I'll be back living on the Wirral on 21st July and over the past few days I've been applying for some jobs online and I hate it It's so impersonal and at times very confusing.

Secondly, having applied for a couple of part time retail / customer service roles I wonder what is the deal with the whole "what is your sexual preference, religion, race, marital status" etc etc. I understand that government regulations require this to a point, but for a part time job at B&Q does it matter what I am as long as I can sell paint, nails, tiles, wallpaper and the like with a smile on my face?
I also feel that asking these questions is discriminatory by the very nature of asking. I should be judged on my answers and qualifications/experience and not whether I'm homosexual, atheist or (and this really was one of the options) a highly skilled assylum seeker!

All I want is a flippin' job for a few hours a week that will pay enough to buy a couple of packs of cigs, some booze and enough petrol to get me there and back to do the job!

All part of the joys of living in Europe!

..and that's just the beginning Elizabeth! Don't go to the doc's and say you feel stressed. Next thing is.. do you want to harm yourself? do you want to harm others? do you hear voices? etc.etc. fifteen minutes worth of questions, which they have to ask and one minute to take your blood pressure,... which is why one went!

Good luck with the jobs market. You'll probably find something fairly quickly, as employers seem to view people from other parts more favourably. So, take advantage and go for the good jobs.

Wirral is barren for jobs mate, try Liverpool or Chester.

I've already decided that when I go to any doctors from now on and they ask if I smoke, I'm just going to answer no because I can't be bothered with the whole "it's bad for you, you should give it up blah blah blah" it's easier to deny, than listen to them drone on & on

I actually got an email response from one of the companies I'd applied to, inviting me for a phone interview. Now I know it's only the very early stages but at least they must have liked something on my CV or application I'll keep my fingers crossed

I usually give a 15-20 miles radius from the CH43 post code to give me the most vacancy opportunities.

I've been pleasantly surprised at how many jobs are available on Wirral though and have applied for the ones which fit my experience. I figured I'd start now to get in some practice, and my theory is, if I fire enough bullets at least some have to hit the target, don't they?

youd have thought so, but in my experience, that's not always the case. when i was unemployed i fired off in total about 1500 CV's over the space of 18 months and out of that, i got about 12-15 interviews, and out of that i got 2 job offers... one from a telesales company, the other from the NHS for reception work, 3 years on i'm still in the NHS going medical/team secretary work on a good wage.

but also lately my gf has just come out of uni and has sent about 20 CV's off at absolute most and has already had an interview for a large & expensive clothes shop in L1. so it's all just luck, just because it makes sense that if you shoot off a billion cv's/applications that something will happen, you just have to be in the right place at the right time.

I'm certain it will be a full time job just trying to get a job

There you go then, sorted !!! All you have to do is agree a salary with yourself -and be generous as you like!

Seriously, good luck. Id hate to be having to look for work these days. one of the few advantages of getting old!

"Life isn't fair, deal with it."

Chriskay, not having a go at you, but could you have read that wrongly?
It would seem to be, that J_Demo has a success story.

The unfairness is that he had to send 1500 CV's; his gf only 20.
I'm glad that he has a good job; I just thought it would be an appropriate time to quote his own signature.

Met a law graduate last week, he can't get anything either, except bar work etc. It's a bit of bad luck being unemployed at the moment when you want to do some graft. Chasing skilled asylum seekers by positive vetting sucks.