Great news! Spoke to the HR department of Metrolink today and they confirmed that I have a job with them and I start on 23rd J
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Well, I passed my medical, so I'm now just waiting for a start date off Metrolink. I can't see them paying for a medical if they weren't going to formally offer me the job.
It's not gonna be til next year though so I'll have to try and find some temp work until then. It will be nice to join the workforce again. I don't care what people say or think, life on the dole is hard. The good thing about this is that this is a job I'm genuinely excited about. That's a new experience for me! I can't wait to get started. I got a phone call this morning off the local job centre. The woman who called wanted to ask me how to apply for a job with Metrolink, because she had someone with her who really wanted a job with them.
I don't know what is more worrying - the person wanting to apply for a job and not knowing how to, or the woman in the job centre not knowing how to apply for a job! The mind truly boggles... Hello. I must apologise for being so quiet on here of late. I've been in a bit of a quandary. My recent interview went very well and I now have a pre-employment medical to attend next week. Sounds promising doesn't it? However, do I keep applying for jobs in case I fail the medical, or do I sit and wait and do nothing?
I can't foresee any reason why I would fail a medical. I'm not colour blind, I have my eyes checked regularly, my hearing seems ok, I don't suffer with any chronic back pain or any other aches and pains. I may not be the fittest of people, but I think I'm generally pretty healthy. But, there's always that slim possibility that I might fail. My blood pressure might go through the roof on the day because I'm anxious - I really want this job because I think I would really enjoy it, which, to me, is an important factor - much more so than money. Anyway, I've still been applying for jobs, but I've still only had the one interview. I've no idea what the application count is up to now because I've stopped counting, but I'm still applying for about 5-6 jobs a week. I've had a few e-mails thanking me for my application, but that's it. So communication still seems to be an issue for a lot of companies. I know there must be lots of people applying, but how long does it take to produce an e-mail that can be sent to all the unsuccessful applicants? Right, I'm off again. I'll let you know how the medical goes - fingers crossed peeps!!! Well, had my first interview today. First interview since being made redundant, and first interview since joining the Environment Agency 15 years ago! I think it went well. I came home happy anyway, so we shall all have to wait and see how it went.
Sorry I've not blogged for a while, but I've not really had anything to blog about. It's just been the same old routine of receiving lots of e-mail notifications for jobs and applying. That in itself is almost a full time job! I guess I'm applying for about 5-7 jobs a day. There seems to be lots of jobs out there, but no-one wants to offer me an interview.
I'm getting quite good at writing covering letters now - or at least I think I am. I'm currently studying for a city and guilds in Sage accounts, so once I've got that it should open up more opportunities for me. Well, that's it for this blog. I'll keep you up to date with any goings on that should arise. Some grim reading regarding the latest unemployment figures.
I did notice that Chris Grayling ( the employment secretary) stated that latest figures show that over the last 12 months more jobs were created in the private sector than were lost in the public sector. Really? And are these jobs comparable to those lost in the public sector? Or do us redundant public sector workers have to retrain extensively to acquire one of these private sector jobs? I've now decided to stop counting my job applications as it gets a bit depressing, but it's well over 400 now. I've had a few offers of jobs, but they are in industry sectors I wouldn't be confident working in. Also there was an initial outlay of funds required that I simply don't have. I appreciate all offers, and will consider each one on its merits, but I'm not really interested in starting up my own business selling one thing or another. I'm sure it is a good choice for some people, but I'm afraid it's not for me.
One thing that is frustrating is all these government initiatives to get young people into work. The initiatives aren't annoying, just the fact that they are only open to young people, usually 18 - 21. There's lots of training provided, guaranteed interviews etc. What about people like me, of which there are plenty, who have been made redundant, who actually want to work, but find their skills don't match what employers are looking for because they have worked for the government or local government, where most training is in house and not a recognised qualification? Why can't the government provide training for us so our skills are more relevant? Why can't we get guaranteed interviews? Anyhoo, enough of the moaning, I am actually starting to get on a few level one courses through adult learning centres, but there is only funding for level one courses, if I want to do higher level training I have to pay for it myself. Can anyone else see the catch here...? Well, after a busy and hectic first few days of the week, things have settled back down. I've been overwhelmed by the response I've received. I've made some good contacts, and I can only thank people who have taken the time to contact me and help me out. I've received lots of invaluable help and advice from a number of people, and I can't thank them enough. Hopefully, their advice will make my job applications much stronger.
I'm also getting a better response from employers now too. It's only rejection letters or e-mails, but, hey, they're getting in touch instead of me having to wait 6-8 weeks before assuming I've been unsuccessful. Well, got an interview on Friday. Don't get too excited, it's only for a recruitment agency. But, it's a start and hopefully they'll have something available and I'll be able to start on Monday. Even if it's only temporary work it'll be nice to get out back amongst the world instead of being stuck in the house reading lots of e-mail alerts from job sites.
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AuthorHi, as you know my name is Wayne. I have been looking for a job for over 7 months and this is my website to try and get me noticed by potential employers. Hopefully it shows off my initiative and personality far more effectively than a simple CV. Archives
December 2011
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