Sometimes there's so much life to be lived that it's hard to find the time to write about it! (But sometimes it's just lack of application!)

The good folk at the NWHJC* have today made it abundantly clear to me that I have recently been guilty of extreme dereliction of duty, in that I haven't been providing them with the required updates on my life.

 

It does occur to me that their lives must be sadly lacking in excitement if reading about the trials and tribulations of my existence really offer them a meaningful and worthwhile diversion!  (These being nice people, the thought that there might be some schadenfreude involved hasn't even started to cross my mind.............................)



That moment when you realise that you've been
 thinking about the possibility of schadenfreude!



All that being said, however, now I've got this far I suppose I'd best commit the last month or so to digital perpetuity! (Who knows, maybe hundreds of years hence this could form the basis of some poor history student's doctoral thesis - or, more likely, not!)

 

Right then, into the fourth paragraph and I haven't actually said anything yet!  This is probably down to my not having got a very good handle on what's been going on over the last few weeks!

 

Again there seem to be two ways of looking at it: 

1. It could be that all my available time has been legitimately taken up with activities not directly associated with the main thrust of 'Project Back to Work'. (I have, for instance (in no particular order) been getting younger son's requirements for his next year of college sorted out, finding space in an already-crowded flat for older son to stay until his new job actually pays him some money and trying to wrest the promised repayment of travelling expenses from the corporate wallet of the providers of my otherwise excellent NVQ Assessors course.  All this, of course, in conjunction with trying to run what might at a pinch be described as a household on a very short and frayed shoestring, submitting any number of applications for programming jobs (as much to satisfy the requirements of my continuing receipt of JSA as out of any REAL conviction that the software industry is suddenly going to realise how much it really, really needs me) and attending my obligatory weekly Work Programme session with A4e.
2. Alternatively, it could also be that the time taken up by all of the above may have been somewhat inflated and used to provide a really handy set of displacement activities to get me out of knuckling down to finish my NVQ Assessment coursework. (Not that I don't want to do it you understand - it just looks a bit..........daunting now it has reached the point where I really need to get it done!)

I know which option I would like to see as the most realistic!

I also know (with, if I'm honest, far more certainty) which IS the true state of affairs!

So, to sum up: I really need to sit myself down to get this work done and submitted.  Then and only then will I be in a position to update my blog. (To do so beforehand would only be another activity to add into item (1) above!)



D'OH!



*North West Hampshire Job Club for anyone who hasn't been keeping up!

Hello.........Is this thing switched on?

One of two things seems to be happening here - either I'm losing the interest of those few regular readers who were taking this journey with me, or the Blogspot readership stats are lying to me!

Either way, I'll plough on regardless, as exciting things are afoot (well, exciting to me anyway!)....

Having finally had my metaphorical palsied fingers prised away from the previously solid belief that a return to software development was my only valid course of action, suddenly a whole vista of possible alternatives seems to have started to open up for me.

So, after a false start or two, and in the spirit of 'strike while the iron is hot!'.......  

.....this Thursday marks my first session of training as an NVQ Assessor (in what is rather quaintly referred to as 'Computers'!)  Three days in the big city (or Southampton, whichever is nearer), followed by about five weeks of on-line exercises and the production of a real, tangible, paper-based portfolio and I'll (allegedly) be on the first steps of my bright and shiny new career.

I'll keep you posted (assuming there's still someone left out there to read it!)

The Victoria Sponge Sandwich - A Cautionary Tale!

Please bear with me, the relevance of the following should, hopefully, become apparent!

On Sunday, finding myself in possession of a jar of orange curd for a filling, all the other requisite ingredients, and an oven warming up for the roast chicken, I resolved to bake the eponymous cake.  I cut no corners, even putting some sugar through the blender (as I had no caster sugar), and properly sieving the flour! 

A Rough Idea of the Intended Outcome
(Apart From the Filling)

It mixed up a treat and went into the oven looking the cat's pjs!  It was only when I came to take it out that my fundamental mistake became apparent.  Plain flour does not the perfect Victoria Sponge make!

The reason I'm telling you this, gentle reader is that I think I understand how the cake felt - unexpectedly flat!!

The problem, you see, is that my first forays into applying for 'Employment Advisor' positions have been met by a barrage of (admittedly well-written, and apparently sympathetic) rejection notices.   The available feedback suggests that, while I present as a good candidate, my lack of appropriate experience still counts against me!

Now, it might just be me, but doesn't this, in essence, put me right back where I was on the Damascus Highway (not advisable given the current situation in Syria), awaiting my next revelation?  If I was a software dude (which apparently I'm not) I would be inclined to look for the danger of getting into a closed loop here!!

...and, on an unrelated and lighter note.......

Adrian Worger's presentation to the North West Hampshire Job Club (which, to my shame I now realise was a fortnight ago) revolved around alternative investments.  Adrian, of Top Marks Partnership, talked about the desirability of taking control of one's investments and pensions (would that I had any!).  He gave us an overview of how well (or otherwise) FSA regulated schemes are currently performing, then went on to show us some examples of 'alternative' investment opportunities with UK-based companies involved in a variety of overseas development projects.  (My usual 'that's how I understood it' caveat does,of course, apply!)

John Randle of SME Insider (http://www.smeinsider.co.uk/) has also joined us a couple of times recently, discussing the website he has been developing for the exchange of information between Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.  He is also in the early stages of setting up a Job Club in Salisbury, and we've discussed ways in which we can build a mutually supportive relationship in terms of (for instance) shared marketing.

