doesn't move." (Jo Brand)
wiblog blipfoto blog

Posts: 5767 | From: the land of the deep-fried Mars Bar | Registered: Oct 2002  |  IP: Logged
les@BALM
The Ship's Visionary
# 11237

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All the best Piglet. What I've learnt here in the Martimes is not what you know, but who you know. Networking is essential. If I am appointed the job I've got has never been advertised, it was through meeting after meeting with different people got me to where I am. Best of luck to everyone else in their own search for work. [Votive]

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il sole d'Italia mi è rimasto nel cure
Italia campioni del mondo ****

Tiggs the cat.

Posts: 1863 | From: Canada, eh! | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829

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Anyone got any hints and tips on working out what your soft skills are? I'm not getting a lot of help from Careers here, and I would like to see what hidden talents are lurking 'neath the surface...

Thanks,

AG

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"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869

Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007  |  IP: Logged
Piglet
Islander
# 11803

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Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by "soft" skills?

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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music

Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829

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I am led to believe that "soft" skills are the ones you pick up in the course of your work, rather than the "hard" skills that you actually need for doing the job. So my hard skills are lab techniques, but soft skills might include working with groups of people, organisational skills, that sort of thing.

Does that help? I have a problem with the things too...

AG

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"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869

Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007  |  IP: Logged
multipara
Shipmate
# 2918

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So-called "soft" skills sounds awfully like "continuaing professional development" ( evidence of which in my line of work has to be demonstrated yearly) as well as informal on the job training ( or good old-fashioned "work experience".

These terms are usually thought up by people who don't have to demonstrate having acquired same themselves, IMHO.

m

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quod scripsi, scripsi

Posts: 4985 | From: new south wales | Registered: Jun 2002  |  IP: Logged
Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829

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Tee hee - you know, I have images of you, multipara, in a steel helmet at the wheel of your very own Panzer tact. And I do mean that as a compliment!

I fear you may be right, but either the funding or the hard skills look to be likely to run out of steam before 2011 is out so I need to try to find what else I can do. As someone who tends to roll themselves into a gibbering ball when faced with stress/self analysis/life generally, that is not being an easy process...

AG

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"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869

Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007  |  IP: Logged
Piglet
Islander
# 11803

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Thanks for the explanations; I think I see what you mean. I had an e-mail from Potential Employer Person today and I'm going to see her on Tuesday.

[Yipee] [Yipee] [Yipee]

[calm down, Piglet, don't get too excited]

Still a bit [Yipee] though (and a wee bit [Help] ).

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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music

Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
Piglet
Islander
# 11803

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**bump**

Having seen Potential Employer Person, she's very keen to take me on, and once she's sorted out funding details, I should be starting after Christmas. Meanwhile, I hawked my CV round several shops in a local shopping centre, and have been offered a temporary (pre-Christmas) part-time job in a ladies' clothes shop, starting on Friday.

[Yipee] and a bit [Eek!] as I have almost no retail experience ...

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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music

Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
les@BALM
The Ship's Visionary
# 11237

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Piglet, hope the job works out for you. I had the same situ with my current position, had to wait for funding to be in place before I could start. Through my networking I have had another job opportunity come my way, in Miramichi. Almost certainly have got an interview, will see if I am offered the post.

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il sole d'Italia mi è rimasto nel cure
Italia campioni del mondo ****

Tiggs the cat.

Posts: 1863 | From: Canada, eh! | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Gwai
Shipmate
# 11076

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Still unemployed myself. Got turned down at the last stage for one I had high hopes for. Applied for another win one today though and there are others in the pipe.
Staying positive, because the alternative is much worse.

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A master of men was the Goodly Fere,
A mate of the wind and sea.
If they think they ha’ slain our Goodly Fere
They are fools eternally.


Posts: 11914 | From: Chicago | Registered: Feb 2006  |  IP: Logged
Piglet
Islander
# 11803

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Sorry to hear that, Gwai; it's even more rotten when you get kicked over at the last hurdle. Better luck with the next one.

I've now done three shifts in the clothes-shop, and am hoping it's going to work out. I'm quite enjoying it (nice place, nice merchandise and, I hope, nice colleagues) although all that standing about makes my feet and back hurt. I expect I'll get used to it.

Roll on pay-day, when I may treat myself to a pair of Really Comfortable Shoes. [Smile]

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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music

Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829

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And to my surprise I have an interview coming up. Not sure that it's in what I want to do (this is because I haven't a clue what I really want to do!), but three years of financial stability would be good...

