Benefits changes from next year

stargazer59

The_ICT_Engineer wrote: »

This has been common knowledge in IT circles for months, I very much doubt if it would ever work reliable.

IDS is putting all his eggs in the UC basket, a 25% failure rate is going to really hurt.

Will the system ever go live? I sincerely hope not.

dktreesea

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

It does. People on Workfare are not employed, it is work experience and I personally see nothing wrong with it. Better than sitting on your archie doing nothing!

I don't mind work experience if it is the kind of thing you do when you are at school. How could people know what working in an office would be like if they have never done it? or in retail, child care, a garage etc? That kind of work experience happens when people are still young enough to make education choices, sometimes as a result of that work experience.

Workfare is different. It rarely leads to permanent work. Because private companies can get free workers, they then don't take on as many apprentices/trainees. Why should private companies get to exploit people whom the company has no intention of ever offering a permanent job, just because they are unable to find paid work on their own?

dktreesea

robpw2 wrote: »

so you havent applied because you think you know what mcdonalds recruitment policy is ... i worked there at 27 albeit i was let go because of my back a few weeks later due to "insurance"

I wouldn't work for McDonalds because I don't particularly like their product. I assume they only recruit young people because that's all I ever see in their stores.

dktreesea

I see that disabled people, since early December, can now be placed in a workfare job for an unlimited time. Is that the same for other unemployed people? If not, what happens after the work placement is completed? If one is not offered a job, do they just go back to languishing on the dole, or can people be sent out on unpaid job assignements indefinitely?

There are employers - Superdrug comes to mind (they withdrew from workfare when Tesco was suffering all its bad publicity but are now using unpaid labourers again) - who apparently didn't take on paid Christmas workers, instead choosing to accommodate benefit recipients. I'm sure this makes perfect business sense, especially if the work for the dole people have previous retail experience, - why pay wages if you don't have to? - but surely doing this on a vast scale will totally undermine the job security of the paid workforce?

FBaby

bloomingflower wrote: »

To be fair to the Op he has said that he is doing all he can to even get to an interview..it is not that easy....

When my husband was out of work beginning of last year (after previously working for a company for 8 years) he uploaded his CV for numerous jobs on every site he could think of.

More and more job seekers are now being encouraged by employers to use email to upload and submit their CV's for job applications.. (very rare now to be asked by employers to go to them directly hand deliver CV's and haven't come across many that do now.)

My husband found that this was rather soul destroying as he didn't so much as get a reply back from some employers. Waiting days on end for a reply and days can turn into weeks until you have to constantly chase up your applications.

My hubby had to chase up many and was shocked when one employer said to him "I am very sorry I could not reply back to you to say whether your application was successful or not as I am inundated with emails and applications for the position you have applied for and I don't have the time to go through all of them".

That was just one employer but he had to be chased up. Imagine a few employers not contacting you on any day,everyday? Employers don't bother to make any contact with you. Hard reality.

Where does that leave you?

My hubs eventually got lucky and is now working for a company since March 2012 but he would have walked on water and hot coals to find work, but employers have to at least meet us halfway.

Wasn't your husband told that sending a CV isn't enough and that you are expected to also send a statement as to why you want THIS particular job?

I think this is why many applicants never hear anything. Emailing a CV takes about 10 sseconds. Surely someone who doesn't work and has 8 hours a day to look for work has time to bother writing a cover letter to go with the CV? Not doing so shows laziness and no inspiration. I would never ever even bother to look at a CV if it came without a cover letter and even then the cover letter would need to show the applicant has bothered to either read the advert in detail and/or has done some research in the job. I think it is the same with most employers. If you receive 100s of applications, why bother with those who can't be bothered to show edication when you will most likely get at least 10 that will have make the effort?

Bogof_Babe

dktreesea wrote: »

I wouldn't work for McDonalds because I don't particularly like their product. I assume they only recruit young people because that's all I ever see in their stores.

I don't think that "reason" would go down very well at the Job Centre!

Gentile

FBaby wrote: »

Wasn't your husband told that sending a CV isn't enough and that you are expected to also send a statement as to why you want THIS particular job?

I think this is why many applicants never hear anything. Emailing a CV takes about 10 sseconds. Surely someone who doesn't work and has 8 hours a day to look for work has time to bother writing a cover letter to go with the CV? Not doing so shows laziness and no inspiration. I would never ever even bother to look at a CV if it came without a cover letter and even then the cover letter would need to show the applicant has bothered to either read the advert in detail and/or has done some research in the job. I think it is the same with most employers. If you receive 100s of applications, why bother with those who can't be bothered to show edication when you will most likely get at least 10 that will have make the effort?

I recruit a lot of people for IT jobs in the company I work for and to be honest even those guys do not put that effort in. You cannot expect minimum wage guys to go to that extent. I have seen guys apply to a job and not remember that they had applied a few days back and re apply again and again. Everybody just clicks the apply button and sends CV in and hope that they get a job.

I dont mind guys looking for unskilled jobs to just sent a CV in without tailoring it for every job, but I want them to get off their butts and hunt for a job at least. Sitting at home all day watching TV and browsing the internet and moaning that there are no jobs and they are not getting enough benefits boo hoo etc etc is not on. OP of this thread is a classic example and is demonstrative of how the unskilled workers in this country have the "entitled to" attitude.

FBaby

Gentile wrote: »

Everybody just clicks the apply button and sends CV in and hope that they get a job.

and then moan that they are no jobs and it is not their fault if they are still on JSA years later.

Sorry but I don't understand what being on MNW has to do with it. If you are unemployed, you have at least 8 hours every day to do everything you can to get a job. Are you saying that writing a cover letter is too much to ask? This should take at best 1/2 hour as even by tayloring it to the actual job, you can use the same template and only change a few paragraph.

I find it so disheartning to think that people have become so lazy that they can't even be bothered to do that much yet think that an employer would find them worthy of employing them. Surely the fact that competition is so stiff should in itself be enough motivation to do a bit more than the strict minimum???

lukieboy96

I wish people would stop saying 'you can get a job, just like that' You can't. When i went into M&S i refused to go to one of the 'self service' tills as they are causing people to lose their jobs. This was told by the lady at the till who thanked me for going to her! More and more shops are doing this. When i was at school years ago it was easy to get a saturday job, that is not the case now! My son is trying desperately to find a job while doing A levels but can't.
I am on benefits as i have serious mental health issues but i am hoping that at some point i can try and get back to work. I worked all my life and don't like living on benefits.
A benefit shake up is a good thing but will cause a lot of stress!!

zoominatorone

lukieboy96 wrote: »

I wish people would stop saying 'you can get a job, just like that' You can't. When i went into M&S i refused to go to one of the 'self service' tills as they are causing people to lose their jobs. This was told by the lady at the till who thanked me for going to her! More and more shops are doing this. When i was at school years ago it was easy to get a saturday job, that is not the case now! My son is trying desperately to find a job while doing A levels but can't.
I am on benefits as i have serious mental health issues but i am hoping that at some point i can try and get back to work. I worked all my life and don't like living on benefits.
A benefit shake up is a good thing but will cause a lot of stress!!

It's stressful going to work!