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Thursday 22 November 2012

SUCCESS

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As of Monday 3rd December ... I will be employed as a Trainee Dental Nurse.

:)

Monday 19 November 2012

Interview

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I've got an interview set up for tomorrow.

I found a voice mail on my phone after finishing my shift at work asking me to call them back about setting up an interview.  Hooray!

Went home, checked that it was Monday's they are open late, and called.

Then I nearly lost out on the usual circus of trying to fit an interview into their schedule and mine.  The dentist is doing 'lunchtime' interviews - the only days I'm available are Wednesday all day and Friday morning of this week.  All other days I'm in work.  Not an easy thing to swap shifts at such short notice!

It didn't help matters that the woman I spoke sounded quite put out when she explained that they wanted to wrap up the interviews this week.  Gee, thanks, that's helpful!  Tuesday next week would have worked if that wasn't the case!

I asked what the latest time they could do was - quarter to 2.  Right, I finish work at 12.30 tomorrow.  I can run home, get changed, throw a mouthful of food down my throat as a substitute for lunch, jump in the car and zoom across town to make it on time.

No problem.

I hope.

Potential employers really don't give much leeway on interview days/times do they?   It would be fine if they specified in the job advert that interviews will be held during x week or on x day - then applicants can make arrangements in advance!

Us 'shift-workers' who can't get a day off at a moments notice ... well, that's less than conducive to finding better jobs if we can't be available at the drop of a hat.

Really makes me wonder how many people have to turn down interviews because of their current job.  How many pull a sickie so that they can go?   Of course, you can't ask for a day off and then 'mysteriously' fall ill that morning - that just looks suspicious to the boss!

Oh, and wanting to wrap up the interviews by the end of the week, you'd think they'd ask for the job advert to be removed from the website I found them on.  Someone seeing the advert and applying for it today or tomorrow doesn't have a hope!

I wish I could feel more positive about this right now, but that kind of "well, if you aren't available ..." attitude really annoys me.

I once had a call very late in the evening, inviting me to an interview the very next morning - how is that any good for the applicant?   There's no time to prepare.  No time to make childcare arrangements (if applicable) and certainly no time to get the day off work to attend!   I certainly couldn't attend for that very reason!  The response was essentially, 'Oh, well, if you're not available you're going to miss out.'  Fine.  Good luck phoning people at 10pm for a 7am interview tomorrow morning!   (I didn't really want to work there to be frank - it was a 'desperate-I-need-something-anything-application)

It's a catch-22 really.

In employment - I can't attend interviews at such short notice. But being in a job looks good to the potential new employer; recent reference, skills kept current etc
Not in employment - I'm available for whenever the potential employer wants to see me, but I have much less chance of being invited to interviews in the first place because I'm currently unemployed!

*sigh*

Right, outfit set out on wardrobe door ready for when I get home.  Bag and car keys ready.  Folder with certificates and stuff always ready.

Not much I can do now except re-read the textbook for a refresher.

Let's see how tomorrow plays out.

Monday 12 November 2012

Application

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I wrote to a dental practice about three months ago; it was a general application, just to enquire whether they had any vacancies for a trainee dental nurse.

The reply: sorry, no vacancies, 'but I will keep your cv for future reference.'

Three months later (i.e. now) they are advertising for a ... lo and behold ... trainee dental nurse!  Applications to be sent to the very same person I wrote to last time and who replied.

No email.  No phone call.

Thanks for keeping my cv for future reference.

I'm applying regardless, but seriously, you don't keep a cv for even three months?

Hopefully I'll get this in the post for tomorrow.

No indication of a closing date, but the advert has only been up since Friday.

On the other hand, it's on a prominent job website - there could be a lot of competition.  Still, my Hepatitis B vaccinations are done and dusted - that ought to help.

Here we go again.

Downtime Report

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Things have been a little quiet on the blogging front.

That's not to say I haven't been up to anything offline.  I've finished my Christmas shopping for instance!

Yes.  Yes, I apologise.  I'm using that awful 'C' word prior to December.  My most sincere apologies.

Simply put, I didn't want to be messing around with last minute shopping this year.  Last year I stuck to a budget and it worked out well.  This year, well, I had to cut that budget down a smidge.  What I also did was buy some gift bags and buy everyone some small, affordable bits and bobs instead of one big present.

That's all worked out well and I finished it all last Friday.  Now I don't have to worry about getting anything else!  I just have the cards to write out.

My Japanese lessons are going fairly well.  I repeated the first unit over which took some time but I think it was for the best - I wasn't 100% confident with everything and I wanted to go back over the kana (that's the written language in their characters, not our Latin letters).  I'm quite pleased with my progress so far!  I'm now onto learning home and family terminology ... proving to be both interesting and tongue-tying.

Work on the other hand ...

Getting busier as we nearer Christmas.  Adverts for the seasonal temps went up (rather discreetly I felt) and they'll be starting on the 26th, which is a good two weeks later than I did.  As of yesterday, I've been working there for a year.

Presumably we've had enough applicants since the sign went down last week.

We've had people leave over the past year, including some supervisors.  At some point over the past two weeks, most members of staff were asked if they interested in training up as assistant supervisors.   I was not one of them.  I was not happy to learn of this after the event.  I may have only been there a year but some of the people doing the training haven't been there much longer than I.

However, I felt a lot less disgruntled when I discovered that assistant supervisors, in spite of the extra responsibility, do NOT get any additional pay!   I was quite shocked at that!  It's extra hours, yes, but I'd have thought that the extra responsibility alone would entail a higher hourly rate.  But no, the company doesn't pay extra for the next step up their career ladder.   No wonder the majority of staff said no thank you!  Why do more work for the same money?  Especially when the hours are more unsociable?

So disappointment but also relief and disbelief at that discovery.   It's just as well I wasn't planning to stay with this company forever more!

I'm also on my first full weeks holiday in over a year.  I've needed a proper break from work so I could catch up on some things at home.  I spent the weekend with friends but the rest of week has consisted of present wrapping, cleaning, mending and a little clothes shopping to replace some of my threadbare wardrobe.

I'm also fighting off a cold.

Typical.  I'm sure I'm not the only person this happens to but I have a tendency to fall ill just as I take time off work.  No doubt I'll feel perfectly fine come Wednesday morning when I go back in.

Just typical!

Ah well, live goes on.  Hopefully I'll also be back to blogging properly before too long.  Feel a little more on top of things now, getting organised etc

Thursday 1 November 2012

My Milk Toof - Halloween-pants

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I've been waiting months for this!!

My Milk Toof has been updated with another adorable Halloween themed strip!

I strongly recommend checking it out. :)