Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Hope you are all well?
I did much more in July than I thought I would. Here is what I did during July, so have a look:
LinkedIn
Once again, I managed to document on what I did on LinkedIn, even though LinkedIn is still very slow. I posted 94 times, commented 73 times on both others’ posts as well as my own, and liked 135 posts and comments. The most viewed post of mine on LinkedIn were:
Due to LinkedIn still being pretty slow, I am only able to go back so far for the number of views on my posts. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience caused.
I attended one job fair this month called The Crawley Jobs Fair. I found it quite interesting, even though there was nothing suitable for me.
Blogging
In July, I had written and published 73 blog posts, where there were 122 views from 78 visitors with 20 likes and 1 comment.
Once again, the views were very evenly spread out last month and are still quite low. I would LOVE to see the stats go up more than they have been. So, let’s see how high we can get the views, and by all means, ask me any relevant questions to to any of the blog posts.
The top three countries where my blog posts were viewed from were United Kingdom (85 views), United States (21 views), Singapore (4 views), India (3 views),France (2 views), Romania (2 views), Hong Kong SAR China (2 views), South Africa (1 view), Ireland (1 view) and Indonesia (1 view).
On Saturday 13 July 2019, I had beaten the record of most likes on one day. It went from 5 to 6.
Interviews
After not receiving the telephone job interview last month, I decided that I would visit the manager of the shop. I had an interview face-to-face with her. They declined on Monday 22 July 2019.
I also signed up to two Recruitment Agencies, The Best Connection and Talented People Solution.
Conclusion
I have been as active as I possibly can, but I feel that I’m still not getting anywhere. I have found that most applications I make don’t respond, even after I have followed up with them.
However, I will not be giving up with out a fight. I will continue working as hard as I can to find suitable employment. I will be planning several more Company Hunts in form of calls and visits.
I would like to thank everybody who has helped me during July, and I am hoping that I can help you all in one way or another.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Notes
If you would like to know what I have completed in previous months, please click here.
I am looking to interview professionals in various departments from different sectors, so please reach out to me by LinkedIn, Twitter or e-mail (visitjamiebennett@gmail.com).
E-mails: Went through 59 e-mails from job boards, between Saturday 20 July 2019 and Monday 22 July 2019.
CV Library
CW Jobs
Find a job
Indeed
Jobsite
Monster
Myfuturerole
Reed
Total Jobs
WorkCircle
Job Boards: Looked on Total Jobs for suitable jobs.
Warehouse, Crawley
Job Interview: Tile Giant declined via e-mail. Found out later on that I missed out by the skin of my teeth. The lady who got the job had slightly more experience than I did.
LinkedIn: 3 posts, 1 like
Tuesday 23 July 2019
E-mails: Went through 53 e-mails from job boards for Tuesday 23 July 2019.
CV Library
CW Jobs
Find a job
Indeed
Love Local Jobs
Monster
Reed
Total Jobs
WorkCircle
LinkedIn: 3 posts
Wednesday 24 July 2019
E-mails: Went through 23 e-mails from job boards for Wednesday 24 July 2019.
First thing that I will be doing is going through my e-mails from job boards to see if there is anything suitable for me to apply for.
I think I might be able to complete more research on companies, like company names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, so I can complete another Company Hunt.
I will also go through my Activity on LinkedIn as much as possible for my LinkedIn Weekly, which will be published on tomorrow at 15:00, as I usually do. I will then try to get other blogging dealt with, by typing and scheduling as many blog posts as possible, ready for next week.
Conclusion
For blogging planning for next week, I am already covered for Monday. So is Tuesday, but one of the blog posts is what I call a rolling blog post, which is my Job Search Weekly, which I update every day with all of the job search I have completed.
For Wednesday, I have one space spare, but I am hoping that I will be able to see Christina’s Question of the Day early enough, so I can fit it in there.
As Thursday is the beginning of a new month, I have got to plan a “What Have I Done” post, which I will start planning on early Wednesday. I currently have one space available at 15:00, so something could potentially be slipping in there. I will also be planning things to do on Friday.
