Job hunting

[ckn 10,691]

I'm so far out of practice at this sort of thing it's scary.  I haven't looked for a permanent job since 2001.  I left that company in 2007 and was self-employed until 2014 when I was all bar handed my NHS job following some work for them then.  I've decided that I no longer want to be self-employed as well so...

Today I started my job hunt properly.  I've had my two weeks off since I left the NHS.

My CV is done and reviewed over a week of tough love for it, it was painful cutting out the huge mass of things I wanted in there to get it anywhere near a reasonable size.

Now, I need to find a job and I'm a bit stuck really.  Anyone got any good job hunting tips?  What sites do you use to hunt down jobs?  Any good resources to use to help me get up to modern job hunting success?

[Futtocks 11,819]

General jobsites: Reed, CV-Library, Indeed, JobSite, TotalJobs. Loads more of them, but the ones I've listed are more useable than most. You should also check out the Guardian's job site too.

Also, there's a Civil Service jobsite, JobsGoPublic (local government jobs), NHS Jobs, CharityJob and other specialised sites, depending on what you're looking for.

Get your CV reviewed by one of the free online services. Some of the sites I listed above offer that service, and even if you just get generic suggestions, it is worth having an outsider check it over for content and auto-scan compatible layout.

Edited July 14, 2017 by Futtocks

[Robin Evans 1,962]

So you gave the nhs the big FO..... can't say as I blame you. 

Nov 2018 can't come quick enough

[Derwent 2,060]

Executive-i.com is a good starting place for senior jobs

[ckn 10,691]

1 minute ago, Robin Evans said:

So you gave the nhs the big FO..... can't say as I blame you. 

Nov 2018 can't come quick enough

The NHS gave me the big FO... my entire service disestablished.  Very few jobs around at my grade in the NHS that don't require stupid commutes.

[graveyard johnny 1,360]

did you work for the nhs? or were you self employed working for yourself contracting to the nhs?

[Griff9of13 5,627]

Are you looking for something in particular, if so try finding an agency that deal specifically in that area?

Make sure your Linkedin profile is up to date and that it is obvious you are in the market, I've had plenty of recruiters approach me in the past from there.

Edited July 14, 2017 by Griff9of13

[Robin Evans 1,962]

2 minutes ago, ckn said:

The NHS gave me the big FO... my entire service disestablished.  Very few jobs around at my grade in the NHS that don't require stupid commutes.

That's the 2017 version of the nhs.... 

I hate what it's becoming. I really want out but finance dictated I stay for another 16 months.

[ckn 10,691]

Just now, graveyard johnny said:

did you work for the nhs? or were you self employed working for yourself contracting to the nhs?

I went into the NHS to manage a graceful closedown of a regional commissioning support unit as an external consultant.  At the end, I'd done enough that I was offered a permanent job running a NHS service covering about 1/6th of England.

[graveyard johnny 1,360]

suppose it depends on your age, what your happy doing, how much money you need to earn etc etc- I have never had a cv and only had 1 interview since 1984 (construction is very much who you know and how good you are), its all self employment these days and zero hours, try uber ?

[graveyard johnny 1,360]

some jobs are far more institutionalised than others, I know a mate that has worked on the same machine in the same factory for 28 years, I don't know where I am from one month to the next but that's what im used to where as he is used to that, it works for us both, its horses for courses with jobs, you never see any job ads for playboy magazine photographers come to think of it.

[Bedford Roughyed 5,431]

Linkedin is necessary these days it seems.  

[chuffer 1,785]

34 minutes ago, Griff9of13 said:

Make sure your Linkedin profile is up to date and that it is obvious you are in the market, I've had plenty of recruiters approach me in the past from there.

This all day, it seems that "recruitment" these days involves scouring linkedin then sending someone a message saying "I have a position you may be interested in"........ok, 95% of them may be annoying recruitment consultants but my current position is due to an employer approaching me direct via linked in messages

Edited July 14, 2017 by chuffer

[Johnoco 5,716]

One thing, don't get peed off when you get knocked back. Well, do, but don't let it put you off or go for an unsuitable role. (Assuming you can be that choosy of course)

[tim2 1,837]

LinkedIn and recruitment companies are a pain in the butt for employers. They continually contact our better people trying to persuade them they need a new job. I know how sports team managers feel about players' agents.

