To think if you are mounting most of your applications should lead to an interview

[Drqedwa]

I'm a professional. Got offered a job after qualifying with the department I trained in. Applied for 10 permanent jobs. Got 10 interviews and selected the 5 I felt had the most potential. In the end I had 5 job offers and went for the job I have now.
I am qualified for a specific job that not many are qualified in. Therefore there will be less applicants. i understand that. However, I was speaking to a friend of mine today who informed me that she had applied for over 100 jobs from cleaning to teaching assistant jobs (the job she really wants and went to college to get a relevant qualification in) and has had no interview offers. she is at the end if her thether and considers this normal and just the way the job market is.

AIBU to think thats absurd? I understand not getting a job interview with every job application is not the norm but surely it is normal to get an interview with the majority of the applications you write?

My friends teaching assistant qualification is clearly not enough and she will need more experience. its not 'the job market'.

I have only ever worked in my specialist field so have never needed to navigate the job application process in the way someone like my friend has so im genuinely interested to know. AIBU to think my experience of job hunting is more common than my friends exoerience?

On average how many applications would you need to write before getting an interview?

Errr yes you're totally unreasonable. Your friends experience is pretty standard I'd have thought for minimum wage type jobs. are people really that out of touch with reality

A hundred applications and no interviews is not very unusual at all. When I first started looking for a job after uni, I was well into the 200s before I even got a phone interview. You just have to keep at it - as the comedian Richard Herring said, "If you throw enough shit at a wall, some of it is going to stick."

I've also recruited and have seen some shocking CVs which I cannot imagine would result in an interview for the applicant no matter how many companies they sent it to.

It may be that you friend is not tailoring her CV to individual jobs? It's important to do this, even a cleaning job will be beyond you if you appear over-qualified as they will expect you to move to something better as soon as you are able.

Personally these days I prefer the targeted approach - I think it is better to spend a day on a perfect application rather than rush out 20 copies of my CV with no tailoring to the job I am applying for. This might not apply to someone just starting out though.

Also... get them to treble-check their phone number, email address etc. The perfect CV has been torpedoed by mistyped contact details more than once!

Not at all the case in every field. I'm an editor and when I was made redundant I applied for 28 jobs and got 8 interviews over the course of six months. So there were only a handful of things I could apply for each month and widening my options to consider lower paid work wasn't possible, as any less money wouldn't have covered childcare and we weren't eligible for any help with costs.

My husband works in IT and he can apply for dozens of jobs a week when he's looking - sometimes he gets no interviews, sometimes several in a week.

YABU.

I've been stuck in minimum wage retail/hospitality jobs since leaving uni a few years ago. I've not had a single interview, not even after what I sent off what I felt was a really strong application as I actually had the relevant experience and skills for the role.

I have a "master CV" (looked over by DM's friend's husband who works in the HR department of a well known multinational company) that I use as a base for the CVs that I send off and I really make an effort when filling in the application forms to ensure I provide solid examples of the competencies they're looking for but I still haven't got anything. I think part of the problem is they want experience for everything, even entry level admin jobs (which is what I'm going for at the moment) even though in my opinion most people are capable of typing up documents and filing/photocopying etc.

I have so much to give as an employee and it's honestly so depressing to think that so far not one employer has seen any potential at all. Right now I feel like I'm going to be stuck in low wage, underemployed roles forever when my peers seem to be establishing careers for themselves.

You are very lucky that you have the qualifications and experience for a specific job.

Hmm, I applied for many many jobs online and didn’t hear a thing back. I only got the job I’m just starting due to it being in the same building as my previous place and I decided to ask the manager if he had anything going.

That's how it works. I got my last job before the one I have now because, at company C, I got a cup of coffee at the same time as a consultant. He told me someone we both knew had just got a job at company A, earlier that week, where I had worked too. On my way back to the desk I realised there was now a vacancy at company B, as she had just resigned. I wrote a letter to the CEO of company B, they had not started looking yet, and I had the necessary qualifications and got the job and resigned from company C shortly after.

I'm like you, I work in a niche industry and for my last 3 jobs have been specifically headhunted.

