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What else can I do?
Comments
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50 jobs a week is an insane amount. Even with the 20-25 applications he is doing the OP must just be sending out generic CV and cover letters to everyone - so little wonder he isn't getting interviews.
Sit down with your "advisor" and explain that you think its the mass mailing of generic CV/cover letters are the problem and that you might be more successful if you made a smaller number of high quality applications. I'll never understand the jobcentres obsession with "numbers". It isn't about numbers - or at least not in my limited experience.
Tailor each CV/cover letter to the job description. If possible, find out the name of the HR person in the company (LinkedIn might help with this) so you can personalise the cover letter. Also say in the cover letter why you want to work in THAT particular company (yes, I know, you just want a job - but this is how you have to play the game apparently).
And good luck! Hope you get a job soon
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mattcanary wrote: »This means they don't have much idea as to how they can help claimants, so they palm all the responsibility off to the claimant. .
This sentence is very telling. The responsibility for finding work is always on the claimant. Is is up to them. The government provides help, and benefits, but it is the claimant's responsibility to find work.
As we see on here, those who believe otherwise end up out of work for a very long time.0 -
The JC said I should be applying for about 50 jobs per week. That's quantity.
It's 7.2 a day. 1 per hour. With the internet you could do that in a couple of days if you wanted.
Tell you what:
Go on jobsite or monster or total jobs.
Do a search with no key words and a distance of say 20 miles from your house. (I know people who cycle that far to work, so no excuses about public transport or the like...harsh but you've got to apply for 50, so just do it.)
Select 10 that you Really want, and put them to one side, for tomorrow.
Every Job that you are qualified for, send a CV, make a record of the advert, and any contact details given, for later *
Don't waste much time on the covering letter, just go for quantity.
You can do 40 in a day.
Then spend the next 3 days carefully tailoring your CV and covering letter for the 10 you want. Spend a max of 2 hours on each, if there are contact details phone them first to "clarify" some point, but really to start the "SELL", use the 3 mins on the phone to get a toe in the door, dangle a maggot, cast a line. Then when you send your CV, phone to make sure they've got it "because I'm having trouble with my broadband dropping out". This ensures that the person who is sifting CV's will sift yours to the top.
If no contact details, you can't do that.
That would get you 50 in a week, but 10 of them would have a real chance, and the others might get you on an RC's books and who knows in 10 weeks they might just phone you out of the blue.0 -
50 jobs a week is an insane amount. Even with the 20-25 applications he is doing the OP must just be sending out generic CV and cover letters to everyone - so little wonder he isn't getting interviews.
Sit down with your "advisor" and explain that you think its the mass mailing of generic CV/cover letters are the problem and that you might be more successful if you made a smaller number of high quality applications. I'll never understand the jobcentres obsession with "numbers". It isn't about numbers - or at least not in my limited experience.
Tailor each CV/cover letter to the job description. If possible, find out the name of the HR person in the company (LinkedIn might help with this) so you can personalise the cover letter. Also say in the cover letter why you want to work in THAT particular company (yes, I know, you just want a job - but this is how you have to play the game apparently).
And good luck! Hope you get a job soon
If the OP is applying for 20/25 jobs a week, I don't see why those need to be generic applications. It doesn't take an hour to tailor one of your generic CVs and letters to each individual vacancy, leaving the other half of the week for spec letters/calls etc.0 -
whodathunkit wrote: »If the OP is applying for 20/25 jobs a week, I don't see why those need to be generic applications. It doesn't take an hour to tailor one of your generic CVs and letters to each individual vacancy, leaving the other half of the week for spec letters/calls etc.
Depends on the person and type of job. It takes me much more than an hour. But, regardless of that, I think tailoring your applications are the way to go.0 -
You say you want to work in a gym/ fitness. Have you thought about volunteering for kids after school sports clubs? As long as you have a disclosure there is no barrier to this. This also increases your chances of getting you name known. I know a number of people who have had job offers through this as their skills shine through even though their interviews aren't great.
The sports/fitness area can be quite insular. Go on as many courses as you can to get your face and name known. Make sure your first aid certification is up to date.
Every parent you meet may be a potential employer.
There are so many things you can actively do to help yourself look more attractive to employers and they don't take that much time, just effort and initiative.0 -
Depends if there are relevant things to tailor.whodathunkit wrote: »If the OP is applying for 20/25 jobs a week, I don't see why those need to be generic applications. It doesn't take an hour to tailor one of your generic CVs and letters to each individual vacancy, leaving the other half of the week for spec letters/calls etc.
They still have to produce the quantity to claim benefit & keep random Jobcentre advisors happy.
When was last time you did 25 tailored job applications in a week, for week on on week, month on month ?0 -
Depends if there are relevant things to tailor.
They still have to produce the quantity to claim benefit & keep random Jobcentre advisors happy.
When was last time you did 25 tailored job applications in a week, for week on on week, month on month ?
I agree. This amount of job application is just ridiculous and a scandal.0 -
You are out of touch & talking nonsense.Adereterial wrote: »The level of training has increased.
It is the claimants responsibility to find work - no one else's. People need to get to grips with that - it's clearly laid out in legislation, which has not changed. It's not rocket science.
50 jobs per week may be excessive, but that depends on the type of work the OP is looking for and the method of application. 50 Universal Jobmatch applications will take no more than a couple of hours. If the OP feels 50 is unachieveable based on their circumstances, they should discuss that, and negotiate to a figure they are happy with.
The days of '3 actions a week' are gone - it's now about doing everything reasonable to find work. I don't personally view this as a bad thing, rather what should have been happening anyway.
When was last time you claimed JSA ?
When was last time you "negotiated with an advisor" ?
When was last time you used Universal Jobmatch to search for vacancies?
When was last time you did 50 applications in a "couple of hours", that is plain stupid !
This is the same incompetent organisation that created Universal Jobmatch, a website which has been running for over a year, full of 100's of thousands of fake duplicated jobs, with staff that don't know or couldn't care less.
Does anyone in Jobentres take responsibility for anything ?
The Jobcentres & DWP are an equal part of the problem.0 -
Adereterial wrote: »The level of training has increased.
It is the claimants responsibility to find work - no one else's. People need to get to grips with that - it's clearly laid out in legislation, which has not changed. It's not rocket science.
50 jobs per week may be excessive, but that depends on the type of work the OP is looking for and the method of application. 50 Universal Jobmatch applications will take no more than a couple of hours. If the OP feels 50 is unachieveable based on their circumstances, they should discuss that, and negotiate to a figure they are happy with.
The days of '3 actions a week' are gone - it's now about doing everything reasonable to find work. I don't personally view this as a bad thing, rather what should have been happening anyway.
And in all likelihood by using Universal Jobsearch, 90% of those 50 jobs won;t ever be sent to a real employer.
What's the point in sending 50 jobs by one or two clicking your CV across, usinfg this discredited website?
Do you work for JobCentre PLus, by any chance?0
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