To ditch the lot of them!

[kenobi]

I am currently wading my way through 180 applications for a job at my company. Have ditched ones with spelling mistakes (it's for a proof reader) and lack of experience.

AIBU to ditch the ones that say 'I know my talents will be a great asset at your company'? It makes me want to wag a finger at them and say "I'LL be the judge of that, young lady/man!"
And also all the ones which tell me how much this job will help THEIR career, as in 'This role will be the perfect opportunity to enhance my subbing skills.'

Or am I being an old misery guts?

kenobi - YANBU

I watch US television a lot and every time I hear the word "gotten" I turn into Victor Meldrew.

Am really rubbish at proof reading though.

I'm a sub-editor and got an interview for what became my second job solely because I put 'I love being a sub' on my covering letter. Every other candidate had hinted that they wanted to write.

Hearts as bullet points?! On an adult's CV?!

YABU. Many of us probably had CVs like that when young. I cringe when I think back to my CV trying to sound "confident" as everyone had advised. However if you choose someone who has "got it right" you might just be selecting a slimy charmer who's had advice on how to impress.

Do you want a job Cycle?!

Hehe, am 24 weeks pg unfortunately

When we recruited for an editorial positions, we used to ditch any letters that began: "I am writing to apply...", which was a bit harsh I thought. It is a nightmare applying for anything as an editor though as you ahve to be so careful how you phrase everything.

Mind I was always amazed by how many CVs used to arrive written on scraps of torn notepaper etc.

BTW Kenobi, I'm an editor and live in London, have children aged 6, 4 & 2 who would be happy to review days out for you! (Does the 2 year old rule me out?)

Oh, and please don't judge my writing skills by the standards of my MN posts, I currently have a sick two year old sitting on my lap, trying to type alongside me!

AND my keyboard didn't register my apostrophe on '24 weeks' pregnant'. Hehe

V. interested Staranise, want to PM me and I'll pass on my email address? The duties will be be far more fun than onerous as the reviews are only 150-200 words.

Gawd no I wouldn't take note of that - I'm posting about reading rubbish sub-editor CVs, at least 2 of my posts have mistakes in them and I have no sick baby on my lap!

Forum posts don't count...

Actually a teenage perspective would be nice too if anyone wants to volunteer theirs to be a reviewer from that age category?

Shopping Days you're probably right but I have to whittle them somehow...

DaemonBarber - I didn't mean you were a collossal knobcheese! I just meant that.... Oh nooooooo.....

Kenobi - have pmd you.

Just to put you all out your misery then, it was for a Dutch supermarket. I live in the Netherlands and the minimum wage is higher for anyone over 25. Age discrimination is still illegal though. I offered to put my hair in plaits and to start watching MTV and the interviewer actually laughed and suggested I apply at another branch so maybe all is not lost....... mind you, the uniform is yellow.

And re the dream job - barking!

my most jaw hit the floor applicant was for an unpaid runner on a documentary film... who had the balls to ask me if she would be able to come on the filming days abroad becasue she thought it would be more interseting than staying in the office logging shots! .....mmme yeah sure we'll pay for you to fly out with us, stay in hotels and umme watch us work!

No, too many brackets is Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. He'd open a set and not close them for several pages, inserting other sets in the meantime, and generally losing the plot and confusing me. I read the book back in the early 80's but it sticks with me even to this day!

Oochy-coochy?! Maybe you'd better google her!!!!

my DH would love that job, hes a right perfectionist with peoples english, and would be a great travel writer if he wasnt stuck in wales with me. he spends so much time reading travel books, and is in love with bill bryson! :)

ps, when not on maternity leave, i work in recruitment and sympathise greatly with the neverending pile of CVs!!!

so just give my hubby the job and torch the pile. watch it burn. very satisfying

YANBU

I am a secondary school teacher and one of the activities we do with year 11 is to ask them to fill in a very simple application form for a ficticious job. There are a few very basic instructions one of which is to write in black pen. We then put the vast majority straight into the bin, after a quick glance, in front of them. You can guess why! Then go through the process again, looking for something else. Usually we declare a need to 'readvertise' the position and they all end up in the bin in a matter of minutes. They find it quite shocking at first, and then funny. Hopefully they learn something from it...