Tuesday 31 July 2007

You Wait Eleven Weeks For One Job…


As most of you will know, I’ve been having about as much luck on the jobs front as big T.

Until now that is. Yes, it would appear that I have secured not one but two jobs – sort of.

In a prefect illustration of how life can never just be simple, I agreed to take a part time job on Monday there after a couple of days “work trial”. Work Trial of course means that you turn in and don’t get paid. Magic.

Well, no sooner had I called the Breu to tell them I was coming in to sign off than I got another call telling me I had another, better job pending background checks and references.

Cracking eh?

I have to go in and tell my new boss that he’s in fact my new former boss the morra.

He’ll not be chuffed, as he was training me up to cover a holiday he’d booked for the end of August, so I’m not sure whether he’ll want me to work on ‘til he finds someone else or just punt me on the spot.

Of course, there is also the worst case scenario that I’ll burn my bridges with this guy and end up having some sort of problem with the other job, but I feel I have to give him as much notice that I’m offski as possible.

Then of course I’ll have to sort out the whole mess with the Breu, who seem to be full of earnest enough but not-very-bright people who generally haven’t a clue what they are doing.

Setting up my two-day work trial took about 10 phone calls and a visit for example, a process during which simple things like notes on my file that I was told had been made weren’t.

Of course, they also managed to fuck up my money, leaving me more penniless now I’m back working than I was when living the life of a dole king.

Reading Tom’s posts about looking for work and agencies and the like, I have to concur with most of his experiences.

It would appear that recruitment has become the new marketing in as much as every employer has an unnecessarily complex recruitment system that acts to divest management of the genuine responsibility of hiring and is an extremely wearing and awkward process for people seeking work.

It would also appear that the business is full of people phoning it in who are abysmal at what you’d consider a key component of the job – communication.

Like Tom, I’ve had "interest" from agencies that has dissipated despite numerous attempts to follow up.

The job I’ve landed isn’t exactly a dream, but compared to my last full time job, it’s like winning the lottery.

But by far the most satisfying aspect of landing a half decent job is the thought of not having to deal with scam agencies, an inbox full of "job alert" emails and a Jobcentre Plus advisor huckling me out the door so she doesn’t miss her coffee break.

Plus being able to afford comics, food and clothes will be great.

Phew!

6 comments:

Tom said...

Congratulations and aw that. I said that on the phone, but for the benefit of our readers, well done Fizzy.

It disnae get any better at this end. After a 9 minute chat with a recruitment woman this morning I have to trail my ass into town tomorrow to 'register' so I can attend an interview for a not very well paid (though better than the 'mart) job, whereupon I will have to prove not only where I was born but also where my granny was born.

I've got another agency telling me to phone up to see about coming in to 'register' a third claiming the would phone me back yesterday afternoon about a job with the council (they didnae) and on top of that my landlady basically suggesting that I might like to move out at the end of August cos she has a more affluent former tenant wanting to move back in.

Cracking stuff eh? I'm sure I'll be back on with a larger post about it all in the next day or two.

And to think, this is all genuinely better than working at the 'mart.

Fraser said...

"And to think, this is all genuinely better than working at the 'mart."
-----------------------------------

:-) so true!

Squirmy Popple said...

Congrats on the job, Fraser! Is your job in Falkirk?

Fraser said...

It is Katie aye. Quite handy, low traveling expenses, good benefits not a bad package all round.

Its still work though, so not all good.

Its not cut and dried yet so don't want to say too much more and jinx things!

Hope things are going well for you.

Rivanski said...

Absolutely on the money there about management divesting proper responsibility for recruiting and how wearing it all is for job seekers.

I've written out three complicated applications in the last month and not even got an interview.

And they don't contact you for more than 4 weeks to politely tell you how you got on.

Let me tell you, I'm beginning to despise these f*ckwitts more than estate agents.

And tha's saying something.



Rivanski

Graeme said...

Congratulations Fraser.