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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think that people have no idea how to apply for jobs?!

511 replies

myteenytinyteapot · 17/07/2019 09:44

Just that really. Hiring for a senior admin person at the moment and have had hundreds of applications but honestly only about four shortlistable ones. I have had:

  • CVs which include full-length glamour model style photographs of applicants
  • CVs without cover letters when the advert clearly asks for a cover letter
  • CVs and cover letters riddled with spelling and grammatical errors
  • CVs which are 20 pages long and go into loads of detail about the hobbies and interests of the applicant. Also hardly anyone uses page numbers!
  • Cover letters which are obviously just generic copied and pasted mass send out jobs - "I am writing to apply for the position advertised". Couldn't even be arsed to put in the job title!
  • People applying who don't have any of the essential requirements listed

AIBU that I'm not surprised people can't get jobs if this is the general standard considered acceptable?!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Flooopers · 18/07/2019 23:25

Cover letters are an archaic thing

Completely disagree!

chubley · 18/07/2019 23:38

A couple of posters mentioned age discrimination - how depressing to think that over 40 or over 50 is considered 'past it', especially as the pension age keeps going up. I am over 50 and doing some of my best work ever, but not really having climbed the ladder. Yet it's difficult even to get another job where I am as an internal candidate. I use IT constantly, as do lots of others older than me, we manage better with computer systems than with loads of paper - recruiters please take note.

Sara107 · 19/07/2019 00:09

Haven’t read full thread, but wonder if some of the worse applications come from people who are claiming JSA. The Jobcentre set ridiculous targets for the amount of time you spend applying for jobs and you can be sanctioned for not applying for a set number of jobs per week or whatever task your ‘workcoach’ has set you. When unemployed, my dh had to apply for 3 jobs per week. If there wasnt something relevant he still had to send off applications anyway - so for eg ended up applying as a sales rep for a rabbit food company although his background is engineering / metal manufacturing.

ElleMac44 · 19/07/2019 03:12

I'm late 40s and was taught how to write a cv at school and secretarial college, when my daughter (who is Grammar school educated) came to write her CV for a part time job whilst at school, she had no idea, I taught her, as schools don't seem to teach them this basic life skill, they are all about exam marks and hitting government targets nowadays, everything is on Google and that is it, rather than be taught the art and skill of presenting a proper cv and covering letter.

Mylittlepea · 19/07/2019 06:03

This thread has made me LOL, I’ve seen so much of this.

I’m a veteran recruiter - 6/7 years as a manager, then 17 years in professional agency recruitment (yes I saved my clients £1000’s in time/money helping them sift out the 90% of poorly written applications received for every job, then carefully matching the good ones to the JD) THERE ARE GOOD AGENCIES OUT THERE but also loads of shit ones. Just like in any other industry.

More recently I’ve moved into Careers Education/Guidance in both FE & HE......so now guiding our future generation through the rocky road of recruitment.

I haven’t RTFT but a few mentions of lack of guidance in schools. Yes true but there’s change coming: www.gov.uk/government/news/careers-guidance-for-modern-country-unveiled

www.gatsby.org.uk/education/programmes/embedding-the-benchmarks-in-school-and-college-practice

Gonna take a while to make an impact though.

For those job seeking: please read the JD & Job spec to the letter and ‘match yourself’ to the job. Read it through the eyes of a recruiter - would you give yourself an interview if you’d just read it. Get advice. Use websites.

Check your privacy settings on your own social media. Employers routinely do this & ditch candidates based on what they see.
Get a good friend to google your name on their own PC/device & see what comes up......can be scary.

I could go on all day.....

Best of luck OP 😉 & wishing all the best those seriously job hunting x

Clankboing · 19/07/2019 07:07

Perhaps they really don't want the job, so they make it rubbish on purpose? They can say to the Job Centre that they have applied to x amount of jobs in x weeks.

AddNameHere · 19/07/2019 07:10

Is there anyone out there I could pay to help me with my cv and cover letter??

ohbutyoulovescarves · 19/07/2019 07:16

Haven't read the full thread but wanted to add something about candidates coming in for interview.

Don't be rude to the receptionist, we ask for their feedback after you've left.

Don't be too early, often we have candidates arriving 30 mins early (record was 50). Arriving too early is inconvenient for reception and for us and doesn't make us think you're super keen.

If you are early, sit quietly, this is not the time to take phone calls or play noisy games on your mobile.

RighteousSista · 19/07/2019 07:41

OP have you advertised your job on mumsnet?

Might get a better calibre of candidate?

#just sayin,'

BrightYellowDaffodil · 19/07/2019 07:49

My general advice is if there are more than 3 lines on the Person Spec then the job probably isn’t for you.

I wouldn’t agree with that at all, both my major roles to date have had large areas of expertise that I had no experience of, but I got the job anyway. It comes down to recruiters being able to see whether the skill set matches, but in order to do that they’ve got to understand skills versus experience (e.g. someone might be more than capable of analytical work but hasn’t had direct experience of data analysis), and many can’t do that. They can only compare experiences.

