Universal Job Match at http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk

brightonman123

There are BIG concerns regarding privacy, security (channel4 news, among others) have reported data breaches, and also that giving JCP staff your login info ACTUALLY breaks the terms of the site itself!

Not to mention JCP staff may add jobs* that you thren HAVE to apply for (*based on cv, or maybe not!), or face sanctions.. even if you dont have qualifications / experience for the position, or is in totally different part of the country.

Add to this, some jobs you have no idea which firm you are aplying to, and who/where your cv and personal info is going.

Yarbles

brightonman123 wrote: »

There are BIG concerns regarding privacy, security (channel4 news, among others) have reported data breaches, and also that giving JCP staff your login info ACTUALLY breaks the terms of the site itself!.

h###://###.whatdotheyknow.com/request/id_theft_and_personal_security_a?unfold=1

CS007

@Yarbles;

- you need to complete the appropriate forms for your FOI request to go through the hoops....watch out for how much info is visible 'publicly'.

- I posted an earlier question on this board that is so far un-answered: IF a job seeker registers with UJM, and accepts the 'option' to allow JSA staff to see their job seeking activity; BUT the job seeker is NOT required to provide their login details to JSA staff, how does the 'click the icon on the desktop' procedure described in an earlier post here (when you are at the sign-on ceremony, or a review meeting) work in terms of the JSA staff members computer being able to find YOUR activity details ??

- another good question maybe for a FOI request: how much taxpayers money has HMG paid over to Monster & other IT contractors for this system that seems to be 'far from ideal, let alone ready' ?

Yarbles

CS007 wrote: »

@Yarbles;

- you need to complete the appropriate forms for your FOI request to go through the hoops....watch out for how much info is visible 'publicly'.

- I posted an earlier question on this board that is so far un-answered: IF a job seeker registers with UJM, and accepts the 'option' to allow JSA staff to see their job seeking activity; BUT the job seeker is NOT required to provide their login details to JSA staff, how does the 'click the icon on the desktop' procedure described in an earlier post here (when you are at the sign-on ceremony, or a review meeting) work in terms of the JSA staff members computer being able to find YOUR activity details ??

- another good question maybe for a FOI request: how much taxpayers money has HMG paid over to Monster & other IT contractors for this system that seems to be 'far from ideal, let alone ready' ?

If the job seeker did register with UJM, and accepted that option to allow JSA staff to see their job seeking activity they are petty much complicit in giving the staff their login details.


Access is only granted voluntarily by the JSA claimant once they
tick a box in their Universal Jobmatch profile.

whatdotheyknow.com/request/ico_universal_job_match#incoming-336624

My point is if you were directed to join, they have no right to ask for your Gateway User ID if you maintained your right of no dwp access.

The option of using a paper jobsearch dairy at sign-on still remains

BTW I've no problem with publicly visible FOI requests at whatdotheyknow, the more people it helps the better, besides if you want to make a private request there's nothing stopping you firing off a private FOI email to the DWP

freedom-of-informationrequest@dwp gsi gov uk

robin_banks

csmw wrote: »

Yet another attack on the job centre I see.... Maybe if you spent as much time job searching as you do moaning about the job centre you would have a job by now.

Oh and by the way ALL advisors have access to the Internet!

Out of work for all of 3 weeks didn't bother looking at this site after registering with it.

Why would I?

It's security is flawed to say the least, it's search engines all over the place and to boot the organisation running this are being paid iro £17 million to run the thing.

CS007

@Robin Banks:

' being paid iro £17M to run the thing'

- great info; any more data points in terms of whether this is a recurring payment ? frequency ?

If a job seeker is already on the books of recruitment agencies / job boards, the UJM does nothing extra for them until the day enough employers (relevant to the job seekers capability) start using the UJM system EXCLUSIVELY.

IMHO this is very unlikely to happen.

Iskendersson

According to the The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)::
"some managers are putting pressure on jobcentre staff to tell jobseekers that they must register or
grant their adviser access to their Universal Jobmatch account."

After a consultation with the DWP, on 17/01/2013 PCS Union acting for DWP staff released a statement as follows:

"Despite assurances otherwise from the UJ project of DWP, management in some jobcentre districts were instructing advisers to tell claimants that UJ is mandatory and access must given to the DWP.

