The Work Thread

Do you have a job already, Dblock?

SimonM_89 wrote:The Argument of University Student's not being ready for work once they've graduated, what's people's opinions on those Student's doing a years work placement? While I was at University, my plan was to get the best grades I absolutely could and then during the Placement year try and build up some contacts, kiss arse, work hard and try & get offered a position, apprenticeship or internship to go for once I had graduated.

Still, I think in my case after I left University I've wanted a job more than ever, my OU coursework is easy to do a few hours a day so I do have a lot more time to apply & work if I do get a job. Hell, after about 8-9 months it finally paid off, until the company decided they no longer wanted Apprentices.

Looking at a few more Apprenticeships now, probably send a few more applications in before bed.

I think work experience was the most valuable part of my degree. I didn't do particularly well with my degree in the end, but it was the placement year that helped me get a much clearer grip on the way the work was done on projects from start to finish, presenting, pitching, actual development, making contacts and sometimes having more creative freedom, and working with people in other disciplines, learning new software, so many things. Without that year I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have got a job.
In interviews it was the experience from my placement year that helped me answer pretty much every question, unless I was asked specifically about my degree, I'd always be bringing up examples from my placement.

Where do you work now, Emily?

Eutechnyx. Someone else on GRcade is here too

emilythestrange wrote:Eutechnyx. Someone else on GRcade is here too

In Gateshead? So it's one of our Northern contingent...

It's not Nood, is it?

emilythestrange wrote:Eutechnyx. Someone else on GRcade is here too

Sounds like a cool dude.

E-Man wrote:

emilythestrange wrote:Eutechnyx. Someone else on GRcade is here too

Sounds like a cool dude.

It wouldn't be you, by any chance?

My problem is that I am introverted, so no matter how well qualified I am I will always be at a disadvantage to someone who can talk the talk even if I'm the one who can walk the walk. With people I know I am quiet, with strangers I am damn near autistic. I don't blame people for not giving me the job because really, if I were judgement myself purely on how I appear at interviews I would not give myself the job. There is no getting around this; it's simple personality and can't be corrected for, so I suppose I will just have to progress by getting in somewhere at the lowest possible level and letting people get to know me for who I actually am rather than the mess I look like in an interview.

My original plan was to go into the civil service because public workers tend to move upward within the same instituion rather than zipping back and forth between employers, so it seemed like the logical place for someone who is not good at presenting themselves but can work steadily within a role in order to progress. Unfortunately the recession made any ambition of going into public sector hopeless thanks to the cut backs. NI has a rather large public sector so they are pretty much using any excuse to cut existing employees let alone take on new ones. This has kind of left me without any clear plan as what to do.

Meep wrote:
My original plan was to go into the civil service because public workers tend to move upward within the same instituion rather than zipping back and forth between employers,

Depends where in the public sector you go. My own experience is no real training, glass ceilings, extremely limited possibilities for promotion and growth. Many, many public sector jobs are just that, jobs with no real career prospects. Nothing wrong with that it just depends on what you want.

I think a lot of my problems come from this, I'm in a dead end job and I need something more challenging that I know I'll never get in my current job without a degree.

Somebody Else's Problem wrote:

E-Man wrote:

emilythestrange wrote:Eutechnyx. Someone else on GRcade is here too

Sounds like a cool dude.

It wouldn't be you, by any chance?

It sure is!

...

Soon my hours are going to be 6am - 6pm, which will mean setting my alarm for 4am and getting back home around 7:30pm.

On the plus side I'll work 4 days and then get 4 days off

Ive got a new job

strawberry floating comet are finished. Im just hoping that they finish in the next month before I leave as Id get redundancy pay

I was a bag of nerves in my interview, but my reply to "what does it mean to get a job here at nationwide" got me the job

I answered " I'd get my first season ticket"

At which point one of the interviewers revealed themselves as a villa fan

There is this one job vacancy where I've basically done everything wrong and yet they keep progressing my application further.
First they emailed me about the job after seeing my CV and I completely ignored their email. So a week later they phone me up and offer me an interview. I go to the interview but I don't prepare and they stump me on the simplest questions ("what are your strengths"). I also do a test at the interview and I didn't know any of it so pretty much guessed every answer, so I know I did terrible at that.

Today they call me up and offer me a 2nd interview. I'm going to go to the interview despite starting a new job as it is much better in almost every way (better pay, easier to get to, more opportunity to progress) than where I'm currently working.

Does anyone know where to look for summer placements, I'm looking to do somthing fairly academic so would it be best just emailing university professors around where I live?

satriales wrote:There is this one job vacancy where I've basically done everything wrong and yet they keep progressing my application further.
First they emailed me about the job after seeing my CV and I completely ignored their email. So a week later they phone me up and offer me an interview. I go to the interview but I don't prepare and they stump me on the simplest questions ("what are your strengths"). I also do a test at the interview and I didn't know any of it so pretty much guessed every answer, so I know I did terrible at that.

Today they call me up and offer me a 2nd interview. I'm going to go to the interview despite starting a new job as it is much better in almost every way (better pay, easier to get to, more opportunity to progress) than where I'm currently working.

I guess they don't get many applicants for cat food taster.

Death's Head wrote:

satriales wrote:There is this one job vacancy where I've basically done everything wrong and yet they keep progressing my application further.
First they emailed me about the job after seeing my CV and I completely ignored their email. So a week later they phone me up and offer me an interview. I go to the interview but I don't prepare and they stump me on the simplest questions ("what are your strengths"). I also do a test at the interview and I didn't know any of it so pretty much guessed every answer, so I know I did terrible at that.

Today they call me up and offer me a 2nd interview. I'm going to go to the interview despite starting a new job as it is much better in almost every way (better pay, easier to get to, more opportunity to progress) than where I'm currently working.

I guess they don't get many applicants for cat food taster.

I'm going to be eating lots of cat food then, as I got the job!

It was a bit awkward resigning from my current job after onky two weeks, but onto bigger and better things I go.

glowy69 wrote:Ive got a new job

strawberry floating comet are finished. Im just hoping that they finish in the next month before I leave as Id get redundancy pay

I was a bag of nerves in my interview, but my reply to "what does it mean to get a job here at nationwide" got me the job

I answered " I'd get my first season ticket"

At which point one of the interviewers revealed themselves as a villa fan

Nationwide eh, Branch?