Jobseeker's Allowance Megathread ver. We're all overqualified!

[dan88]

old

I'm on a final warning and had a disciplinary last Friday. They treat us like shit in our job, people getting taken into fact finds etc all the time. I'd have fucked off a long time ago, but I'm saving up to go travelling, and it's decent money for what I do , just gotta put up and shut up till June

 

[maxalfie]

Sounds like you are one lucky bloke dan88,somehow managing to get 4 interviews in one week,unheard of around here.
I'd consider myself to be lucky to have 4 employers actually reply to me nevermind offer me an interview.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

QFT maxalfie... in two years of unemployment I only managed to get two interviews; and as you say, most of the fuckers can't even be arsed to reply when you enquire about a vacancy. There's just no excuse for their lack of communication/manners in these days of online applications. It's not like they have to physically write a letter and pay for postage is it?

 

[dan88]

QFT maxalfie... in two years of unemployment I only managed to get two interviews; and as you say, most of the fuckers can't even be arsed to reply when you enquire about a vacancy. There's just no excuse for their lack of communication/manners in these days of online applications. It's not like they have to physically write a letter and pay for postage is it?

Really?? Maybe the industry? I work in customer service, of which there seems to be endless jobs in my area, and previously worked 6 years for a bank, which probably gets looked at favourably?

 

[maxalfie]

My experience is the same as FUBAR's.
I've worked in different factories for around 26 years so I have a good solid work record behind me. Since being made redundant in 2012 I have applied for hundreds of jobs in all types of work and to date I have had 1 interview.
I moved to this area in 1992 as there was more work here than where I was living and within a month of moving here I had a full time job.
I worked in that job for just over 10 years & the job j was made redundant from I'd been at for nearly 10 years also.
Where we once had plenty of jobs going there are now very few and believe me I have applied for anything and everything and most of the time do not even receive acknowledgement that I have applied for a position.

 

[RLP]

You often don't get acknowledgement for your application, but it will have been looked at (however briefly) if there is a post available.

Feel free to PM me chaps and chapettes if you want to discuss CV's/interviews etc. I've been on the other side of the interview room before and been involved with pre-interview selection so might be able to offer some advice.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

In fact maxalfie, your experience is spookily similar to my own. Up until around two years ago, I had been in constant employment for about 26 years also - apart from a four year break to obtain a degree - with my last permanent job lasting for 10 years. However, since getting fucked off from that job just over two years ago I've also applied for a fuckton of all types of jobs with very little results. I seem to be either overqualified, or underexperienced. Unfortunately, employers these days can afford to be very specific in their requirements for prospective employees..

 

[maxalfie]

Sorry to hear that FUBAR.It's a real drag when you want to be working & earning but you just don't get the opportunity to do so.
Times have certainly changed.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

I can only speak for myself, but I've found the job market to be sprightly . I thought I was gonna get sacked from my current job recently, had 4 interviews last week, and I was offered two jobs. Thankfully though I didn't get sacked in my disciplinary, the jobs would all have been a pay drop.

can i ask what field you work in ? Please feel free to pm me if privacy is a concern. I'll keep it quiet.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

I've also applied for a fuckton of all types of jobs with very little results. I seem to be either overqualified, or underexperienced. Unfortunately, employers these days can afford to be very specific in their requirements for prospective employees..

ive also been told im over experienced and that positions have been too junior for me. I allways feel like saying isnt that my decision to make, and it really annoys me. I think im gonna do several different CVs; one for unskilled work leaving out my qualifications, any for lower grade tech jobs leaving out my promotion. The sort of jobs i ideaally want to do for a year or 2 are 2nd line IT jobs, they pay fairly well and that was my last job, ive had 2 interviews but have pipped to the post. The competition is tough for these jobs they often tend to be got by internal L1 employees getting promoted when they have gone that extra mile to start leasrning L2 skills.

I want to be a drugs worker eventually, obviously i have to get myself clean first though.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

MDB, I believe Dan88 is in the customer service field according to one of his posts above. I may actually take RLP up on his generous offer of help above and ask him for his opinion on my CV. Thanks for the offer RLP, very kind of you

 

[mydrugbuddy]

RLP helped me with mine, was helpfull and good advice too. Yeah Dan messaged me cheers. I dont think i could deal with a phone based cust svs role, im too old and dont have the patience required anymore. I'd be sacked within a week doing one of those jobs i reckon, well possibly a month or 2 at the very best.

 

[Eveleivibe]

MDB I think you'd be good as a drugs worker as you've been through. By the way when you say 'drugs worker,' do you mean key worker? There are more needed who have been through it themselves n can be more empathic n understanding.