I've got a meeting at Andover College next Wednesday regarding the possibility of starting a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Coaching and Mentoring course.  I'm also awaiting details from A4e in Winchester of an introductory session on becoming an NVQ assessor - you never know!

So, with the sun beaming down from a clear blue sky... "Onwards and upwards..."

All Change!

So....A new CV for a new job search! 

I must confess I found it a bit of a wrench chopping out all the techie-specific, 'propeller-head' skills, to be replaced with an altogether 'warmer and fluffier' set, to match my new-found helping, caring and nurturing persona. 

That being said: the more I look at what's involved in pursuing my new career course (which is, hopefully, to become an employment advisor, in case you've forgotten or, heaven forfend, you've not read any of my previous offerings), the more I feel that not only can I do it, but also I should do it, and, most significantly, I really want to do it!!

(If you are that hypothetical new reader, so cruelly parenthesised in the middle of the last sentence, someone really should have warned you in advance (not that they could have warned you in arrears) about my predisposition toward impenetrably long and labyrinthine sentence construction!) 

I try to control it!...I really do!...Honestly!

Anyway, back to the point.... I'm actually very pleased with my new CV (which you, my IT skills permitting, should be able find attached to the top of this page, alongside the previous version, which so singularly failed to get me so much as an interview as a 'software dude').  (n.b. Mr Newbie, that was the original career before the single dad phase kicked in.) 

I've now started sending out said CV on-line, so fingers crossed for a bit of success, now I've finally  accepted not only the necessity, but also the desirability to adopt a realistic 'plan B'.

We have a guest speaker (Adrian Worger of Top Marks Partnership) at the North West Hampshire Job Club tomorrow - I'll give you my thoughts next time!

Banging my head against a dead horse?

Hello there loyal reader! 

As you may have gathered from the heading, you find me at a phase of the job search where things are, perhaps, going other than entirely to plan!  Please, however,  don't get the impression that this means I have succumbed to the depths of despair - it's more in the nature of a 'road to Damascus' moment! 

I have, in essence, come to a point where the spotlight of much-needed self-examination and re-evaluation has thrown the shortcomings of my efforts into sharp relief.

"Explain yourself man!" I hear you cry (or at least the part of me that imagines you as a crusty old colonel in an Agatha Christie story does!)

To elucidate then....
     (i) It's reached a point where one week's list of applications for C++ positions is increasingly becoming indistinguishable from the previous one.
    (ii) Even the most hopeful initial responses to these applications soon tail off to nothing.  This particularly hit home with the previously mentioned response from Hewlett Packard (there I've said it!)
   (iii) I have been put in touch, by Robin at A4e, with a splendid organisation called FiftyON who provide 'Older Persons Employability Skills and Self Employment Training'.  In the course of my email exchanges with them regarding my CV it has become increasingly apparent to me (as I'm sure it has long been to those around me) that it's simply not realistic for me to keep knocking on the software development door.

The problem with this is that, while I've always been prepared to consider other employment avenues, I've never had the faintest idea what other jobs I might be suited to. (It boils down, basically to never really having had a clue what I want to do when I grow up!)

HOWEVER!!!!!

(Yes, this is the road to Damascus bit!) - while reflecting on this, it seeped through to my consciousness that a number of (apparently sane and sensible) people have recently asked me, quite independently, whether I've considered working as an employment advisor (for A4e or similar), as they think I'd be well suited to the task! 

My first reaction to this was along the lines of "I'm sorry, you appear to have mistaken me for somebody with a degree of self-confidence!"  Where the Pauline flash of light comes into things was the moment when I suddenly thought: "Hang on Matey" (I'm still in character in the whodunnit, since you ask!) "- all the assorted stuff I've been through lately has turned me into just that person!"

Quite how my lack of success (to date) in finding a job for myself, makes me a good candidate to assist others in their search, I'm not entirely sure - at least (I suppose) I'm hugely familiar with the process!  I'm not going to let that put me off though - if people who know me think I'm right for it, who am I to argue?

So, with the promise of help from Emily (still my A4e advisor, but not mentioned for a while) with the necessary and appropriate re-drafting of the CV, a new chapter begins......

Has it really been that long????

Greetings world!  I imagine some of you (assuming I still have a plurality of readers) thought/hoped I'd permanently disappeared from the radar.  This is (as I suppose is now self-evident) not the case.

A combination of circumstances (family bereavement, Royal Jubilee, closed libraries, lost wallet, cancelled A4E sessions, apathy, lethargy, inertia etc etc) conspired to keep me from you, but fear not (or possibly 'be very afraid!'), I'm back and raring to go!

I'm currently feeling somewhat boosted by a conversation I had earlier this week with a chap at a well-known two letter multinational computer company. (Think brown sauce, paying on the never-never etc!)  The boost came from the facts that (a) he was actually an employee of the company, not an agency, and (b) he assured me that he would put my CV in front of the appropriate managers straight away.

Unfortunately I made the basic rookie mistake of missing his name on the phone, and was too excited by the conversation to ask him to repeat it, so I'm a bit scuppered as far as follow-up calls are concerned.  I do, therefore, find myself wondering how long to maintain my level of buoyancy before allowing the life-jacket of optimism to be deflated by the slow-puncture of disappointment at not having received any feedback!

But enough negativity!  The North West Hampshire J.C. continues to inspire, in large part because the turnover of members seems increasingly to be driven by various individuals' successes in their search for the next step!  Hearty congrats (and hardly a hint of jealousy) to those who've managed to move on! 