I saw an amazing connection I know at Crawley Library in the early afternoon of Saturday 20 July 2019, Steve, and I met Richard. We discussed the TELL US YOUR STORY they have planned, for a heritage arts trail project for the district.
My Story
Here’s my story, as a conclusion of the Company Hunts I have recently completed, as part of my job search.
I have been an active job seeker since the end of February, after being made redundant.
I completed two Company Hunts via e-mails from a list of companies (with e-mail addresses included) I researched for the last time I was actively seeking new employment opportunities.
Since then, I have completed a Company Hunt via telephone on Wednesday 17 July 2019 to enquire about vacancies, how to apply and who to contact when applying for vacancies.
Conclusion
Even though I dislike doing Company Hunts via e-mail and telephone, they were both other ways of staying active as a job seeker.
Personally, I prefer communicating with others face-to-face, as I can see them and they can see me, and also see how each other reacts.
Tomorrow, I will be going through my e-mails and LinkedIn messages and notifications.
I will then look on the company websites of those companies who I spoke to today, via the Company Hunt, to find if any of them have suitable vacancies.
Following this, I will check out Indeed for suitable employment, before I do the same for Total Jobs.
Then, I will have my mind set on planning blogs and scheduling them for the remainder of this week and for the week after next. This is going to be exciting.
I generally don’t tailor my CV, but I feel that it does need to be altered for every job I apply for. However, I do feel that it does need to be changed completely, so it is based more on Warehouse based work.
I go to a networking event once per month with Stuart, et al. I have found that there are other networking events around, but they’re generally further afield. Not easy when you don’t drive or have no money to get to the locations.
I believe I am an all star, but I will double check.
I do ask for help when I feel that I require the help, but I don’t always get the responses I am looking for.
For job boards, I do use job boards, but I do prefer to be outgoing and attempt to get a job on foot, no matter on what the weather is like, or what mood I’m in.
With thanks …
I would like to thank Steve for giving me permission to share his LinkedIn post!
This article caught my attention because an aspiring actor, Jake Hopes, is struggling to get into employment, even after completing 400 job applications. All of which were rejections.
How does it feel to be an active job seeker?
I know how it feels to be an active job seeker. It’s frustrating, demoralising, as well as mentally draining.
When you apply for a job, but get declined, it is painful. Not many companies give constructive feedback on how to improve your chances for the next time you apply for a job for them.
As it says in this article, “it is soul destroying when he does not receive a response.” This is very true and I will come to this in one of my upcoming answers.
Who else does this affect?
Not only is Mr. Hopes having to put his aspirations on hold and career on the line, it’s affecting others, like a dominoes effect.
Mr. Hopes family – Somehow, Mr. Hopes would have to pay his way in his household, like rent, council tax and other necessities. This means that his family would have to support him in whatever way they can.
Companies – Companies would lost out on the skills, experience and knowledge that Mr. Hopes obtains.
The Government – They would not receive taxes from Mr. Hopes, until he has found employment and would have to pay out just over £300 per month in unemployment benefits (Universal Credit).
What are your thoughts on this?
My thoughts on this are as follows …
Companies should respond to all applicants in a timely manner with an outcome, positively or constructively. Communication and timekeeping are essential for companies. If I get declined, I need and want to know how I can improve on, so I can do better next time. Even if I am accepted to the next stage of the recruitment process, I need to know how I can do a really good job and thoroughly, so I can advance further in the recruitment process.
I find it frustrating that most of the jobs are advertised online because I am one of those people who prefer to be outgoing, on foot to seek employment opportunities. I strongly prefer human interaction than sitting at a computer day in, day out, making my eyes go funny and frying my brain..
What can job seekers do to seek employment?
There are various ways to find suitable employment and tasks to do before and after every application. They include:
Knowing yourself (education, training, employment history, skills and experience)
As you have noticed, I have linked some of my blog posts to some of the things above. The blog posts will explain in more detail on what needs doing and how to plan for them.