Crazyunicornlady · 19/07/2019 08:17

've also had people just email their CVs. Nothing in the subject title or the body of the email, no indication on which job they want to apply for, no cover letter...

^ This all the time!

We recruit via an application form yet receive so many CVs from people not following the instruction

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 19/07/2019 08:18

My general advice is if there are more than 3 lines on the Person Spec then the job probably isn’t for you.

What's that well-known research about men applying for roles when they only meet a few criteria, while women won't unless they meet all of them? if you honestly think you can do the job and can back it up, apply.

CV should be maximum of 2 pages. Size 12 pitch in a plain font such as Ariel. Type Curriculum Vitae in the centre at the top. Down two lines, type your full name: ie James Johnson. Put your name in pitch size 14 if you wish. Next, type your address below your name. Include your postcode. Put your email address and your mobile phone number

Old fashioned nonsense.
You need to get the best bits of your skills/experience/achievements right at the top, not waste it with valueless information like "Curriculum Vitae" and your full mailing address (name and email/phone yes). What next, put your school swimming certificates and DOB as well?!

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 19/07/2019 08:27

By way of example, 3 pics attached.

Pic 1 is random CV example off the internet. See how it gets straight into the meat of Jane's skills and achievements. then moves into direct, relevant contact information (including social channels); then her expertise. All clear and easy to see.

Pic 2 is how it looks as a whole page. Possibly a bit too busy, but she's packed it in and you've already had the highlights so this is expanding on that.

Pic 3 is the above "advice". Best part of half a page absolutely wasted before you even know anything about what James can do, is good at or has experience in.

to think that people have no idea how to apply for jobs?!
to think that people have no idea how to apply for jobs?!
to think that people have no idea how to apply for jobs?!
sashh · 19/07/2019 08:30

Just opened one that started with "Dear Sirs"

We are a women's charity and one look at our website would have told you that our staff are all women.

But that is the correct formal salutation when you do not have a named person to address.

Crazyunicornlady

I hate those, due to disability I find them really difficult to fill in. I have been known to send a CV with a request the employer make a, 'reasonable adjustment'.

Rufusthebewilderedreindeer · 19/07/2019 08:40

ut that is the correct formal salutation when you do not have a named person to address

When i was at school you could use Dear Sir or Madam

And you could use dear Madam especially if you know its run by females

BrightYellowDaffodil · 19/07/2019 08:54

I find them really difficult to fill in.

Out of interest, why is filling in a form different to creating a CV? My understanding of forms is that they a) make it easier to find specific information because it’s always in the same place and b) allows for names/gender/age/ethnicity to be blocked out and each application judged on its merit.

boringlyboring · 19/07/2019 09:08

How do you expect me to judge candidates without a cover letter telling me how they meet the job spec?

Wouldn’t the CV do that? Assuming an applicant is applying for a role they’re experienced in.

Some examples of duties from my CV

Maintaining project files, hard copy and electronic
Creating excel reports on production
Collating staff hours from timesheets
Managing email account, responding to enquiries and update requests
Cost control reports for projects
Ordering materials
Preparing consignment notes and material certs

This is just a basic example, there will be more bits in there in there relating to the industry to gi (ie what materials, what kind of projects, what costs, I do a bit of supply chain related work etc)
This tells you atleast that I have general admin experience, filing, IT literate, excel, email, financial data input, staffing, which is what I’d expect a general admin job to require.

There will be things on there that are self explanatory, eg if your spec says team work - teamwork will be implied through the part where I list the production support element (on my actual cv, not in this example).

This is in particular why I struggle with cover letters, as my CV (imoWink) does give loads of info, but bullet points and easy to read.

boringlyboring · 19/07/2019 09:10

relating to the industry to give context

Anyonebut · 19/07/2019 09:23

@BrightYellowDaffodil, just one example, if you have been through a non UK based educational system, I cannot tell you how annoying and Impossible they are.
I have GCSE and A-Level equivalents, but for instance, I took 8 subjects as A level equivalent, more at GCSE, and it is always impossible to fit them all in and/or find a comments section to explain all this.

NinjaInFluffyPJs · 19/07/2019 09:26

@Anyonebut oh god yes. We don't even do GCSE so my education starts at Alevel equivalent

NinjaInFluffyPJs · 19/07/2019 09:26

*education section

Anyonebut · 19/07/2019 09:27

And that is without even mentioning tge nightmare of trying to decide whether you grade is a B, an A or a an A*. In a CV you can explain or give percentages instead.

NinjaInFluffyPJs · 19/07/2019 09:32

I don't put gradesBlush It's been so long I didn't even think they mattered

Jiggles101 · 19/07/2019 09:41

I don't put anything except my undergrad degree, masters and post grad diploma - I figure if you have a degree education it doesn't matter about what happened before that plus my GCSEs are shite and I only have 1 A level

Anyonebut · 19/07/2019 09:48

Yes, these days I wouldn't need to, but when I had just graduated it was a huge pain in the arse..

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