We've also made considerable progress on setting up our skills-bank (via the use of a unique search-argument in LinkedIn, of which more later) and raising our public profile through the printing and distribution of some splendid glossy postcards.



The Wolversdene Club - Our New Home

 Our most recent meeting (at our new venue, Andover's Wolversdene Club) featured an intriguing presentation from Tony Field of Icon Business Solutions.  His observations revolved around treating the job search as a selling exercise, with yourself as the product. It was, for me, one of those special occasions when, although most of the factual content wasn't new, the abilities of the speaker and the angle from which he approached the information gave it a new resonance and really got the grey matter working.

Beau de Jour - moi?

It is, I'm afraid, my sad duty to inform you that I have been advised by someone for whose profession opinion I have recently developed much respect (Christopher at A4e), that I should cease the publication of this blog under my own name.  He feels that it sends out the wrong message to prospective employers who, on seeing my CV or LinkedIn profile, choose to Google me. (Please, please, I implore you, be aware that other search engines are available.)

His view (that my ramblings represent a negative and/or unprofessional image) does not, however, meet with the views of the majority of those (by and large positive and/or professional) individuals who responded to my informal straw poll on the subject.  In fact, most of those I spoke to were of the opinion that what I present here can only serve to fill out a picture of me as a 'well rounded' individual (and, incidentally, that anonymity would drastically curtail whatever small readership I've developed!)

I have therefore decided that , despite the frisson of 'Belle de Jour' naughtiness that I might gain from anonymous publication, I will adopt the Duke of Wellington's maxim: "Publish and be damned!"

I am however looking into Christopher's suggestion that I get involved in developing some software for an 'open source' project, in the hope that it will serve as an example of current work to show to prospective employers.

"So," you sigh impatiently, "enough waffle: what's been going on this week?"

Well....phone calls from agencies seem to be on the increase, and, after running through my CV, they seem to be becoming more inclined to put me forward to prospective employers.  This can only be a positive, and at this rate I might actually find myself in a position where I need to sharpen up my interview skills (and perhaps think about becoming a trifle less 'well-rounded' in a purely physical sense!)  I've also put myself forward as a volunteer for Age Concern (Hampshire)'s computer literacy scheme - I'll let you know how that pans out!

After a fairly uneventful 'Job Club' session with A4e on Tuesday, I then had an interesting 'transferable skills' session with Robin at A4e in Winchester on Wednesday.  We looked primarily at those skills which, for whatever reason, one might have the potential to develop, but (through anxiety, fear, unfounded beliefs or whatever reason) opt not to.  This, to me, seemed, serendipitously, to tie in quite closely with Paul's session at the North West Hampshire JC last week.

Sam from A4e in mid-presentation

Speaking of which..... Thursday saw the long-anticipated coming together of two major strings of my job-hunting bow (now there's an interesting image!), as Sam and Neil from A4e paid us a visit at the North West Hampshire JC.  Sam (one of the advisers covering the Andover area from their Winchester office) gave us a short presentation on A4e and its involvement in the government's 'Work Programme', both nationally and in our area.  He and Neil (A4e's local manager) then fielded questions from the group.  Overall they (I believe) helped to get rid of some preconceptions, and reassured any of our members who might find themselves on the scheme in the future that we're all essentially on the same side.

There then followed an especially lively and productive group discussion, with a wide variety of practical advice and assistance being shared among club members.  (I would, at this point, like to say how good it's been to see some new faces at the club recently, but won't do so, as that somehow sends out the wrong message given that it's a job club!)

Finally, on seeing Sam and Neil again on Friday, their first impressions of the North West Hampshire Job Club included "the sort of thing more people should be doing" and "inspirational". 

So, on that positive note, farewell until next we meet!

The nature of belief...

Aside from the usual 'routine' stuff, the main jobsearch-related thing to have happened since last we met here was another presentation from Paul Sherwood at the North West Hants JC.

I think he really outdid himself this time, with a really powerful session entitled "Believe - A shadow of the past, a window on the future."  As is usual for Paul, this was far from being a 'talking head' presentation, with much group participation and, I think it's fair to say, self-examination, involved. (The latter is true, at least in my case, if nobody else's.)

Allowing for my usual 'it's what I took from it' caveat; what we looked at was how our beliefs, be they justified or not, are ingrained into our world-view very early in life and how they have an enormous influence on how we perceive and interact with the world.

Given this situation, we looked at ways of replacing 'Limiting Beliefs' (negative beliefs which create a negative feedback loop and thence restrict the capacity to achieve one's goals), with positively-worded and success-focused alternatives.

I'm, by nature, quite sceptical about this sort of exercise, but was amazed at the burst of 'positivity' that came with crossing out my old belief and then writing down and reading aloud the new one.  Perhaps most importantly, that feeling didn't dissipate as soon as I walked out of the room!

Unfortunately, one positive belief that I took into this meeting was that an agency guy I'd spoken to earlier in the week was getting straight back to me with news of a telephone interview.  Unfortunately, no amount of positive belief and/or email communication seems to have brought this about as yet.

Ho hum! 

So THAT'S how LinkedIn works!

Hello there!  Apologies for my extended absence from the blogosphere - it's what comes of relying on the (excellent) local library for Internet access during the bank holiday season!

Again a quiet early part of last week.  A4E still have to confirm what training they've got lined up for me.  Their job club session was slightly enlivened by their LAN playing up a bit, limiting computer access there as well!  Since I've largely settled into a routine of working my way through the weekly list of C++ developer applications emailed to me by indeed.co.uk it wasn't really a problem.

