Seeing as I'm now midway through my third week as an Unemployed, I figured I'd do a blog giving you (if you're interested!!!) an update on how it's going. So here goes …… it's a long'un so a brew in hand would be advisable.
The Job Centre
As many of you know, I went to the Job Centre last Tuesday. Now I was dreading this simply because I had visions of 'Bread' running round my head – y'know what I mean …… the older brother goes to the DSS every week and has to deal with a very opinionated and snobbish assistant, so I had visions of going in there and having them look down their noses at me. Needn't have worried, however, as I have a very nice personal adviser called Andy. I know he supposed to be nice anyway, but it makes you feel more comfortable. A chat, a bit of form-filling, some signing and explanation later and I walked out of there with 3 potential jobs, a couple of contacts at a couple of agencies and various forms. There's loads of stuff you have to do. I had to sign an agreement which said I had to contact, in different ways, shapes and forms, 8 people a week regarding any work they had available. You also have to show that you are actively seeking work. They gave me this little book thing to put it all down in but I found it didn't show what I wanted, or rather felt it needed to, so I wound up using one of the many hard backed notebooks I bought when I had delusions of writing (what can I say?? It was an escape with all that was going on with Dad at the time!!!) as a record of everything I did – which reminds me I have to update that for the last couple of days.
I went back again this Tuesday to sign on with a lady whose name escapes me but I know it begins with an 'M'. She came across at the start a bit like the 'Bread' woman so I was a little bit edgy. We had a bit of extra time as her expected next appointment wasn't going to be in as they were on holiday, so we had a bit of a chat about what I'd been doing to find work, and she looked at the records I'd made. Apparently she can tell I'm an Accounts person. She was quite impressed actually. It sounds like a lot of people don't bother to put down what they've done, even though they should, to prove they're doing something. I also found out I wasn't going to get any money until the form they sent to work to ask about final payments came back – here is proof of the wonderment that is Spencer. They faxed it last week but Debbie, who I've mentioned before, is on holiday at the mo'. It's a good job I'm not destitute as she is the one who would fill it out and the ONLY person in the company that has access to the records!!! They have this weird idea about confidentiality. Even when I was in payroll, although I was allowed access to all the pay records of the weekly lads, I wasn't allowed to even pass my eyes over salaried info. It was part of the double standard that runs through the company. Or maybe that was just me ......
Agencies
Agencies are funny things. I'm not sure what to make of some of them. I've recently got back in contact with several of them to let them know I'm looking for work. Some of them are really easy to deal with. Sewell Moorhouse who deal with Accounts positions are very easy to deal with and very nice with it. I've met up with Bev from there before – last time I was half-heartedly looking and she understood that. Now I'm seriously looking and she's a lot of help. Not only have I got Bev working for me there, but also Sam, who sorts temporary positions, and Lynsey, who deals with a different area. I met Bev on Tuesday and we had a quick chat again about what I was looking for – it's changed a bit in 12-months!! She had a couple of possibilities she was going to put me forward for so it's just a question of waiting. Sam put me forward for something but I'll get to that later. I also had a meeting with another agency called List Recruitment. They tend to place more technical people, but they get the odd Accounts job with Corus so I thought I might be worth it. I went in and had skills testing, which basically comprised of basic Windows commands, data entry and typing …… why they couldn't just look at my certificates I don't know, although I did learn that I can type 48 words per minute.
I have an interview with another agency today at 4pm. She seemed a bit thick when she phoned up. She told me I needed to bring ID with me – photo ID which I don't have and I'm sure other people don't either. Never had a passport and still operating on an old fashioned paper driving licence – damn me for not losing it or deigning to marry, eh?? ;) This seemed to be a problem, so off she disappears to tell me that I need to bring in a utility bill …… don't have any – everything's in Mums name, so in the end she decided my credit card bill would be sufficient. Surely I could be an illegal immigrant with that too?? I don't recall MBNA asking for proof of my British-ness when I applied for my credit card from them …… Now what would she do if I didn't have one of those either?? Or that everything I have was in hubby's name?!?!? So this should be fun.