I use a website called Workray to follow up on ALL of my applications online and offline a few days after each and every application I make. One click, then three days afterwards, it sends out a follow up e-mail to the company I applied to. If I don’t hear anything back for two working days after the follow up e-mail has been sent, I follow up by giving the recruiter at the company a call to find out where my application is at. I talk with them with courtesy and respect (the way I would want to be treated), explaining that I am very interested in the position, what skills and experience I possess and when I can visit the company for a job interview. Simple things like that can go a very long way.
Key Employees at Asda
Chris Darby, Senior Director – Retail Operations – South Birmingham & M5
Simon Gregg, Vice President – Online Grocery Home Shopping
On Monday 17 June 2019, I decided to give several companies in Manor Royal a call to find out if any of them had any vacancies I could apply for, how to apply and who to contact.
Why did you do a Company Hunt over the telephone on a Tuesday?
I haven’t completed a Company Hunt recently and thought it best to do another one to gather information based on job search.
I decided to call them because it’s another route I could go down to find suitable employment.
Who did you talk to?
On Monday, I typed up the company information I gathered for 27 companies in Manor Royal, then yesterday (Tuesday) I called 15 of those companies.
The companies who require a CV are:
Gatwick Kia
Hendy Ford
HSS Hire
Treetop Design & Print Ltd
The companies who want me to search and apply online are:
Harwoods Jaguar Land Rover Crawley (Harwoods website)
Johnstone’s Decorating Centre
Lok’nStore Storage Crawley (Indeed)
Motorline Nissan Crawley (Motorline website)
Motorline Toyota Gatwick (Motorline website)
Topps Tiles Gatwick (website and Indeed)
Williams Trade Supplies Ltd
The other companies include:
Rentokil Initial
TLC Electrical Distributers (call HR)
TNT Crawley Depot
WH Commercials
What was the outcome?
Four of the companies required a CV and seven companies required applications online.
The other companies either weren’t sure of any vacancies, had no vacancies or had no option to discuss employment opportunities.
What will happen now?
Now, I will send CV’s to those companies who require me to send them my CV. I will also keep an eye on both Indeed and respective company websites for suitable positions.
Conclusion
Even though I hate talking over the telephone, I thought it best that I tried something different for a change.
This article caught my attention because E.ON will be cutting 500 of its 9,400 strong UK workforce.
What does this mean for the 500 for the 500 UK E.ON employees?
This would mean that the 500 E.ON employees would become active job seekers, who would be able to claim Universal Credit (unemployment benefits). They may also have to borrow money from their families and others.
Not only would the 500 E.ON employees be affected financially, but they would be affected mentally and physically as well.
Who else would be affected?
Here is a list of others wo would also be affected:
Clients – With 500 fewer E.ON employees, clients would have problems getting through to E.ON and could potentially decide to leave E.ON to a different supplier. This would affect E.ON even more.
Employees’ families – They may have to lend money to their affected family members.
The Government – They will not receive taxes from those 500 affected E.ON employees and will not receive as much money from E.ON as they could. They will receive taxes from the 500 affected E.ON employees once the 500 E.ON employees have found employment elsewhere/ The Government would also have to pay out Universal Credit (unemployment benefits) too, which is just over £300 per month. It would cost the Government over £150,000 per month.
Key Employees at E.ON
Belinda Moore, Director of Marketing and Communications
Several donations arrived over a short period of time. However, there was not alot of space in the sorting area.
I needed to get the stock out as quickly as possible onto shelves and clothes rails.
I accepted all of the donations, dealt with the Gift Aid and thanked the customers for the donations. I opened each bag of donations when I had dealt with the bag before and sorted them into separate piles, ready to sort further. I then checked what stock were on the shelves and clothes rails, followed by the sorting of the new donations, including putting clothes onto hangers, steaming clothes, carefully price the clothes and bric-a-brac and carefully placing them onto shelves and clothes rails.
All of the donations that were received on that day successfully went out onto the shelves and clothes rails. Further donations from the overstock went out onto the shelve and clothes rails too.
Hermes urgently required employees to work on a Sunday Morning because they were marginally busier and short staffed.
I needed to decide there and then to work on that Sunday morning shift.
I thought on if I had anything planned on that Sunday morning and did have a few minor thing I needed to deal with, which I could reschedule. I agreed to complete Sunday morning as overtime and asked if they would have any Sunday mornings in the future that they would like me to do or I could do off my own back.