No NW Hants JC (Easter Break!) on Thursday, but post signing-on on Wednesday I hung around Andover for a few hours (always a joy) to attend a really useful 'getting the most out of LinkedIn' session.  This is run (out of the goodness of their hearts, as far as I can tell!) by two local businessmen, Ian Malcolmson and Ed Thomas, on the first Wednesday of every month at the Wolversdene Club.  It was suggested at the start of the session that those present divide into two groups: total LinkedIn novices and an 'experienced' group of those with something approaching a workable presence in existence.

Much to my amazement the second group consisted of .......me!  I'd never considered my LinkedIn presence to be anything more than scratching the surface, but I suppose all things are indeed relative!  This meant I had Ed's undivided and wholly supportive attention for the time I was able to stay, for which I am extremely grateful.  His advice was mainly concerned with the value of joining existing interest groups within LinkedIn, and even more pertinently, identifying a unique factor to justify establishing one's own group.  'Lone Dads with Blue-Haired Sons and a Desperate Urge to Reenter the World of Software Development' anyone? 

Ed's other suggestion, apart from some tweaks to the history in my profile (another work in progress slowed by lack of on-line time) was that I establish a link to this blog within my LinkedIn profile.

So, if you're a new reader who's stumbled into my ramblings via this route, a very warm welcome to you!

Same old same old (mostly)

Not a lot to report in the first part of the week.  This is largely because I've devoted a bit more time than has been usual recently to living a vaguely rounded life. (Or at least I've been doing a few things other than banging my head against the 'This Way to the Jobs' door!)  These would be things for my other blog, if such a thing existed!

So what has gone on?  A4E JC on Tuesday.  Applied for C++ jobs on-line, as usual.  Gave Emily my first stab at a skills list, which she's distributed to her colleagues for comment.  What's come back largely seems to consist of 'Has Les considered an Admin role?'  The answer to that is 'Only about as much as I've considered driving a 6" nail into my right eye'. (That's pretty much never, in case you're worried!)  There's a reason I've always done software, and that's not a predisposition toward the administrational.  I'm more what you might call an administratee!

Apparently I've got some A4E training coming up - not sure what it is - I'll no doubt let you know when I do.

North West Hants JC on Thursday was, as is so often the case, the high spot of my job-searching week.  Jane Buxton of Simplyhealth came to give us a presentation on “How to sell your skills and experience to employers”.  This involved, amongst other things, a simple and very effective demonstration of how different individuals' attempts to project 'neutrality' in their body language can be interpreted very differently by the same target audience.  Thus if retreating to 'neutral' is your 'default setting' when unsure of yourself,  you may not be giving out the signals you think you are!  This could have enormous implications in, for instance, the interview situation. 

We also spent some considerable time looking at what skills we really possess, as opposed to those we feel we should have based on our previous experience and job titles.  (As always, this summary comprises my own thoughts and impressions of what I took from the session, and should in no way be taken as representative of (a) the group or (b) the intentions of the presenter.)

Finally we looked at the importance of personal/cultural fit in starting with a new employer.  The best skills fit in the world won't necessarily work if there's a major personality clash or mismatch of cultural expectation.

I really hope that our propensity, as a group, to take a subject and run with it didn't disrupt Jane's 'lesson plan' too much.  Possibly not, as she's apparently agreed to come back again in the future.

Actual activity update

Right, whinge out of the way!

"What steps", you ask (or at least I imagine you do), "has Les been taking this week to further his chances of rejoining the ranks of the working masses?"  (I have to hold this virtual conversation with you, dear reader, or I'm reduced to the level of 'that bloke who sits in the corner of the library talking to himself!' It's only one step from there to having people move away from me on the bus.......in fact, thinking about it.....)

On Monday came the second and final day of my A4E induction course.  This week we covered (to my mind) some much more interesting topics, including CV writing (my current effort standing up pretty well to scrutiny), and, most usefully for me, produced skills lists associated with various occupations. 

This served to help me in getting started on writing up my own list of existing skills, and so to identify my 'transferable skills'.  This is an area where I've got a bit bogged down, largely by my continued self-categorisation as a 'Software Dude'.   It's becoming increasingly (and, to some extent, painfully) apparent that my 'do a C++ course and sail back into software development' approach has been somewhat over-optimistic and simplistic. (This hasn't been helped by any and all on-line aptitude assessments I've ever tried asking me, on completion, what sort of software I would like to write!)

It's obviously time to look realistically at incorporating other skills I've got, particularly those gained in fulfilling my parental duties.

A4E Job Club on Tuesday afternoon: Many more of the job-seeking fraternity (and sorority) than in previous weeks, meaning both keyboard time and face-to-face time with advisers was somewhat compromised.  I was hoping to get some help in developing my skills list, and, more importantly in finding out how to apply it in identifying my options.  I've arranged to spend some time on this with Emily next week, so I'll keep you posted (this might constitute a pun in this context, in which case I apologise!)

Signing on day on Wednesday - I think I've pretty much covered my thoughts on this in my previous post!

North West Hampshire JC on Thursday.  Nick was away doing some short-term employment stuff, so it fell to Paul Sherwood to run things.  Unfortunately we didn't have one of our larger attendances, which was a shame, as Paul gave us a really informative and enjoyable session on active and empathic listening skills and collaboration.



Children at Play (apparently the best-performing group really are kindergarten children!)

The highlight of this presentation involved a team of four of us attempting the 'Marshmellow Challenge' (sic), which involved building the highest possible structure to support a marshmallow, using only dry spaghetti,sticky tape and string.

