Support Each Other In Looking For Work?

persa

Registered online with an agency today and they rang me within a few minutes to arrange a chat. So I'm seeing them tomorrow, which is something positive to write in my job seeking book.

It's not an agency I've dealt with before, but they're local and the consultant I spoke to seemed really nice, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed we'll have a good chat tomorrow and he'll give me a better idea of where I stand in the current market. My CV was really strong up until the point where my old employer gave me notice, so I'm hopeful I'm not quite on the scrapheap yet.

Hope your first day of work is going well, Sharon87. I don't have any experience myself, but the lady I spoke to at the Job Centre when I signed on gave me the impression that if it was temporary work like yours, I would just have to call the phone number on the literature she gave me to let them know to reduce my benefit for the week(s) in question and also to exempt me from having to come in if my signing day clashed with work. I thought I would only have to sign off if it was a permenant or long term job.

November5th, congratulations on getting a company interested in you! When it comes to Powerpoint, my experience is that your slides should be a very abbreviated version of what you are going to say (e.g. the first point is one very short sentence, but you cover that point using five much longer, more detailed sentences). Although the slides are summarising what you're saying, the trick is to make it feel like there's no repetition. You would never say out loud something that was written on the slide, but you would say something similar to that, in a more complex way. I guess another way of looking at it, is if someone gets distracted, they can glance at the slides and figure out what you've been talking about so far and where you are with the presentation, without getting embarrassed or lost. Hope that makes sense...

Hope everyone is in a positive mood today. So easy not to be.

November5th

Hi Persa, thanks for that and many thanks to Stew86 for sending me his example, I am just going to do it and do it til I get it.
The numerous powerpoint presentations I have suffered have involved people just reading out what is on screen, makes me want to scream!
Thing is, I also started off with these total dreams of the most awesome presentation in the world ever from the studios of Disney Pixar, setting myself up for a fall

Good luck to everyone today, let's have a day of surprises.

katkim

How long does the presentation have to be?

I would do a presentation based on my CV too. It's a good opportunity to show examples of your work, especially if it's visual or audio - powerpoint is quite effective in that respect. Maybe you can relate what you did in those projects to projects that they've worked on / current working on? If you've worked on a particularly prestigious or interesting project, maybe you can expand on that.

I would also include some personal aspects/qualities to show them what type of person you are and how you're a great person to work with - sense of humour, volunteering work, family man, or if there was something that makes you stand out / be memorable like if you've broken a world record or taken part in a TV quiz or something - I think it's always harder to emphasis / domonstrate those personal qualities on a CV. I wouldn't make it the main focus though.

*

I'm currently looking for plane tickets for Hong Kong - I have a few interviews / work shadowing lined up now for April for Singapore, Hong Kong and one in mainland China. I'm planning on spending on month there to see what life is like and if I can adapt. I know it's going to be a huge change. I'm scared witless, it's such a big step, but hopeful at the same time.

At the back of my mind, I would prefer to stay in the UK, but there's been 3 jobs posted this week - one for 6 months and two part time. All three would require a signficant move too...

Chantel

katkim wrote: »

How long does the presentation have to be?

I would do a presentation based on my CV too. It's a good opportunity to show examples of your work, especially if it's visual or audio - powerpoint is quite effective in that respect. Maybe you can relate what you did in those projects to projects that they've worked on / current working on? If you've worked on a particularly prestigious or interesting project, maybe you can expand on that.

I would also include some personal aspects/qualities to show them what type of person you are and how you're a great person to work with - sense of humour, volunteering work, family man, or if there was something that makes you stand out / be memorable like if you've broken a world record or taken part in a TV quiz or something - I think it's always harder to emphasis / domonstrate those personal qualities on a CV. I wouldn't make it the main focus though.

*

I'm currently looking for plane tickets for Hong Kong - I have a few interviews / work shadowing lined up now for April for Singapore, Hong Kong and one in mainland China. I'm planning on spending on month there to see what life is like and if I can adapt. I know it's going to be a huge change. I'm scared witless, it's such a big step, but hopeful at the same time.

At the back of my mind, I would prefer to stay in the UK, but there's been 3 jobs posted this week - one for 6 months and two part time. All three would require a signficant move too...

Wow! Congratulations, I've wanted to travel for so long now and haven't figured out how I'd be able to do it and work at the same time. Well done for going for it, I'd love to hear how it goes.

Here's to hopeing I find something soon :beer:

twinkle1981_2

I have just noticed an error on my CV so the last jobs I have applied for all have this CV with the error on it. Its not a spelling or grammatical error, its an error with one of the dates on my periods of employment so I overlooked it. And they will probably notice cos I have one job ending in 2004 and the one after starting in 2003 :think:Arrggggh. I could cry. But I won't.

jay_1978

Some of these agencies are unreal. I had a interview last week with one and the guy who interviewed me said that my qualifications and experience are what he is looking for and that he loved my enthusiasm and he would contact me asap and get me started at a local warehouse as a FLT driver, Great I thought with hopes built up and ready to get back into work. So I decided to call them Monday and see when I would be started only to be told that they had a yes and no list and that I was on the no list. I was like !!!!!! he virtually promised me work. I didn't get abusive but I was so !!!!ed off, Just don't understand why these places act like that, Surely they know that some people really do want to work with me being one of them, What can I do tho ? These agencies are a umbrella and have loads of local warehouses under them so I can't exactly say that I won't go with that agency. I would only be punishing myself and not them, Totally !!!!ed tho.

Drea

Well, looks like I'm back to looking. My temp work ended rather abruptly.

Not feeling positive right now

Stew68

Drea wrote: »

Well, looks like I'm back to looking. My temp work ended rather abruptly.

Not feeling positive right now

Sorry to hear that Drea, at least it's something to say that you have done even if only for a few weeks. It'll show that you want to work to future potential employers compared to some of the people out there.

Hope something comes up again soon for you. (I wonder if you could include this thread on your CV, setting up a support group for like minded jobseekers?).

November5th

Sorry to hear that Drea, more time for getting a better job now, hope something comes up right away.

Just got the expected rejection from Monday's interview, loved my skills but didn't think I would fit, smelling of cigarette smoke was bad, (need to find a cheap dryleaner, the suit is on it's fifth day out).
Still they were a high end fashion company, I now know the offices are tiny (uncomfortably so), so not fussed, I would not have fitted.
I am more Uniqlo than Prada. Massive, funky, well made, well priced and commercial

The powerpoint presentation is coming along, I almost have a plan. I never used to have to do this much hard prep for interviews. My recruiter mentioned that she had never seeen employers ask for so much beforehand either.

starryshell

November5th wrote: »

...
Just got the expected rejection from Monday's interview, loved my skills but didn't think I would fit, smelling of cigarette smoke was bad, (need to find a cheap dryleaner, the suit is on it's fifth day out).
....

I'm also a smoker, and to minimize the smell I don't smoke once I've showered before an interview, and try not to smoke after the interview until I'm home and changed out of my interview clothes - but at a minimum only when outside. I also don't smoke inside my house, so that keeps smells to a minimum as well.