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Best Of
Re: Recruitment agencies
Redemption wrote: »Has anyone used recruitment agencies here? I'm thinking about contacting them too see if they can help me. Cheers guys
When I had my seasonal job with Whsmith's, initially I thought I was going to be hired by Whsmith's themselves. But my details were passed onto a recruitment agency and I had to attend a teams call for my start date and things. I found when I worked with Whsmiths they didnt know anything about me being recruited by an agency at all to the point where my manager didnt even know either. So mostly I do a lot of background research into them because you do fill out a bit of paperwork in the beginning. I know though when I did start my seasonal job, the recruitment agency were helpful and made sure that everything went well in my job, despite there being a lot of confusion in the beginning.
I know for people who are searching for work they can be a great of going about it because they will help you to look for work and also make sure you are getting the right amount of training. What I will say is eventhough I worked seasonal, when you are with a recruitment agency sometimes you will have to fill out your own time sheet, so clocking down how many hours you worked on your shift which then confirms your pay basically. I found reminding myself to fill in my timesheet was hard at first because normally in some jobs that dont hire via a recruiting agency, they will automatically fill out your timesheet for you. But with an agency you do the paperwork pretty much yourself, though if you do get stuck you can contact them for support or help. I used to summit my timesheet the day after I did my shift so it was less stress sorting things out.
I mean its definitely up to you really because I know recruitment agencies can be helpful and sometimes when working in retail especially seasonal work the companies will often take on recruitment agency staff. It can be good sometimes in some interviews especially for retail to ask "will I be recruited by the company themselves, or will a recruitment agency take me on and put me on placement here?" because it can make things a bit more easier in the long run.
However, I wish you the best for your job hunting right now and I hope you are able to find something soon too
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Amy22
2
Re: Recruitment agencies
hey @Redemption 🙂
i have applied through recruitment agencies such as indeed several times and get nowhere - often indeed will just immediately say you were unsuccessful based too i’ve noticed though i use indeed still to search for jobs then when i see one i like, eg a team member at mcdonald’s let’s say, i will go onto mcdonalds website and search for the role and apply on their website directly instead and then get further.
here’s some places ive found helpful in searching for jobs too:
i have applied through recruitment agencies such as indeed several times and get nowhere - often indeed will just immediately say you were unsuccessful based too i’ve noticed though i use indeed still to search for jobs then when i see one i like, eg a team member at mcdonald’s let’s say, i will go onto mcdonalds website and search for the role and apply on their website directly instead and then get further.
here’s some places ive found helpful in searching for jobs too:
charity jobs - https://www.charityjob.co.uk/
get got jobs - https://www.getgotjobs.co.uk/
hays - https://www.hays.co.uk/
reed - https://www.reed.com/
get got jobs - https://www.getgotjobs.co.uk/
hays - https://www.hays.co.uk/
reed - https://www.reed.com/
Re: Truly wanting this to change (trigger warning mentions of suicide)
Hey @Redemption - thank you for sharing your feelings, it's brave to do. You don't need to apologise for talking about your emotions, we're here to listen and support you!
I can hear how much this situation is on your mind. It's really difficult when we feel stuck, both emotionally but also practically. You have goals and dreams, and when something like this feels like a big barrier, it can feel disheartening. It's completely fair to feel frustrated and upset with how things are going, and I'd imagine that the feeling is only exacerbated when comparing yourself to others who are moving forwards.
The good news, as you've mentioned, is that you have kept trying, and that you haven't given up. It's a really rough journey, and you've done ever so well to weather that storm and keep going forwards. And you're right, you're certainly not the only person who's in this difficult position - it's hard to get a job in the current environment. We're really proud of you for all the effort and time you've put into trying to achieve your goals. I'm hopeful that more opportunities will come your way. We're here to support you and listen to you as you go through this!
I can hear how much this situation is on your mind. It's really difficult when we feel stuck, both emotionally but also practically. You have goals and dreams, and when something like this feels like a big barrier, it can feel disheartening. It's completely fair to feel frustrated and upset with how things are going, and I'd imagine that the feeling is only exacerbated when comparing yourself to others who are moving forwards.
The good news, as you've mentioned, is that you have kept trying, and that you haven't given up. It's a really rough journey, and you've done ever so well to weather that storm and keep going forwards. And you're right, you're certainly not the only person who's in this difficult position - it's hard to get a job in the current environment. We're really proud of you for all the effort and time you've put into trying to achieve your goals. I'm hopeful that more opportunities will come your way. We're here to support you and listen to you as you go through this!
