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How hard is it to get a new job?
9 Answers
Anyone started a new job recently?
I've just applied for 6 new jobs, I hope something comes of the applications, its so frustrating to complete all the forms and then not get shortlisted! I'm well qualified for the positions I have applied for and have lots of experience so fingers crossed! My work recently advertised a post and we had nearly 200 applications, there's a lot of competition out there! Wish me luck! :)
I've just applied for 6 new jobs, I hope something comes of the applications, its so frustrating to complete all the forms and then not get shortlisted! I'm well qualified for the positions I have applied for and have lots of experience so fingers crossed! My work recently advertised a post and we had nearly 200 applications, there's a lot of competition out there! Wish me luck! :)
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6? blimey, i've applied for 10s if not 100s and have got nowhere - a report on the news today said there are 70 applicants for every job - that is for graduates!
I've applied to Morrisons for a shelf stacking job (not advertised) - there are 4 posts and over 400 applicants!
I am a graduate myself with 17 years experience as an officer in the civil service!
Well done the Conservative party - you've rescued us from Labour!!!
I've applied to Morrisons for a shelf stacking job (not advertised) - there are 4 posts and over 400 applicants!
I am a graduate myself with 17 years experience as an officer in the civil service!
Well done the Conservative party - you've rescued us from Labour!!!
I was brought up during the thirties depression when there were no benefits to be had. Can't think how my mother managed but she did somehow. This seems to me to be similar to that era and I feel so sorry for anyone looking for a job. The only thing to say, is keep trying. Something will come along one day and hopefully we will climb out of this depression. I was going to say, like the thirties, but the thing which cured that was the world war and we don't want another one of those.
i used to teach 'employability' in an adult setting and regularly used to restructure people's CVs and tailor what they wrote in the person spec more closely to the job description etc. usually people were too vague about their skills and experience.
it is fairly easy to make sure your app stands out. but times are indeed hard! good luck! xx
it is fairly easy to make sure your app stands out. but times are indeed hard! good luck! xx
I’m in work, but there’s a lot of backstabbing in my company (I survived 4 waves of redundancies over the past couple of years, I don’t think I’ll survive a fifth one) and my salary hasn’t kept up with my rent and with inflation, so I’ve been looking for a new job... since the recession started!
From end of 2007 till Easter this year, I would be looking for a job for 1-2 months, then ‘recuperating’ for 2-3 months, then looking for a job again etc. When jobhunting, I would send about 2-3 applications a week. I would only get 1 phone interview every 3 months, and I only ever got a face to face interview with the hiring party once (and I didn’t get the job ). Last year, I did get short-listed for interviews for 3 different jobs abroad, but I did not manage to get a leave from my employer.
For the past 3 months, I’ve stepped up my jobhunting.
Every month, I send out 50-odd job applications: approximately 6 for jobs in my region; 40 for jobs in London; 4 for jobs in other parts of the UK or on the continent.
These 50-odd applications usually lead to 3 phone interviews (sometimes 1 week after the recruitment consultant first contacted me, as I have to take a lunchbreak to call them, and we spend a lot of them chasing one another around ); which themselves lead to 1 face to face interview (usually a fortnight later as it’s difficult for me to get days off from work).
Unfortunately, by the time I manage to attend the face to face interview, the job has often gone.
A couple of months ago, a recruiter submitted my CV (alongside that of several other candidates) for a different job from the one I had initially applied to. 9 of us were invited to an interview with the manager who was hiring (1 month later, but only 2 weeks’ notice to book the interview, which was tight). I was the only one of the 9 who got invited to a second interview, 2 weeks later. There were rumours in the papers that the company was planning a wave of redundancies: I was worried but the recruitment consultant was very dismissive. After my interview, the manager went on interviewing internal applicants... for nearly 1 month! The rumours were confirmed... and so the job went to one of the internal applicants!
For comparison, in 2007, I was getting 3 phone interviews for every 10 jobs I applied to, half the interviews led to a face to face interview, and I was offered every single job for which I had a face to face interview!!! Happy days...
However, the jobmarket is even worse in my country of origin: when I was looking for work there in 2006, every month, I would apply to 50 vacancies I had painfully found trawling numerous job websites. Most of them were already filled so when I would call to chase my application I would sometimes get angry words, as they would get 20-odd such phone calls every day, not to mention the hundreds of CVs! Every month, I would also cold-call (either by phone, or in person, wearing one of my best suits) 50 companies who were not advertising for a vacancy, and try to talk my way into meeting HR: I usually did this 2 days a week, weather permitting (if it’s rainy, you’ll only ever be able to pay 2 such ‘social calls’, then you’ll have to return home, change, and take the suit to the dry cleaners! Not doable when on unemployment benefits). All these efforts would lead to 3 phone interviews every month, which would themselves lead to 1 face to face interview. 1 in 3 face to face interviews would lead to a job offer, however, either by that time I would have worked that they were really dodgy (like on the brink of going bust) or they would want me to work for them undeclared, or to do an unpaid ‘internship’ (because I didn’t have a degree or because my experience didn’t exactly match the role or because I didn’t know how to use one of the softwares, or hadn’t used it in a long while, whatever)!!!
