Signing on - first interview tomorrow - any tips?

Cutzee

Hi all. I left employment on 31st May 2013 and am now officially unemployed. I have applied for JSA online and received notification to attend an appointment at the jobcentre tomorrow morning :eek:

I would be grateful for any handy hints and tips to prepare me and to try and minimise any sort of sanctions

I am also still confused as to whether signing up for UJM is mandatory or not. Or is it only mandatory if an advisor makes it so as part of your Jobseekers Agreement?

And if you say you are not online at home, am I expected to visit the Jobcentre every day to apply for jobs there? I understand I do not have to agree to give them access to my UJM account, nor do I have to accept the use of cookies.

All help gratefully received. Reading posts on here has made me very cautious so I would like to be as prepared as possible.

Thank you kindly

Dogger69

It is very simple to avoid sanctions - do what it says in your agreement. Truly, that is all there is to it.

If you claim not to have access to the internet at home they will expect you to make alternative arrangements - a local library, for instance. If you claim this is not possible they will make arrangements for you, which could involve daily visits to the Jobcentre or an early referral to the WP.

I would strongly advise against trying to play games with the Jobcentre. It will be you that loses.

pawsies

Probably recommend going to your library to job search there if you have no internet.

Did you leave your last job voluntarily? I am of the understanding that if so, JSA can be refused but someone else will need to clarify that.

Cutzee

Dogger69 wrote: »

It is very simple to avoid sanctions - do what it says in your agreement. Truly, that is all there is to it.

If you claim not to have access to the internet at home they will expect you to make alternative arrangements - a local library, for instance. If you claim this is not possible they will make arrangements for you, which could involve daily visits to the Jobcentre or an early referral to the WP.

I would strongly advise against trying to play games with the Jobcentre. It will be you that loses.

Thank you.

How do you use the UJM site from a home pc if you do not want to accept cookies then? I thought that wasn't possible?

Who?_me?

How do you use this website if you do't accept cookies?
Just smile and say yes at the job centre. You are going to have lots of pointless hoops to jump through. THey will go through the stuff that you put in the one line form, check it is all right, get you to sign a few things, tell you when you are due to sign (the day is determined by your NI number, you have no control over what day you sign on), and set up your job seekers agreement which is more of a "this is what you will do" and you say yes. I don't think UJM is mandatory, but it does depend where you sign on and who your adviser is.

Cutzee

I've read from other users that UJM could use cookies as surveillance and can use information gathered to sanction you. Here's one of the quotes:

Cookies can do anything they are written to do, yes they can track all your activity on your browser, although the DWP say that their cookies don't track you, other peoples can, and they can track what you do on UJM.

The UJM site tells users NOT TO USE IT if they object to the use of cookies, they have to do that BY LAW.

Dogger69

Cutzee wrote: »

I've read from other users that UJM could use cookies as surveillance and can use information gathered to sanction you. Here's one of the quotes:

Cookies can do anything they are written to do, yes they can track all your activity on your browser, although the DWP say that their cookies don't track you, other peoples can, and they can track what you do on UJM.

The UJM site tells users NOT TO USE IT if they object to the use of cookies, they have to do that BY LAW.

That is nonsense, anyone that thinks JCP staff have the time or inclination to track what you are doing on the internet is incredibly paranoid.

Your adviser can make it mandatory for you to use UJM. It is up to you how you fulfil that requirement.

DCFC79

As long as you:

Turn up on time
Apply for the min number of jobs you agree to in the agreement and anything else you agree to.
Inform them if you are going to miss an appointment eg interview, if you are ill or cant make it to the JC for whatever reason.

then you will be fine

AlecEiffel

UJM is mandatory but you don't have to give the JC access. I checked hits a few times a week as per my agreement but found it just duplicated other job boards which were easier to use for me.

I kept a log of my job search in an excel spreadsheet as it was easier (I could amend entries, sort by activity (ie application, phone call etc), flag for follow up, etc etc) and just prined out the past two weeks on sign on day.

To not get sanctioned you follow what your agreement says. Search job boards, register with agencies, apply for all suitable jobs, keep your CV up to date, turn up for appointments, and be willing.

As for cookies, could you not use private mode which should then delete cookies when you close the window?

Cutzee

AlecEiffel wrote: »

As for cookies, could you not use private mode which should then delete cookies when you close the window?

Thank you - how do I use private mode please? I remember when I tried to block cookies before (Internet Options/Privacy and under Settings I move the bar and set it to "Block Cookies") it wouldn't load websites properly or displayed a message that basically said this website will not function unless you allow cookies

AP007

AlecEiffel wrote: »

UJM is mandatory but you don't have to give the JC access.

no it is not