Admin Jobs

Dunroamin

Going4TheDream wrote: »

Read up on job descriptions on job sites and see what different roles entail and what skills they are looking for. Think about what you have done in the past and what transferable skills you have.

I believe that they still do the European Driving licence at colleges, as a free course, to learn pc skills. Its something that you can put on your CV as a recognised qualification that tells employers your pc skills are at a certain level

Practice your typing skills and pc skills by using an on-line tutor, learn how to use spell checking/grammar functions. Very few admin jobs these days involve typing large documents all day long so you don't have to be a speed typist but accuracy will be expected.

Administration is a very broad field, starting with perhaps admin assistants, going up to Office Managers, each role requiring different skill sets and experience.

If you have little experience, perhaps an admin assistant role may be a starting point. Being flexible is also important in most roles today, and skills such as being able to organise and manage work load are just as important as being able to perhaps type, along with common sense and initiative. So think about what you have done in the past, and examples of how you can demonstrate those qualities.

It's been years since the ECDL has been offered as a free course. Adult Literacy and Numeracy courses are now available in this way and it would be a good idea for the OP to do them.

I agree with you completely regarding transferable skills.

AP007

Dunroamin wrote: »

It's been years since the ECDL has been offered as a free course. Adult Literacy and Numeracy courses are now available in this way and it would be a good idea for the OP to do them.

I agree with you completely regarding transferable skills.

The ECDL is offered when you are on the WP like the OP has been.

Going4TheDream

Dunroamin wrote: »

It's been years since the ECDL has been offered as a free course. Adult Literacy and Numeracy courses are now available in this way and it would be a good idea for the OP to do them.

I agree with you completely regarding transferable skills.

am sure learn direct are still offereing Clait and ECDL???

bluenoseam

someone already beat me to the grammar police part, so I'll skip that as it'd just be pouring salt on the wound.

I think you need to realise that it's not the Job Centre's job to get you a job, it's their job to ensure you're doing all you can do to find a job! The letter you got pretty much tells you, if you can do the job in question then you're expected to apply for it. I'm pretty sure you're capable of typing (albeit in a manner which requires a spell/grammar check), answering phones and being polite and curteous then you can do admin. It's not rocket science, heck even I managed to do admin work despite next near to zero training in the field - just requires attention to detail & a willingness to LEARN.

That also means if you're fit & healthy you'll be expected to apply for pretty much anything which doesn't require a qualification - failure to do so will incur sanction unless you can provide a valid reason why. So for instance as I have little control over my voice & struggle to maintain a sufficiently lubricated vocal system I had an arrangement with the advisor in place which ruled out call centre work on health grounds.

The biggest obstacle to getting into work is often the individual - does the rest of the world help that, no, but you're never going to find a job in a field if you don't apply for it. The worst they can say to you is no thank you, as soul destroying as that gets there are people around the world hearing much worse than that every day. However, they could say yes, but you'll never know that until you ask the question!

AP007

Going4TheDream wrote: »

am sure learn direct are still offereing Clait and ECDL???

http://www.learndirect.com/computing/ecdl/ecdl-essentials#tab2

http://www.learndirect.com/maths/free-maths-qualification


etc

After the WP you are offered all this too

Dunroamin

AP007 wrote: »

The ECDL is offered when you are on the WP like the OP has been.

Thanks for that - I hadn't come across it before.

Going4TheDream

AP007 wrote: »

The ECDL is offered when you are on the WP like the OP has been.

Thanks for confirming, I was sure it was still offered free if you met the criteria, as I imagine the OP would

starrystarry

fruitedeli wrote: »

Only an idiot thinks people type in the exact same English on a forum and on the job. Mannerism, choice of typing u instead of you for example, and certain bad habits you see on the internet are often not displayed in a paid job. I've seen Ph.Ds who talks really posh in real life but types like a chav online. And yes I also know someone who works for McDonald's, is a high school dropout, always types using post-modern English online with the odd Latin to make himself appear like an educated professional.

People often use a more relaxed form of English on a forum but the basics will still be there. They might use "u" instead of "you" etc as it's marginally quicker to type. That's not what the OP does though, if you read his posts. He often uses "their" instead of "they" for example, or "what" instead of "that". I do think he'd benefit from brushing up on his literacy skills. In the current job market, a single error on his CV is likely to result in it being binned.

Dunroamin

Going4TheDream wrote: »

Thanks for confirming, I was sure it was still offered free if you met the criteria, as I imagine the OP would

It used to be offered free to everybody - I didn't know of the WP aspect these days.

John1993_2

fruitedeli wrote: »

Only an idiot thinks people type in the exact same English on a forum and on the job. .

Well, people may type more casually here, and not bother to correct typos, but the sort of poor English that the OP uses doesn't really fall into that category. He shows pretty poor understanding of tense, and of the actual function of various words, so I'd be extremely surprised if he were able to raise his game enough to manage a job where a reasonable standard of written English was a requirement.

The fact that he doesn't even seem to realize that his English is poor is a worry.