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Life is riddled with a procession of minor impediments

Started by Bouwel, 10 August, 2009, 11:08:13 AM

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Mardroid

Thanks everyone. This particular agency has provided me with decent work in the past though, which makes me wonder if they misunderstood what the client was after. They did not reply to my email, so I doubt they will refund my pass. They pay a week in arrears though, so I'll see when the wages come through.

Concerning today's interview...

I got up early and went to the venue (which happened to actually be the local jobcentre in this case). While waiting outside, the thought occurred... is this the right date? I couldn't remember it being the 1st of Feb. I checked my email and it's actually next week.  :lol: I'm not sure what happened there. I had it marked on Google calendar on the correct date, and somehow still  got the two weeks mixed up. Maybe the supposed other work from Monday was a factor in my confusion, there.

Silly, silly me. Thankfully I didn't travel far, and I was planning on going into town anyway so the bus-pass doesn't got to waste. I'm just so glad I checked the date before I actually went into the building.

That quite tickled me actually. Life hits you with a stick one day, then comes up behind you and tickles your ribs the next.

Hawkmumbler

Student Finances being a pain in the arse. I had to bale kn a course a year ago for medical reasons, but the OU said I could reclaim 90% of that loans costs to start a fresh one this year. I paid the remaining 10%, the lads at the OU said they would deal with the rest. Flash forward three months to this week and i'm getting phone calls telling me I need to pay off the remaining 90% (£2000 up front). Im asking the OU legal and finance team to look into this as well as the Student Finances because fuck off! I was informed this was all well within the bounds of what I was informed.

Hawkmumbler

Update: Well that was quick! Good job to the guys at the OU for finding it was infact THEM at fault for incorrectly recirding the academic year I initially clained the loan. Silly sods!

von Boom

Less than an hour for a bureaucracy to find their error. You must live under a lucky star Hawk. Great news.

Hawkmumbler

In their defence, I was quite arsey with the poor lass in the phone. :lol:

staticgirl

Meanwhile my new letting agent, my old letting agent and the removal van firm all want me to be in 3 different places at the same time on Tuesday when I move. Ffs. I don't even drive so it will take me an hour or two to go from one to the other.

sheridan

Quote from: staticgirl on 03 February, 2017, 06:18:21 PM
Meanwhile my new letting agent, my old letting agent and the removal van firm all want me to be in 3 different places at the same time on Tuesday when I move. Ffs. I don't even drive so it will take me an hour or two to go from one to the other.

Odd that the old letting agent want you to be somewhere.  I remember the last time I moved I had to work out how to get to the new letting agent to sign the contract and move to the new place in the same morning, which involved my first trip outside in a vehicle other than in an ambulance in five months, so I'm glad I didn't have to visit the old agent as well!

sheridan

The last time I signed up to a temp agency I was paid £9 an hour to deliver leaflets to businesses on Bond Street.  I managed to do that in about an hour and ended up having spent more on travelling in to Central London to do this than I was actually paid.  It did lead to two more jobs, one of which went permanent and I'm still in, ten years later (well, sort of - I'm in my third position in the same office I started as a temp in in 2007).

p.s. my dad was once sent one of those 'thanks for your application, but we cannot offer you a position at this time, but your details will be kept on file' letters.  Six months later they got back in touch with him and offered him a job.  It ended up being the last job he had, and where he met his second wife.  I hasten to add it was his last job because he is now retired!

sheridan

Quote from: sheridan on 04 February, 2017, 01:56:04 PM
Quote from: staticgirl on 03 February, 2017, 06:18:21 PM
Meanwhile my new letting agent, my old letting agent and the removal van firm all want me to be in 3 different places at the same time on Tuesday when I move. Ffs. I don't even drive so it will take me an hour or two to go from one to the other.

Odd that the old letting agent want you to be somewhere.  I remember the last time I moved I had to work out how to get to the new letting agent to sign the contract and move to the new place in the same morning, which involved my first trip outside in a vehicle other than in an ambulance in five months, so I'm glad I didn't have to visit the old agent as well!

I really can't remember how I actually managed it now - I remember having to sign the contract around the corner from the letting agent as a) the letting agent had a wheelchair-unfriendly step and b) the pavement outside sloped sharply down to the road.  But the day I moved I didn't have access to a wheelchair and had to be on crutches, so we either had the keys before I managed to get a replacement wheelchair or I somehow had a day trip to the letting agent while I was still in the nursing home, neither of which circumstances I can imagine or remember doing...

staticgirl

Blimey that sounds difficult!