As a result of legal challenges and negative press attention, DWP have revised the guidance on UJ to make it clear that this cannot be done. The UJ Jobmatch toolkit chapter 3, paragraph 50, states: “You cannot issue a Jobseeker’s Direction to either require a claimant to create a profile and CV in Universal Jobmatch or to mandate a claimant to give us access to their account – this is their decision not ours.” Paragraph 52 also states that “We cannot specify to a JSA claimant how they provide us with records of their jobsearch activity and Universal Jobmatch will not change this.”
(from the PCS website)

One advisor's note on appointment card ( written 4th January ) asked for the claimant to produce "U.J. Number & password" at next appointment... when the claimant explained that they use other websites and they are not comfortable submitting their details (let alone sharing their password!!) to this website given the well publicised security breaches the Advisor responded "well, it's a Government website, I'm sure it's fine" which must make one wonder if either they are completely ignorant of the government's track record (NHS Database £6.4bn failure, Regional Fire Brigade control centre £423m project scrapped due to a failed computer system).or they are extremely deceitful, either way they must think jobseekers are rather stupid...

It says on their own Universal Jobmatch Privacy Policy:
"You are responsible for making sure that your log-in details (your username and password) are kept secret."

And on the Universal Jobmatch Terms and Conditions:
"We will never ask you for your password.":rotfl:

You have the option to allow the DWP access to your account by clicking a check box in your account settings on Universal Jobmatch website. They can't force you to click this box or remove/reduce your benefit if you don't.They are being pressured into lying in order to meet targets and "(the PCS) strongly advises members (Jobcentre staff) not to put themselves in the position of misinforming the public about Universal Jobmatch."

The DWP has no authority to compel jobseekers to relinquish their rights to data protection by allowing the DWP to monitor their jobseeking activity on Universal Job Match. They are intending to do this via browser "cookies" installed on your comput system by the UJ website but they can't compel jobseekers to accept the cookies in the first place.
“Effective from 26 May 2012 the EU cookie law requires websites to gain permission from users, before planting cookies.”

Don't let them scare you into signing up or handing over your personal login details for Universal Jobmatch, It is optional and don't let them tell you otherwise. If your adviser is persistent, or you are already subject to a Jobseeker’s Direction or have already been sanctioned and lost your benefit there is a copy of the DWP Briefing for you to download and produce as evidence on appeal at the PCS website.
And be sure to make a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office with regards to the mis-handling of your data.


You may choose to or have already signed up to the Universal Jobmatch website as you will need to to apply for many (but not all) of the jobs posted on the government's system now unlesss you use the jobpoints or your advisor is willing to provide the contact details of employers directly. If you do/have done already, please read their Privacy:DPolicy and Terms and CONditions fully as some of the advice contradicts their marketing leaflet and the advice given by staff.


I would have posted links to all the resources but after writing all this I've just been told that as a new user I can't post any links :mad: (I should have read the Terms and Conditions :T)

Ballistic

Hi. This thread is very long so i just thought id ask a quick question. I was recently told i have to sign up to this and that i should allow access to the dwp. I have just signed up but was wondering if i have to give access? Also what will happen if i dont? Thanx.

GillyR-J

I was 'asked' at my last meeting to sign up to jobmatch,upload my CV and allow my advisor to have access. This I initially did until my e-mail was hacked and my contacts were sent details of jobs they neither wanted or asked for and I have been receiving 'Russian Bride' adverts amongst other ridiculous e-mails. Since I changed the setting it seems to have stopped.
I am also extremely suspicious of some the jobs advertised on the web-site.
I am applying for posts within the local authority so I have been able to check more reputable agencies for these posts and the local authorities own vacancy lists so I have been able to look for post directly NONE of the posts 'recommended' were actually there!
One post sounded very familiar and when I checked this agency I had never heard of had lifted directly an advert that had appeared last October. Its a shame the box that seeks a reason for not applying does not have the statement 'this job does not exist'!

Iskendersson

Ballistic wrote: »

Hi. This thread is very long so i just thought id ask a quick question. I was recently told i have to sign up to this and that i should allow access to the dwp. I have just signed up but was wondering if i have to give access? Also what will happen if i dont? Thanx.

Your question is answered in full in my post above.
You DON'T have to sign up, you DON'T have to allow access and you MUST NOT give anyone your username and/or password if you do sign up.
Please see the following site for the latest information, there is a link to download a PDF at the bottom, you can print and show this to your advisor if you have problems. Unfortunately I can't post links as a new user so you will have to find the page yourself but if you google "pcs universal jobmatch" the PCS news article dated 17th January should be top of the list, click the link and there is a PDF download at the bottom you can print and take with you to the Jobcentre.

You can also go to the "Benefit Claimants Fight Back" group on Facebook you should find some info on there.