So i've been working for myself coming for the past 2 years now and decided i'm fed up with the day to day stress of finding new commissions, advertising etc and just want to go back to a nice 9-5 in a small but growing company that i can stick with.

 

Had a job agency ring me up out of the blue and tell me they had found my cv online and thought i'd be suitable for the role in this organisation.

 

They basically provide schools with online learning aids and tasks that the teachers can manage.

 

To actually get an interview i had to complete a task, to create a basic stock control system in php that held items and as people bought them it stopped other people from adding the same item to the cart. I took it to the next level and added stock quantities, lead times etc and made it completely robust and when i say robust apparently their php developer guy tried to break it for several hours and couldn't :D

 

Anyway so finished that, had a 30 minute phone interview with the managing director when i submitted it, waited for a week for their developer guy Tom to test it and report back to Simon the manager of the company, finally got them to offer me an interview yesterday and went in.

 

I'm the ONLY candidate to get this far, most people gave up with the assignment or messed it up.

 

Had the interview, went fine with no problems. so thought:

 

"Phew that's it! all i've got to do is wait for the yay or nay in the next few days"

 

WRONG

 

Had a phonecall today from Henry the guy who was scouting for them to say Simon was ringing me back with a couple more questions he wanted to ask (this is after a 2 HOUR interview and a previous 30 minute phone call interview) at half eleven today.

 

Not only that but he also wants me to meet the php developer Tom in person but he wouldn't be able to come up till the 20th of December because he works from home in Gloucester! I'm going to ask him if he'd like me to drive down and meet him in person this week instead after this guy's finished work.

 

Is it me or this a little OTT for a £27k a year job?????? :headvswal :headvswal :headvswal

 

I'm tempted to just go and work in a factory if it's this hard to get a proper job! lol

 

I passed my degree with a high 2:2 after being hospitalised for 4 weeks in my final year but i think i've more than made up for it in the past 2 years by running a successful business and my interview technique is flawless i've been told by several people. What more do these people want?!?!?!??!?!?! :nono:

the agency will be the main reason you're having a tough time - they'll want to make sure that you're definitley right for the job as they'll have to pay (at least a percentage of) the agency's placement fee regardless. We've taken on a few people - graphic designers & salespeople mainly - through agencies and they're a massive pain in the arse!!

 

Don't take it personally!

What more do these people want?!?!?!??!?!?! :nono:

 

 

a) your name

b) address

c) serial number

d) if your susceptible to any diseases

e) your make

f) your model

g) shoe size

h) size on the flop

i) when you last ate

 

 

they want to know your life!! :smash:

No i think its the norm now days, they are bit more selective so make surethey get the right person

 

when i applied to the railway, for a train drivers job, i waited months for a reply then i had to sit an apptitude test before i got an interview, then had to wait to see if i passed the interview. Once i got a letter to say i had past the interview i had to go and have reaction, co-ordinating, and memory tests all on computor, if i passed that i then had another interview, which then decided if i was to beput forward to the next stage which was the medical, if i passed that only then would i be offered a job. Whole process took about 6 months.

 

Good luck anyway bud :)

the agency will be the main reason you're having a tough time - they'll want to make sure that you're definitley right for the job as they'll have to pay (at least a percentage of) the agency's placement fee regardless. We've taken on a few people - graphic designers & salespeople mainly - through agencies and they're a massive pain in the arse!!

 

Don't take it personally!

 

True i can see where they're coming from but to be honest they've lost a number of applicants for this job purely by the assignment which involved me working 36 hours to complete.

 

I'm starting to think about applying for this job in derby doing less work for 25-35k a year but the only thing that's making me hold back is the fact these guys are expanding very very quickly, they've been established for 10 years, won all sorts of awards and they cover 4000 schools in the uk, they're expanding to the states and saudi arabia and the company is really going somewhere so in the long term i should be pushed up the company ladder and salary really quickly over the next two years or so maybe even move to the US etc.

 

Ah well phone call in 15 minutes and i'll find out what else he wants to know :rolleyes:

Hunnipie:

 

a) your name

NICK TANDY

b) address

************

c) serial number

0000100101001023874682

d) if your susceptible to any diseases

AIDS

e) your make

HUMAN

f) your model

MALE

g) shoe size

13

h) size on the flop

1 hectare

i) when you last ate

about 20 minutes ago

 

:D

 

Good luck anyway bud :)

 

Cheers matey!

he probably just wants to make sure your not better that him LOL

A 'desmond' eh?

 

I got one of those too - but not cos I was ill - I blame the three year drink / drugs bender. Or maybe I just wasn't clever enough? Ah well, great days.

 

Job agency places are leeches and filled with more hot air than advertising sales people. Just pull your pants down and crap on their desk and say: "There's my O-levels, big steaming brown O-levels." They'll respect you more for it and the job will be in the bag.

