Essex jobseekers hop aboard the Jobserve bus

Jobseekers from Wickford to Walton on the Naze made the most of an invitation to jump on board a space age double decker job bus recently in their bid to find work.

They were the guests of Essex entrepreneur Robbie Cowling and his team at Jobserve and were trying out the companyís new multi thousand pound Jobserve bus, which is kitted out with the latest computer and job search facilities.

26 year-old Laura Johnson, who has recently moved to Colchester after leaving a job in London, was on board looking for job opportunities in office management: I think the bus is really great. The staff have been incredibly helpful and the service Jobserve offer is really excellent, particularly because once you subscribe, they only send you jobs that really fit your skills and expertise, so I donít get bombarded with a load of jobs Iím not interested in.

And Graham Bunce from Wickford, who has been out of work for two months and is looking to move from the electronics industry into IT added: The bus is a fantastic idea. You certainly canít miss it and itís a really novel place to come and look for a job. Jobserve is definitely one of the better online recruitment services around.

Visitors were also given a tour of Jobserveís purpose built headquarters on the Tower Business Park in Tiptree near Colchester and treated to a barbecue and refreshments, as well as having the chance to chat to Jobserve staff about the firmís Internet recruitment service, which advertises thousands of new IT, engineering, marketing, finance, medical, legal and office/administration jobs every day at www.jobserve.com.

The bus has its own in-built satellite system, which means the Jobserve team can operate completely independently wherever itís located. Itís kitted out with the latest flat screen monitors and even has its own coffee machine! Together with members of the Jobserve team who have been specially trained to drive and operate the bus, it will be touring recruitment fairs and career exhibitions all year round in a bid to attract more subscribers to the service.

Mr Cowling also plans an emergency response service, taking the bus to companies where major job losses are announced, so that people being made redundant can receive professional advice and support on how to get a new job.

He said: The bus is already a huge hit, but youíve got to see it to believe it.