I travelled over to Newark this morning for an interview & assessment drive with Corby Chilled. The interview starts and the TM says that’s he’s concerned about my lack of experience. Fair enough. Then he says ‘maybe come back in about 6 months when you’ve got some class 1 experience under your belt’, even giving me the numbers of a couple of agencies they use to get some shifts!
What ■■■■■■ me off is that I sent C C a letter explaining my lack of experience, and HE phoned ME to arrange the interview (& drive which I didn’t get). Why could he not have told me all this over the phone?
So, not only do I feel like I’ve wasted nearly a grand on getting a useless licence, I’m now wasting time & fuel, not to mention time off work to chase after non-existent jobs.
I travelled over to Newark this morning for an interview & assessment drive with Corby Chilled. The interview starts and the TM says that’s he’s concerned about my lack of experience. Fair enough. Then he says ‘maybe come back in about 6 months when you’ve got some class 1 experience under your belt’, even giving me the numbers of a couple of agencies they use to get some shifts!
What [zb] me off is that I sent C C a letter explaining my lack of experience, and HE phoned ME to arrange the interview (& drive which I didn’t get). Why could he not have told me all this over the phone?
So, not only do I feel like I’ve wasted nearly a grand on getting a useless licence, I’m now wasting time & fuel, not to mention time off work to chase after non-existent jobs.
Yours well & truly [zb] off,
Ghost
I will take issue with you here Ghost, that licence is NOT useless, you worked hard for it, it cost you plenty and its a real achievement. I know its hard to get continually knocked back, especially in such an un-necessary way but you will only get there by persistence, and you will get there.
There is no easy answer to the age old ckicken and egg situation . The best I can offer ( and many on here will take delight in telling me I am prat as it will cost more ) is to say have a day out with a training school on a one to one to get some class 1 hours under your belt but ask them up front that if you clearly demonstarte your abilities will they give you a written assesment of your abilities to use in the absence of any other evidence of experience.
Other than that Agencies are probably the best bet.
Have to admit this may be useless info to you but not sure what else is open to get results quickly.
Sorry to hear that they wasted your time and money as
you informed them of your lack of experience before going
to the interview. I am sure you will find something soon and
then it will probably be there loss as when you get the experience
you wont go back to them as they messed you about. Good luck
with finding work theghostofcain and all the best for the future.
You will be very surprised just how quick you can build up your expierence. It will only take a couple of months on an agency and then you will be a sought after commodity.
I was 21 when I passed my class one in 1995, I had the same problem then as you have got now. But I stuck with it and did some god awful agency jobs on both class 1 and 2 work. After a couple of months of not hitting anything and turning up on time the better jobs started coming through. If you start with the agency’s now then summer is just around the corner and alot of hoilday cover will be needed, just stick it out for a few weeks.
But I agree that the TM should not have wasted your time. Did they give you an assessment drive?
theghostofcain:
Nope, I wouldn’t mind so much if I’d had a drive just for the experience.
Thats what I was thinking, It would have at least giving you some more exp. in a different vehicle. Ah well at least you know which company’s to avoid. When you do get some exp. just call them up and arang another interview, then don’t turn up and waste his time.
reading between the lines,he’d probably already got someone for the job with a bit of experience, perhaps had an interveiw before you.
stick at it mate, the only firms i know for sure that take on new passes are pawsons at braithwell and handbury davies but i’m sure theres plenty it’s a case of knocking on the right door on the right day.
Yeah…im totally feeling you on this post ghostofcain! Its bloody annoying isnt it! I was so ■■■■■■ off at the interviewee i honestly had a hard time keeping my anger and dissapointment unapparent!! i just felkt like having an argument with the guy about why he should of phoned me to tell me not to bother attending the interview!
But ur license isnt useless…you will get something! How old are you if you dont mind me asking? Im only 22 so this to some firms would be a big problem…thing is im very mature for my age and i am a very reliable and hardworking individual. only problem is the interview isnt long enough for them to realise that! Anyway im gonna keep on trying my best to get as many interviews as i can and to get a job sorted asap!
Good Luck with your future interviews i hope that they go better next time…for you and me both!!
I think age can go either for or against you depending on who is hiring. Sometimes it can even work both ways in the same job. When I took the job that i recently quit after only a week and a half the guy interviewing (operations manager) said he liked to employ people with youth on their side (I’m 24). But when I started the transport managers were treating me like I’d just left school and couldn’t tie my shoelaces.
Andyroo:
I think age can go either for or against you depending on who is hiring. Sometimes it can even work both ways in the same job. When I took the job that i recently quit after only a week and a half the guy interviewing (operations manager) said he liked to employ people with youth on their side (I’m 24). But when I started the transport managers were treating me like I’d just left school and couldn’t tie my shoelaces.
I think what the guys who deliberately go out to employ younger drivers are looking for is an ability to manipulate.
Older drivers are not as easy to bully into running bent.
Andyroo:
I think age can go either for or against you depending on who is hiring. Sometimes it can even work both ways in the same job. When I took the job that i recently quit after only a week and a half the guy interviewing (operations manager) said he liked to employ people with youth on their side (I’m 24). But when I started the transport managers were treating me like I’d just left school and couldn’t tie my shoelaces.
I think what the guys who deliberately go out to employ younger drivers are looking for is an ability to manipulate.
Older drivers are not as easy to bully into running bent.
And to add younger people will be more willing to handball stuff than an older person
The first morning I was there the driver they put me out with suggested I should drive on the tacho with his name on that he’d already put in. I soon changed that idea, although that was him rather than the firm. God knows why!
I really don’t understand how so many people seem to not care about the regs! Surely some of these old boys who don’t care must have been pulled before and asked some questions at least once?
although it was many years ago I had problems getting my first job. I found that small companies were more willing give a new driver a start. And unlike going from one company to another on agency, they are more interested in making sure you learn how to do the job.
Also a small company boss can decide to take you on because you come across a keen employee who is willing to learn, but some TM in a big company must follow the company policy on new drivers.
Under 25 is a problem because of insurance policies, the extra premium can make the differance between profit and loss.
. The best I can offer ( and many on here will take delight in telling me I am prat as it will cost more 