To hate the phrase 'Just get a job at Tesco.'

[LemonSherbetFancies]

Aimed at unemployed people?
As if it's that straightforward and easy to just walk in, ask for a job and start the next day.

It’s definitely not easy to just get a job at Tesco. DD tried at Christmas and got through the question stage online. She then got a call to say send a copy of your passport, we’re trying to arrange interviews. She did, nigh on straight away but didn’t hear back. I’m guessing they just took the first 6 that sent their passports.

@OverTheRubicon
“ It's just not possible. You need to be flexible for shifts at the drop of a hat, and then the pay wouldn't cover childminding costs, and I have no family around to help.

As it is, I'm stuck hoping that I can get a professional job, while running down the savings I worked and scrimped so hard for, and that were meant to be a house deposit. As a single mum of 3, I could actually be doing decently if I hadn't worked and got a council house and benefits, that's the background I came from and have plenty of friends living it, but wanted better for my kids. I know in the longer run its good to have a working history etc but right now it feels so unfair that there's so little payoff for working and saving hard (and paying a lot of tax while doing it).”

My sympathies. I feel exactly the same way as an over-40s, under-50s year old. In my case I have a partner, but everything we’ve got we’ve earned, no family support or help at all, including the bit of childminding or bit of deposit that everyone else takes for granted and forgets about.

I have often thought that if I’d got myself pregnant as a teen I’d be better off than I am now. I’d have got a council house at that time, and been given a right to buy, sold it off when house prices quadrupled, and been quids in.

It really isn’t worth working in this country now, they have turned it into a mug’s game for those of us who have no choice. And then Labour and the modern ‘hyper-ethical’ (ha!) left wonder why people are sick of them, and the older generation desperately try to look innocent. Their annoyance at us being annoyed by the way they’ve sold us out is occasionally amusing.

As far as modern job seeking goes all these big household names have ludicrous recruitment precisely because everyone thinks they should be able to get a job with them. It is ludicrous for the wages they pay. At least we’re now allowed to recognise that employment is thin on the ground post- COVID, but it has been happening for years.

The problem with a lot of these job applications for supermarkets is if you have lots of retail experience you sort of presume you're in with a chance. And if you use common sense answering the 20 odd multiple choice questions, you think you'll get them correct ..WRONG!!

They ask questions like this..

If a customer spills a pint if milk at the checkout and you are due your break, do you

A. Start to clean it up, making you late for your break
B. Offer to help clean up and go get the customer another pint if milk, making you late for your break
C. Go for your break and let someone else clean the mess up

Most folks would say A or B, when in most supermarkets the answer is C, as you going for your break at the right time keeps everything running smoothly

But its daft.

Weirdly enough I used to work in retail too, but wouldn’t get past these screenings. Where I worked ssd the answer would most definitely have been B, and be prepared to miss your own break. The manager used to try all sorts to get us to work 10 mins extra for free here, there and everywhere, as they still do. So that’s why I’m not passing.😃

@INeedMyGirl

I just been one of 8 made redundant from Lidl. After 16 years in a successful job I worked hard for. So yeah, get a supermarket job, and be made redundant from that too. It's shit out there - supermarkets are laying people off too!

Sorry to hear that. It's such a shitty time for so many people.

It really isn’t worth working in this country now, they have turned it into a mug’s game for those of us who have no choice. And then Labour and the modern ‘hyper-ethical’ (ha!) left wonder why people are sick of them

This is another valid point. The Tories are the party of those that own capital - they don't lie about that. Labour used to be the party of the working class - they aren't any more, they've been subsumed by identity politics. There is no party to fight for the working class and hasn't been for 40 years.

Totally YANBU - people think there are just millions of walk in jobs out there. Positions at Mac Donald’s are so oversubscribed at the moment! And as pp have said they weed a lot of people out without explanation :(

It’s also SO PATRONISING to people who work at Tesco, Mac Donald’s etc. As if it’s a basic job and anyone can “just” do it.

Ooh it grinds my gears!!

The answer would be B and yes you would be late for your break but you would still get your full break.

@ssd

The problem with a lot of these job applications for supermarkets is if you have lots of retail experience you sort of presume you're in with a chance. And if you use common sense answering the 20 odd multiple choice questions, you think you'll get them correct ..WRONG!!

They ask questions like this..

If a customer spills a pint if milk at the checkout and you are due your break, do you

A. Start to clean it up, making you late for your break
B. Offer to help clean up and go get the customer another pint if milk, making you late for your break
C. Go for your break and let someone else clean the mess up

Most folks would say A or B, when in most supermarkets the answer is C, as you going for your break at the right time keeps everything running smoothly

But its daft.

If that is true, what is the reasoning?

I think one of the other questions seemed to want you to say that you'd be willing to do a task or use equipment that you hadn't been trained to do/use, which is asking to be sacked on the spot in many industries.

I have been told this repeatedly.
But I enjoy working my business, and I can’t get hours that fit around the children. Plus the total flexibility they require, the amount of overtime they force upon you.
Not to mention that they either want a degree in some obscure subject or they don’t want anyone who’s actually qualified.

@BarbaraofSeville. The reasoning is they dont want experience or common sense, they want someone they can mould into being exactly what they want. In either words, a 17 or old with no prior experience.

And the above one I posted, they place more value on breaks running on time rather than the milk being cleaned up.

@sweeneytoddsrazor

The answer would be B and yes you would be late for your break but you would still get your full break.

No it wouldn't, as you being late causes everyone after you to be late and in a supermarket things are run very tight time wise.

When I applied for Tesco when I was 17, I was rejected for failing the personality test that they used to give (no idea if they still do!)
They have so many applicants they can be as choosy as they like.