Yeah the old letting agent (my old flat is owned by a multi-national lettings company rather than a person) want me to attend a 'checking out appointment' which 'won't take more than 45 minutes' apparently. I have managed to get them to push that to the end of the day and I have got the current letting agent to look into whether she can meet me at the property. If not, I guess I'll manage somehow even if it means blister plasters or spending a fortune on taxis.

Sheridan, you have inspired me because if you can do it I can!

sheridan

Quote from: staticgirl on 05 February, 2017, 12:31:16 PM
Blimey that sounds difficult!

Yeah the old letting agent (my old flat is owned by a multi-national lettings company rather than a person) want me to attend a 'checking out appointment' which 'won't take more than 45 minutes' apparently. I have managed to get them to push that to the end of the day and I have got the current letting agent to look into whether she can meet me at the property. If not, I guess I'll manage somehow even if it means blister plasters or spending a fortune on taxis.

Sheridan, you have inspired me because if you can do it I can!

How far are you moving?  The nursing home I was moving from was in Seven Sisters, my old flat (which I didn't visit the day I moved out of it) was in Muswell Hill, the letting agent halfway between Archway and Crouch End and the place I now live is between Camden and Holloway Road - so all sort-of in the same area.

Trout

Quote from: sheridan on 04 February, 2017, 02:02:41 PM
my dad was once sent one of those 'thanks for your application, but we cannot offer you a position at this time, but your details will be kept on file' letters.  Six months later they got back in touch with him and offered him a job.

Two days ago I hired someone I'd kept on file since October. I do this regularly. Today's market means every job posting gets a lot of applications, so it's time-consuming to work through them and I try not to post externally too often. It helps me to refer to people I've shortlisted before, and bring them in for a fresh interview.

Short version: it doesn't hurt to hope.

Trout

Apologies for the double post, but I have a few more thoughts on this subject. I see regular chat on here about job hunting and, in the spirit of Squaxx helping Squaxx, here are a few tips from me. (I do a lot of hiring these days.)

1. Write a cover letter.
You would not believe how many people just click on the online applications thing and attach a CV. Writing a letter gets you further, and sometimes a hiring manager will see so many applications that they just delete anyone who hasn't bothered to add a letter, because it's a sign that they're applying for everything in sight with no interest in any one job.

2. Make your application relevant.
Tailor that CV so it matches the job description. Take out the irrelevant stuff, like that student job you had. It's fine to give a framework of your job history, to show you have a work ethic and no puzzling gaps, but most employers will be skimming the CV looking for certain things, so making relevant parts easier to find is going to help you stand out. Also, extra points for a cover letter that shows you know something about the place that's hiring.

3. Be polite.
Managers are human, too. If you're rude, they don't want to hire you. Just be as nice as you can, and be understanding of delays in the process. It's OK to be a little pushy but there is a line. Repeated inquiries risk closing the door, but a polite email asking how it's going is usually acceptable. This is important: if you get an email from an individual saying you haven't got the job, always, always, always reply to it. Send a note thanking them and saying that, while you're disappointed, you wish them well. Then, if you only just missed out this time, they'll remember you and maybe hire you in future.

4. Tell the truth.
After surprisingly few applications, you begin to smell the bullshit. Don't say it's your dream job unless it really is. Don't overpromise, because it's totally fine to say you haven't done exactly the same thing but have done a similar thing and anyway you're adaptable and a quick study. That's a good answer to give. Overall, try to be accurate but positive. It's refreshing to get a candidate like this.

Anyway, I'll shut up now. Good luck to the job hunters out there!

staticgirl

Good tips. We hire through getting applicants to initially fill out competency based forms before selection for interview. It is amazing how many people just attach a CV and write 'see CV' in every box. They are first to go in the bin. I have always suspected those people of just applying to keep their benefits adviser happy. I hope it is that and they are not completely misguided.

I am in my new flat! The day went off without a hitch once I had got all the people to meet me at the times I could be met. I am not in love with the flat - no tellybox, freeview etc and the heating is a bit tricky - but I have a roof over my head and loads of people helping me with my issues (my cousin-in-law is a very useful gas engineer).

von Boom