Blogs: Jack's job log: 2

The story so far...As he comes to the end of his degree Jack is starting his job hunt. However, it's not a lack of experience that could threaten his chances but the distraction of a summer of sports.

As I left my last blog, I commented that summer 2010 would be rather emotional as I seek to find a job, if lucky a career, and in the broader sense, aim to find myself (ok, maybe not, but sounds good eh?).

Well, since I last signed off, there have been another whopping 22 job applications. With such a large number, there are obviously going to be advantages and disadvantages, well let's take a greater look shall we?

The perks

• Applications keep the parents happy.
• I can now fill in an application in my sleep.
• It’s a numbers game; surely someone will like me?

The drawbacks

• Although rejection is to be expected, it’s still not welcomed.
• Hearing nothing at all is even worse
• Applying for jobs for the sake of it is never a good thing.

The worst drawback of all is applying for jobs that appear to be wonderful on paper, but in reality end up being a scam. I won’t mention the company, out of fear of legal repercussions; however I should have trusted my first instincts.

 

The first whiff of trouble was that the supposed recruitment manager rang me only hours after e-mailing my CV for the position as ‘International Management Trainee’. She rang to say that there would be group interviews the next day, and if I successfully passed the group interview, then I would go to a meeting the same day. If I was successful at that stage, I’d have a solo interview with a panel in the afternoon. So the telephone interview was going well. I was ticking off my checklist of accomplishments and attributes.

I was flagged straight through to the group interview in Manchester, at the plush Raddison Edwardian Hotel, instead of company HQ. It was a three hour lecture on what to expect working for the company, with more contradictions than the Prime Ministerial career of Gordon Brown.

Suspicions already aroused, I was, unsurprisingly, asked to return later in the afternoon for a second interview, which lasted all of five minutes, with me being shown to my desk where I would be working, that’s if I signed of course. This would be the equivalent of unmasking the villain in a Scooby Doo episode. All the desk was, was a telephone, and empty space, and from initially being told ‘you would be doing a few cold calls, purely for research purposes’, it turns out an international management trainee does nothing more than hold a phone.

Alas, I said thanks, but no thanks. The hunt goes on.