To think that introverts are given a hard time by recruiters/potential employers?

[Rhine]

I've been looking for another job for a while now and I feel like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall. The modern recruitment process seems to be designed to favour extroverted people, placing introverts into situations that they will naturally struggle and feel uncomfortable in.

Gone are the days where you just popped off a CV or application form and if you were lucky then got a one to one interview with the manager, now before you even get to one one one you have these group interviews with bloody "role play" situations and "ice breakers" where you have to stand up and "sell yourself". FFS I'm an introvert, It's just not in my nature to sell myself and I find the role playing stuff stupid and awkward.

If it was a sales job I was going for I'd say fair enough, but you even have to do these silly "recruitment centres" for a job stacking the shelves in Tesco now, and that's only if you get past those awful aptitude tests that they make you do online which are always the kiss of death for introverts! It's like being on the fucking Krypton Factor!

I just wish employers would give introverts a chance and go back to the old methods of a face to face interviews. I know I've lost out on jobs that I KNOW I can do.

It's not fair, is it?

I can understand where Sienna is looking from but you underestimate the recruiters. They do realise when someone isn't giving someone else a chance, they want someone who is not only willing to listen but bring other people into the fold, listening to other people's opinions and being able to bounce off them.

A lot of universities do group interviews now and lots of introverts get in, they're not stupid and don't automatically go for the loudest most boisterous.

I design and run assessment centres at work. If I just did a straight forward interview, I would never get the right people. The assessment centres match the skills for the role.

Recently took on a number of Training Managers, who will be delivering training sessions to groups. Part of the assessment was for them to deliver a 30 minute training session. This very quickly sorted out the excellent trainers from the not so good.

Also did an assessment centre for some senior admin roles, where customer service, team working and Excel skills were vital. There was a group task to solve a specific work issue - the introvert in the group was brilliant. She didn't dive straight in, but listened, asked for opinions, reflected and encouraged everyone. There was also an Excel assessment and interview.

If there is something specific that you find difficult as an introvert, identify what it is and look for solutions to change it.

MorphineDreams
I can understand where Sienna is looking from but you underestimate the recruiters. They do realise when someone isn't giving someone else a chance, they want someone who is not only willing to listen but bring other people into the fold, listening to other people's opinions and being able to bounce off the

Exactly this - they're not just looking for a personality type and they're skilled enough to realise exactly what the dynamics are in that group.

YANBU

The whole modern interview system is very unfair on quieter people.
I much prefered the old way of sending off your form with a CV and then having a one on one interview. And then maybe going back for a further interview.
They get to know the real you that way.

I've noticed that extroverts seem to hate exams and prefer coursework, whereas we shy people don't mind them so much.
I'd much rather do a test/exam than have to do role play or sit before a panel (horror of horrors).

Being pedantic, there's a difference between being shy and being an introvert. I'm an introvert (eg I find noisy social situations draining and am really content living and working alone) but am confident and not shy (eg I can easily do a presentation in front of many people and can strike up a conversation with anyone).

The only experience I have of a team interview was hellish. We were given a problem and asked, as a group, to come up with a solution. What happened was while I was quietly thinking of what we could do the loud ones were bulldozing their way through it and looking really brilliant. I ended up looking like a wallflower with no ideas. But I did have ideas, only I needed a couple of minutes quiet before shouting my mouth off. Thing is, in a work situation I'm as capable as the next person dealing with real life problems. Grrr!

Surely though if you are introverted it is up to you to do something about it to build your confidence.

But, Why should an introvert try to change to an extrovert.
Why can't we just be who we are?

I know lots of introverts that are extremely hard workers and will come up with good solutions to problems.
So there IS a place in the workplace for these people.
It's up to bosses to have the brains to realise it,

sweetnessandlite

^The whole modern interview system is very unfair on quieter people.
I much prefered the old way of sending off your form with a CV...^

My grandad was most bemused when my brother was jobsearching in the 90s - he couldn't get over the whole CV thing and would just say "why don't you just go down in person and introduce yourself?". He also asked why he needed to resit his driving test and hadn't just passed it first time...

Sorry derail - just reminded me and made me .

^The whole world should read Susan Cains book .. 'Quite'
Introverts simply do not show their potential in group situations. So you get nothing from them. It is infact an extremelly unfair assessment process developed to favour the loud brash extrovert. Who is not always right regardless of how confident they appear.^

Quite.
I've noticed where I work that the gobby ones spend more time talking about a job than actually doing it.
The quieter ones often get on with the job in hand.

If I were a boss, I would make sure I had a good mixture of extroverts AND introverts.
They would compliment eachother nicely.

Introverts do not have confidence problems You just all seem to have a weird understanding of what it is.

I am not these people. I am perfectly capable of holding down jobs that mean I have to speak to people. work in teams, etc. I just prefer the times I am working on my own.

Really the understanding of 'introvert' shown here is sadly lacking.

I'm not sure I have such faith in recruiters as a whole. For every recruiter who is an expert there will be others who are only interested in the ticking of boxes.

The HR manager in a company I used to work for told me in a feedback interview that HR's job is not to find the best candidate, it is to identify the candidate who can tell them they are the best candidate. That has always stuck with me, and I'll be honest I found it a little depressing.

Also being introverted is not necessarily the same as lacking confidence, although of course they can overlap. My DH is confident enough but not talkative. If recruiters were able to seek references and view his work, they would be impressed. But if they sat him in a room and asked him to do a presentation it's entirely possible that he could open his mouth to speak and no words would come out. And that would be the end of the line. It's a shame.

