Nice people thread part 8 - worth the wait

neverdespairgirl

vivatifosi wrote: »

Does he/can he keep a set of lightweight clothing at yours for commuting? I would imagine commuting in a black suit just prolongs the agony unless you have access to the really fast, air conditioned trains to Kent.

He could keep some in Chambers, I suppose - Chambers also has a bath / shower in one part. He does get the high-speed train to Ashford. He goes from Gray's Inn to St. Pancras, St. Pancras to Ashford, and then drives the 10 or 12 miles home. Still quite a trek, though.

OH lent him a clean shirt, because Dad's was so rumpled and sticky, which he said helped. On the other hand, my Dad's a QC, and the reason they are called "silks" is because our gowns are made of wool, and QC's are made of silk.

PasturesNew

vivatifosi wrote: »

Right, with you now. As I said, am a bit slow due to sleep deprivation.

The good news is, per Islington, their apprenticeship is a one year route and includes an NVQ (not a bad thing, but not the length of apprenticeship served by my dad or brother). However I'm blowed if I can tell where refuse collection fits in with their webpage on the subject:

http://www.islington.gov.uk/about/jobs-careers/starting_career/iw-parents/Pages/apprentices.aspx

The council that I work for has apprenticeships too, but the only ones that I have seen have been for a genuine route into office work for which some skill is required (ie more like the traditional route).

An NVQ Level 2-3 is about equivalent to writing your name at the top of a CSE paper used to mean.

chewmylegoff

In the process of interviewing for jobs here again. Have interviewed 4/9 people so far- all were awful and unappointable and these were the best applicants out of a total of over 100. It's so depressing that we can't find people who are intelligent enough to read our website and think up a good answer to the question "why do you want this job".

Maybe we should advertise the roles as apprenticeships instead.

PasturesNew

chewmylegoff wrote: »

In the process of interviewing for jobs here again. Have interviewed 4/9 people so far- all were awful and unappointable and these were the best applicants out of a total of over 100. It's so depressing that we can't find people who are intelligent enough to read our website and think up a good answer to the question "why do you want this job".

Maybe we should advertise the roles as apprenticeships instead.

It's a ridiculous question. You're recruiting hoop jumpers and box tickers, not competent and able people.

You should have just asked me to do the d4mned job.



I wouldn't begin to know how to answer that question: "Because it pays money and I need some". "Because you advertised and I can do it". "Because I need a job and haven't got one"

What's the right answer?

neverdespairgirl

What sort of jobs are you interviewing for?

neverdespairgirl

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

What sort of jobs are you interviewing for?

The reason I asked that - I kind of agree with PN. If it's a high level job, with control and direction over things, it's a fair enough question. If it's a not-very-well-paid but interesting job as a violinist / journalist / scientist, still fair enough.

If it's an admin job for £20k, do you really want people to enthuse about their passion for filing? Or their fascinating experiences with a photocopier? Or their unmatched expertise at posting things?

chewmylegoff

All of those answers would have been better than some of the stumbling nonsense that has been served up.

For a professional role I expect people to have some kind of basic interest in the subject matter to and to be able to justify why they would want to leave their old job and come here or alternatively be able to construct a convincing lie that they have some kind of basic interest in the subject matter.

Everyone attending an interview knows they will be asked that question so not preparing an answer demonstrates that you are either stupid or couldn't be bothered to prepare.

chewmylegoff

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

What sort of jobs are you interviewing for?

An analyst/investigative type role paying up to £lots.

lostinrates

chewmylegoff wrote: »

It's so depressing that we can't find people who are intelligent enough to read our website and think up a good answer to the question "why do you want this job".

''I've always wanted a boss who likes red heads''

"I've never put my boss's passport through the washer, nor would I tease him if his gf did that, in fact I'd curse her for not treating him with the respect he so obviously deserves''

'' I believe team leaders should get good skiing breaks at least once a year where they can really leave the office behind, knowing that they can depend on their team to keep things how they want them run''


'I like numbers and catching people out"

PasturesNew

chewmylegoff wrote: »

All of those answers would have been better than some of the stumbling nonsense that has been served up.

For a professional role I expect people to have some kind of basic interest in the subject matter to and to be able to justify why they would want to leave their old job and come here or alternatively be able to construct a convincing lie that they have some kind of basic interest in the subject matter.

Everyone attending an interview knows they will be asked that question so not preparing an answer demonstrates that you are either stupid or couldn't be bothered to prepare.

It's all fluff and b0ll0x though isn't it. You're really asking people to exhibit skills (bullsh1t and fluff) that they might not possess, yet they'd be fab at doing the actual job.

I can't do fluff and nonsense, I just do a d4mned good, methodical, perfect job to a high standard while thinking outside the box and streamlining the processes over time to ensure the work's completed faster/better .... before I move onto pre-empting what you need and delivering it ahead of and above your expectations.

But I'd not get an interview as I couldn't get the first boxes ticked.