@ssd I work in a very large supermarket at middle management level and the answer is B, it shows you have a customer mindset and put the customer first. Yes other breaks may then run late but the customer always comes first

@Whatwouldscullydo

I agree. As pp have said, they generally expect complete flexibility and offer low levels of guaranteed hours and these jobs are quite in demand

I notice this in my job. I've had my hours reduced and told the shifts I had disnt exist. Then somehow there was loads if over time.i ended up doing which was great but when ever I took holiday I'd only get paid for the hours I was contracted.

I.waa also told I.wasnt flexible enough after a spent weeks doing over time working in several different branches, often going in early unpaid to sort a mess out that the staff had no idea how to sort , it's like why did I bother seriously.

Even now I do a fair bit of overtime which just gets shoved on the rota but I cabt officially get more hours.

I mean why do companies do that. Hire someone on say 10/15 hours then rely on forced over time and expect you to be available at the drop of a hat. How om 10/15 hours can a job still take over your life like that..

That's not legal any more, holiday pay is supposed to be based on your average earnings, not your basic. At my employer they pay us the difference in Jan/Feb to reflect any overtime worked during the previous April - March tax year.

www.acas.org.uk/checking-holiday-entitlement/calculating-holiday-pay

YANBU. It really minimises what those people do as well- and they work bloody hard!

My husband got made redundant in the first lockdown from a well paid professional job. He applied to quite literally 100s of jobs with little success. He has now got a job in a call centre-temp, 0 hours contract which he managed to get through an acquaintance recruitment consultant. Basically lots of 0 hours/temp/NMW jobs but they don’t want people like my husband as they know realistically they won’t stay so don’t want to put the time and money into training and they also know they will question processes etc which the middle management don’t like. He only got this job as you needed to speak at least 2 preferably 3 European languages fluently which for NMW seems a joke but it pays the bills. Prior to this happening I thought getting a Job was easy but it has massively opened my eyes after being spoiled employed as an NHS nurse in a very secure job.

Not sure about the comment about them just wanting 17 year olds and students. Plenty of middle aged and beyond people work at my local supermarkets

I'd love to work in a supermarket. Just can't pass the blooming tests. I've been trying since I was doing my A levels in the 90's

Its not just supermarkets either. Civil Service jobs are a nightmare too. You have to write essays about certain behaviours. These are just as hard IMO

I agree gone are the days when it was either a simple application form or a CV and an interview was given. Same with large employers who use agencies to fill gaps. My first full time job I walked into an agency and started 2 weeks later at one of my home city's large employers. Now its personality tests and competency questions. I really feel for everyone unemployed ATM.

It’s the different stages of interviews. Online, then they bring you to do a test, then a face to face interview, then an interview just to make sure they haven’t used up more of your time for their crappy minimum wage job that you need to be flexible in.

It's just not possible. You need to be flexible for shifts at the drop of a hat, and then the pay wouldn't cover childminding costs, and I have no family around to help

Myself and both my adult children have applied for supermarket jobs. We have ticked the box that we are available and can work any shift on any day 7 days per week.

On the odd occasion we have got a reply it has said that they needed someone who had more flexibility. Cant remember the exact wording.
Then to see someone we know getting offered a job with no previous experience, no driving licence but they did have a university degree. It is a bit of a kick in the teeth.

I think the only way forward is to start your own business as jobs are so hard to get.

@Bythemillpond

I think the only way forward is to start your own business as jobs are so hard to get.

But that only works if you can afford to live without income while your business takes off and already have money to put into your business to buy equipment etc.

Plus many start ups fail, so there's the risk of loss of assets and capital or building up debt to consider. And especially now, many businesses would find it even harder than normal in these times.

It's a very high risk strategy that many people are not in a position to contemplate, especially those who have been unemployed without income and with minimal support for a period already.

What does one have to do for a job that pays £20 an hour???
This is bizarre. My last couple of projects were on a much higher rate than £20 / hour, and the selection process was an informal interview where they checked that I actually did things that I listed on my CV, with a couple of targeted questions. And, probably, checked that I am a functional human being in general. There are security checks happening behind the scenes, but it is not something they involve the candidate in.

The only time when I had to do tasks and answer senseless questions was with a civil service vacancy.

@CandidaAlbicans2

YANBU. I suspect the people saying that are of an age where their job market was considerably different to how it is today and/or haven't had to be part of it. I'm in my 50s and things are considerably harder now than when I was younger. For example, the job I got with only 2 O Levels back in the late 80s now requires a degree as they scrapped the 9 week in-house training.

We're of the same generation....in 50s, did O'Levels.

I'm a mental health nurse. I started in the 80s with O Levels and what would now be a BTEC in Health and Social Care. I worked as a Nursing Assistant (now known as HCA) in an NHS unit for young people with learning Disabilities. My Charge Nurse used to say to me, ''go and train as a nurse, you've got O Levels, you're wasted as an NA. I did my training before nursing was diploma or degree level-it was an apprenticeship type model.

Now nursing is degree level-I know and understand why but I wouldn't have had the A Levles back then to do it (though do now.)

On top of that, the job I was over qualified for with O Levels is now full up with psychology graduates waiting for the very elusive Psychology Assistant posts which are like gold dust but necessary for them to become psychologists.

I'm glad I'm not young nowadays or have kids, it seems much harder.

I think the only way forward is to start your own business as jobs are so hard to get

But that only works if you can afford to live without income while your business takes off and already have money to put into your business to buy equipment etc

But we are living without an income. I hardly think the gradual loss of Universal Credit as your income increases is a reason to not try. The alternative is beating your head against the wall applying for 1000s of jobs that you can do but aren’t qualified for and eventually ending up with a job that pays so little you are still claiming Universal Credit/benefits

Is there another way.