I always found the introverts to the engine of any company I've worked for. Obviously you send your jazz hands types out front to do sales etc... Each person has a different skills set that suits their job. Agree that interview / recruitment process should not be one size fits all.

and to add, I'm an extrovert but woefully lacking in confidence, so I struggle to sell myself in a traditional interview. Whereas I do like assessment centre type things because they allow me to do rather than talk.

It's just that very very few recruiters in my area are big enough businesses to recruit in this way.

Sweetness I am not saying that an introvert has to try and change to an extrovert. I am saying that you need to try and work on building your confidence. As I said in my original post I find it difficult talking to large groups. Recently at our staff AMR we have to do a task and present our findings. There is one lady in our group who is very confident and doesn't mind talking in front of others so it was naturally assumed that she would do the presentation but I put myself forward to do it. I hated every second of it but I know that the only way to get over my fears is to face them.

It's not about lack of confidence.

Introversion and extraversion are nothing to do with confidence. It's all about how a person gets their energy. An extrovert will go out with friends at night to recharge their batteries and will recover their energy from being with people. An introvert will prefer to go home and will regain their energy from being by themselves.

Assessment centres are a game that people need to know how to play. Being too much of anything is a problem - too loud, too quiet are just as bad.

I am an introvert although extremelly confident as I have years of experience in what I do which means I come across as super confident extrovert in my working environment as I am in my comfort zone. I train. I give presentations and could give a speech in front of a room full of people. However put me in a room full of strangers, in a new working environment and that is no longer the case. It will take me a while to warm up and I would not come across nearly as well as I would in a one to one interview. Therefore a group situation where they asses me would be a failure. I would not do well at all. I would not impress and the recruiter would not see any of my talents or abilities.

I have recruited people. I would not recruit myself if judged in a group environment. You would have nothing to judge/assess me on unless it was a very long session.

Wow, I didn't expect this thread to get so many responses.

Why should introverts try and change they way they are? Why can't extroverts learn to be quiet and just shut up for once?;).... yes I know, a sweeping generalisation and it's not nice, but that's what it would be like if the boot were on the other foot.

There's this widely held myth that all introverts are sad, reclusive loners who dislike socialising or any kind of company but it couldn't be further from the truth. We struggle in large groups, and yes we get overwhelmed by for much stimulation but a few hours alone in peace recharging the batteries can sort that out.

I think forcing myself to watch extroverts and adapt their 'useful' traits at work ie. being assertive, being more social, has helped me in other ways, has made me a more rounded person and boosted my confidence. I am still happier with 2 or 3people socially than a group and role play brings me out in a stress rash, but i am better at my job and enjoy it more and feel a sense of achievement that i have done things that before would have bought me out in a cold sweat of fear & insescurity. We are all different tho and I was introvert bordering on hermit like ! I think i have found a middle ground now that works for me.

YANBU.

I should really be job hunting, but I can't face the trauma and I'm quite outgoing on the whole.

I've always walked in to jobs with no problem at all in the past, but the last interview I had really knocked my confidence. I was employed in a very similar job a few years ago (NHS) and the interview consisted of a chat and a phone call as soon as I got home to say that I had the job. I loved it and would still be there now, but had to leave because of moving house. Not only was this lasted interview a harrowing experience, but they didn't even bother to let me know that I hadn't been successful. In the old days an interview guaranteed a yes or no at some point. Very rude.

Trying to get a job has changed beyond all recognition and I'm not sure I'm up to the task.

latest not lasted

The whole interview process needs to be relevant to position and the skills required. It seems these days that most big companies have a generic process that requires candidates to jump through numerous hoops even if it is a very basic role.
These interviews can be especially daunting for introvert school/ college leavers trying to get a part time job or a first foot on the employment ladder. They might be clever, keen to learn and potentially excellent employees but they struggle to shine in these situations.

they allow me to do rather than talk.

This is the key issue. Whether Introvert or Extrovert, Shy or Confident.

Some people are Doers, some are Talkers, some are Writers.

And some are a mixutre of all 3.

(I'm a Doer - and fairly talkative when writing, but not so talkative verbally).

Going off at a slight tangent (but sort of relevant to the topic),

I also think that that whole ''please introduce yourself to the room and say something about yourself'' is a nightmare to most introverts (and shy people).

And yet it seems to be THE thing to do at EVERY single Course/Training event that is attended.

Why?
I don't make a mental note of where anybody's from - 5 minutes later I've forgotten.
. All I can think about is what I'M going to say.

My Brother is a college lecturer and he says he has stopped doing this barbaric practice, as he's noticed that it actually puts people off joining and he wants people to join.
He said that even the quietest person will eventually join in with things, if you leave them to go at their own pace.

I help do mock graduate assessments at the Business school of a university and we do look for all different types.
The most over confident people won't always score the best, although those who don't say much won't either.
It's about putting your point across in a calm way and explaining your rationale while also listening to others that will score the highest.
Those gobby over confident ones don't usually do too well in the group situations we score.
Time keeping and reading instructions properly are very important as well.

But that exactly the problem. Those of us who are caught like a deer in the headlights won't say much and therefore fail to perform in these assessments.

You cannot force an introvert to change the core of their personality because the way assesments are run work against them. You need to change the methods used to do the assessment in the first place. Otherwise you are not assessing that person but rather the character they are portraying for the purpose of the assessment.