Census Jobs

katie125_2

ItsMe wrote: »

I called Capita this morning - (incidentally this is the national number for them if anyone wants to avoid the 0845 number/use inclusive minutes etc. 020 7799 1525) - I was only on hold for about 5 minutes so not too bad and I was told that they were finishing the Collecting jobs at present and since the CCS jobs don't start until 18th April I would hear in the next week or so. At least I suppose I know I'm still in the running - just have to wait and see.

No ItsMe I didn't get any choice just the dates and location but as its close to me it's not too bad.

Good luck!

jacko909090

Nkemco1986 wrote: »

jacko909090, thanks for your post. I called the employee helpdesk rather than the recruitment helpline and had a message from my co-ordinator within 24 hours as the lady said. Finally sorted.

No problem - just glad you got it sorted out.

Good luck!:)

T

ItsMe

What a difference a day makes ... I've gone from having heard nothing since my telephone interview to calling the recruitment team and being told I'd hear in a week or two, to then being sent an email telling me I'm a reserve to then getting a phone call making me a conditional offer! All this between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today! I can't help wonder if all this would have still happened today if I hadn't called them this morning. Co-incidence? I doubt it. So if you're still waiting to hear it might be worth calling them up. Thanks Katie 125 for the prompt.

froggy27_2

Yes it does look like things are happening...

andyroberts1967

froggy27 wrote: »

Yes it does look like things are happening...and Capita is finally doing something! I have now got 7 collectors on the system and I contacted them straight away to see if they want the job! 5 answered by return so let's hope it will all be ok.

My census manager emailed me this morning and asked if I could attend a meeting on April 6th from 10.30am to midday, I sent one back saying I couldn't make it as my main job is from 7-3. I offered to see him the night before or later that day, he's going to see what the other census collectors say and will let me know. I'm really looking forward to starting now though, although I'll be glad when it's over too!! Two full time jobs is crazy, at least it's only a month!

NonGeographicalMan

andyroberts1967 wrote: »

My census manager emailed me this morning and asked if I could attend a meeting on April 6th from 10.30am to midday, I sent one back saying I couldn't make it as my main job is from 7-3. I offered to see him the night before or later that day, he's going to see what the other census collectors say and will let me know. I'm really looking forward to starting now though, although I'll be glad when it's over too!! Two full time jobs is crazy, at least it's only a month!

I don't think someone like you who is already employed full time should be allowed to take the job on as a matter of principle as clearly you are going to be too tired to be at your best when you do the other 7 hours of collecting. In addition there is supposed to be an EU working time directive which this contravenes. Yes in theory you can sign away you rights to that but I don't think you will actually be fit to do the job if you are working 14 hours every day and ONS are getting the 7 hours when you are already worn out.

With all the people currently out of work but who have been employed for a long time and who desperately need the cash it seems to me that they should have been given first priority by the government since it would also have saved them some benefits payments too.

I hope you can live with yourself while you are collecting your beer money or holiday money and no doubt being rude and grumpy to the people you are collecting from (due to being over tired) when someone who really needed the job is deprived of doing it by you.:eek::mad::mad::mad:

NonGeographicalMan

I applied mid last week for a Collector role that they had extended the application dates on several times so were obviously short of people for.

I got the Siftability test email on Friday and filled it out over the weekend and got an email back this morning as follows:-

Thank you for taking the time to complete the online
assessment tool SiftAbility.

You performed well when completing the exercises but
unfortunately on this occasion you have not been selected
for an interview. We will not be taking your application
further at this stage but it is likely that further
positions will be available in the future.

As a result we will keep your application in reserve
and will contact you again if further interview slots
become available in the future.

As I am only too well aware of the kind of person Capita would want to recruit
being someone who hits their targets, doesn't get distracted by larking around
with colleagues and doesn't bother their manager with lots of questions caused
by stupidity I am sure I scored very highly in the bizarre 4 out of 8
answers multiple choice Siftability questions so I am perfectly sure the only
reason I have not been taken further is because I live 9 miles from the boundary
with the area. So they no doubt think those in area will be happier with the
work and not moan about travelling costs etc. But if they only wanted someone
in the area then why couldn't they just reject me on those grounds rather than
wasting my time on the Siftability nonsense where I clearly scored highly but
it made no difference because I was living in the wrong place in relation to the
area advertised.

Obviously they weren't flooded with applicants or they wouldn't have extended
the application deadline to March 23rd.

I intend to pursue this with a local senior manager on the Census project at
Capita on the phone and if they can't help will take it further including FOI'ng
the ONS about non disclosure of my Siftability test score and/or
non disclosure of what the pass mark is for clearing the Siftability stage.

I have canvassed in numerous elections so would have no trouble dealing
with the predictable range of personality types who will have failed to have got
round to completing their census forms.

Speaking of which I now fully intend not to return mine and when the first
Collector calls will make it clear I have issues I want to raise about the
Census process with the local Area Manager..........

dou_jyr

:eek: blimey. i'm glad you're not on my team

QED?

katie125_2

ItsMe wrote: »

What a difference a day makes ... I've gone from having heard nothing since my telephone interview to calling the recruitment team and being told I'd hear in a week or two, to then being sent an email telling me I'm a reserve to then getting a phone call making me a conditional offer! All this between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today! I can't help wonder if all this would have still happened today if I hadn't called them this morning. Co-incidence? I doubt it. So if you're still waiting to hear it might be worth calling them up. Thanks Katie 125 for the prompt.

Excellent News ItsMe definitely seems to pay off calling them as I am sure alot of people are going to hear nothing otherwise. Keep in touch and we can swap notes on the rest of the process hopefully positive ones fingers crossed.

andyroberts1967

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

I don't think someone like you who is already employed full time should be allowed to take the job on as a matter of principle as clearly you are going to be too tired to be at your best when you do the other 7 hours of collecting. In addition there is supposed to be an EU working time directive which this contravenes. Yes in theory you can sign away you rights to that but I don't think you will actually be fit to do the job if you are working 14 hours every day and ONS are getting the 7 hours when you are already worn out.

With all the people currently out of work but who have been employed for a long time and who desperately need the cash it seems to me that they should have been given first priority by the government since it would also have saved them some benefits payments too.

I hope you can live with yourself while you are collecting your beer money or holiday money and no doubt being rude and grumpy to the people you are collecting from (due to being over tired) when someone who really needed the job is deprived of doing it by you.:eek::mad::mad::mad:

The thing is, my day job is a sit-down job which I breeze through, I am a civil servant and have a job which isn't physically demanding. In fact I'm using the month of work as a means to lose a bit of weight and I am targeting the date to coincide with a diet I'm embarking on.
I do agree with you that people out of work should have been given first priority, however I'm sure these jobs must have been advertised in Jobcentres, and how many long term unemployed people would have been interested in a month's work for probably not much extra money, and risk their benefit being mucked up. If you want a job doing, as the saying goes, you ask a busy person, because they're already up to speed.
I'm not a rude or grumpy person, it takes a lot to wind me up, and as for living with myself, it's not my fault that I was selected for this job over others. This is holiday money, how did you guess? I'm not a beer drinker.
The only other thing I wanted to say is that if this was a permanent position there's no way I would consider it, the fact is that it's only for a month, I will be having 5 days off flexi time in that month, and there are also 4 bank holidays in that period, so it's not as bad as it sounds. I will survive!!