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 I've also removed myself from even more mailing lists and cleared out all manner of out-of-date clutter from my email account.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.)