35 hour a week work search is becoming difficult. How to not get sanctioned?

theoretica

donnajunkie wrote: »

Dont you get people flying through, filling it in poorly just to get it done so they can say they applied?

Not as many as I hear about from friends with other employers and suspect we would get if we accepted generic CVs. About 1/4 of the applicants for the last job I shortlisted for did not appear to have made a plausible effort with the application.

System

theoretica wrote: »

One benefit of my employer having its own application form rather than accepting CVs is it makes applying a longer process and will cut down on the less serious applications. Good for the recruiter, and better for the applicants who make the effort as the pool is smaller. In light of this topic also good for anyone counting their job search by hours spent!

All applications to my workplace have to be done online, we dont accept cvs. Though i do always make sure they have the website so its easier to apply. A lot of applications i did back when jobhunting were done via the internet, very few took speculative cvs.

gomer

xXMessedUpXx wrote: »

All applications to my workplace have to be done online, we dont accept cvs. Though i do always make sure they have the website so its easier to apply. A lot of applications i did back when jobhunting were done via the internet, very few took speculative cvs.

You see my experience was the opposite. I got more responses from speculative applications then I did from online ones. In fact I had 7 interviews in one week and was offered 3 jobs on the same day from speculative, but got practically burger all from online applications so I'm glad I posted so many cvs now.

Farmer_Johnson

Most of my jobs have been via speculative approaches, including my current one.

After I sent a nice letter in the post they had me in for chats about ten times over six months, eventually deciding to move people around and create a new role so that they could bring me in.

There is little lost by writing a letter in ink, by hand, on high quality paper and hand delivering it. In my case the few hours it took resulted in more than a decade now working in a great place on good pay.

moneyistooshorttomention

Farmer_Johnson wrote: »

Most of my jobs have been via speculative approaches, including my current one.

After I sent a nice letter in the post they had me in for chats about ten times over six months, eventually deciding to move people around and create a new role so that they could bring me in.

There is little lost by writing a letter in ink, by hand, on high quality paper and hand delivering it. In my case the few hours it took resulted in more than a decade now working in a great place on good pay.

:rotfl::rotfl:As I see a slight problem there to start with for some of us - so it's not quite as easy as that. I could manage "in ink", "on high quality paper" and "hand delivery" (assuming it was nearby).

BUT - I couldn't manage "by hand" - as they do actually have to be able to read job applications and some of us have handwriting that leaves a lot to be desired (mine is awful:rotfl:). One can be perfectly well-educated enough etc - but have awful handwriting (ask any doctor....:cool:).

Samsung_Note2

JonVarnas wrote: »

Just apply for any old crap - that's what I do. Most work coaches are so overworked they won't delve too deeply into your work search. Apply for anything that doesnt't need specific qualifications with a below par CV and most employers won't even get back to you, but you'll have the proof that you've applied.

Yes great idea..i actively report those that apply for jobs ive posted and ive stated "Local applicants..those applying 100 miles away will be reported" when i get 50 people apply and they either dont have a license to work or live 100 plus miles away and applying for NMW job.

donnajunkie

Samsung_Note2 wrote: »

Yes great idea..i actively report those that apply for jobs ive posted and ive stated "Local applicants..those applying 100 miles away will be reported" when i get 50 people apply and they either dont have a license to work or live 100 plus miles away and applying for NMW job.

I guess you arent a nice person to work for then. How do you know these applicants are all unemployed and claiming?

nmr1991

For those who want to work, there's looking for work and then there's actually looking. Advice i got from a colleague led to me realising I was cutting corners, cv looked good but had not been tailored to a specific job because my jobsearch just consisted of random odd jobs, ranging from retail to admin jobs and just couldn't be bothered to do a specific cv to each job type - understandable given my lack of experience in anything.


Was also too afraid to go out and ask, phoning up companies to follow up on interviews or vacancies etc.

Mrs_Ryan

donnajunkie wrote: »

Sounds like an idiot that was not very good at making up an excuse to not employ you.

Come to mention it now I think about it he asked me if I was single and where my boyfriend lived! Upon discovering he lived in the next county he said ‘oh you’ll be wanting to move in with him shortly and won’t want to come to work’ At that point I had only been with OH for a couple of weeks! This was quite a while ago but I wish I had said to him at the time would you ask a man if he was single and where his partner lived?!
I had been warned by the agency that he believed a car was the only reliable form of transport- I didn’t take that seriously but blimey they were right! I didn’t get the job but I was quite glad! He was an idiot. I got a job somewhere else fairly quickly though.

Farmer_Johnson

donnajunkie wrote: »

I guess you arent a nice person to work for then. How do you know these applicants are all unemployed and claiming?

There is no harm done if they are not, and it is rightly pointing out abuse of the system to those who are.

The “not nice” people here are the ones wasting the employer’s time to try to fraudulently claim benefits.