AG

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"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869

Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007  |  IP: Logged
les@BALM
The Ship's Visionary
# 11237

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quote:
Originally posted by Gwai:
Still unemployed myself. Got turned down at the last stage for one I had high hopes for. Applied for another win one today though and there are others in the pipe.
Staying positive, because the alternative is much worse.

Gwai, the important thing is self belief. It is a hard job enviroment out there for everyone. But keep working at the networking, you never know what might materialize. Don't be afriad to ask people to forward on your resume, it does bear fruit, even if think nothing is happening. Someone somewhere is wanting to hire you, you need to find them, they need to find you.

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il sole d'Italia mi è rimasto nel cure
Italia campioni del mondo ****

Tiggs the cat.

Posts: 1863 | From: Canada, eh! | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Og: Thread Killer
Ship's token CN Mennonite
# 3200

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Two interviews two weeks ago...and two no thank you's, it seems. Got one email (went to my spam area actually) with a no and there has been no response from the other when they said they were going to get going on that within days.....so

nothing.

4 1/2 months.


Can't seem to network, which doesn't help given my line of work. I'm not a social butterfly and given I was a manager, I've been embarrassed about my position, to be honest. Getting over that but I have discovered how much stock I put in my job over the last 5 years or so. Gotta remember I am not what was, but a bunch of things that can be something else.

Have something temporary not related to my field lined up until Christmas, which is good given the severance is starting to dwindle although its 1/2 the pay I used to get.

But...will have to get cracking on the networking in January.

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I wish I was seeking justice loving mercy and walking humbly but... "Cease to lament for that thou canst not help, And study help for that which thou lament'st."

Posts: 5025 | From: Toronto | Registered: Aug 2002  |  IP: Logged
Amorya

Ship's tame galoot
# 2652

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I have good news: I have a job starting in January. Pays £16k, full time, doing iPhone development.

The slightly less good news is that I've just done a budget, and it means my outgoings (including repayment on a bank loan) will almost exactly equal my income. No savings, or paying off overdrafts, in my foreseeable future. Hopefully the salary will go up over time.

Still, it's an order of magnitude better than the situation now, where my outgoings far exceed my income. Now, I just need to find the £2000 to last me until the start date!

Amorya

Posts: 2383 | From: Coventry | Registered: Apr 2002  |  IP: Logged
les@BALM
The Ship's Visionary
# 11237

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quote:
Originally posted by Og: Thread Killer:
Two interviews two weeks ago...and two no thank you's, it seems. Got one email (went to my spam area actually) with a no and there has been no response from the other when they said they were going to get going on that within days.....so

nothing.

4 1/2 months.


Can't seem to network, which doesn't help given my line of work. I'm not a social butterfly and given I was a manager, I've been embarrassed about my position, to be honest. Getting over that but I have discovered how much stock I put in my job over the last 5 years or so. Gotta remember I am not what was, but a bunch of things that can be something else.

Have something temporary not related to my field lined up until Christmas, which is good given the severance is starting to dwindle although its 1/2 the pay I used to get.

But...will have to get cracking on the networking in January.

Og, you don't need to be a social butterfly to network, just time to research who is in your field of work. With whom you could connect with who can either give you work, or pass on your resume to others who can.

I spoke with a leading Emplopyment Counsellor in Moncton this week. She said that networking doesn't come naturally to most people. But it will increasingly be the means by which most people are, and will find jobs.

All the best.

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il sole d'Italia mi è rimasto nel cure
Italia campioni del mondo ****

Tiggs the cat.

Posts: 1863 | From: Canada, eh! | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Zoey

Broken idealist
# 11152

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quote:
Originally posted by Amorya:
The slightly less good news is that I've just done a budget, and it means my outgoings (including repayment on a bank loan) will almost exactly equal my income. No savings, or paying off overdrafts, in my foreseeable future. Hopefully the salary will go up over time.

Still, it's an order of magnitude better than the situation now, where my outgoings far exceed my income. Now, I just need to find the £2000 to last me until the start date!

Amorya

If you haven't done so already, do check whether you can claim any benefits until January. I currently have a job offer, but have also got a current claim for Jobseeker's Allowance, because until I get my CRB clearance back and actually start work I don't have any income. You do have to jump through some hoops a bit (still engage in active job-seeking (by e.g. looking at job ads etc) while waiting to start your job), but I haven't found it at all arduous (and in any case I do ideally need to pay my rent + bills, buy food, etc, so I'm prepared to do the hoop-jumping however arduous it is).

