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Original poster

Why is it so hard to recruit?!

98 replies

Jessforless · 04/12/2023 22:12

I’m so confused and a bit disappointed. I’m recruiting for what I think is an amazing role in my team at work (it used to be mine) and it’s a great salary, a very detailed job brief and the duties are brilliant. I loved the role, it has an exciting and truly enjoyable aspect and lots of benefits and holiday.

The applications are frankly - terrible.but only because it’s like people haven’t read it! Imagine the job is tech (it’s not) there are people with absolutely no tech experience sending in CV’s with no covering letter.

There are applicants who are students (and it’s not a small salary, much higher than the average) and applicants who work as bartenders and delivery drivers (nothing wrong with this - just absolutely nothing to do with the role!)

Out of 60+ applicants - there’s not one I can invite to an interview.

Is this just me? What is going on?! It’s such a lovely job, with a great package. (I promise, I’m not being blinkered) When I went for the role there were so many great applicants apparently. How has time changed so much that now it’s so difficult to fill to role or even find one person to bring in?

OP posts:
fuckityfuckityfuckfuck · 04/12/2023 22:23

I'd say you need to update the person spec if you're getting mostly unqualified applications. What's the job?

Preschoolmum78 · 04/12/2023 22:24

I’ve been struggling for almost a year to find the right role now. Many which I have experience/ meet all essential criteria fall into two categories:

  • require driving license or ability to travel through a wider operational area - I don’t drive (which is becoming more common) as driving tests are gold dust and lessons are expensive.
  • require occasional time outside of usual working hours so evenings/weekends/ travel or specific shift work allocated. More office based roles have specific times. This is all incompatible with family life or could potentially signal a less desirable workplace regarding respect for employees time.

Is it in an area which is increasingly difficult to break into? People may not have the experience. Salaries don’t reflect accurately anymore. There are plenty of skilled individuals on low salaries and those lucky enough to get a well paid role straight off the bat.

60 also seems quite low, have you tried using a recruitment agency?

EmmaEmerald · 04/12/2023 22:24

Where did you advertise?

ATaleOf2Cities · 04/12/2023 22:24

I would start with - where is this job being advertised? Are people with the skills you want going to look there? If LinkedIn is or a promoted role? If you type a few key words into LinkedIn jobs does yours come up?

You might also find it has been scraped by third party sites who only put half the info. And/or various people are applying to hit quotas of jobs they have applied for despite patently not being qualified. Have you reposted it on LinkedIn and asked colleagues or contacts to share with their networks?

if that doesn’t work I would speak to specialist agents - what is the market like for this, are you paying enough, is there something off putting? If you instruct them it is expensive but they will be able to approach people. You might be surprised about what you hear.

Shinyandnew1 · 04/12/2023 22:27

If 60 people have applied and not one is suitable for being called for interview, it suggests there is something very wrong with the job advert or where you are advertising.

aswarmofmidges · 04/12/2023 22:29

It's possible that sone have probably the right skill set but have been unable to get the right job, or who you may be able to train easily into the role

We took a chance on a guy who didn't have the key skills but who has other skills that to me said he had the right type of brain to learn the key skills - and he's ace

APurpleSquirrel · 04/12/2023 22:30

My DH finds the same when they're recruiting for his team - but he knows it's because the salary is low compared (civil service).
They get lots of under qualified students etc & lots from overseas.

Is the role office-based, hybrid or remote? I'm hearing a lot that many don't want to be back in the office full-time so are avoiding or leaving those jobs for hybrid or fully remote.

What's your package like? Are you wanting young people or older people? As different packages will appeal to different people at different life stages.

EarringsandLipstick · 04/12/2023 22:31

No, I hear you OP.

I've been recruiting for roles in a university teaching team. We get very large numbers of applicants - 60 - 100.

For some roles, there's a mandatory academic & or

Original poster
Jessforless · 04/12/2023 22:34

Thanks for the replies!

it’s hybrid, it’s flexible, it’s in events and it’s for a large corporation who have advertised it everywhere, all the job sites I’ve heard of and I’ve posted it and it’s been reposted by a lot of colleagues.

I promise there’s nothing wrong with the role. It really is the most lovely job. I felt super lucky to have it and can’t believe the pool of applicants.

I guess maybe the time of year might have an impact?

OP posts:
EarringsandLipstick · 04/12/2023 22:34

EarringsandLipstick · 04/12/2023 22:31

No, I hear you OP.

I've been recruiting for roles in a university teaching team. We get very large numbers of applicants - 60 - 100.

For some roles, there's a mandatory academic & or

App glitch! Again!

.. a mandatory academic & professional qualification, which allows us to weed out many applicants.

But even after that, there will be many who have no experience at all of the role - and have made no attempt to suggest relevancy via their cover letter & CV.

It's very dispiriting. In my case, I think the COL & housing challenges (I'm in the Greater Dublin area) combined with the lack of mobility post-Covid & WFH, has been a large part of it.