Changing thr subject slightly, I think more counsellors are need. I did my two years of my counselling diploma but only have credits as I didn't do my 100 hours placement (was too scared to do it to be honest) but the pay is low for counsellors n it's hard to get a placement anywhere, which is how you get into a counselling job. It's a shame because when I was doing the diploma there was a lot of people wanting to be counsellors but had mortgages n what not to think of. And there are a lot of people out there needing n waiting for counselling.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

there are several different types of drugs worker, but key worker type stuff yeah. Ive allso done level 2 in counselling. At least 2 more years of studying and the hours of volunteering would be requirted before i could start earning a living at it. You dont need such lengthy study to be a DW. I found out on my L2 counselling course that i am capable of doing it. In fact im a bit of a natural, if that doesnt sound too big headed. Its easy, you just summarise and act as the clients mirror, and their issues become clearer to them.

Also DW who have been through some drugs problems of their own have a better understanding and depth and breadth of knowledge. I believe this helps the clients trust and find it easier to open up to the DW, i get very frustarted talking to DWs who havent a clue what im going on about. Some of them dont even know about benzo tapers etc which i find shocking.

The place i go to for my support sessions have told me that if i was to complete my further 2 years study in counselling they would have no problem with me doing my 100 hours voluntary placement there, providing i was completely 'clean' by then i assume. I guess it depends where you live, there doesnt seem to be any shortage of places to volunteer around here. Finding suitable paid work is what im struggling with atm.

 

[velmwend]

Love to get into counselling, too.

 

[StoneHappyMonday]

there are several different types of drugs worker, but key worker type stuff yeah. Ive allso done level 2 in counselling. At least 2 more years of studying and the hours of volunteering would be requirted before i could start earning a living at it. You dont need such lengthy study to be a DW. I found out on my L2 counselling course that i am capable of doing it. In fact im a bit of a natural, if that doesnt sound too big headed. Its easy, you just summarise and act as the clients mirror, and their issues become clearer to them.
.

Reflective listening/practice.

Yeah I did a counselling qualification many many years ago. The humanism aspect is interesting and a good approach but (surprise, surprise) I found myself in conflict with many (well, some) of counselling's key issues. Such as the "natural state" being the only state worth pursuing. IE all drugs are bad, even one toke of a ciggy, and we should aim only to put non-consciousness altering things (basic foodstuffs, but god forbid a natural plant such as cannabis) into our bodies.

Some of my best friends are counsellors. Honest.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

yeah the not giving advice thing is a bit impractical as far as the humanistic approach goes, so much time could be saved if the counsellor just pointed something out to the client, if they just werent 'getting something' that they needed to get. I suspect there is a big differnce between studying the subject, and actually doing the job. and the actual role would vary depending on which type of organasiation you worked for.

 

[Shambles]

Drug counselling-type work is something I've also considered. I guess it's the traditional option for ex-addicts. I've spoken to my own key worker (dunno why they stopped calling themselves drug counsellors - she counsels me about drugs, never been near my keys ) and she actually told me I wouldn't have to be sober and abstainant to get work in that field. As long as I wasn't fukked at work, obviously. It came up cos I was telling her that I'd basically have the same issues as SHM has with that kinda thing - I'm not gonna try to force people into a system (12 Step/abstainance only) that we all know doesn't work for the vast majority of people and only sets them up to fail. I was surprised at her responses. She was actually very receptive and agreed with most of what I was saying.

Theoretically, there is a place for more "real world" support that I suspect many of us here would be more interested in. Finding an employer who would go along with that (given how difficult it is to get funded for drugwork projects ) is perhaps another matter. Maybe we should start our own lil drug counselling organisation - run by druggies for druggies. I'm only half-joking too. I'd bet one and a half of Spade's balls we'd get better results than any 12 Step-type system.

 

[StoneHappyMonday]

My very best friend is a drug counsellor, many years experience. He's the best counsellor I know, by far, and I've met loads. He's had to go into private work in order to do what he wants to do, or rather say things the way they are, the way he wants to say them. he still works in public sector too but was even investigated for three months last year because some fucker he was training complained about the "bias" in my mates counselling. That's basically because my mate talks about/preaches/educates in HR the way BL does. As in it's acceptable to say drugs can be taken responsibly most of the time without the sky falling in.

But yeah, if we could ever organise it as such I'm damn sure we'd out-perform most other drug agencies. Depending on how you measure it though. Coz it's usually measured by 'people taken off drugs" rather than "people improved quality of life and thought resulting in better acceptance of their drug use".

And no, I've said to MDB before, I know of no general public sector organisation that says their workers must test drug free. If Addaction did that they'd have to close down. But for sure, in the counselling course I attended, it was compulsory to believe/accept that some ridiculously undefinable 'natural state' was the Holy Grail of human life. Fuck that.

But then I'd vote for compulsory LSD over abstinence anyway.

My point may have wandered a bit in this post.

 

[swampdragon]

and she actually told me I wouldn't have to be sober and abstainant to get work in that field. As long as I wasn't fukked at work, obviously.

Aye, it's a line of work I'm interested in, too.. I read a few of the policies for some local drug/alcohol counselling places and they basically agreed with that, as long as you're not using at work. (The jobs seem pretty oversubscribed though, so I doubt I'd actually manage to get a job in that field, even with training.)

And am doing similar, dan, although I'm fucking work off at the end of April. Have scheduled some sort of career panic for around September time.