Recruitment, can't believe how hard it is!

[Sunnydawn]

I read and hear so much about people wanting flexible working, and how so many people are stuck in dead end jobs, or on zero hours contracts.

But, I am involved in recruitment for two jobs right now, one a professional job in a lovely environment, as a part time job share. The other, a part time, flexible, admin job, again in a lovely office, with training and a good career if you want it.

And no decent applicants! No applicants for the first. Loads who have applied for the latter, but ecan't even attempt the basics forvan interview or trial (ie. turning up in time, dressing half smart, answer a phone).

Frankly, I despair. What are people doing? Where are they working/wanting to work?

These are different places, by the way, so it's not the particular environment.

BabyG

The experience you are getting is very valuable, in a relatively highly paid industry overall. If you are managing these projects well your skills are very much needed. You will get paid more in future, or can push for more. Get your feet under the table more where you are. Register with some agencies. You will get something better eventually, and don't be afraid of aiming high with a different company or using another job offer as leverage to get a promotion or bigger pay rise. Men do.

Venus is right. If you haven't got a PM qualification then get on Groupon and find a deal for doing PRINCE2. If you want to continue in PM then that will help get your market price up. Good PMs are worth quite a bit and you can transfer across multiple industries and sectors.

She used to bin all the CVs and application forms with her own name spelled incorrectly [ie they can't even COPY correctly]. When you receive 100's of applications you have to start somewhere.

This was for fairly basic admin/clerical jobs where accuracy was an essential requirement.

I have seen a fairly recent advert for software developers actively encouraging applications from people on the autistic spectrum. Makes a welcome change from employers deciding whether to recruit on the basis of one interview.

I think if she can manage web development projects effectively she'll be able to command an even higher rate. I agree re PRINCE2. I haven't done it yet, but I do know how to work with it. But I think the thing to do a course in for web development is Agile project management, from the little I know.

Agree re: Agile. But PRINCE2 is a cheap and quick way of getting a qualification on your CV. Lots of firms will not take into account your experience unless you have a qual to back it up - especially if you have a job title that doesn't reflect what you actually do.

I would love to do a job share as was working part-time in London (3 days a week) in my last job until role was made redundant. However as my marriage has broken down I need to work full-time but locally (to be nearer home for DD). Of course I'm willing to take a cut in pay but it's proving difficult to find a fairly decent pay in a permanent role.

Paul and venus, your advice is great.

Yes, I need to get quals and think about moving forward with this. See it as a stepping stone and a learning experience.

About clients, am receuiting them from scratch. (This is the bit I find hardest, sometimes I think it's me, but then I think: wait! This IS hard)

I have 150 calls to make, but it is a potential customer list I have created myself.

BabyG - well you have two options for taking things further. You could look at a business development position - if you enjoy recruiting leads and getting clients on board. If you prefer the testing and organisational aspect then go for project management. I have seen offers on Groupon for PRINCE2 for £200-£300 so if you're interested in that avenue then it would be worth pursuing.

The key is to establish what you are worth. Do not look at a job description and think that you can only apply if you can do everything on it. This is where M and W tend to differ - a bloke will apply to test the water whereas a woman tends to be put off if they can't tick every single box. If you use a recruiter then it's worth going to one that specialises in your industry. If you don't go via a recruiter then be prepared to negotiate hard on salary - as the hiring firm will be saving the 15-30% they'd have to pay in fees!

I know what you mean BabyG. I have to recruit people for research purposes and it's the hardest part of my role.

Maybe you aren't paying enough, or the hours aren't enough. People want full time jobs to pay the rent, not a few hours here and there for pocket money. And to be fair, they can't possibly know about the lovely office and the friendly staff til they get there, can they?
Perhaps the problem is with your recruitment and you haven't spelled out what you really want but somehow expect people to guess?
Offer people a full time job with a decent wage, tell them what you are really looking for, in specific detail, and in my experience (ten years in employability) you'll have people breaking down the door to get in.
You can't always blame the candidates.

True for some people but many people only want part time hours as evidenced on here

Yeah I don't think you can generalise about people's hours requirements. If you're in a specific geographical area where there's a shortage of FT or a shortage of PT, that's different, but otherwise not.

Zero hours are a difficult one. Like a lot of things, they're not intrinsically bad in themselves. In a less toxic economic climate, they're fine. Can be very useful, as they give employers who want flexibility and uncommitment and employees who want the same things, a chance to do business together. The problem comes when they become an expectation, or when the job market is such that people are effectively forced to accept them.

Hi, OP again just with an update...

We interviewed again last week, offered the job starting today. She seemed keen, eager to start etc.

Due to start at 8.50am this morning. Hasn't turned up!

That's so rude!

We had someone claim they had been injured in a car crash to get out of starting...We'd kept the vacancy for them beyond our intended start date as they were on maternity leave and didn't want to go back yet.

Oh dear. That's incredibly poor.

I just want an employer who'll let me have a little bit of flexibility.

Sunny, was that for the 50k job?!

How weird and unprofessional (whatever the salary)

Prince2 is a minimum in PM. In practise most people want MSP, Scrum/Lean, too, plus experience managing projects. But if you have prince2 and 10 years relevant PM experience you will get past the first stage usually.

I did a PRINCE2 when I was considering changing industries but what I hadn't foreseen was that pretty much all PM jobs in my area are for IT, and I knew nothing about that.

I've only just found this thread, and have read most of it...

I'm wondering if we shouldn't turn all this around, and have a section where those of us who are looking for work, should write up a brief (and HONEST) piece about

Who we are
What kind of job we want
Where we want it
And what our requirements are.

I want to return to work after a long spell out of employment. I've volunteered during most of the time I've been out, but crave some kind of routine, and a chance to just get out of the house and mix with like minded people. Childcare NOT an issue. I also want my own money!

At the moment, it's looking like I need to set up my own business, as I'm going to struggle to convince anyone that I'm a suitable candidate.

Tina- IT project management isn't so very different to other projects. It just requires more focus on the delivery which is why in big companies you'll often have 2 pms - one for the technology and one overall. Good quality pm experience is more important tho.

I personally prefer a job that lets me work from home as much as I need to, and that is more important to me than p/t working or flexi-time. When commuting to London 2 or 3 days working from home makes it easier to manage your time more effectively.

Cocoa, what a good idea! I'd love to be able to be honest. Meantime, it might be worth having a look at Timewise jobs. What field is your volunteering in (if you want to say?).

cocoa set up a thread. It would be great to see who's out there on MN.

Lalsy interesting website. Not much for me on there at the moment, but will check back regularly.

Thomas - it's an interesting idea! Maybe I will start a thread...