There's a Judge Dredd story called "Sunday Night Fever", (2000 AD, Prog 416). In Mega City One, there's a gazzillion percent unemployed and jobs are quite rare, so instead of Sunday night being quiet, with most people preparing for the following work day, it all kicks off like a bad night in Bas-Vegas. The story concerns a guy in a bar. He says that he's lost his job as a human canary at the local Munce factory (Mega City One's equivalent of Soylent Green). Somehow, he mistakes someone at the bar for the guy who took his job and kills him in a fight. "You know what this means", says someone. "There's a job going at the Munce factory!!". The resulting job riot results in a chemical explosion at the factory, wiping out half the sector.
With that thought, I signed off at the job centre today. I got a job, starting on the 15th for a software company in Camden. The Job Centre is the only place in the world where you can say "I hope I never see you again", and get a smile.
Showing posts with label Job Centre Plus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Job Centre Plus. Show all posts
Friday, 5 November 2010
Friday, 10 September 2010
Friday: Jobs and Job Centre
Jobs
I'm not going to say anything much about job interviews at the moment as it's at a fragile point in the development and I don't want to jinx it. I will say that taking along some of my work, as requested by the client, did have a positive affect, so fingers crossed.
Job Centre
The last but one time I signed on, I was told to attend a little seminar called a Back To Work session. A group of us all arrived a bit earlier than normal (usually 1:30PM but this was at 11:30AM), were shown into a room and given a little presentation about finding work, as well as given an expensive looking little handout. Basically, this was a shot across the bows about reviewing our achievements so far, which will take place in about a months' time in October. There is also an oportunity to gain, through a free training course, a fork-lift truck licence. This is aimed at warehouse work, of which there is rather a lot in Basildon, as we were told.
I'm not going to say anything much about job interviews at the moment as it's at a fragile point in the development and I don't want to jinx it. I will say that taking along some of my work, as requested by the client, did have a positive affect, so fingers crossed.
Job Centre
The last but one time I signed on, I was told to attend a little seminar called a Back To Work session. A group of us all arrived a bit earlier than normal (usually 1:30PM but this was at 11:30AM), were shown into a room and given a little presentation about finding work, as well as given an expensive looking little handout. Basically, this was a shot across the bows about reviewing our achievements so far, which will take place in about a months' time in October. There is also an oportunity to gain, through a free training course, a fork-lift truck licence. This is aimed at warehouse work, of which there is rather a lot in Basildon, as we were told.
Friday, 30 July 2010
Friday Sign-on
This Friday is sign-on day at the dole office, sorry, Job Centre Plus. The office is at the other end of Broadmayne from the flat, Broadmayne being the large dual-carriageway running the length of Basildon. It's about two miles, so I walked in, which took about 40 minutes. I have to sign in once a fortnight and demonstrate that I have been looking for work, so I keep a list of job applications on a spreadsheet and print them out.
The last time I signed on, it took about an hour or so, because one of their systems had screwed up. In the end, I pointed out that I was just there to sign on and had been waiting a while. They just filled in a line on a form and asked me to sign to prove that I'd attended. This time was the same, but he paid attention to the spreadsheet and what was on it. He also asked me to bring a little form they'd given me about voluntary work. Plus everyone seemed to be on the ball and it all took about ten minutes from me walking in through the door: I'd barely got started on a new number puzzle.
And there could be worse times to be out of work...
The last time I signed on, it took about an hour or so, because one of their systems had screwed up. In the end, I pointed out that I was just there to sign on and had been waiting a while. They just filled in a line on a form and asked me to sign to prove that I'd attended. This time was the same, but he paid attention to the spreadsheet and what was on it. He also asked me to bring a little form they'd given me about voluntary work. Plus everyone seemed to be on the ball and it all took about ten minutes from me walking in through the door: I'd barely got started on a new number puzzle.
And there could be worse times to be out of work...
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