EarringsandLipstick · 04/12/2023 22:35

Jessforless · 04/12/2023 22:34

Thanks for the replies!

it’s hybrid, it’s flexible, it’s in events and it’s for a large corporation who have advertised it everywhere, all the job sites I’ve heard of and I’ve posted it and it’s been reposted by a lot of colleagues.

I promise there’s nothing wrong with the role. It really is the most lovely job. I felt super lucky to have it and can’t believe the pool of applicants.

I guess maybe the time of year might have an impact?

Yes, definitely time of year. Mid-January is a good time to advertise.

Original poster
Jessforless · 04/12/2023 22:38

I just can’t believe the amount of people who apply with no covering letter or the letter says the wrong company even. I am a bit dispirited too. I guess I may go to LinkedIn and try to find people to reach out to… can’t think of what else to do.

In the industry it’s a very good salary with very good benefits. Comparably, I doubled my salary almost coming into this role and came from a similar company. They’re very generous.

OP posts:
EarringsandLipstick · 04/12/2023 22:40

Yes, I've had letters where the wrong role is referenced 🤦🏻‍♀️

ginislife · 04/12/2023 22:45

Yep. It's hopeless. Loads of overseas people wanting you to sponsor them to come to the UK, lots who you wonder if they even read the advert. Appalling spelling and grammar. I despair.

Namenumber3 · 04/12/2023 22:49

Are you being too niche ? If you want someone with experience in the sector, recruit in the sector.
Thousands of teachers are leaving teaching. Degrees, personable, tech skills, think on their feet, put in the hours etc. Most of them could do most jobs frankly. I think many sectors have weird ideas about what makes a good candidate.

KnickerlessParsons · 04/12/2023 22:55

Can I apply?

TippledPink · 04/12/2023 23:01

My husband has the opposite problem, he has been applying for jobs and only one has got back to him. Things he has some experience in but no qualifications. He is so able though and spends ages in his applications just to get rejected. We can only put it down to his age, he is 54. Only one job has ever got back to him and he interviewed three times and at all 3 interviews the HR person kept asking why he wanted the job at his age, isn't he too old to travel 40 minutes to work etc. It was clear there was a problem with his age even though he had great experience in that field. He has years left of work!! Not good for his self esteem.

tescocreditcard · 04/12/2023 23:05

Check your software. I strongly suspect that a lot of job applications don't even get past the software. I'm especially suspicious about the NHS jobs website. So test the websites. Apply yourself and check that your application gets through.

The unsuitable people applying are just a nuisance really. When someone is on jobseekers allowance they have to evidence that they have applied for a certain amount of jobs so they apply for totally unsuitable jobs (in case they get offered it lol).

Does your company offer a financial incentive to staff members who bring new members on board? My last company paid £750 for successful applicants and most new recruits came from that - because people generally speaking know other people who work in similar industries.

CyberCritical · 04/12/2023 23:06

I've had this issue for Cybersecurity/GRC roles. In our case it seems to be one of a few reasons.

  • cybersecurity bootcamps - they promise a job at the end of the course, the strategy seems to be to provide template CVs and assist students with spamming that CV out to every advertised role regardless of how suitable it is. Realistically if you've learned everything you know about cyber in a 12 week course then you will only be immediately suitable for an entry level position.
-UC rules that people need to evidence that they have spent 36 hrs a week job hunting, so people are applying for anything and everything.
  • a lack of basic comprehension and over confidence that if they fancy the look of the title they can probably bluff their way through the interview.
  • AI generated CVs, people feed the job advert into Chat GPT, give it a summary of their work experience and get an overly exaggerated CV spat out the other end.

After wasting huge amounts of time sifting through hundreds of shit CVs and interviewing people who as it turns out had lied on their CVs I ended up using an agency. Yes it's expensive, the bill for the last recruit was £12k but it saved weeks of work and more importantly filled the position so we could actually get work done.

Doyoumind · 04/12/2023 23:06

This is why paying a fee to a (good) recruitment agency is worth it. There are ones that specialise in events that are likely to have good candidates. There are people out there but they often aren't looking in the standard places, or they might be in a role and not looking but open to something if it's presented to them.

mantyzer · 04/12/2023 23:06

Part of it is DWP rules. You have to apply for lots of jobs, but for a lot of people there are only so many jobs they are realistically going to get. So I know I applied for jobs I wanted and had a chance of getting, and then lots I gad zero chance of getting. With the latter I only applied to firms I know I would not be seriously applying to for a job. So lots of tech firms in my case.

RudsyFarmer · 04/12/2023 23:07

My partner has huge problems recruiting within his niche STEM role. He said they just aren’t getting the graduates coming through. He is convinced our eleven year old is currently employable as there is just no one out there.

Doggymummar · 04/12/2023 23:08

An events role could be done by someone with bar or shop experience. It's customer service. I wouldn't discount them. I'm a marketing director and have never worked in marketing but I was an events planner and conference and banqueting manager in a five star hotel, it's all transferable skills.

ACynicalDad · 04/12/2023 23:09

Keep it open to mid jan, people aren't looking now but they will be bored at home by about 28th Dec and will apply then.

tescocreditcard · 04/12/2023 23:11

Does it involve week-end working? That tends to put a lot of people off.

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