[chuffer 1,785]

14 hours ago, tim2 said:

LinkedIn and recruitment companies are a pain in the butt for employers. They continually contact our better people trying to persuade them they need a new job. I know how sports team managers feel about players' agents.

which is precisely why it should be top of any employees list for putting themselves in the shop window its basically your online cv as bait on a website full of errm, sharks I guess

[Spidey 2,497]

19 hours ago, chuffer said:

This all day, it seems that "recruitment" these days involves scouring linkedin then sending someone a message saying "I have a position you may be interested in"........ok, 95% of them may be annoying recruitment consultants but my current position is due to an employer approaching me direct via linked in messages

I find most are terrible and communication exchange. Had loads of leads and then zip that actually progressed to an interview. May just be my job sector

[Futtocks 11,819]

Recruitment agencies mainly look to have as many people as possible on their books, because it is good for their commercial figures. They can sometimes be useful, but often you sign up with them, get one or two leads, then nothing.

[BryanC 407]

Sadly the vast majority of vacancies nowadays seem to be handled by recruitment agencies. I have found most of them to be next to useless.

Bottom line is that your destiny is in the hands of the charming but vacuous Chantelle who is just out of college. She will be eager to please, but will never fully grasp what you do / have done in the past, no matter how many times you try to explain in words of one syllable. As a result, she will repeatedly offer you vacancies that have no relevance to you. She has beautiful nails, but sadly cannot spell or string a lucid sentence together and will sign off her emails with a kiss (x).

(If you think I'm joking, I told one agency that I am interested in any Logistics Management positions that become available. To this day they are still sending me HGV driver vacancies).

[chuffer 1,785]

it depends which industry you're in. If its a specialist technical then there are recruitment consultancies who specialise in your field and know exactly what you do and who is looking for your skillset, I wouldn't use them unless desperate though, they are leeches

[Stan Doffarf 280]

2 hours ago, BryanC said:

Sadly the vast majority of vacancies nowadays seem to be handled by recruitment agencies. I have found most of them to be next to useless.

Bottom line is that your destiny is in the hands of the charming but vacuous Chantelle who is just out of college. She will be eager to please, but will never fully grasp what you do / have done in the past, no matter how many times you try to explain in words of one syllable. As a result, she will repeatedly offer you vacancies that have no relevance to you. She has beautiful nails, but sadly cannot spell or string a lucid sentence together and will sign off her emails with a kiss (x).

(If you think I'm joking, I told one agency that I am interested in any Logistics Management positions that become available. To this day they are still sending me HGV driver vacancies).

This, a thousand times.

After four decades in HR, recruiting thousands of staff and applying for hundreds of jobs, I can safely say that recruitment consultancy is 1) money for old rope and 2) an almost complete waste of time in terms of effective recruitment, especially in these days of the internet.

[ckn 10,691]

22 minutes ago, Stan Doffarf said:

This, a thousand times.

After four decades in HR, recruiting thousands of staff and applying for hundreds of jobs, I can safely say that recruitment consultancy is 1) money for old rope and 2) an almost complete waste of time in terms of effective recruitment, especially in these days of the internet.

I think it was one of the worst mass decisions in corporate history to de-skill in-house recruitment teams and outsource it to agencies.

[Tongs ya bas 1,396]

On 14 July 2017 at 5:22 PM, Robin Evans said:

So you gave the nhs the big FO..... can't say as I blame you. 

Nov 2018 can't come quick enough

Damn shame. the service needs all the good people it can get. i can thoroughly recommend retirement though

[Tongs ya bas 1,396]

the exigencies of putting food on the table and having a roof over your head notwithstanding, maybe taking a step back and thinking about what you really want to do would be an idea. 

[Robin Evans 1,962]

14 minutes ago, Tongs ya bas said:

Damn shame. the service needs all the good people it can get. i can thoroughly recommend retirement though

The memsahib retired Dec 15, had 6 months off and was enticed back part time non-clinical facing doing special projects.... clinical audit, development etc as clinical advisor. She recommends retirement too. Working is much easier if you can walk away if you need to.

My role has been so eroded since 2010, resources have become so limited, and my capacity now beyond critical, I have long since gone past the fk it barrier.

I was persuaded to go part time a couple of months ago and I've off loaded some of my responsibilities.

I now intend to job share from 11/2018 assumingI haven't walked by then.

I would hate to be looking for work now. Dealing with recruitment agencies would make my skin creep. Repulsive creatures

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Robin Evans