From end of 2007 till Easter this year, I would be looking for a job for 1-2 months, then ‘recuperating’ for 2-3 months, then looking for a job again etc. When jobhunting, I would send about 2-3 applications a week. I would only get 1 phone interview every 3 months, and I only ever got a face to face interview with the hiring party once (and I didn’t get the job ). Last year, I did get short-listed for interviews for 3 different jobs abroad, but I did not manage to get a leave from my employer.
For the past 3 months, I’ve stepped up my jobhunting.
Every month, I send out 50-odd job applications: approximately 6 for jobs in my region; 40 for jobs in London; 4 for jobs in other parts of the UK or on the continent.
These 50-odd applications usually lead to 3 phone interviews (sometimes 1 week after the recruitment consultant first contacted me, as I have to take a lunchbreak to call them, and we spend a lot of them chasing one another around ); which themselves lead to 1 face to face interview (usually a fortnight later as it’s difficult for me to get days off from work).
Unfortunately, by the time I manage to attend the face to face interview, the job has often gone.
A couple of months ago, a recruiter submitted my CV (alongside that of several other candidates) for a different job from the one I had initially applied to. 9 of us were invited to an interview with the manager who was hiring (1 month later, but only 2 weeks’ notice to book the interview, which was tight). I was the only one of the 9 who got invited to a second interview, 2 weeks later. There were rumours in the papers that the company was planning a wave of redundancies: I was worried but the recruitment consultant was very dismissive. After my interview, the manager went on interviewing internal applicants... for nearly 1 month! The rumours were confirmed... and so the job went to one of the internal applicants!
For comparison, in 2007, I was getting 3 phone interviews for every 10 jobs I applied to, half the interviews led to a face to face interview, and I was offered every single job for which I had a face to face interview!!! Happy days...
However, the jobmarket is even worse in my country of origin: when I was looking for work there in 2006, every month, I would apply to 50 vacancies I had painfully found trawling numerous job websites. Most of them were already filled so when I would call to chase my application I would sometimes get angry words, as they would get 20-odd such phone calls every day, not to mention the hundreds of CVs! Every month, I would also cold-call (either by phone, or in person, wearing one of my best suits) 50 companies who were not advertising for a vacancy, and try to talk my way into meeting HR: I usually did this 2 days a week, weather permitting (if it’s rainy, you’ll only ever be able to pay 2 such ‘social calls’, then you’ll have to return home, change, and take the suit to the dry cleaners! Not doable when on unemployment benefits). All these efforts would lead to 3 phone interviews every month, which would themselves lead to 1 face to face interview. 1 in 3 face to face interviews would lead to a job offer, however, either by that time I would have worked that they were really dodgy (like on the brink of going bust) or they would want me to work for them undeclared, or to do an unpaid ‘internship’ (because I didn’t have a degree or because my experience didn’t exactly match the role or because I didn’t know how to use one of the softwares, or hadn’t used it in a long while, whatever)!!!
I have 5 years of experience in my field in the UK, and 5+ years of experience in the same field abroad, all but in a more senior role. I am not a graduate: I am worked my way up to that level, by staying late in the evening, coming on Saturdays... When I was made redundant 5 years ago, and couldn’t find a similar role, I thought ‘fine, I’ll move to the UK and even if I have to start a little lower on the career ladder, I will soon be back to my former level, and then progress higher up!
I have thought of taking 2 years off f/t work and go back to uni f/t (I have credits which I could ‘export’ towards a ‘hard’ degree), but with the hike in course fees, this is now impossible.
The job-hunting is taking most of my free time outside work/house chores, especially as I don’t have internet access at home: I have to go to the library. I also have to refresh my German, I am learning Dutch, and I am reading the papers in German and Dutch, so that if I land an interview abroad, I can converse about current affairs... I try to take it as a game, and I keep a log of my applications and their outcomes. When I am particularly keen on a job, I call the recruiter to get an update on my application: I’ve managed to talk my way to an interview in London, although I didn’t get short-listed for the ‘real’ interview with their clients.
I have registered (or tried to) with nearly every single agency in my town (for permanent jobs, not for temping) and with several agencies in London. Some of them I can tell are not very competent or honest, but you never know, one of their clients and I might be perfect matches. I try to call each of the ‘good ones’ at least once a month, to remind them I’m still looking, and whenever I complete a new project at work, I send them an updated CV.
As a general rule, I find recruiting agencies much more difficult to deal with than in 2007. They basically expect you to be ‘available’ for them, even if you are working. I sometimes tell them that someone who takes breaks throughout the day in order to make personal phone calls from work is probably not a very good employee. I also find that many recruiters only work p/t: ‘we leave at 2pm’, ‘she only works Tuesday to Thursday’ etc. Someone who works as a recruitment consultant in my country of origin told me they get hundreds of applications for every job they advertise, not to mention all the people who walk in with their CVs. It is simply impossible for them to register everybody. She’s been looking for a better job herself... for the past 3 years!
Now back to the jobhunting...