I successfully completed that Sunday morning shift and went in every Sunday morning after that, where I worked as part of a team, sorting parcels from the conveyor belts and into correct cages for the correct vans.
I attend Purple Networking, a networking event and I blog about it. Others respond to my blog posts about Purple Networking.
I need to comment / reply to connections who have responded on each blog post that was published to my social media.
I get notifications on my social media for my amazing connections sharing, commenting and liking my share of my Purple Networking blog posts. I look through me notifications, click on the notification relating to my Purple Networking blog posts and read the response. Then I reply, thanking them for their response and continue responding until I have responded to everybody. For those who have shared my Purple Networking blog posts, I go to their shared post and thank them for sharing it, that it was an amazing evening and that it was great to see them again.
My connections and I keep in touch, and I successfully communicated with my amazing connections.
I was doing Work Experience at Premier Inn and I was taught how to book in clients.
I wanted to book in clients on my own.
I saw a family arrive at Premier Inn and I asked my colleague if I could book the family in on my own, which he agreed to. I asked for the relevant information and the confirmation of their booking. When everything was confirmed, I handed over two key cards, which would let them into their rooms.
The clients were very happy with the Customer Service I provided and they had a great night sleep. My colleague also commented on how well I did.
Why did you do a CV Drop on Tuesday 26 March 2019?
I completed a CV Drop on Tuesday 26 March 2019 because I planned this CV Drop when I completed a Company hunt on Friday 22 March 2019.
With me actively seeking alternative employment, I found before that this is the best way of getting results … JOB INTERVIEWS and a JOB that I enjoy.
Since the Company Hunt, I have send a couple of e-mails with my CV attached and will be sending a few more at some point today or tomorrow.
Who did you visit on this CV Drop?
I liaised with the staff with different job titles, but the companies who I attended were:
Tile Giant
Andrew Page
Mr. Clutch Autocentres
I demonstrated excellent customer service and communication skills to those employees who work for those companies.
After I completed the Company Hunt, I decided to continue completing Gatwick Road for both a Company Hunt and a CV Drop.
Was there anything suggested to you?
I did have a couple of employees suggest that I could sign up to agencies and do temporary employment until I found something more permanent.
I am not too keen with agency work, but I would consider it on a temporary basis, as long as the agency knows that I am and will be looking for permanent employment.
What will you do now?
I have a few things to deal with, which include:
✎ Write and attach my CV to the last few companies I attended on Friday 22 March 2019
✎ Penciled in a Company Hunt for Thursday 28 March 2019 and blog about it
✎ Penciled in a CV Drop for Friday 29 March 2019 and blog about it
✎ Research who deals with the recruitment at each company
Conclusion
I believe I successfully accomplished this task I set out to do, as I received the relevant information from various companies on Gatwick Road in Manor Royal.
I was logical in how I went about this. I started just before Subway.
I believe I was energetic and enthusiastic when I asked about vacancies, which I took accurate notes on.
I was not sure if I was going to pass my Public Services course.
I needed to stay for a few extra hours to complete more coursework and double check that I had completed all tasks for each unit that I was required to do.
I heard that the college had an evening where students could complete the finishing touches to their coursework to help them successfully complete the course and I snapped up that offer straight away. I went in, got myself ready and went through everything to see what I needed to do. I also asked my main lecturer what parts of my coursework she thought I needed to brush up on. I listened, took notes of what she said and got on with it.
I successfully completed every task that I needed to do and I passed the course.
As Premier Inn was a hotel, they needed to provide excellent customer service to their clients by communicating with them.
I needed to book clients into their rooms when they arrived.
I politely asked if they had a room reserved or whether they would like to book a room for that evening. Generally a room was reserved, so I asked for the name they booked under and their reservation number and when I booked them in , I gave them their key cards to be able to get into their rooms. There were a couple of occasions where the clients required assistance to their rooms with their luggage, which I duly did.
The clients got into their rooms quickly and clients, management and other employees were very satisfied with my customer service and communication skills. This was proved by me receiving two excellent reviews within the first week.
Jamie's Job Search 
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