A day of contrasts...

So, I've returned from an intrepid day exploring the metropolis in search of gainful employment and I have to say I am shattered!

I started off my day signing on and I have not one positive comment about my experience. I got there early as promised so that I could utilise the job point to search for yet more jobs. They had the same useless selection they had on Thursday but hey ho - at least I got there early! I handed my job hunting diary to point G where I was I was told to go and I waited.

Various people entered the room and did what I did - not one of them looked like they were in any hope of finding a job soon - was I the only one who had made the effort to at least look employable??? I was getting cross - thinking back to my days of studying British history at college and wondering if the re-introduction of the workhouse would be a goer? Dividing up the unemployed into deserving and undeserving poor: surely these un-motivated & scruffy people would be undeserving and me deserving? I don't know - you think about all the years you've paid into the system and when you're face-to-face with the regular folk who sign on you can't help but get cross and wonder - if you can't beat them join them? To make matters worse once I get to sit at point G (a whole hour later than my allotted time), I go through my diary and I get a pat on the back for my efforts at finding work (another biting my tongue moment, reminding myself to be grateful - this chap after all is only doing his job) - I then asked the fateful question: "when will I get my first payment?" Now - I am a patient type of gal but when he replies - "ah, there's a backlog, normally it's 10 days after your first appointment, but there's a backlog of 3 weeks. Tell them you've got an interview and they'll rush it through." EXCUSE ME?!?! So not only do they insult me by offering me £60.50 a week but I am going to have to wait a full 4 weeks before they can put the money into my account? Oh, don't get me started!!!!! So I await my money patiently and wonder if I'll get a bulk payment or will it be 4 weeks until I get my first installment of £60.50?

So, week 2 of joining the legions of Brits unemployed doesn't start off brilliantly! However, it wasn't all bad. I set off into London town, buy The Guardian and check the job pages (better doing it online - obviously but at least I've caught up with the news). I'm excited, I'm meeting my old manager for lunch (her treat). Now Mel is always good for a giggle and a morale boost; I tell her my tales of Thailand and she laughs in the right places and tells me she misses working with me. At that very moment I get a call from a recruiter saying he has a lovely Data Account Management role that matches my skill-set perfectly and would I like to be put forward for the role?! Brilliant - I'm forgetting the degenerates of the SW16 Jobcentre plus office already!!! Mel tells me there's the possibility of a job in Haywards Heath that she'll recommend me for - it's only 25 mins from Croydon so that's easy - I'm perking up!

After lunch we head to Oxford Street to check out Topshop (Mel lives in Jersey these days - they don't really have the greatest selection of shops). The urge to shop had suddenly left me, not because I'm skint but because I am obviously advancing in years and am no longer down with the kids - I seriously would not be seen dead in a lot of the stuff that were on the shelves!

Anyway I digress, confidence boosted I leave Mel and trot off to Holborn for a follow up from last weeks' telephone interview and go the meet Sarah from HR in Starbucks. I think it went well, Sarah was lovely, she tells me the need is urgent and they want to recruit by Friday. She also tells me that she'll give me a call tomorrow (that sounds positive does it not?) So, you never know - I may have a 2nd interview in the bag this week.

Going back to my last entry about adding value to the recruitment process. I met with Monique and Michael at Mimo associates today and you know what? They are fantastic at their job! They are lovely at Mimo, they return emails, give you a call and invite you to chew that fat at their offices over a cup of tea. I can open up to them, I feel like they really know me and care. They are doing what practically every other recruitment consultant doesn't do: they add value to the whole recruitment process. They're putting me forward for another account management role - and I honestly believe that they will do their best at securing me a new job. When I tell them I want a nice job with nice people they know exactly what I mean - they also know that I will be as flexible as possible when it comes to getting back to work. If they don't manage to place me, I will still go out of my way to recommend them as they care about their candidates. Recruiters - I urge you to place your roles with them, they are the good guys! I won't start listing the other "consultancies" that I have a negative view about - a) it would take too long and b) I believe in karma and what goes around comes around (I am sure you are able to differentiate the good guys from the bad).

So, I'm feeling quite positive about the whole experience at the moment. I won't have to spend anymore time with the SW16 degenerates for a whole 2 weeks which is cause for celebration enough. I've been put forward for a few roles which is good and there's a possibility of a 2nd this week, not all bad I tell thee! I've also managed to get off cooking duty today and hubby has treated us to a Papa Johns pizza for dinner - life's not that after all!

Starting the hunt for a sparkly new job!

I'm Jo Courtney, a 30 year old woman from South London. I have worked in the wonderful world of online recruitment for three and a half years in one guise or another. I now find myself unemployed and to save myself from succumbing to "Loose Women" and "This Morning" I thought I would share my experiences with you so that I don't go mad with boredom and you never know, you might get entertained or perhaps learn a thing or two.