I have thought of taking 2 years off f/t work and go back to uni f/t (I have credits which I could ‘export’ towards a ‘hard’ degree), but with the hike in course fees, this is now impossible.
The job-hunting is taking most of my free time outside work/house chores, especially as I don’t have internet access at home: I have to go to the library. I also have to refresh my German, I am learning Dutch, and I am reading the papers in German and Dutch, so that if I land an interview abroad, I can converse about current affairs... I try to take it as a game, and I keep a log of my applications and their outcomes. When I am particularly keen on a job, I call the recruiter to get an update on my application: I’ve managed to talk my way to an interview in London, although I didn’t get short-listed for the ‘real’ interview with their clients.
I have registered (or tried to) with nearly every single agency in my town (for permanent jobs, not for temping) and with several agencies in London. Some of them I can tell are not very competent or honest, but you never know, one of their clients and I might be perfect matches. I try to call each of the ‘good ones’ at least once a month, to remind them I’m still looking, and whenever I complete a new project at work, I send them an updated CV.
As a general rule, I find recruiting agencies much more difficult to deal with than in 2007. They basically expect you to be ‘available’ for them, even if you are working. I sometimes tell them that someone who takes breaks throughout the day in order to make personal phone calls from work is probably not a very good employee. I also find that many recruiters only work p/t: ‘we leave at 2pm’, ‘she only works Tuesday to Thursday’ etc. Someone who works as a recruitment consultant in my country of origin told me they get hundreds of applications for every job they advertise, not to mention all the people who walk in with their CVs. It is simply impossible for them to register everybody. She’s been looking for a better job herself... for the past 3 years!
Now back to the jobhunting...
Cheers Tamborine!
My CV's been submitted for 2 other jobs last week: for the first one, the company asked me to sit tests online, which I'm going to do today, and for the other, the recruitment consultant will chase them at the end of next week if they haven't got back to her. Only drawbacks are that both jobs are paid only £1K more than my current job, but I've been told I won't get a payrise this year.
For the second job, I called the recruitment consultant twice on Friday, and when I managed to get through to her, she told me she had sent my CV off and had emailed me. I came home, and... no email!
I wouldn't mind too much if that wasn't the second time she has played this trick to me. A couple of months ago, we had a phone conversation over a job I had applied to, and she told me she was going to send my CV off to them. She came back to me same afternoon and told me they loved my CV and wanted to meet me asap. I said 'fine, I happen to have Monday off'. She told me she would try to arrange interviews (with her, then with them) that Monday afternoon, and she would email me to confirm the details. However when I came home: no email. I was pretty p*&&ed off and didn't spend a very good weekend, wondering what had gone wrong. Came Monday morning, I called her to get feedback, and she told me I did have 2 interviews booked that very afternoon! I went 'aaarrrgghhh!' She 'resent' me her email, with documents I couldn't download because of my slow internet connection, I had to rush to the library to download them and research the company, then back home to eat a couple of slices of bread while scrambling into a suit, and off to the interviews! I didn't get the job because most of their staff are very young graduates (mean age = 26) and I'm much older than that, and not a graduate :(
I think some recruitment consultants really do not know their job very well: they make me think of real estate agents! For one, they can't even understand part of my current (or past) job duties, or the duties of the jobs they're supposed to be recruiting for. I think what antagonises some of them is that I'm so 'old' too. Well, not that old, but definitely not in my 20's (and not a graduate!).
My CV's been submitted for 2 other jobs last week: for the first one, the company asked me to sit tests online, which I'm going to do today, and for the other, the recruitment consultant will chase them at the end of next week if they haven't got back to her. Only drawbacks are that both jobs are paid only £1K more than my current job, but I've been told I won't get a payrise this year.
For the second job, I called the recruitment consultant twice on Friday, and when I managed to get through to her, she told me she had sent my CV off and had emailed me. I came home, and... no email!
I wouldn't mind too much if that wasn't the second time she has played this trick to me. A couple of months ago, we had a phone conversation over a job I had applied to, and she told me she was going to send my CV off to them. She came back to me same afternoon and told me they loved my CV and wanted to meet me asap. I said 'fine, I happen to have Monday off'. She told me she would try to arrange interviews (with her, then with them) that Monday afternoon, and she would email me to confirm the details. However when I came home: no email. I was pretty p*&&ed off and didn't spend a very good weekend, wondering what had gone wrong. Came Monday morning, I called her to get feedback, and she told me I did have 2 interviews booked that very afternoon! I went 'aaarrrgghhh!' She 'resent' me her email, with documents I couldn't download because of my slow internet connection, I had to rush to the library to download them and research the company, then back home to eat a couple of slices of bread while scrambling into a suit, and off to the interviews! I didn't get the job because most of their staff are very young graduates (mean age = 26) and I'm much older than that, and not a graduate :(
I think some recruitment consultants really do not know their job very well: they make me think of real estate agents! For one, they can't even understand part of my current (or past) job duties, or the duties of the jobs they're supposed to be recruiting for. I think what antagonises some of them is that I'm so 'old' too. Well, not that old, but definitely not in my 20's (and not a graduate!).
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