Get a Job! (Jobwise)

Member Name: blonde_girl774

Product:	Jobwise
Date:	05/12/07 (172 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy registration process, efficient service & keep the work coming!

Disadvantages: Try and haggle you down on a wage.

Since finishing University this summer the job hunt has not been as easy as I thought it would be, which is arguably why I've found myself temping again. It's not actually as bad as it sounds, with all the graduate scheme interviews running throughout the winter season temping is an ideal option as I can easily get a day off here and there to attend assessment days and interviews... yet it still keeps me in the money!

I've been temping through Jobwise for the past two consecutive summers and also more recently as well. They're a north west based agency with a total of seven branches in Altrincham, Bolton, Liverpool, Manchester, Oldham, Stockport and Warrington. I'm registered with both the Altrincham and Manchester branches as these are the two closest to my home and therefore the best equipped to find me work.

Jobwise has been recruiting staff for over 25 years now which does seem quite a considerable time period although in relation to other recruitment agencies it is quite a short lifespan. They recruit for both permanent and temporary positions which is one of the main things that attracted me to them in the first place.

They're very much a high street recruitment agency and by that I simply mean you can walk in off the street to them quite easily. This differs to some of the more professional agencies which require you to have an appointment and aren't located in the typical high street region. Based on this Jobwise tend to recruit for roles that are very much office based such as accounts, administration, call centre, secretarial and telesales.

Registration

Before they can look for work on your behalf Jobwise require you to go in and register with them. This requires an appointment and in my experience you can typically get an appointment within a week. The whole registration process takes about 30-40 minutes and consists of you completing some standard computer tests which vary according to the role you're looking for.

Stage 1 - The majority of roles will require you to do a typing test to check your accuracy and speed as well as a proficiency test on both Excel and Word. It's nothing to be worried about though! If you're going for a legal secretary position you may be asked to do an audio typing test whereas an accounts position may require you to demonstrate your knowledge of various accounts packages. This can take between 20 and 30 minutes depending how quick you are at the various tasks.

Stage 2 - Following this you'll have the opportunity to have an informal chat with one of the consultants who will go through your CV with you quite briefly before asking you what sort of role you want, in what sort of location, for what sort of money, etc. This only took about 10 to 15 minutes in total and was quite pleasant actually, they seemed really interested in what I was saying and asked relevant questions.

Stage 3 - Finally you'll be required to provide identification as proof of your eligibility to work in the UK, they simply require your passport or a driving license and pay slip to take a photocopy.

The whole process was quite straightforward and similar to ones that I'd been through before so no qualms with that from me. If you're working they do try to get you an appropriate interview time although the sooner you can get in the sooner they can start looking for jobs so if you are currently working it may be worth finishing early one day to get in quickly.

Post Registration

After the registration process I waited by the phone for the job offers to start pouring in! Unfortunately I didn't get a call from Jobwise until nearly a week after I registered and that was merely to check up on my current availability for work in case I'd found something else. However after that the job offers really did start pouring in!

During my first summer with Jobwise they kept me in employment almost constantly which was a huge relief as I was saving up to go back to University. This summer and autumn the situation has been quite similar and I've consistently worked for Jobwise for the majority of it. I think in total I've done about ten assignments for Jobwise ranging from a couple of days to about two months in total. I've never had a problem with any of them but I'm pretty sure that if I did Jobwise would try to sort it out.

My Opinion

I'm really happy with my experiences of Jobwise as they've consistently found me work that matches my requirements... the majority of times. The rates of pay offered by this agency seem in line with what I was being offered from other agencies, for example doing a receptionist or secretarial role would tend to get me around £7.50 - £8.50 an hour which seems to be the average within the Altrincham and Manchester areas, if not a little higher.

They're also really good at keeping in touch, even if I'm not working for them they tend to ring me once a week to see what I'm up to and if I'm looking for work again. It tends to be the same consultant that calls you every week and finds you work which is always nice as you can build up a bit of a rapport with them. As long as you submit your timesheet by 9.00am on a Monday morning you'll get paid on the Thursday night / Friday morning which is always nice!

On the whole I'd give them four out of five stars as my experiences have always been quite positive. They do loose 1 as their offices are a little dated in a sense and also they do seem to try to haggle you down to the lowest wage possible to ensure their profits are kept quite high. I wouldn't hesitate to tell anyone to register with them, it's free and it doesn't hurt one bit!

Thanks for reading.

Summary: A north west based office recruitment agency,