I moved from Office Management to Marketing a year and a half ago. I love marketing, it allows creativity and is great for those of you who are results driven. There's a certain buzz you get from seeing a campaign turn into a success from a "light-bulb" moment (and I still get a certain thrill when I see my ads in print). Specialising in online recruitment marketing - it is quite a learning curve to now be sitting on the other side of the recruitment fence.

I lost my job at the end of January, 2 days before I set off on my two week holiday to Thailand. Bad timing you may say but I disagree. I boarded that plane at Heathrow without a care in the world, I was chilled and stress-free, looking forward to the craziness of Bangkok and some beach action on Koh Tao and Koh Phangnan. I have now returned tanned, even more chilled and eager to start the hunt for my dream job (although freelance / part-time / contract work will do in the interim - I even have an application form for my local JD Weatherspoon!) Being the pro-active person that I am I even found myself applying for jobs in hot, sticky internet cafes whilst on holiday when I could have been supping a cocktail on the beach, unfortunately this was necessary given the current climate.

Yesterday I took the brave step of shedding my pride and going down the local job centre plus office to sign-on. Oh the irony - having once written articles for candidates on how to optimise your job search, writing the perfect CV and nailing that all important job application - I now find myself on the receiving end of such advice (and trying not to be cynical!) I have to apply for 3 jobs a week and keep a note of my applications in my job-hunting diary, and I have to call the job-centre plus number once a week. Failure to do so will result in my weekly benefit of £60.50 a week (must remember not to go and spend that all at once) from being withdrawn. I found myself being subjected to questions such as: do I know how to write a CV and would I like to attend a CV clinic, do I check the local paper for job opportunities etc. I found myself teaching my "advisor" a thing to as I reeled off the various different job-boards where I have up-loaded my CV - explaining there's been a dramatic decline in print publishing and the internet is the way forward when it comes to looking for a job. When asked what have I done to find employment I explained that in the 4 days that I have been actively seeking a job since I got back from holiday that I have indeed applied for 17 jobs! I had to seriously bite my tongue (and without wanting to sound like a snob) - did the lady seriously think I needed advice on how to hunt for a job? I wanted to tell some of the more desirable job centre plus attendees to get off their back-sides and at least look like they wanted to get a job - they need the advice more than I do! And these offices are crammed full of security guards, I had no idea that job-hunting had become so aggressive! At the end of my consultation I found myself telling the advisor how the government could learn a thing a two from commercial job-boards and was offering advice on how they could improve their job-searching facilities to improve user experience and functionality!!!

And then there's the constant applying, applying and applying for jobs. One of the main things I loved about my previous roles was adding value to the job hunting process, for both candidates and clients. Now I'm sitting on the other side of the fence I feel like the reams of advice that have been given to recruiters over the years has fallen on deaf ears! I really enjoyed nurturing my candidates, keeping them informed of market developments and advising them on how they can take advantage of this to help them land their next job. In turn, I'd send quarterly e-DMs to clients, telling them about our star candidates, how to take advantage of web 2.0 when it comes to finding potential job-seekers, basically trying to encourage a symbiotic relationship between clients and candidates. Candidate marketing is very important for job-boards, by nuturing that relationship candidates will naturally keep in contact with you (even if they land a job), after all - isn't it every recruiters' dream to convert a potential job-seeker into an employee? It seems that now we are in the middle of the deepest, darkest recession this country has seen for many years that recruiters are no longer interested in nurturing their candidates, or adding any sort of value to the recruitment process. Companies (particularly recruitment publishers) are petrified of going bust and rather than taking their own advice and looking after what they have, they are more interested in selling recruitment advertising space (be that on or off-line) rather than looking after the one thing that makes their job possible in the first place - their candidates!

So recruiters, just because there is a glut of candidates in the market it doesn't mean you should neglect them. When I have taken enough interest in your organisation to want to work for you, then let me know my application has reached you safely, if I have cajoled my CV to fit nicely on two sides of A4, written a cracking covering letter then the least you could do is stick to your end of the bargain and acknowledge my application. If I have taken 45 minutes out of my day to have a telephone interview with you, have forwarded you examples of my work and followed up with a polite email thanking you for taking the time to speak with me then the least I expect is for you to do what you said you were going to do and come back to me within the agreed timescales.

So, I end my first week of job-hunting preparing for my 9.10am appointment on Monday morning at the social (remembering to get there 10 minutes early so I can take advantage of the job points to help me with my search, and to fill out my job hunting diary), and I am continuing to trawl the internet to apply for even more phantom jobs! Having just written that I have just taken a genuine call from a recruitment consultant and we're meeting on Monday - hoorah - maybe I should have more faith?!

Unemployment does have it's benefits, my husband is delighted that I have now become a "proper wife." He comes home to find his dinner on the table, the washing up done and the laundry has been hung out to dry (although I draw the line at ironing his shirts). I now have time to complete my 3rd assignment of my Professional Diploma in Marketing and can take advantage of the free gym downstairs - after all, I am taking part in a half marathon this year so some training would be a good idea. However, I would much prefer to be back in the wonderful world of employment...... any takers?!