You're Fired - How The Apprentice Shows The Worst of UK Business!!

I have to admit that I am an avid fan of the Apprentice and always have been. The genius that is Stuart Baggs cannot be underestimated and the general cartoonish extreme traits that each candidate displays are always very entertaining.    Although most of the pantomime that features in each episode is down to fantastic casting and great editing, the types of back stabbing and general one-upmanship are things that we have all have encountered at work although to a much lesser degree.

Watching the past few weeks has made me reflect on the world of work and what I want to be a part of next. Having been out of work for a few months now, it has to be said that in many ways I actually am starting to enjoy not having to deal with all the hassle and protocols that you have to follow in an office. Being in control what you do each day and when is actually quite liberating although self-dicipline certainly has to be exercised or before you know it, the day has flown by.

So what next for me? Well still plodding on with applying for jobs but starting to realise that maybe my days working for someone else may have come to an end. So I am looking into setting up on my own working for companies that I actually want to work for so watch this space people. Creating my business plan as we speak so one day I can emulate my hero Stuart Baggs!

Job hunt for 35 hours each week or else!

Haha, that's the findings from a prominent Government thinktank led by Iain Duncan-Smith.  Wow, yet another initiative that seems to stink of the Government trying to get those all important jobseekers stats down.  What I want to know is how the hell is it possible to jobhunt for 35 hours each week.  Wow if job hunting is a full time job you would technically be earning just over 50p an hour based on standard jobseekers - now what was that about the minimum wage!

There aren't enough jobs in the world plus most jobseeking is now taking place online - how the hell could you do that for 35 hours. Job hunting for someone who wants to work is not highly pleasurable as it is with some of the downsides being depression and loss of confidence as you start to question your worth and whether you are actually employable anymore.

Personally, a few focused hours is about all I can manage each day before my concentration goes and I end up surfing the net, writing a blog piece or working out what fantastic feast to cook up for dinner (the menu tonight is Thai Chicken with mango salad as featured on This Morning yesterday looked yummy).

Job hunting is a mind numbing drab process and to get the best out of it you need to not just do blanket mailouts but actually tailor your applications and letters and calls to stand out above the crowd.  Creativity takes time and I am a firm believer that I would much rather put my best foot forward by sending something bespoke that I am 100% proud of. This approach has meant that I have secured a much higher rate of interviews than many.

Computer says no!

Last week had to be one of the weirdest first meetings that I have ever had with a recruitment agent.  This one was no bolshey wide boy in a bad suit and full of hot air (to be honest not that many are most are quite pleasant).  She was well spoken, owned and ran her own agency which seemed to have many blue chip clients and plush offices in the heart of town. 

All looking good, she called me in after I applied for a role online that sounded right up my street so I was chuffed to get her call asking me to come in for an initial chat. Anyway, off I trotted to town, bit like Dick Whittington with my knapsack on my back! So I walked in and filled in the usual forms and handed over my passport to prove that my East End credentials are as they seem. 

Then we went into one of the interview rooms where I was expecting to be asked questions about what I have done.  The strange thing was was that she hardly asked question just read out everyone bullet point on my CV word for word.  Hearing your own prose read back to you word for word is a tad weird, especially as I've had to work on it so many times that I almost know it rote. It just made me feel uneasy and wondering:

-  if she had actually even read my CV?; 

- is this really what her clients are paying for? I could see little expertise in terms of being able to read words off a page

- maybe all she was interested in was looks - do I look like what the client would like? Her technique really was not going to allow her to find out anything of any use about me. 

Anyway, from here on in she shall be known as "Computer Says No" but hopefully she can get me an interview for the job that she was touting for as it sounded pretty good.