What support is there for over 50s economically inactive / underactive to find more work?

The Government has announced that it would like more over 50s, who are able to work*, to come back to the workplace after apparently lots of people took earlyish retirement during the (ongoing) Covid pandemic. I'm not quite in that position (never retired) but since 2018 I've been working two days a week and so have some spare time, and I have no objection to the Government's wish to extract more of my free time as paid labour.

But I think it has to meet me halfway.

I asked at my local Job Centre Plus about their over 50s work champions (or whatever they're called) but it seems that as I don't receive benefits I probably can't use that service anyway.

What I would find useful may not actually exist, but it's this.

As much as possible I'd like to outsource the 'cognitive load' of looking for jobs, tailoring my CV / filling in an application form, tailoring my covering letter and generally applying for jobs, as I have minimal interest in doing any of that. I don't mean that I should simply be given a job, just that I want to go through the annoying part of the process once and be 'sorted' into one or more (temporary) jobs.

I would like to be assigned a job through some sort of labour exchange or employment agency. After going through my CV and interviewing me, and discussing what I'd enjoy / not enjoy doing this employment agency would then work in the background to match me with a job. I'd then get a call saying "Jo, on Wednesday you'll be at WidgetCo's factory making widgets" or whatever it is they find for me to do.

Does this arrangement exist? 

I did upload my CV to what I thought was an employment agency website but that just attracted unsuitable-job spam including regular invitations to work in Dubai. Nope. I also don't use LinkedIn (you'd still have to apply for a job if your attention was drawn to it, they don't just give you jobs - as there's no pre-approval thing that I'm aware of).

*I am not talking about those who are unwell or who have caring responsibilities or already trying to find work.

 

 

Some places to find out about jobs in the UK

There are several ways in which can find jobs: (1) job portals where jobs are advertised from all sorts of different organisations, and (2) individual companies' websites where their own jobs are posted. For (2) it can also be helpful to find (or create) your own list of companies by theme - eg the Association of Medical Research Charities has 100+ members so there's a ready made list of 'medical charities'.   

(3) For the sorts of jobs where people are headhunted (I don't move in those circles or at that level so can't help) I think it's all down to networking so things like LinkedIn would be for that. The UK Gov't has some advice on networking. CV Library has advice on How to address unemployment on your CV.

(4) What about a 'hand search' - poring over Google Maps of local areas to see what companies are there (that you might not have come across before) and sending speculative enquiries. 

(5) Put together a short pitch in a tweet / video and send it via Twitter and ask for RTs and suggestions, or via a public Facebook post etc.

(1) Places where jobs are advertised / portals

• The 10 Best Job Boards in 2020 - according to Wikijob (includes CV Library, Indeed, Total Jobs, Reed, Monster, Adzuna, Glassdoor, CW Jobs, Guardian Jobs and WorkInStartups - https://www.wikijob.co.uk/content/features/useful-resources/10-best-uk-job-boards-2020
  
  
• How to find job vacancies - from National Careers Service, list includes JobCentre Plus, Job boards, Networking sites, Local council bulletings, Recruitment agencies, Hidden job market, National Careers Service, Job Fairs, Direct contact, Industry magazines and newspapers - https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/advertised-job-vacancies
  
  
• AMRC (Association of Medical Research Charities) - https://www.amrc.org.uk/vacancies - provides a weekly vacancies email 
  
  
• Bidstats - https://bidstats.uk/tenders/ - for public tenders (not jobs as such)
  
  
• Charity Job - https://www.charityjob.co.uk/
  
  
• Civil Service: https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi - the site for all Civil Service jobs in the various governmental departments.
  
  
• Contracts / tenders for UK and EU - https://www.gov.uk/tendering-for-public-sector-contracts. Sell goods or services to the public sector (presumably mostly in England as info for the other nations is given too). Includes Contracts Finder for UK Gov't contracts, and Tenders Electronic Daily for EU tenders.
  
  
• Find A Job: https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/search - at the time of writing there are over 109,000 jobs on there (new ones are added or time out all the time). You can search by location, salary or category but not by keyword. You can see their categories here https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/browse
  
  
• Freelance writing jobs - https://mailchi.mp/69d207801f23/freelancewritingjobs from Sian Meades (@SianySianySiany)
  
  
• Guardian Jobs - https://jobs.theguardian.com/jobs/job-vacancy/
  
  
• Google search - Google now draws in snippets of various job adverts and you can add keywords, filter by location and set up an email alert
  https://www.google.com/search?&q=jobs
  
  
• Greenwich jobs - https://www.royalgreenwichcareers.com/ - and Greenwich Local Labour and Business (GLLaB) https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/directory/76/gllab_jobs - this is just illustrative (I live there!) but there may be similar schemes where you live.
  