(I think I need to try much harder not to come across as a poncy, snobbish twat when I visit the Jobcentre. Today as I was leaving, a woman by the door asked me if I wanted to study for a qualification in English or maths. I smiled and shook my head in a 'no-thanks' way. She followed up by asking if I already have GCSEs. I'm afraid at that point I did laugh out loud and tell her that I've got a degree English Literature [Hot and Hormonal] Mea culpa.)

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Pay no mind, I'm doing fine, I'm breathing on my own.

Posts: 3095 | From: the penultimate stop? | Registered: Mar 2006  |  IP: Logged
Meg the Red
Shipmate
# 11838

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Bumping this thread because after a long haul in my current position, I have decided to re-enter the job market. I've put in several applications, which I'm finding really hard because I've gotten my last couple of positions through personal contacts.

Quite frankly, I'd rather have dental surgery without anesthetic than write cover letters. When I've reviewed resumes for hiring, I've seen everything from terse, 2-sentence missives to some that could rival War and Peace for sheer length. Anyone have any tips on striking the right balance?

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Chocoholic Canuckistani Cyclopath

Posts: 1126 | From: Rat Creek | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
Sober Preacher's Kid

Presbymethegationalist
# 12699

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One page, two paragraphs. Hit only what they ask for in the ad or outline if you have one.

Otherwise play up only the most pertinent details.

Anything that might seem tangential should stay in the resume.

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NDP Federal Convention Ottawa 2018: A random assortment of Prots and Trots.

Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007  |  IP: Logged
Welease Woderwick

Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424

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Lay it out well, line spacing at 1.5, clear and readable font and in a logical order - it makes a huge difference in the way it is received.

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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details

What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?

Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005  |  IP: Logged
Jessie Phillips
Shipmate
# 13048

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Wow, there's a job search support thread!

My crystal ball says there's going to be more jobs in the future. That's encouraging, isn't it?

I hope Amorya has not yet been eaten by the wolves. Whilst paying bills is the reason most of us look for jobs, it can be particularly painful when the wolves stray a bit close for comfort. So, in addition to Zoey's advice about benefits, I'd say check up on your rights with your credit agreements. If you can cover your minimum payments from your non-discretionary regular welfare (such as Jobseekers Allowance in UK), that's great - but if you can't, you might find that it's easier to get your creditors to back off from the enforcement action for a little while than it is to solve the problem with discretionary welfare (such as Social Fund payments in the UK) - but try both.

Posts: 2244 | From: Home counties, UK | Registered: Oct 2007  |  IP: Logged
la vie en rouge
Parisienne
# 10688

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As you may have noticed if you've read my most recent contribution in Hell, one might say that I have fallen out of the frying pan into the fire...

Turns out that this team has had eight assistants in seven years. It's true I knew that there had been lots, but they downplayed it bigtime (I got the impression it was 3 or 4, not 8) and the excuse they gave me was there used to be another person in the team who was a assistant-devouring monster and that was why no one stayed, but now she's left so it's fine bla de bla de bla. Not true... they're not nasty people, true, but it's absolutely bloody impossible to assist them. Their department is a disaster. And they are completely incapable of wondering if they're doing something wrong themselves [Frown]

I have a second interview on Monday afternoon for another job and (depending on the people obviously, but hey I thought they were good people this time and I got screwed over [Frown] [Tear] ) I want it BAD. It's ten minutes walk from my house, a PA job but not with lawyers (which at this stage I'm happy with, I'm kind of on a downer about lawyers at this precise moment in time) for an events company that does professional trade shows. The work sounds interesting (making presentations, writing the odd speech...) the hours are better, not to mention not having to do the morning massacre in the metro, they imperatively want English mother tongue, and the little cherry on the cake is that their trade shows are in Cannes so two or three times a year you get an all expenses-paid trip to the South of France [Cool] .

Please God could I get a break? [Votive]

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Rent my holiday home in the South of France

Posts: 3696 | Registered: Nov 2005  |  IP: Logged
Amanda B. Reckondwythe

Dressed for Church
# 5521

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Well, la vie en rouge, you do what's best for you, of course. But is it worth at least trying to salvage the situation?