Interviews
As I mentioned in the last section, Sam at Sewell Moorhouse put me forward for a position at a company in Scunthorpe as a Purchase Ledger Clerk. Sounded all well and good – my main duties would be invoice entry and query resolution, but there would also be an element of account reccing. The latter was the part that appealed because I enjoy that. I like the feeling I get when it's finished and I know I've accomplished something. What put me off more was the fact that it was a maternity cover job in the main. I started at Spencer as a maternity cover temp and I hated being left hanging while Sarah decided whether she was staying or not. It meant I couldn't really start looking for different work because I couldn't honestly tell people if or when I would be available for work. No offence to the mothers who may read this but I gather it's a hard decision as to how much time you want to go back to work for, or whether you want to go back at all and so tends to be very last minute. I think I'd rather have a job that was actually mine rather than just looking after someone else's until the decide what they want to do – it's like house-sitting but less definite because at least you know when the owners are coming back from their hols!!! If it wasn't a maternity cover temp to perm and was a proper fixed term contract meaning there wasn't that uncertainty attached to it I'd probably jump at the chance. If they'd said "it's for 4-months and we're not waiting on someone making a decision to come back to work" it'd be fine. There's an element of housekeeping in this job too. They need help with recommending and helping to put into place, processes and practices for the new SAP system they introduced back in March and although it would be nice to be involved with that, and that SAP itself would be good for my CV, it'd annoy me a little bit to put all that work in for someone else to come back and they say "Cheers. See ya!!" I'd also resent the fact that I'd wind up doing what I did at Spencer and not bother to make the effort with colleagues because it'd be more painful to leave at the end of the 4 months if you know what I mean ……
I'm also very confused with this job. On the one hand I'm being told it's a 4-month contract for maternity cover, but the other lass in the department is leaving to train to be a maths teacher and said I'd be doing her job?!?!? The other problem with this job is that it would start on Monday. It's been badly planned by the sounds of it and this means I don't get the time to really think about it properly and I really don't want to jump for the sake of it. I did that with Spencer and we all know how that turned out. I'm pissed off though because I feel really guilty for letting down these people I've met once for an hour – what is wrong with me???? It's not like I owe them anything, or that I know them well enough to consider them friends for whom I would feel disappointed for letting them down. I think I need help!!!
eBay
eBay is the work of the Devil – simple as …… As you can imagine I've had WAY too much time on my hands recently and have found myself inexplicably drawn to eBay – no. I tell a lie. It is explicable …… I started looking at cheap 6th gen I-Pods and wound up buying loads of Bon Jovi gear!! Lol! I think in all I've spent about £75 on there over the last few days. I'm trying to get my Bon Jovi CD Collection a bit more complete, and Mum's taken advantage of me not working by asking me to bid on stuff for her too – she – or rather I've just bought her a PDA. At least *touch wood* I've dealt with some good sellers and haven't had to argue and get stressed over any of them yet!!
Photography
It's quite good really. I've been taking more pics lately -- generally of birds picking around the lawn and flower beds. I may put them on the Ol' Photobucket later if I feel that way inclined. The garden got in such a state that Mum decided enough was enough as she wasn't going to have the time to do it, and got in a gardener. They've done really well and got the garden back to some semblance of normality and now all the birds can see what they're looking for …… and we can see them!! Lol!! Mum treated me to a trip to The Deep last week and I tried pics of fish, but it wasn't really happening!! Lol!! They're on the Photobucket too so you can take a look-see if you fancy. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I hate fish …… they don't stay still long enough for pictures, and aquariums have a thing about flash photography. I can understand it, but from a purely selfish point of view, I can't get good pics without it!! Lol!!
Cockatiels
This is a random heading eh?? Well, Bank Holiday Monday I went out to the Aviary to feed our birds. Somehow I got caught up on a bit of wire and didn't realise, so when I got free it made a god almighty ping and put the wind up the birds. They panicked and in the melee one of the cockatiels escaped out the door that I was halfway through!! Anyway, he's been hanging around the garden ever since because luckily his girlfriend was still IN the aviary so he's been coming back to visit and eat – we have, in essence, had possibly the first free-range cockatiel in the history of bird keeping!! Lol!! He spent most of yesterday sat on top of his old cage, which we'd set up with some food in the hopes of tempting him into it and getting him home proper, chatting to his mates like some kind of little old lady. Today was a good day – we got him back in the aviary. He went into his old cage for breakfast, Mum spotted him and she legged it down the garden and shut him in quick. The little cage is now in the big cage waiting for him to come out and see his mates again so all is good!!!
Unfortunately after nearly 3 weeks I'm already bored stupid, so I foresee more bad TV, more job hunting, more bemoaning of the fact I can't go out shopping (especially when I find a neat pair of boots for a tenner and Mum won't let me buy them!!!), and more visiting eBay to find a happier medium where I can shop but on the cheap ...... hopefully!!!
H.
xx
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