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December 20, 2003
Conspiracy of Prejudice
One of the things I found when I was last 'resting' is that you should sign on the day you stop work. Even if there are a bunch of things coming up, you can't be sure they'll come off, and if you do get yourself into a pickle they'll ask why you hadn't signed on ages ago. Retrospective is not a word the employment service understands.
And if you're actually looking for a job, and are qualified for the things you're trying to find a job in, it's actually a pretty painless process. The staff treat you with respect, and the jobseekers form is genuinely useful - to the point where it's now become a spreadsheet I use to track calls and actions from them.
So I'm in the jobcentre, signing on for the first time and I say to the rather nice chap behind the desk "So when do I next have to sign on?"
"Ah, not for four weeks"
"Hooray! Well, and good for you too."
"Hahaha. Gosh no, I wish I had four weeks off"
And then there's an awkward silence as we both realise what we've done.
Despite the fact I am jobhunting, I've just acted as though the dole is a way of having a holiday. And he, despite the fact he's there to ensure I'm fully empowered and actively jobhunting, acted as though I was going to doss around for four weeks.
Neither of us meant that, but a wrongfooted moment put us both back into a tv-led cliche from the early 80s.
He did give me the money though...
Posted by Tom Dolan at December 20, 2003 11:46 AM
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Comments
The U.S. joblessness report for February 2004 stunned
observers and investors alike - instead of creating
the forecasted 125,000 new jobs, the entire U.S.
economy only managed to produce 21,000 additional
jobs. That left the 'official' unemployment rate
steady at 5.6 per cent - I say 'official', because
those people who've simply given up looking for
jobs are dropped from the 'official' count, and in
many areas no jobs exist once a big plant closes
and moves overseas [ergo, there are soon 'no j
jobseekers' there!].
What with downsizing, jobs being sent off-shore,
a ho-hum economic recovery, plant closings and
layoffs, I thought some good folks here might
benefit from the results of my own diligent search,
and applied research, on this topic:
'What Color Is Your Parachute' Site, this
book has got to be the 'Bible' for all
serious job hunters!:
http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/
'Quintessential Job Hunt' Site. 'Search jobs!
Post a Resume!' Well, they're enthusiastic, anyway...
!http://www.quintcareers.com/jobhunt.html
These guys are good! An executive I know had just
about given up when they took him on, got him
a job interview with a large company president
and a solid job offer - all in two days!
http://www.johnwhitleystrategicconsulting.com
Monster of a job site! Great resource:
http://english.monster.ca/geo/siteselection.asp
Its Canadian 'twin'...
http://www.workopolis.com/index.html
The Riley Guide: Employment Opportunities and
Job Resources on the Internet
http://www.rileyguide.com/
Job-Hunt.org 'Online Job Search Guide...your
objective source of the Web's Best Job Search
Resources http://www.job-hunt.org/
RiteSite Executive Careers Service - looks
pretty helpful, if you're searching via the Net...
http://www.ritesite.com
And if YOUR job hasn't gone to India or China
yet, don't be surprised to find out that it's been
secretly packing its bags - 14 million more U.S.
technical, professional and managerial jobs are
now estimated to be at risk of 'off-shore downsizing'!
Posted by: Peter Atkinson at March 6, 2004 10:18 PM
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