You say their department is a mess. In what ways? (List them, and next to each list what they should be doing instead. An Excel spreadsheet is your friend here.)

You say they are incapable of knowing that they are doing wrong. Who, specifically, is doing what wrong? (Again, list them, and next to each list what would be "right" in that situation.)

Give the spreadsheet to Management. Tell them you've found another position and you're leaving (assuming that does come to pass for you), but make it clear that in order for you to even have considered staying, the items on the list would have had to have been addressed. Make it clear, too, that your successor will in all likelihood leave as well unless the items are addressed.

What have you got to lose? What have they got to gain?

What would Jesus have said had they hired him?

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"I take prayer too seriously to use it as an excuse for avoiding work and responsibility." -- The Revd Martin Luther King Jr.

Posts: 10542 | From: The Great Southwest | Registered: Feb 2004  |  IP: Logged
Meg the Red
Shipmate
# 11838

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That's a tricky one, Miss Amanda. It's quite possible there's someone higher up in the company for which that sort of instability is working. In my current workplace there's been massive turnover (at just under two years, I'm the longest-term employee outside of senior management) - it works for the (highly manipulative) individual in charge because any disarray in the company is blamed on staff turnover, rather than that person's incompetence and laziness.

I've seen so many enthusiastic, talented people leave before their probation is up because they're given the mushroom treatment, then are attacked publically because they haven't completed tasks they didn't know they had to do.

I know precisely what's wrong with the workplace, and it wouldn't take much to fix it - but since I'm seeking another position in the same close-knit sector I can't afford to risk it. It makes me sick to think that truly good people will continue to enter the revolving door, only to be spat out again, battered and cynical. Until the people that are supposed to monitor this company choose to see what's in front of their eyes, nothing will change.

[ 09. December 2010, 18:52: Message edited by: Meg the Red ]

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Chocoholic Canuckistani Cyclopath

Posts: 1126 | From: Rat Creek | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528

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It's true some prefer high turnover. I still count surviving eight months in my last job one of my crowning achievements--the man had been through twenty people in that chair in the two years previous. Knowing that, I was Miss Perfect--and my reward was an amicable parting and a good recommendation when he finally got tired of my face. Not a bad guy, but addicted to variety. In extremes.

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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!

Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004  |  IP: Logged
Og: Thread Killer
Ship's token CN Mennonite
# 3200

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Hmmmm....December is traditionally a bad time for job openings, but there are 4 right now I am actually qualified for and interested in.

One where I gained a foothold by getting my resume referred by my old boss, who is a supporter of mine, which is good news. Then they posted it on a job site the next day...a bit confused but will have to see.

Another I could do...had to send a fax, no emails allowed, which meant getting out the 11 year old fax paper machine....dusty thing but it worked (although I made sure I changed the date and time to be current so it didn`t look like I was faxing on January 1st at 12:05 in the morning.

2 others look interesting, one a cut in pay for a company I`m not all that fond of but where I could succeed.

Another is a big switch in field, but I`m qualified for, in a general sort of way.

Its been good to work for somebody else too. I am reminded that I work hard, am competent, and see things strategically, even though my main job is to screen calls and take orders.

Right now....its going not bad. Still unemployed but feeling better.

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I wish I was seeking justice loving mercy and walking humbly but... "Cease to lament for that thou canst not help, And study help for that which thou lament'st."

Posts: 5025 | From: Toronto | Registered: Aug 2002  |  IP: Logged
les@BALM
The Ship's Visionary
# 11237

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All the best Og.

I've got an interview on Tuesday for a post I was initially told I wasn't shortlisted for, but after informing the interviewer that I had actually been recommended by the existing postholder for an interview, there was a change of mind. I face two Big Wigs for the post, knowing they have already interviewed some people already. I'm looking forward to the challenge!

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il sole d'Italia mi è rimasto nel cure
Italia campioni del mondo ****

Tiggs the cat.

Posts: 1863 | From: Canada, eh! | Registered: Apr 2006  |  IP: Logged
Og: Thread Killer
Ship's token CN Mennonite
# 3200

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Oh well....went for the interview with the organization I had a contact with, and the research I had done was wrong. Similar name but different program. Threw me for a loop for 5 minutes and did me in. Aced certain parts but....I wouldn't hire me off of that interview.

Mind you, I just as easily could have been a courtesy interview because of my contact and they just didn't take it seriously.

