JSA Interview nightmare

Casati

Thanks everyone, will let you know what happens.

Speedfreek1000 that link has been very helpful. I only wish I had known these things earlier.

Casati

I called them ip & they passed me from pillar to post for 10 minutes but finally got to speak to a very nice lady who has offered us another interview with a different person.

Thanks for all your words of advice I shall bear them in mind when we are re-interviewed.

Casati

Doh... called them up not called them ip.

cardiffforthefacup

I had three reviews now when I first signed on I had just left university with a degree in Biomedical Science, I was forced to place Medical receptionist as my first choice and except minimum wage, the woman I spoke to said I had no choice. Second review despite applying for over fifty positions as Biomedical Scientist, lab technician and lab assistants as well as temp shop work, ferry and train clerks/receptionists, I was forced to have receptionist as my main choice, now the third review, having applied for various positions including office, hotels, post office and shops and another fifty scientific jobs as well as studying for a masters in toxicology, they have put my main choice as office assistant and again minimum wage. They have brow beaten me since day 1, disregarded any of professional qualifications I have gained saying they only cater for ordinary general jobs and this last review they even tried to take my science jobs choice off the list altogether. Every time I sign on I tell them that the choice on their computer is what they have chosen and not what I am applying for, then give them a list of employers/temp/fulltime/parttime positions I have applied for. I sit there mainly depressed at the lack of replies I get, just a line to say my application is unsuccessful would be something and in a year I have had 1 interview for an internship who was looking for a 20 year old not someone double that age, and a telephone interview for debenhams temp christmas, who also didn't then get back to me to say I wasn't successful, I would say its best just to look for the employment you want and then see at your review whether things can be altered, I wouldn't hold out much hope though as the JC is just like it was in the 80s but with a new layout.

dugdale_2

CardifffortheFAcup,
If I understand you correctly you have been jobseeking for 12 months and in that time only secured one interview in which you were unsucessful.

If I was your adviser I would have no issue with you keeping one relevant scientific job goal on your JSAg however would expect you to be looking for other types of work in addition to your main job goal. By being out of employment for 12 months you would not have convinced me that you were likely to secure employment in your chosen field of work so I would expect you to be looking at any positions that you were capable of doing.
After being out of work for 12 months I would also expect you to have dropped your salary expectation to that of national minimum wage. If you didn't agree to both of the above I would have sufficient doubt in my mind that you were indeed actively seeking work and unfortunately would be obliged to pass your case onto a decision maker.

By the way, the order in which your three job goals are displayed on your JSAg do not have any importance. If I did a job search for you and matched a vacancy to one of your goals I would expect you to apply for the vacancy if it appeared first, second or third on your JSAg

macavity

i can relate to your experience, i had a terrrible time last year after my contract was not renewed. i was upset, thought i was going to lose my home, 6 months pregnant and suffering from depression, i couldnt stop crying. i had to sit through the rigamarole of 'back to work' sessions - sitting there hearing about painting and decorating courses with my enormous bump knowing no-one would hire me in that state anyway, the whole thing was one big horrid nightmare.

when i went onto income support at the end of my pregnancy they left me without money for 6 weeks - every time i visited or rang i was told a different story. i was hungry, tired, emotional andit was all just too much. the staff on the phone and at the centre were appalling, i complained but didnt hear a damn thing, surprise surprise.

the 'service' i got was absolutely appalling, they treat everyone like they are work shy dole scroungers with nothing between your ears when they are the ones lacking in any brain activity. it was a thoroughly humiliating experience.

Tigsteroonie

It really does seem to depend on which member of staff you get to see at the JCP.

Ours has nice staff who are helpful, understand modern technology (online applications) and that some employers don't like on-spec letters (civil service); it also has useless staff that patronise you, don't even know who the local employers are, and expect you to hand-write everything.

MacManiac1953

I can only assume that the staff at the Jobcentre, in line with all agencies that deal with the welfare state, are in the nightmare situation of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of applications and not having enough competent, and experienced, staff to cope.

I work as a volunteer generalist adviser for the Citizens' Advice Bureau in a very economically depressed area on the South coast and many of the clients I see are having problems with the benefits' system. Until very recently CAB had a direct number for the Jobcentre offices (in the same way we have direct numbers to all the major banks, building societies and utility providers) which enable our calls to be answered without queueing. The person at the end then knew it was the CAB and we normally ended up talking to someone with seniority who would normally be able to help us with our client's problems.

Recently the Jobcentre have withdrawn this facility, and will not even accept letters sent from CAB by recorded delivery.

Ostrich-like mentality from the management of this "service" will have filtered down to the people who deal with the public. I suspect it's only going to get worse. Once the hundreds of thousands of public sector workers are made redundant, the strain on the benefits' system will be unbearable and no doubt some of those struggling to administer the system will be joining the queues at the Jobcentre.

I despair.

JanetM01

I can totally empathise having found myself in the same position 18 months ago. There needs to be a very simple guide written in plain English for all of us "first timers" to explain the process. The job centres are an uncomfortable place to be if you are not used to being there and often you feel embarassed to be there in the first place. The staff do not seem to appreciate this. Those with good advisors are very lucky but you generally get an appointment with an advisor every 13 weeks and the approach seems to be that as most people get a job within 3 to 6 months of being made unemployed, little input is required from the JSA staff during this period. Once you hit 26 weeks without work there is much more support (you probably end up as part of a target at this stage). I had the mistaken belief that I would get help to find a job from the Job Centre but quickly realised that they just wanted my signature on a form every couple of weeks to confirm I was looking for work and really were not there to help me beyond that. This has probably evolved from merging the benefits office with the job centres and the job finding aspect of the organisation lost out. I would strongly advise anyone to do everything they can themselves to find a job and not depend on the JSA staff - such as posting your CV on to as many sites as possible (thats how I got my new job) and set up alerts so that you get job vacancies into your in box every day. It is a very demoralising situtation I must have applied for hundreds of jobs and did not even get a response to most of them but persistance pays off. (eventually):j

marisa

Sounds like my first ever exp at a Job Centre.
I was around 20, just finished 6th form, uni hadn't worked out and wanted some help in finding a good job so thought these were the people to speak to.
HAHAHAH. no
I hadn't even thought about JSA, just went in for information on how to get a good, serious, career job as I had only done bits of retail before.
They said they couldn't help me until I was on JSA and set me on the tracks to get that, fill this form call that number.
About a week later I got to speak to someone, I said I wanted to work in I.T or computing, I had no qualifications in it but knew myself to have a natural flair and interest, had been making handcoded websites for years, and just wanted a junior trainee role, even if it was part time or minimum wage, and I had good Alevels.
They took one look at me and said "you want to use a computer? Like a receptionist" and put receptionist and 2 very similar things in the boxes.
I struggled to explain no I want to fix, or support, or build computers, or make software for them, or even sell them! Blank stares and met with "receptionists use computers a lot, so do office admin clerks"
They suggest I walked from office to office in town asking if they needed a junior receptionist, then insisted I apply for one that would have been 3busses commute each day.
I left without signing on, frustrated at the ignorance, and luckily a couple of weeks later found a job selling computer components, again in retail but it did me till I decided to go to Uni.

So I can well believe they said "fashion.... so like hairstyling?"

Idiots. I'm sure not all, but everyone I have ever dealt with regarding JSA seems to have no idea how to job hunt or what sort of jobs are out there.

Dealing with them again at the moment, finally got them to put actual I.T/computing on the list but went and found my own again without their help.