Employment
I’m reduced to applying to be a Benefit Processing Officer in Worcester. The application form is written in DWP-ese and asks a series of ‘tell us about yourself’ questions instead of providing a space in which candidates can promote themselves. One of the best was

Decide which of the following most closely describes you:

1. I tried to ensure that I was as fair as I could be and that everyone got the same treatment no matter how I felt personally.
2. I can’t pretend I treated all people the same. The ones who were undeserving and had bad attitudes didn’t get any more assistance from me than I had to give them.
3. I started out with the intention of treating everyone equally but found that I liked some people more than others and must admit that I was more likely to go out of my way for them.
4. I tried always to be fair and helpful but must admit that how I treated people could vary with how they treated me and how I felt on the day.

How would you choose if you were applying for a job with a public service organisation?

I’m applying for some IT/design/web roles at Edinburgh Uni and have applications in for similar roles for a single-parent support body and a housing association.

I’m also seriously considering touting myself to Edinburgh schools for classroom assistant positions. I should have a reasonable idea of the syllabi from my last job.