Weird vibe going in the door; I've visited hundreds of people in this field and never felt that much...guardedness is the best word for it...before, even when visiting people who saw me as a competitor.

Then I was wearing the suit all day long and when people asked how it went, I had to say.

Depressing this.....its been 11 years since I've been unemployed at Christmas. At least the last time I didn't know much about job search so could blame others. Now, its painful being a teacher when you can't seem to do it all properly.

Good thing is one of my references gave me some kind words when I went over my experience today. Says I am a good employee and somebody will hire me...nice to hear.

That and the family and friends are very supportive.

I'm getting tired of being taught lessons though.
[Frown]

[ 21. December 2010, 05:35: Message edited by: Og: Thread Killer ]

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I wish I was seeking justice loving mercy and walking humbly but... "Cease to lament for that thou canst not help, And study help for that which thou lament'st."

Posts: 5025 | From: Toronto | Registered: Aug 2002  |  IP: Logged
Meg the Red
Shipmate
# 11838

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quote:
Originally posted by Og: Thread Killer:
I'm getting tired of being taught lessons though. [Frown]

(((Og)))

I hear you - my lessons are just beginning, and I'm already flipping tired of them. And despite considerable efforts to avoid them, I seem to be making the same dumbass mistakes on my applications for which I've sometimes disqualified candidates when I've been hiring.

This whole process can be relentlessly dispiriting, so I hope you can give yourself a mental vacation from it over Christmas, even if only for a couple of days; enjoy your family, revel in the season.

And believe every good word you hear about yourself. [Smile]

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Chocoholic Canuckistani Cyclopath

Posts: 1126 | From: Rat Creek | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
Jessie Phillips
Shipmate
# 13048

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quote:
Originally posted by Meg the Red:
And despite considerable efforts to avoid them, I seem to be making the same dumbass mistakes on my applications for which I've sometimes disqualified candidates when I've been hiring.

This whole process can be relentlessly dispiriting

Agreed. Mind you, I find that the worst bit of it is the impersonality of the initial stage of the selection process. It's not until you've made the first shortlist that the organisations you've applied for jobs in start looking human. So it's best not to invest too much of yourself in initial applications; after all, it's often a trivial matter to make identical applications to hundreds of jobs these days - and it becomes a numbers game just to see which ones come up.

But then again, on the other hand, if you do make the first round, but you don't get selected at the end - you can come to resent the time you spent in the employer's interview and testing process. If you weren't going to select me, then why did you shortlist me in the first place? Okay, sure, I realise that employers want to interview a few people, but it's annoying when they shortlist more than a handful. Especially if your interview does not start on time.

Having said that, part of the reason that I resent the time is that I'm still studying, and I sometimes have assignment deadlines to keep. I probably won't mind so much once I have graduated.

Next time I go to a job interview, I plan to bring a dictating machine with me, so that I can record the questions they ask me, and the answers I give. Last time I went to a job interview, they told me that they were asking all the candidates the same questions - but when I asked them to give me a copy of the questions later on, they refused. This surprised me, because I've always been able to get copies of the question paper of academic exams I've sat.

Posts: 2244 | From: Home counties, UK | Registered: Oct 2007  |  IP: Logged
Moth

Shipmate
# 2589

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quote:
Originally posted by Jessie Phillips:

Next time I go to a job interview, I plan to bring a dictating machine with me, so that I can record the questions they ask me, and the answers I give. Last time I went to a job interview, they told me that they were asking all the candidates the same questions - but when I asked them to give me a copy of the questions later on, they refused. This surprised me, because I've always been able to get copies of the question paper of academic exams I've sat.

I don't think we would allow recording in our interviews. All unnecessary records, including the actual questions asked, are shredded immediately the interviews finish. Only an official record remains. I understand that is to limit any liability in the future, though I know too little about employment law to understand why!

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"There are governments that burn books, and then there are those that sell the libraries and shut the universities to anyone who can't pay for a key." Laurie Penny.

Posts: 3446 | From: England | Registered: Apr 2002  |  IP: Logged
Og: Thread Killer
Ship's token CN Mennonite
# 3200

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Take a recording device into an interview and people think you are litigious.

A bad idea.

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I wish I was seeking justice loving mercy and walking humbly but... "Cease to lament for that thou canst not help, And study help for that which thou lament'st."

Posts: 5025 | From: Toronto | Registered: Aug 2002  |  IP: Logged



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