Incidentally, my schoolfriends used to claim I'm from a different species 'Pedantic Man'!  I know it's an annoying trait but I really can't stop myself!

Joined-up thinking

As I understand it, a large part of the reason for my being on the government's 'Work Program' is that A4E have taken over, from the Job Centre, responsibility for overseeing and monitoring my job search. 

A4E have repeatedly declared themselves happy with what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis, while they help me to put into place a longer-term plan, identifying my transferable skills and hence other suitable employment options.

This (apparently totally satisfactory) activity involves my making numerous on-line applications for C++ systems development positions, which, by their very nature involve going through multitudinous layers of  agencies without, in most cases, uncovering the true identity of the potential employer.  Quite a lot of this takes place under the direct supervision of my A4E adviser, at their weekly Job Club.

I present details of this search (along with the reference numbers of jobs I've applied for from the Directgov website) as my 'evidence' at the Job Centre when I sign on.  Why is it then, that at this point I'm still met with: "Yes, but what actual companies have you applied to?"?

Is just a hint of 'singing from the same hymnsheet*' really too much to ask?

*Other sources of religious/secular lyrics/music are widely available!

What WAS I thinking? (OFF TOPIC ALERT!!)

I woke up suddenly at about 03.00 this morning with the word "GALAXY" burned across the front of my brain. 

Having checked for, and dismissed, a sudden desperate chocolate craving and/or some sort of seizure, I did a spot of rational thinking (as best I could!) and realised I'd used the phrase 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe'.  I may never be able to hold my head up again in the company of my (equally sad) peers!

My excuse is that, whilst typing, I had quickly checked the synopses to check that the appropriate section wasn't in 'Life, the Universe and Everything'.

Having decided that I wouldn't stoop to revisionism by simply amending the previous post, I can but say "mea culpa!"

Well when I say tomorrow...... A busy week (part 2) etc

Right, where was I?  I'm determined to get up-to-date while I've got use of a PC and no distractions, so we could be in for a long, bumpy ride!

Thursday of last week...... No Paul (again) at NW Hampshire JC - he must be seriously busy!  Nick had some interesting stuff set up to project from his laptop for us to watch.  I particularly enjoyed a presentation entitled "No more boring data." by a Scandiwegian doctor and academic named Hans Rosling.  He took graphical data analysis to levels hitherto only available (to my knowledge) within the pages of Douglas Adams's 'Mostly Harmless' (the fiftth, and, some would say, least satisfying) volume of the 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe' trilogy. (Yes I know........it's really not my fault!)  The usual round of interesting/amusing/useful/inane (delete as applicable) conversation ensued.

Norman (see earlier posts and drive my stats up!) gave us his observations on Basingstoke Job Centre's attempts to involve him in the "Work Program".  These were by turns entertaining (in terms of Norman's refusal to be cowed by 'authority') and troubling (in terms of information being presented to him as hard fact with nothing to back it up).  His experiences seem very much at odds with my own almost entirely positive ones with Andover JC and A4E (of which more later!)

Nick also told us about the upcoming Andover Business Expo at 'The Lights' (of which more etc...)

and so to....... Friday!

Firstly I picked up a message from Julia passing on an enquiry she'd received via Andover Mutual Business Group asking whether she knew any Software Development Professionals.  She has (as of last contact) passed my CV on for me, so you never know!  Good stuff this networking!

Next, having squandered all my available cash on necessities (food, toilet rolls, that sort of thing) I arrived home to discover that A4E had booked me on an induction course in Winchester at 10.00 on Monday. This was problematic because:

•  I was due to meet A4E's Enterprise Adviser in Andover on Monday afternoon.
• I had no access to more money until my JSA became available at the Post Office, which opened at 09.00 on Monday. This would mean a race against time to Whitchurch station to catch the 09.14 train, which would just get me into Winch (as the young people call it) in time.

and so (after some excellent Six Nations action over the weekend!) to....... Monday!

It turned out that the guy I was meeting was only travelling to Andover to see me, so I could catch up with him while on my course, so that was one problem out of the way! 

However.....Having got stuck in a queue even before the P.O. opened, I was hot-footing it up the hill, with just about enough time (if not breath) to get the train when I met a stream of people coming the other way. The train was cancelled (signalling problems at Axminster!)

What to do???  After a quick and informal risk assessment I made all haste to the other end of Whitchurch (thankfully not a big town....and, incidentally, the only town in England with no traffic lights!) and stuck out my trusty magic thumb.  The hitchhiking skills gained in my student days stood me in good stead, and I got there just in time to be late (alas, far too often my default option!)

The course (day 1 of 2) wasn't, I'm afraid, hugely inspiring, but the second session next Monday promises much more interesting fare!

A4E JC on Tuesday - not much to report, except one specialist agency I spoke to who seemed more positive about my chances of reestablishing my 'Software Dude' credentials.  Still looking at transferrable skills as well, in the hope of finding something else to aim at.

Wednesday.....Popped in briefly to have a look at the Andover Business Expo. It looked a really good event, but more geared at business-to-business interaction than anything I could take much from.

Thursday - North West Hants JC again.  A really excellent mutual support session, with some newer members being given a chance to add their experiences, fears, hopes and plans to the general discussion.  Sometimes sessions with a high level of spontaneity can produce really rewarding outcomes!

Enough for now, I'll try to get back my to 'little and often' ethos in future!

A busy week (Part 1)

Where to start...........?  An almost infinite amount of stuff seems to have happened since I last found enough time to do this!

