Census Jobs

dou_jyr

oh my god! what an argumentative chappie you are.

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

... wasting my time on the Siftability nonsense where I clearly scored highly ...

i've never had much truck for psychometrics, but if it's sifted you out then i'm beginning to think there might be something to it :rotfl:

jacko909090

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

I think you meant to say that "technically" or in strict legal terms ONS are running the Census. Regardless of that in all other practical terms Capita are actually running it this year.

Capita have advertised the jobs, Capita have messed people around by keeping them hanging on and not getting back to them, Siftability is I'm quite sure a Capita proposed idea and Capita have employed the training staff who are training the Collectors and Interviewers as far as I am aware.

So the only respect in which ONS is running the show is in designing the census questionnaire and in possibly deciding how many Collectors etc were required in each area. Although I'm rather inclined to believe that this was perhaps also outsourced to Capita too.

If ONS in conjunction with local councils were running the show as before then they wouldn't have annoyed so many people. It is the thoughtless processes of Capita who treat potential staff like they are just another production component on the assembly line that can be disposed of at will that has so badly upset people. Also Siftability was an annoying exercise as it was all about making sure that you would stick to hitting your targets and wouldn't be comparing notes on how much expenses you were claiming etc. Again a typically Capita inspired approach I would suggest. They clearly weren't concerned if you cared about people and they clearly expected you to carry on door knocking even in the pouring rain or even if being taunted by a group of local youths given the slanting of the eight answers to some of the individual Siftability questions.

One only has to look at how much worse the BBC complaints process has been in the 15 or so years that Capita have been running it to see that bean counting is usually at the forefront of their concerns and that the quality of the customer experience is usually the very least of their concerns.

Considering you have such a low opinion of Capita then I am surprised you wanted to work on the Census in the first place (if you believe they are so much in charge) and also that you are so angry that you haven't been selected. I would have thought you would have been sighing with relief that they didn't pick you.

NonGeographicalMan

jacko909090 wrote: »

Considering you have such a low opinion of Capita then I am surprised you wanted to work on the Census in the first place (if you believe they are so much in charge) and also that you are so angry that you haven't been selected. I would have thought you would have been sighing with relief that they didn't pick you.

I am actually interested in the Census and its long history in the UK (something the superficial and vacuous Cameroon clearly had no interest in or knowledge of and instead immediately wanted to abolish as another cost cutting measure) as I have a background in statistics and before I applied it wasn't obvious to me just how in control of everything Capita was.

Perhaps you can clarify who is actually paying the wages and whether that is also Capita or is ONS?

I don't have a high opinion of Capita since its only aim in life as a company is to make as much money possible and it is not dedicated to doing things well but only to doing them profitably. It was also one of the principal introducers in the UK of the 084/7 phone number call centre ripoff system. You will note that Capita even used a ripoff 0845 number for Census Jobs enquiries even though somebody in the ONS did the right thing by insisting that the enquiry number about the census itself was an 03 number that is always included in bundled minutes in call packages on both landlines and mobiles and not charged at a 900% per minute premium from a BT Payphone (as 0845 number are).

I didn't like Siftability but I know that I got a very high score in it as I could see straight away what was driving the basis on which the questions had been set and I answered it the way they wanted it answered and not the way I would have answered it if I didn't think getting employed depended on it.

They must know damn well too that in answer to their question about what to do if it is raining most people would say I've got several weeks of this ahead of me and would rather wait till the rain stops before I get going if they were answering it honestly instead of toadyishly.

I didn't have any respect for Siftability as it didn't want to find out about my individuality or beliefs as a person but only wanted to find out how much of a good company man who followed instructions to the letter without question and who only worried about meeting targets I was.

Devizeslass

Has anyone else had problems with filling in the Disclosure Scotland form? It won't let me put in my maiden name in the "Other Names" section on page 3, so I can't complete the form. I have told someone about it over the phone, but it still hasn't been fixed.