Hunnipie:

 

a) your name

NICK TANDY

b) address

************

c) serial number

0000100101001023874682

d) if your susceptible to any diseases

AIDS

e) your make

HUMAN

f) your model

MALE

g) shoe size

13

h) size on the flop

1 hectare

i) when you last ate

about 20 minutes ago

 

well then so far so good - if i was doin ur interview - there would only be one more test! :rofl:

 

:slap:

 

Good luck!! :p

Ah well phone call in 15 minutes and i'll find out what else he wants to know :rolleyes:

 

 

Get a double vodka down you QUICK - you'll feel more relaxed and the confidence will come across on the phone and the job will be yours. ;)

Hunnipie:

 

a) your name

NICK TANDY

b) address

************

c) serial number

0000100101001023874682

d) if your susceptible to any diseases

AIDS

e) your make

HUMAN

f) your model

MALE

g) shoe size

13

h) size on the flop

1 hectare

i) when you last ate

about 20 minutes ago

 

:D

 

 

 

Cheers matey!

 

 

h) size on the flop

1 hectare :rofl: :rofl: Thats 2 achers :rofl:

Craig David: I must admit i have a bottle of Jose Cueruo Tequila sitting on my desk staring at me but i think my legs might not work if i get up to walk round the room when i talk to him lol :rofl:

 

h) size on the flop

1 hectare :rofl: :rofl: Thats 2 achers :rofl:

 

I'm not kidding it's a begger to keep it trimmed up nicely :rofl:

I'm not kidding it's a begger to keep it trimmed up nicely :rofl:

 

ok this is not some sort of corn field im talking about or a football pitch! :slap:

 

:rofl:

Nick, I am a SQL Developer and work with PHP/PERL developers all the time. You are really selling yourself short if you take a job for 27k.

 

Sign up with a good agency who specialise in placing someone with your skills. Don't look at Jobserve to guage your worth as the agencies there will be more general IT agencys.

 

Do you have an online showcase of your skills to show off what you can do? It doesn't have to be pretty as long as it does some nice neat server side processing!

Hi mate again Prof says it sounds excessive for the amount they are offering you.

 

You should speak to Sharky he had the same problem a company kept him going for 3 months then offered him the job but stating he had to start straight away. Which of course he couldn't and had already informed them he'd have to give 3 months notice.

 

Some companies just don't think instead of getting themselves sorted first and all geared up for advertizing and interviewing they let things lapse and lose some of the best people. If this is how incompented they are, be very carefull. They should have made their interview plan long before they spoke to you and they should have informed you of their interview schedule.

 

The ringing you back to ask you a couple more questions after interviewing you for 2 hours shows how unorganized they are.

 

Neithertheless all the best Nick you will win :)

Well?:rofl:

Well he rang up and said he's not 99% convinced on me and that he needs me to meet Tom the programmer (who lives in gloucester) on the 20th december to know for sure.

 

He didn't ring till 1pm not the half eleven i was promised!

 

He also says there's no pension or healthcare, hmm

 

I'm starting to get very itchy feet here

Stay where you are and buy Kirbz's purple shorty!

Well he rang up and said he's not 99% convinced on me and that he needs me to meet Tom the programmer (who lives in gloucester) on the 20th december to know for sure.

 

He didn't ring till 1pm not the half eleven i was promised!

 

He also says there's no pension or healthcare, hmm

 

I'm starting to get very itchy feet here

 

tell him to poke the job then, and you dont need to be waisting your time on someone who cant recognise someone who's good at their job, and they arnt the only company that are interested in you

Well he rang up and said he's not 99% convinced on me and that he needs me to meet Tom the programmer (who lives in gloucester) on the 20th december to know for sure.

 

He didn't ring till 1pm not the half eleven i was promised!

 

He also says there's no pension or healthcare, hmm

 

I'm starting to get very itchy feet here

 

Not going to comment on the pension or healthcare gig but I don't think his request for you to meet the programmer is too much to ask. If you are going to be working with him then I'm sure he will want some feedback from Tom and it would be good to meet with people you are going to be working with as you may not take to him.

 

Does sound a PITA though overall. I would stick working for yourself bud. I do the same kind of thing as you and I don't know if I could go back to working for someone else again, and as for commuting fook that for a game of soldiers.

Wll the thing is at the moment i have a contract till march (possibly indefinately) for marketing a 3.5million turnover Recovery Company.

 

I'm contracted for £1500 a month for 80 hours to work from home at whatever time i want.

 

It's enough but i want to be earning that AFTER tax rather than before. he may take me on full time next year for 30k a year but i was hoping i could do both and make a packet :D

tell him to poke the job then, and you dont need to be waisting your time on someone who cant recognise someone who's good at their job, and they arnt the only company that are interested in you

I agree it's time to appear a bit tougher Nick. You cann't have them messing you about and the package don't appear to great at present time to bargin.

 

All the best

So come on Nick...What's the outcome?? Its nearly 9pm now and i just got to the end and no outcome!!.....Or did you tell em to shove it and neck the tequila?!!!!

Well i phoned the recruitment agent up and he said he's done this with all of the people so far and thats why he's lost so many applicants, not just for this job but for others.

 

I'll go to the next interview but in the meantime i'm going to apply for a job in derby i've seen come up. I think i might just get this one if i get on with the programmer and in the long term i can see me being promoted very quickly as the company is expanding stupidly quickly over the past year so may be worth putting up with all this crap.

 

I'll update this thread when i hear any more :D

The agency thing is a knightmare they always take someone on internally or someone not through the agency...Good luck anyway

27 k is by now means peanust, if it was me i'd want to be sure im gonna get 27k's worth of work out of you and that would be alot!!! degree has nothing to do with it, they mean feck all these days.