Right! Strict(ish) chronology, according to my best recollection, is probably the order of the day.

On Tuesday last, there I was dutifully sending off my on-line job applications at the A4E job club, when Emily, my advisor (keep up at the back!) suggested I speak on the phone to the admin chap at their Winchester office.  It turns out he was previously in the same line of work as I was.  His recent personal experience of the job market led him to suggest that my chances of landing a software development position from my current situation are somewhere the 'nil' side of 'slim to nil'.

Cue a few minutes quiet weeping at the PC, and much mature reflection.  While I'm still not fully convinced of his appraisal, I do think that perhaps the time has come to be a bit more accepting of the need to properly evaluate my transferable skills, with a view to casting my net a bit wider.  Ho hum!

Signing on day Wednesday - largely uneventful!

(Currently running out of time on the library computer - more tomorrow!)

......and sometimes I just sits!

The best laid plans and all that! Scribd (the website I've had to link to to make my CV visible to you) seems not to be able to log me in at the moment, so you'll have to live a little longer with a slightly extended version of said document!  Try to be strong!

Sometimes I sits and I thinks..........

Not a huge amount to report at the moment!  I'll resist the temptation to say too much about the much-publicised goings on at A4E, since these have nothing at all to do with my advisors, about whom I've got no complaints at all ! (Quite the reverse in fact!)

Those of you who've been paying attention may have noticed the appearance of a link to a version of my CV at the top of the screen.  Setting this up has taken up a fair bit of this week's blogging time (Blogger only does links to image files and web pages, so I've had to go through a third party) - and I've still got a bit of editing to do to tidy up the document in Scribd.  Any prospective employers among you can get a version complete with my contact details by leaving a response on this blog. (Said he optimistically!)

Paul S wasn't able to attend the NWHants Job Club to give us the presentation we were anticipating on Thursday, due to what could perhaps be best described as geographical constraints (or possibly 'being in Sweden!')  Those of us who were there enjoyed a wide-ranging and interesting discussion (if a tad less focussed than our usual ultra-professional encounters!)  All being well Paul will be with us this week, to give us further insights into the joys of NLP.

Right then.... off to the land of Scribd to try to work out why a slightly abridged CV is taking up more pages than the original!

Assorted Musings

Hello there!  I've had all manner of problems getting any blogging done, since Blogger has seemingly stopped supporting the version of Internet Explorer installed on a large proportion of the public access PCs provided by the Hampshire Library Service. Since it seems to have decided to work on this PC (running IE08) and not on the last few I've used (running, I assume, IE07) I'll take this opportunity to type a few lines.

On a personal level I've very little to report, lots of assorted Emails coming in, but none offering jobs/interviews/shedloads of unsolicited cash etc.  I'm still attending A4E's Job Club, which provides, as I think I mentioned, a really good opportunity to concentrate, undistracted, on getting those applications in.  I had a one-to-one meeting with my advisor, Emily, this morning (the main topic of discussion was 'other areas of employment that might suit me'.)  Unfortunately, only ever having been a 'software dude' I'm really at a loss to know what these may be!
Meanwhile, over at North West Hampshire JC we had a very interesting, enjoyable and informative presentation from Siobhan Lovatt of "Your Mind Your Body" (once we'd got over the technical problems raised by trying to link a MacBook to the overhead projector, to show her Powerpoint slides!) 


Siobhan Giving Her
 (Allegedly)
First Ever Presentation 

Siobhan, a hypnotherapist, gave us some valuable insights into how 'cognitive distortions' and negative thinking can adversely affect the image we present to the world (and, in our specific situation, prospective employers).  Since, (according to Siobhan's source material) only 7% of received meaning from speech is verbal, she stressed the importance of the right mindset, and hence the right projected image, in approaching the interview situation. (No, I'm not going to quote the source - what do you think I am...Wikipedia?)

Admin - the bane of my life!

I have taken the completion of my new CV, and the coincidental arrival of A4E in my life, as the trigger for the application of a 'new broom' to my job search.  On this basis, as I think I mentioned previously, I cancelled my accounts with quite a number of online agencies. I've also removed myself from even more mailing lists and cleared out all manner of out-of-date clutter from my email account.

This left me with my trusty indeed.co.uk trawl, which returns, in one weekly email, (based on my very specific search criteria), more than enough job opportunities for me to apply for. 

So far so good! 

However, every application made from this list goes through a source agency, which requires registration details before the application can be processed.  Each of these agencies, and (it seems) anyone to whom they give access to data, then send out all manner of communications based on their (highly dubious) interpretation of my requirements.  Thus I'm back at square one, with an in-box so full of agency-related communication that sorting the wheat from the chaff (to avoid pouring the baby away with the bathwater) is in itself a major undertaking. (Hello my name's Les, and I'll be mixing your metaphors this evening!)

If I weren't an impecunious Job Seeker I'd quite seriously consider employing an admin assistant!

While I'm moaning about agencies, there are also the (fairly regular) phone calls beginning  "Hi Les, this is (unintelligible) from (indecipherable) recruitment.  I've just found your CV on line, and wondered if we could go over a couple of points?"

After repeating precisely the information contained in said document, I'm then informed, somewhat sniffily, that "All our employers are looking for recent commercial experience in (select programming language), but we'll keep your details in case anything comes up."  I'm left feeling that I've somehow wasted their time!

Is it just me?

A couple of things I forgot to mention....

It's just occurred to me that I failed to mention my main source of trepidation before starting my involvement with A4E.  This was the confirmation letter for my first appointment, which came addressed to 'Mr Jordan Leslie' and started 'Dear Jordan'.

