Is this normal for the current job market? (HR/recruitment)

[pasteldaisy]

I applied to several jobs recently. Since then I have heard back from every single one asking me for an interview which I really didn't expect as I'm a recent graduate with barely any relevant experience.

I currently work 12 hours in a job where I have no access to my phone/personal emails so I often can take 2-3 days to reply to my emails. I know it's not the best but I thought that was an ok amount of time? However, I keep getting HR or recruitment advisors sending repeat emails after less than 24 hours asking if I received the email ok and asking for a reply. There was also one job I decided I wasn't interested in so I scrolled past the email and forgot about it (which I feel really awful and guilty about now, it was a complete accident) and I have had a repeat email asking again if I would like to schedule an interview. For the interviews I have scheduled they wanted them scheduled ASAP (just a couple of days notice which is kind of hard when I have work).

Is this common for HR and job recruitment? I figured they would be so inundated with applicants that they wouldn't follow up so quickly and repeatedly.

(Also, I will make sure I reply to emails a lot sooner in future).

Of course 2-3 days to reply to an email is not usual. They clearly think you're not interested (and fairly discourteous to boot).
Not a great impression.

It depends on your sector but the unemployment rate is very low at the moment so it's not that surprising.

I often see posts on here about how hard it it to get a job in the current market but the data doesn't really back this up. A lot of sectors are really struggling to recruit.

I would still try and reply to their emails within 24 hours though.

If you are actively seeking full time employment you should be checking your emails every day.

Taking 2 or 3 days to reply creates a very bad impression, not only that you don't seem bothered about getting a job, but it demonstrates your lackadaisical work ethic.

2-3 days is quite unusual to reply to an email in an age where most people have emails on their phone and have their phone with them most of the time. I work in HR and schedule interviews. If I contact candidates and am doing complicated diary management to organise the interviews it does make it harder if someone is taking days to reply.

I do check my emails but this week I have been on nightshifts and so it's usually around 2am when I'm checking my emails and I'm on my phone quickly trying to eat my lunch so I always save replying to them for when I'm on a day off.

I will make sure I reply within 24 hours in future. If I do need to reply to an email from a couple of days ago, should I apologise for the late reply and give a reason or is just an apology ok?

That behaviour is unsurprising from Agencies tbh. They want to provide a speedy service to their clients so, yes, they will want to hear from you within 24hrs. It makes them look bad if they've shown CVs and then can't back them up with live candidates.

I work in HR and we always have a schedule agreed before advertising so 2 or 3 days wouldn't bother us and you'd already know the interview date when you applied.

Our Agencies are telling us it's a candidate's market at the moment. I'm guessing there's a lot of churn going on as a result of pent up demand. Lots of people are resigning, moving on, and their vacancies need to be filled quickly hence Agencies are under time pressure.

Another question I have is is it ok to ask for a slightly later interview date? For example, one job asked for an interview next week but I am unable to do it then, is it ok to ask for the week after or does that make me seem difficult and uninterested?

2-3 days is excessive. You can arrange interviews to suit.

@pasteldaisy

Another question I have is is it ok to ask for a slightly later interview date? For example, one job asked for an interview next week but I am unable to do it then, is it ok to ask for the week after or does that make me seem difficult and uninterested?

There isn't a universal answer to that question, it depends on the organisation and circumstances around the vacancy.

For us it's a pain because we've already planned diaries around the date, however, for a strong candidate we would try and offer an alternative. For a not strong candidate, especially if others looked better, we probably wouldn't try too hard!

It's better to ask for a change of date if you can't make it than take a sickie to attend and admit that in the interview.

@pasteldaisy

Another question I have is is it ok to ask for a slightly later interview date? For example, one job asked for an interview next week but I am unable to do it then, is it ok to ask for the week after or does that make me seem difficult and uninterested?

Depends on the place. If your being interviewed by one person or you are a very strong candidate then maybe that would be okay, but if it's a panel, they need someone quickly, there are lots of applicants etc then no.

why can't you reply to an email when you get home from work?

Leaving it 3 days sends a negative message that you're not keen or can't be bpthered or are just not very organised.

Leaving it 3 days sends a negative message that you're not keen or can't be bpthered or are just not very organised.

I agree.

Working nights is really hard but you always have time to look at emails just before or after sleep in the day time.

The market is moving very quickly. We hired a grad this week within 5 days.

Replies need to be quick or you might miss out. I wouldn't mind if a candidate asked to move the interview slot if they couldn't make it, but you'd have to understand that the roll could be filled by the time they get to your interview.

Good luck with your search.

I would expect someone actively job hunting to be checking emails at least daily.

A lot of people get a notification to their phone and respond almost immediately.

I'd say it sounds very normal, recruitment consultants are generally very active and keen to secure interviews for clients; the quicker someone is hired the quicker they get their (pretty decent in some cases commission).

DP has always used a recruitment company when job hunting and during these periods they do call and email constantly. Currently he is hiring using one and it is the same, lots of emails with prospective candidates pushing him to interview, even when they aren't quite up to par for the job spec. He is struggling to find a candidate, the good and proactive ones are snapped up by people who interviewed them earlier on and got a job offer in earlier.

As others have pointed out OP, do reply yes or no within 24 hours, nobody is likely to take it personally but if you want a job you need to respond promptly and give any dates you can't do for interview/suggest available times and make yourself available for them, especially if you see something you really want

@Elverybaby

I would expect someone actively job hunting to be checking emails at least daily.

A lot of people get a notification to their phone and respond almost immediately.

A reply within 24 hours seems reasonable, and its good to remember OP that you are competing against people who will reply within the hour, so most people who are interested will reply the same working day, so they'll think that everyone who's interested will have replied by then.

If you have a 'recruitment consultant' type contact, perhaps make them aware that you work nights so might not reply within normal timescales, but will try to reply within a day.

On the matter of interviews, it entirely depends on the job and type of organisation.

Formal recruitment into graduate programmes at bigger companies or the public sector is likely to involve longer timescales and set interview dates with a panel so you probably won't be able to change the date, but you should get more notice - at least a week or two, rather than 'can you come in for a chat tomorrow' type arrangements for smaller companies.

Surely it doesn't take more than a couple of minutes to scan for any job related emails before you go to bed at night?