A friend of mine, however, is applying for NMW jobs and has been for over a year since she decided to go back to work following a few years as a SAHM. She hasn't had one interview and rarely even has any acknowledgement of her application, any rejections etc.

Most schools want a TA with previous experience in school. I had to volunteer for a long time and supply in various schools before I opted for a long term post.
That is probably why your friend is struggling to get interviews

When applying for jobs (within the last 5 years), I applied for anything and everything in the industry I was experienced in. I had 10 years of various experience within the industry, and tailored several CVs to send in support of my applications. The jobs I applied for were all related, I was experienced enough to do any of them. I applied for more than 60 jobs in each week I was job hunting. I applied for 5 weeks before I got a single interview, no replied or acknowledgements from any of the others.

It's tough out there.

job hunting not mounting
Let’s hope the job your hunting for isn’t proofreading
Seriously though, if you’re qualified in a specialist field, and that’s all you’ve ever done and all you’ve ever applied for, your experience isn’t surprising. Neither is your friend’s, sadly.

our school gets about 20 applications for every TA job, and shortlists 4/5.

If she is never getting a short list she should get help with her applications though, as we woudl usually interview someone with the relevant qualification. (don't always pick the mots experienced)

On the other hand, teaching jobs at the moment are hard to fill, and some posts are readvertised as no suitable applicants

I suppose it depends on whether you’re applying for suitable jobs. If I apply for 100 jobs as an astrophysicist I doubt I’d get a 2nd look as I don’t have any relevant qualifications or experience, but also if an astrophysicist applied for a job in Sainsbury’s I wouldn’t expect them to get it either. What I’m trying to say is instead of wasting their time applying for a massive amount of jobs, maybe your friend should take a more tailored approach based on their qualifications, experience and interests?

Also if she particularly wants to be a TA and is having no joy, maybe she should consider volunteering in a school for a bit to try and get a bit more experience under belt x

Ahem..you’re not your (it’s ok, I’m not a proofreader)

I have no qualifications and only ever worked in minimum wage jobs. I was out of work for 3 and a half years at one stage. It is really tough when you're in that position.

I understand not getting a job interview with every job application is not the norm but surely it is normal to get an interview with the majority of the applications you write?

HA!
Funniest thing I've read in a long time!

Applying for entry level jobs such as those your friend is going for will mean lots of competition because more people are applying. However, I would say she needs to get her applications/CV looked at as it sounds as though she isn't selling herself correctly.

If she wants to be a TA can she do supply? My SIL did supply TA work and it lead to a permanent position - she has to apply for the permanent job but her having been on supply in the school certainly helped her.

I would say for every 10 applications to expect between 2 - 4 interviews if you are an average candidate.

You're having a laugh!!

I'm a senior manager level professional in a fairly specialised field, but one that has lots of transferable skills.

In the last 6 weeks I have applied for 40+ jobs, all of which were either in my field or ones very close. There is nothing wrong with my cv, it's always tailored to the roles I'm applying for along with the covering letter, I have heaps of experience recruiting so I know what recruiters look for.

I've had 2 interviews and 3 rejections. The other 35 I didn't even get a response to.

I'm not convinced the roles are even all genuine vacancies, I think at least a third are agencies "fishing" for candidates that they then try to "sell" to employers who are not even looking for staff.

7 years ago I went through the same when I last was looking for a new role.

I feel your friends pain, it's soul destroying.

I've known job applications be rejected for the most basic of reasons when they are in application for entry level roles. One role we recruited for was an entry level admin role, we got over 70 applications, so we rejectedfor really simple things like spelling the company name wrong, obvious typo's, oddly formatted CV's, no covering letter, all sorts of stuff before we even read the content of the applications. We had to, you have to whittle down 70 plus applications somehow and no one has the time to read each CV and guage the merit of each application. It's depressing, but sadly the reality at the moment.

I’m feeling quite chuffed after reading some of these posts.

I’m trying to get a job after 19 years as sahm, low level admin roles I guess you’d call them, local council, nhs etc. Sent off 10 applications, have had two interviews (unsuccessful) but just been asked to an interview of a job i really really want.

Sounds like I’m having quite a high application to interview success. Quite encouraging after such a long time out, but the saving grace I think is that I have done administrative volunteering for 6 months.