I can't believe I'm the only one having this problem - it won't be an issue for most men, unless they've changed their name for some reason, but it will be for most married women.

Lil_Me_2

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

I didn't like Siftability but I know that I got a very high score in it as I could see straight away what was driving the basis on which the questions had been set and I answered it the way they wanted it answered and not the way I would have answered it if I didn't think getting employed depended on it.

Perhaps this is where you went wrong then. At the start of the test it specifically says to answer honestly, not what you think they want to hear! I would imagine that anyone that scored too "perfectly" might have been put at a disadvantage.

You have just shown that you don't listen to instructions and do what you think is best and I don't think that's the type of employee that they're looking for.

lexilex

Has anyone who was on the reserve list managed to get a job on the census yet?? I was told I was on the reserve list last Wednesday and I did the training and sent off my documents the same day but not heard anything since. I'm really struggling to find any work at the minute despite applying for everything going and I could really do with a few weeks money from the census.

Fluffs123

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

I didn't have any respect for Siftability as it didn't want to find out about my individuality or beliefs as a person

What's that got to do with going round asking people why they haven't returned their Census forms? :rotfl: I think you've completely lost the plot.

All they want are nice laid back people who can go around asking other ordinary members of the public what's up with their Census forms with the minimum of fuss. Having read your posts on here it doesn't take too mich imagination to envisage you getting up people's noses and having rucks with them on their doorsteps, and making your coordinator and other team members lives miserable.

You are so certain you scored well on Siftability - you clearly did not. And it's not hard to see why.

dawyldthing

Well won't be too long until its all starting up. I'm going to see Kylie on the 7th, and working 37 hours a week should be fine based on their principle of working between 2pm-9pm Monday - Friday and 9am - 9pm Saturday and Sunday meaning that theres more than enough hours to do (59 hours to work between, so should be fine). I just wish we could get walking miles but then again that would be pushing it too far! The co-ordinator got in contact last week, I think Thursday, and this was about a week after I had confirmed taking the job, so it can take a while. After talking (and trying to convince) someone at work to do their census form I think at times it will be hard work, but it will be interesting and is a part of History.

NonGeographicalMan

Fluffs123 wrote: »

You are so certain you scored well on Siftability - you clearly did not. And it's not hard to see why.

Then why exactly did Capita's email say that I scored "well" in the test?:think:

Perhaps anyone who has had an email from Capita commenting on their results in the test that has given a more positive sounding comment on their score would care to let us know.

The reason I haven't been offered a job is almost certainly because my application was last Wednesday 23rd March and Capita was probably only advertising because they hadn't yet got enough reserves for the official reserves. After all our time is free in applying and doing Siftability so why should they worry about messing us around.:mad:

If you really think its in your interests to answer the questions the way that first occurs to you rather than the way you think your employers will want it answered that's up to you. I can assure you that Capita does not want to employ people who will say that they would go home at the first sign of rain or teenagers hassling them or because some of the addresses were hard to find or read on the list or because they felt like meeting their co-workers at the pub. They want you to press on in all weathers and hit your targets and to be completing your expenses form on the very day they want it in (even though this is unreasonably a day on which you are also still out collecting census forms so will be too tired to feel like filling out an expense claim) and not a day late (even though we all know in the real world that there shouldn't be a big hurry to get expenses forms in).

I would not be arguing with people on the doorstep. I have done enough political canvassing to know that trying to change people's minds on something is usually unsuccessful and chasing those who say they definitely won't send back their forms should be marked down as a job for enforcement.

As to those who feel I would not have a matey enough approach for you or speak with a working class accent that you would feel more comfortable with luckily census collection is carried out on your own so that would not be an issue.

Fluffs123

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

Then why exactly did Capita's email say that I scored "well" in the test?:think:

:rotfl: For someone who thinks you're so clued up it's rather funny you believe that. It's just a standard polite response - they're hardly likely to say "You were crap".