At this point, I must confess, I was other than brimful of confidence in the level of professionalism I might encounter.

My fears were, as I hope my previous posts have described, entirely unfounded, and I'm very pleased with the positive start I feel I've made in this relationship.  (I do hope this hasn't been spoiled by anyone at A4E reading this and taking umbrage!)

On a largely unrelated note: when I recently told an acquaintance that I was writing a blog, their response was to ask which paper it was in! Hmmmm......

Incidentally, I've just noticed that the spell checker in this text editor doesn't recognise the word 'blog'!  More hmmmm.....

A4E - An Apology.....

My first session at A4E's Job Club (I was going to referr to it as A4EJC, but that's excessively clunky!) today.  Sam Johnson (A4E advisor) went over 'THE CV' and recommended NO changes!!! Not one!!!
I apologise wholeheartedly for letting my preconceptions get the better of me!

Had a really productive afternoon, sending out a shiny, newly polished, version of my product (me!) in response to loads of vacancies, in an environment of professional, distraction-free concentration.

The good A4E folk have also suggested that they may well recommend that some more of their clientel join our Thursday mornings at NWHJC (also too clunky), and that they'll be happy to come along to give us a talk about the services they offer.

A good day all round, I feel......and the hits on this blog seem to be increasing.....who (apart from Nick my stalker solitary follower could possibly be reading it?

Have you ever noticed that CV is 105 in Roman Numerals?

My interview with Jane (Jobcentre Personal Adviser, for those of you who haven't been keeping up!) led, not unexpectedly to my being moved on to 'The Work Program' run by A4E.

Meanwhile, I got a slightly amended and beautifully reformatted version of my CV back from Julia, with some suggestions for possible further tweaks.  Also an email from Ned at the jobclub with some very pertinent observations.

I've now prepared yet a further version incorperating what I could of the above, which is far closer to my ideal CV than anything I've managed before.  THIS IS NOW MY OFFICIAL AND DEFINITIVE CV (until I change it again!)

Had my first meeting with Emily, my A4E adviser this morning. She was very pleasant and positive about my job search prospects so we'll just have to work together and see how it goes.  I get to (or to put it more accurately I've got to) attend another weekly Job Club, on Tuesday afternoons.  Any extra tools I can use in my search are always welcome, so I'm not complaining.

I've sent the CV to Emily, so no doubt I'll find out tomorrow everything that cause it to fail to meet A4E standards. (Which is that, cynical or fatalistic?)

Emily showed an interest in interfacing with North West Hampshire Job Club, so I've got introductions to make.  We're not meeting this week, it being half-term, so no doubt Emails will be exchanged. 

I'll report back next time on the A4E club, which I suspect may be a rather different entity!

If it's Thursday it must be Job Club day!

Norman Bambridge
- a very welcome guest

No guest presenter today, but that didn't stop a lively and (possibly excessively) wide-ranging discussion amongst the regulars. Norman Bambridge from the M3 Job Club in Basingstoke joined us as we (mainly) exchanged views on how to set up the proposed 'Skills Bank' on the club website.

On a personal level, Julia has taken a copy of my latest CV to evaluate and (assuming it's not too embarrassing) pass on to selected members of her vast network of outside contacts.

Off to see Jane, my personal advisor at the Jobcentre, in a few minutes. I have a dread feeling that compulsory training of some description may be in the offing.... more next time!

Still here!

Greetings gentle reader! Many apologies for neglecting you - I always seem to be busy when the library's open, and I rely on it for my Internet access. Also, I've spent what little computer time I've had redoing my CV - the new version's now been made available for my fellow job-clubbers' comments before I set it free to sink or swim in the big wide world.

Last Thursday's job club meeting featured a stimulating presentation by Trevor Bettel of Remote Team Network Ltd (http://www.remoteworkersonline.com/). They provide an 'introduction service' to link up skilled UK based freelancers to companies requiring remote (on-line) project work, covering any discipline that lends itself to a computer-based methodology. They also offer a wide range of additional support services, which are probably much better left to their own website (see link above) to describe.

Also present was Brian (whose surname I'm afraid I either forget or never knew) who acts as our link to the real world, ensuring that along with our hi-falutin' ideas, we remember the value of good old-fashioned newspaper searches and footslogging in job-searching.

Despite all the blandishments of those espousing the joys of the self-employment/contracting route, I still my future in direct employment, so I guess I'm just going to have to throw the infant new CV in at the deep end!

A really good opportunity...............but....

I had an agency very keen to recruit me on Monday (two phone calls and an e-mail.) What sounded like an excellent 6-month contract: porting a legacy Powerhouse system between hardware platforms. Then, just as I was about to snap his hand off (difficult down a phone line I know, but I was that keen!!) came the deal breaker - it's on the south coast near Brighton. Commuting isn't a possibility, and living there during the week would put me on the wrong side (given my personal ethos) of the 'work to live v live to work' dichotomy. 
Oh well, at least I'm attracting some interest!

Other than that nothing much to report except that I've hit a bit of a wall (undoubtedly of my own making) in rewriting my CV to incorporate Beth's suggestions. I'll undoubtedly use the good folk of the Job Club to bolster my resolve tomorrow (it's good to have a forum of people in a similar situation with whom to discuss such matters.)

Who knows where does the time goes?

If you're ever stuck for a heading use a song title!

I can't believe we've come around to Friday again already. It's been a hectic week, with quite a large percentage of the activity being relevant to the subject in hand!!

