Daily life over the garden fence chat.

[margaret]

It's all about preparation in interviews. For the last 1 I went to, I worked my socks for weeks beforehand working out what questions I would be asked, and finding out any little bit of information about the department I could (it was an internal vacancy). The only thing that let me down was my lack of experience of dealing with senior management; after I got that feedback, I immediately started badgering my manager to get me some experience.

What gets me Lex, is that a company short lists someone for a job and then tell the they haven't enough experience in certain areas. Very frustrating.

One Job interview I had in my time , was a bit nerve wracking when there were three in the room, Matron , and two Sisters. interviewing me for a Clinical Support Worker job in the hospital! Don't laugh, you would think they were interview me for some kind of executive job. I think I must have shown the absurdity in my attitude, though I got the job as CSW, in Out Patients, I think purely because I had experience and I had been working there under an nursing agency, so they did know of me. Actually Lex, I wish I had stayed on Agency and not gone on NHS staff, because I was earning more on the Agency. Oh well, thats all long gone now.

[rebbonk]

Contract workers (at least in R&D) in the motor industry are also very well paid Margaret. I often wondered about quitting and returning the following week as contract staff on a substantial increase. Trouble is though, when times get tough (and it happens often in the motor industry) agency/contract workers are the first to go.

[margaret]

Contract workers (at least in R&D) in the motor industry are also very well paid Margaret. I often wondered about quitting and returning the following week as contract staff on a substantial increase. Trouble is though, when times get tough (and it happens often in the motor industry) agency/contract workers are the first to go.

Yes that is true Rebbonk, the Agency staff are the first to go. The NHS tried to dispense with agency staff but couldn't as they desperately needed them to do night and fill in for sickness and holidays, so catch 22. I happily worked on agency for a while with British Nursing Association (BNA) which I think has now been taken over. But then the hospital I worked in was threatening to get rid of agency staff and at that time I thought that to secure my employment with NHS I needed a permanent contract within the NHS, hence my interview and acceptance. But they never did entirely seem to do away with agency. Though I regretted leaving BNA, But looking at the positive side, I am glad of my NHS pension, not great but it is nice to have that bit extra.


BNA were great with me, I can pick and choose where I wanted to work and they always gave me work within my travel zone. I was never short of work.

[Lex]

Is it me, or has there been nothing interesting going on in the City & County recently? The news websites just seem to be filled with petty crime, roadworks & charity events.

[rebbonk]

The lull before the storm, Lex.

The national news has been a bit flat, too.

[margaret]

Anyone know about bus pass time changes?
It was rumoured that Senior Citizens can't use them now before 09:30.

[Lex]

Not something I know a lot about, unfortunately - buses are not something I use much.

[rebbonk]

Margaret, I think it varies on the supplier. National Express have this on their website...

free bus travel after 9:30am Monday - Friday, and all day at weekends and on Bank Holidays.

[margaret]

Thanks, Rebbonk, that's interesting. At present I can use it from 09:00, in my area, but I guess it will change to 09:30 this month I hear.

Plus so much for free weekend travel, we can't get a bus on Sunday after 6pm, so we can't to to a play or concert on a Sunday as there will be not bus home. How ridiculous.
Maybe they think we oldies should be all safely tucked in bed in the evenings.

[rebbonk]

I found this an interesting read....

The Lib Dems are using data to profile every voter in UK - and give you a score

The Liberal Democrats are profiling every voter in the country by rating their political preferences, Sky News can reveal.

This includes which party they will vote for in the next election and whether they are a Remainer or Leaver.

The percentage ratings - there are at least 42 in total, although the identity of only 37 are known - estimate whether someone voted Leave or Remain in the 2016 EU referendum and predict how they would vote if there was a second poll in 2019.

Other scored characteristics include "Likelihood of being a Labour voter in 2019", "Likelihood of being a core Lib Dem" and "Net difference in likelihood of voting for the Conservative or Brexit Party in 2019".

The system, which uses a sophisticated computer model to generate the scores, also assesses personal outlooks, giving a percentage to "Likelihood of being a pragmatic liberal".

The Liberal Democrats also use software which estimates the age and first language of voters by analysing their names.

Full article: SKY News

[Lex]

That's quite scary.

[rebbonk]

I suspect that now the idea's in the public domain it'll be quietly dropped. - GPDR issues?

[Lex]

Possibly, but I suspect date harvesting is quite common in the political world.

[margaret]

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Sorry, I was just testing to see if I could post, as I kept getting the above message whey I was trying to post in this thread.

[margaret]

Got shopping done early this morning , and got back home just before 10:00 am. Before the rain sets in and buses get full.

[rebbonk]

Dreadful weather!

Mrs R went off to bed just after 10 last night. Just as I was contemplating going off to bed about midnight, the cat comes padding down the stairs wanting to be let out. Although it was hammering down I obliged.

As I had a right telling off for leaving the cat out the other night, I thought I'd better wait for her to return.

Looking at the weather I thought she won't be long. 1:30 she came rapping at the door to be let back in!