Azziman
2
Re: Draft of feelings
@Azziman I'm gd now. Wen something happens tht is unprovoked I get scared. I visited tht cafe as a customer. I hate living in a place where the staff got little or no training. But gd news I'm moving out soon. 😀
Re: Argument with uncle
Hey @Redemption, I'm sorry to hear what you've experienced. You asked a reasonable question, and were given a completely disproportionately aggressive response. It's concerning that this is typical behaviour, and it sounds like this is something that can knock you back. Feeling safe is important, and it sounds like this is something that isn't restricted to the privacy of home either. Of course, everyone can go through stress in life, and people have different approaches to dealing with it - that doesn't excuse acting in this manner towards you or anyone else though. How are you feeling? Are you alright? We're here to listen to you.
Azziman
1
Re: Didn’t get on my placement. I'm a failure
Hey @Redemption - thank you for sharing how you feel with us here. I can hear how the recent experiences with placements didn't go as expected, and that you're upset with that - that's completely valid. You were really hopeful on getting these opportunities, so I can hear how it's disheartening when you hear that they didn't progress.
Well done for all the work you've put in to get these opportunities - it shouldn't go unrecognised and unappreciated that you've worked hard to get these chances in the first place. It sounds like it has been a draining journey, so it's important to make sure you give yourself time to feel those feelings and process what has happened - don't be too hard on yourself for what happened.
Feeling rejected is a painful part of the job hunting process, but taking the lessons from it (e.g. the feedback call you received, and mentions of turning up late) will be good things to work on for the next opportunity. We can see the work you're putting in, and these chances might not have gone your way, but keep up your effort and I'm hopeful you'll get more opportunities come your way. We're here to support you through this!
Well done for all the work you've put in to get these opportunities - it shouldn't go unrecognised and unappreciated that you've worked hard to get these chances in the first place. It sounds like it has been a draining journey, so it's important to make sure you give yourself time to feel those feelings and process what has happened - don't be too hard on yourself for what happened.
Feeling rejected is a painful part of the job hunting process, but taking the lessons from it (e.g. the feedback call you received, and mentions of turning up late) will be good things to work on for the next opportunity. We can see the work you're putting in, and these chances might not have gone your way, but keep up your effort and I'm hopeful you'll get more opportunities come your way. We're here to support you through this!
Azziman
1
Re: Being on UC is more stressful for me than it has to be (mini rant)
Hey @MorgsSmiles24, thank you for sharing this here. Echoing the above, I can hear how exhausting and frustrating the experience has been for you. It's entirely reasonable to expect to feel supported when looking for a job, but it sounds like this isn't what you're getting from this job coach, and I'm sorry to hear that. You deserve to be supported while going through this! You're doing your best, and like @shannon_164 says above, you're doing your best and we're proud of you for all that you're doing for yourself. We're here to support you, do let us know how you're getting on!
Azziman
2
Being on UC is more stressful for me than it has to be (mini rant)
Despite my health condition, I've decided that I still want to work and relayed this to my job coach. My job coach is on the no nonsense side, if that makes sense, and she isn't very open for understandings or "excuses". When I disclosed my health condition to her, she agreed to be more lenient when it comes to the amount of job search I do each week. I had an appointment with her today and no surprise she was lecturing me about a gap of a week when I didn't look for any jobs. I was confused, as I knew that wasn't the case. I disputed it, and she showed me her computer screen, I was so tired and couldn't think straight so I just accepted it as I could tell she wasn't pleased I was questioning her. Then I mentioned that I had a couple bad days with my cfs the past week, but she just ignored me and continued grilling me about my job search efforts. When the appointment finished I went outside and checked my UC journal on my phone where I log my jobs and realised that I had forgotten to log my job search that week and did it the following one but on the system it shows two dates, the date you made the log and when you actually applied for the job. At this point I felt defeated as I could have probably avoided a scolding from her, but then again she was reading the incorrect date, which wasn't my fault. I won't lie, I do find her intimidating and not someone I can actually confide in and dread my appointments with her out of fear of being scolded for little things. I understand I agreed to do x amount of job search when I applied to universal credit, and It's her job to make sure I stick to that so I can find a job. However, I don't feel like she's actually given me any decent support for finding a job, the biggest motivator for me finding a job asap is, so I don't have to deal with her any more. I had thoughts about withdrawing my UC claim, as I've felt way more stressed with her as my job coach than with any of my previous ones.
