Tuesday 12 January 2010

THE JOB SEARCHING ADVICE INDUSTRY.

I recently had a so-called one-to-one advice session with a job search advisor. He was from a private company contracted to the DWP somewhat absurdly and grandiosely called 'Global Solutions Services UK Ltd.'
This consisted of being berated for 45 minutes for not doing enough ' job searching.' The individual concerned told me that he used to spend eight hours a day every day ' job searching' sending off speculative CV's and contacting people about non-existant vacancies. I was also told to wear a suit, despite the fact that this was done over the phone, so I could have been wearing a suit for all he knew. Quite why wearing a suit when sending off e-mails should increase your chances was not explained. I think he was suggesting that 'job searching' should be seen as a job. Yes, well, it is'nt and the job that this chap ended up with is not, I submit, a real job. He is being paid to berate and worry people who are already in a very difficult and vunerable situation due to the inadequacy and conditionality of the benefit system.
If jobs in the sector that one is best qualified to apply for have been reduced to a fraction of their pre-collapse level then no matter how many speculative CV's one sends off you are no more likely to be offered a paid position and simply pestering people is quite likely to annoy them. I once phoned an architects practice after having an interview to confirm my interest and was criticised by the agency and the practice for doing so.
This is simply the ' get on your bike ' patronising simplification dressed up in new clothes, ' put on your suit ' if you like, and adds insult to the already injurious and woefully insufficient level of unemployment benefit in this country.
Instead of paying private companies like this which do not create any real jobs except for themselves in this fantasy ' advice-world ' these funds could better go direct to the unemployed who are struggling to survive on £64 a week and not about to buy a speculative suit when there is a gas bill to pay.
It makes me very, very angry.

1 Comments:

At 13 January 2010 at 12:07 , Blogger laurence said...

I totally agree. Especially about the 'non-jobs', of which New Labour have created about 1 million in the last decade, all at our expense.

Mr. Hughes.

 

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