job centers

jessbob

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

Yep; been trying to get bar work; even have experience and great references; supervised hospitality bars @ Ascot, Henley, Wimbledon etc. Keep being told I'm over-qualified despite using my "dumbed-down" CV...Then I tried to apply for a job at L'Occitane and apparently all SAs need NVQs in beauty type stuff.

Its madness. Recruitment agencies have been no help whatsoever either. You shouldnt have to dumb down your CV. You should be able to show them how experienced and qualified you are.

Good luck, anyway. We certainly need it at the moment :mad:

ThinkingOfLinking

Jess, I'm now more inclined to get p1ssed off with bad service. It's a case of "How on earth did you get that job? I've been applying, can't get anywhere, and you're a muppet to put it kindly, yet you get a job no problems."

toasterman

mrcow wrote: »

Certainly I'd recommend to everyone getting themselves down there at least once a week and going through everything that they have on offer. Yes the information is all online, but it's not always straightforward to identify.

I guess as I was a professional geek, I don't find it any different using their machines to using the website.
Guess I'd probably rather spend longer looking at each job on the website (sometimes just search the whole city, open a shedload of jobs for more info in new tabs, then work my way through) than drive up there and be depressed by all the chavs hanging about.
I guess the phone line is the happy medium - they still do the search, still use their systems, and you don't have to feel intimidated or whatever. Something about just walking into the jobcentre makes me feel worse, and like I'm some kind of failure.

purplepardalis

I was called today about my claim for JSA and whilst on the phone the person told me about this number:

0845 6060234

Apparently these people assist with job searches and will help you try and find work.
Not sure if anyone's tried it.....?

ThinkingOfLinking

That number is Jobseeker direct; all they do is if you find a job on the job points you ring them and they give you more details.

purplepardalis

Oh right - not as helpful as was suggested to me then!

jessbob

toasterman wrote: »

I guess as I was a professional geek, I don't find it any different using their machines to using the website.
Guess I'd probably rather spend longer looking at each job on the website (sometimes just search the whole city, open a shedload of jobs for more info in new tabs, then work my way through) than drive up there and be depressed by all the chavs hanging about.
I guess the phone line is the happy medium - they still do the search, still use their systems, and you don't have to feel intimidated or whatever. Something about just walking into the jobcentre makes me feel worse, and like I'm some kind of failure.

I agree. Easier to search online from home. A lot of the vacancies on the jebcentre website are with agencies now anyway, so they never seem to go any further.

jessbob

purplepardalis wrote: »

Oh right - not as helpful as was suggested to me then!

No help at all from my experience

-BA-

~Beanie~ wrote: »

My local once certainly is. I have recently become unemployed and now have to go every 2 weeks to sign on.

There is always a gathering of chavs (for want of a better word) outside the front door, with cans of super-strength lager in their hands and some with big dogs. I for one find this very intimidating and whilst the security guards employed by the JCP keep them from entering the building, they don't seem to make any effort to shift them from outside the front door.

Inside isn't so bad, mainly just people like me looking for a job or signing on.

The first time I went,m I was scared I was going to be mugged and have never gripped my handbag so tight! I don't bother taking it now, just in case :rolleyes:

The pavement outside is a public place. The security will not have the authority to move them on unless there is an issue where they are preventing public access to the building.

To the posters berating the signing staff. They have their diaries booked for them. They have their diaries overbooked for them to take into account the lazy ones, or indeed those genuinely not able to attend, who don't turn up. Consequently on days when everyone turns up, these staff are inundated. This also happens on the non-JSA side and as pointed out, there is very little that can be done in 5 mins. It is actually astounding what they do manage to get done in 5 mins and they also find time to send out vacancies to clients by post.

With public facing staff you are always going to get some who are more than a little sour but sitting in front of many, many people who take the phrase "the great unwashed" to whole new heights must be pretty damn depressing.

mvengemvenge

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

That number is Jobseeker direct; all they do is if you find a job on the job points you ring them and they give you more details.

Not quite......you can ask them to do a search for, let's say, latest driving jobs in your area.

It's not perfect, but it's not quite as narrowly-defined as you suggest.