I spent a large chunk of Wednesday going through my jobsearch-related emails, weeding out unwanted, out-of-date and irrelevant communications and unsubscribing from mailing lists that have been throwing up more chaff than wheat. I've cut back to, essentially, just my 'Indeed' search so I should be able to devote more time and effort to getting decent applications in for jobs that match my skills (as opposed to wading through deleting the irrelevant stuff that seems to materialise out of the ether.

(My skills, for any would-be employers who may have strayed into my web, are in the sphere of application software design and build. I've got a total of about 18 years commercial experience, using COBOL, Fortran and Cognos Powerhouse on a variety of platforms. I've recently also completed an evening course in C++ programming and object-oriented methodologies, which I'm itching to put to use!!)

Advert over!

We had a presentation from Ian Malcolmson of Computer Business Services at the Job Club yesterday. He was talking about the joys (and to an extent the pitfalls) of setting up a small business. Very interesting and thought-provoking, but not, I fear (I mean really fear), a direction I can see myself following.

Beth Simkin-Park (major HR person at Simplyhealth) has returned my CV with a number of very valid and worthwhile constructive criticisms. I now foresee some serious word-processor time coming up.... anything that improves the presented profile must be good! Many thanks indeed Beth!

This week's really good news is that HMRC have finally come up with most of the Family Tax Credits that have been due to us since my son started college in September - at last we're now two people living on two people's money (such as it is!)

Getting stuff done! (Written on Saturday but not posted because the library closed!)

Having taken Paul's advice to heart, I've spent a worthwhile hour this morning getting emails sent which I've been finding excuses not to! (The ordering of that sentence is far from perfect, but unpicking it would probably take longer than it's worth!) So I'm moving forward on a possible voluntary position that's been in limbo for a while (not entirely my fault!) and have chased up someone who's (very kindly) reviewing my CV for me - in the hope of getting a more effective version out into the world as soon as possible.

Also, it occurs to me that I haven't mentioned Nick Tynan, the driving force behind the Job Club, top photographer and all-round good guy, without whom this blog would never have existed).

Aaargh!!

I use indeed.co.uk as my primary searching tool - it usually sends me out a weekly email that throws up more than enough possibilities to give me plenty to do. Why though, does my search suddenly get marked 'paused' every few weeks. It's a real bind to have to reset it - their help desk insist it must be pausing because I junk their mails - why would I possibly do that????

Yesterday's Job Club Meeting etc

Sir George Young (our local MP) at North West Hampshire Job Club (Dec 22 2011) 

Right, to start on a positive note, we had a really stimulating meeting of the North West Hampshire Job Club yesterday. I think I'll just call it The Job Club in future if no one objects. (Too much typing!) Don't forget there is a link to http://northwesthampshirejobclub.weebly.com/ at the top of the page, Oh, there seems to be one here now as well...the wonders of modern technology!!

Paul Sherwood of Blueberry Coaching gave an excellent presentation on treating life processes (like job searching, setting up a business or even getting fit) more like professional projects. He stressed the importance of setting real goals, timeframes (even - dare I say it - deadlines). His enormous enthusiasm and good humour (and, no doubt, his utilisation of an excellent toolkit) combine to drive home points that I've previously managed to ignore/skirt around/hide in a hole at the bottom of the garden.)

I left the meeting full of enthusiasm to 'strike while the iron was hot' (I avoid cliches like the plague) in sending out some long-overdue emails, sorting out my vacancies and applications files and writing it all up for my (expanding?) readership. However, the usually excellent internet service provided by Hampshire County Council Libraries was not up to scratch in Andover yesterday. (Running like an arthritic tortoise if the truth be told!)

To add to the slight downward trend in the day, I then found myself unable to attend the networking event run by Julia Homan at Propaganda in Andover yesterday evening. Julia's a local HR guru, stalwart supporter of The Job Club and indefatigable putter-together of like-minded people (very often to everyone's benefit.)

However, I'll make a contract with myself (with the blogosphere as my witness) to make sure I have the forward planning in place to attend next time. (Do you see what I did there Paul?)

Must get on and do some actual job searching before I let writing this become yet another excuse for my lack of progress.

A worthwhile call from an agency!

I got a call from an agency yesterday while I was in the 'quiet' carriage of a train, and couldn't decipher her phone number from voicemail. However, I found an email from her this afternoon (I depend on my local library for internet access, and their system was down this morning!) Looks like a good opportunity, but she'd managed to get hold of an ill-advised version of my CV in which I'd been persuaded to conceal my current circumstances, so whether it'll go any further I don't know. Further news as it becomes available!

A blogging I will go!

So, after much procrastination, I decided that yesterday would be the day I would finally get around to starting to post to my jobsearch blog (brought to the world with the kind cooperation of North West Hampshire Job Club - of which much more later - link at top of page!)

This was, however, not to be, as I ended up spending the day hunting down my JSA (Job Seekers Allowance) payment, which had not arrived in my account. After much time listening to (I think) Spring from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, eventually a nice young lady informed me that 'Your automatic payment seems not to have gone through!' (I'd never have worked that out for myself!) The upshot was 'up to three working hours' waiting for a call from 'my colleagues in the payment office'.

Turns out that because HMRC have finally got around to sorting out my Child Tax Credit claim, this flagged up as an anomaly on my Jobseekers claim. The upshot was I got the payment just in time to not do much Job Seeking or blogging.

Right, thats that off my chest - next time, dear reader perhaps I'll get around to posting something about my day-to-day Job Seeking activities.......