  
• Kelly Services - https://www.kellyservices.co.uk/
  
  
• Indeed - https://www.indeed.co.uk/ - browse, upload a CV, or work at Indeed
  
  
• Intelligent people - London & South East - https://www.intelligentpeople.co.uk/jobs/ marketing, product management, eCommerce
  
  
• JETS Work Coaches - apply here https://dwpjobs-workcoach-microsite.co.uk/ - 13,500 new posts have been created (most filled already).
  
  
• Job Centre Plus - https://www.gov.uk/contact-jobcentre-plus - more about benefits and help in finding jobs than a portal as such
  
  
• Jobs.ac.uk - https://www.jobs.ac.uk/ - jobs in academia
  
  
• Job help: https://jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk/latest-jobs/ - (via https://gov.uk/jobhelp) this includes context about the themed categories and also includes links to other advice on finding jobs locally.
  
  
• LinkdedIn - https://www.linkedin.com - network, hear about jobs
  
  
• Monster - https://www.monster.co.uk/
  
  
• National Museums - https://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/jobs/
  
  
• Science communication jobs: psci-com (large mailing list), Facebook group, ScicommOps, Association of British Science Writers mailing list, Stempra mailing list - you might need to be a member to access the last two, British Interactive Group 'BIG'. 
  
  
• Reed Jobs - https://www.reed.co.uk/jobs 
  
  

(2) Thematic ists of organisations' websites - I recommend creating your own tailored version. These lists are not set up with job seekers in mind so you will need to drill into any org's website that interest you and find their vacancies page.

• Association of Medical Research Charities -
  https://www.amrc.org.uk/pages/category/member-directory?Take=151
  full members' list (note ending of URL, there are currently 151 member orgs, if link doesn't work [eg a new member org joins] delete last bit, scroll to the end and choose 'load more'). You can also sign up to their weekly vacancies email.
  
  
• Companies Lists in UK (Wikipedia) - literally alphabetically, not thematically
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_of_the_United_Kingdom_A-J
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_of_the_United_Kingdom_K-Z
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lists_of_companies_of_the_United_Kingdom - organised by city 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_United_Kingdom_employers - list of largest UK employers 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FTSE_100_Index - companies listed on the FTSE 100
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_private_companies_in_the_United_Kingdom - largest private companies in the UK
  
  
• Companies list in London (Wikipedia)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_based_in_London
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Organisations_based_in_London - organised thematically (eg housing orgs, local gov't, health orgs etc)
  
  
• Places that employ science communicators (mostly in London) - 
• https://brodiesnotes.blogspot.com/2009/07/amrc-member-charities-websites.html (created by me, on this blog)
  

Random

• RAF - https://www.raf.mod.uk/recruitment/ (I'm not allowed to apply as they know I'd try to steal the aircraft)
  
  
• Women Returners - https://womenreturners.com/ - support for women returning to work after a career break, and info for their (potential) employers
  
  
• Marshall Harber - https://www.marshallharber.com/job-board.php - for private chefs, live in housekeepers (I was watching Downton Abbey while searching and thought I'd add this one in!)
  

 

Background to this post
The UK Government is increasing the number of Work Coaches through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), by creating 13,500 new jobs for people to help as JETS: Job Entry - Targeted Support. Their role will be to support other jobseekers into finding suitable employment and the scheme was launched on Monday 5th October 2020.

This story was widely covered in the news media on Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th October but none of the stories I saw linked to where someone could apply for one of these 13,500 new jobs. Even the Government's own press release made no mention of it. 

Eventually I found it: JETS jobs - https://dwpjobs-workcoach-microsite.co.uk/ (via a search on https://civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk, restricted to DWP organisation. When I clicked on an example job and then 'apply at advertiser's site' that's where it took me. 

It seemed like it would be the sort of things that would just fall out into the top results on a Google search for jets dwp jobs, but no.

 

 

 

Organisations: typing /jobs at the end of your homepage should take visitors straight to your vacancies page

Please add a /jobs redirect to your website, if necessary
Please arrange things (or ask your web person to do it) so that anyone typing /jobs at the end of your homepage will automatically be redirected to wherever you keep information about job vacancies on your site.

It would make me happy if /jobs was the industry standard, then any visitor to your site has only to type 5 characters and the enter key to see if you have jobs available.

There are plenty of suggestions and instructions
https://www.google.com/search?&q=how+to+redirect+URL

Advantages
• saves people having to navigate to see where you've hidden your vacancies page
• saves them having to type jobs, job vacancies, vacancies, recruitment, employment, work for us, work with us, careers or opportunities into your search bar

Disadvantages
• if you move your vacancies page you'd need to remember to set up a redirect again 


Grab your job vacancies bonus points

• Don't make site visitors log in to see your job vacancies
• Let each job vacancy have its own URL so that people can share a direct link via email and social media, rather than suggesting that they search using the job's ID code
• Consider if the skills you want need to be phrased as 'essential' or if you can show that the job encourages learning
• If you'll accept two people working part-time on the job, say so in the advert
• Be explicit about the salary, use numbers 
• If your organisation is very small with low turnover then I'd still recommend considering a static jobs page with information about the roles and skills of your staff and why they like working there