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

[myteenytinyteapot]

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?!

@riceuten

Mine suggested media sales at a farming magazine and airport check in staff.

I’m also a postgrad with (at the time) 10 years experience in my area.

I worked in a very large recruitment agency I'm the 80's and the utter dross I received then, unsolicited for the most part, sounds remarkably similar to some of the stories. On there! I also did some part -time work in France, where photos are usually required and the covering letter handwritten. I don't know if they still use graphologists, but they did then. All those I couldn't read went in the bin, as did those where there were umpteen mistakes, crossings out etc. Imagine asking for a handwritten letter of motivation today, where I wonder if children are actually taught to write before they are given a keyboard!

another sterling piece of advice she gave to the guy who signed on before me was to "take off the 'other languages spoken'" from his CV "as it puts some employers off". Who'd want to work for an employer who DIDN'T want you to speak a second language?

Because it makes you look like a foreigner. I was given same advice. I am a foreigner 🤷

@NinjaInFluffyPJs Because it makes you look like a foreigner. I was given same advice. I am a foreigner

My surname kind of gives it away

riceuten I have a foreign surname. I’m born and bred white British native English speaking, but my DH is Danish and I took his name as my own name was dull and I fancied a change! Surnames can be misleading.

@riceuten mine too😂 I even asked about what to do with my name in that case. Nothing can be done apparently

StillCoughingandLaughing, thanks for answering me. Definitely not a job that would require relocation, it pays just above min wage, within retail.

I own a garage and advertised for a time served mechanic (or alternatively with extensive experience) with a driving license.

I had 9 applications, 8 of them didn’t have the relevant qualifications / experience (I think ones only job was in KFC) and the other applicant didn’t have a driving license.

Call my cynical but I think many of them were on job seekers and were just applying for jobs that they had no chance of getting, so their payments wouldn’t be stopped.

If you were in the UK none of your applicants would have had a driving license. Some might have had a driving licence though.

Are online applications sifted by real human beings or computer?

Every single application I've made on one of these has taken me hours, I've carefully gone through every single point on the Job/Person Spec and competencies, related my actual, real and extensive experience/qualifications doing almost that exact same job, ensured my usual immaculate spelling and presentation skills aren't contradicted by a sloppy lower case letter - and I've followed the submission requirements to the letter.

Each time I've had a generic 'you do not meet the requirements of the Job Spec' back.

Could it be anything to do with the fact that I've explained my gaps in employment truthfully? To be precise, I was ill and became disabled at that time - each time, they've been applications to Two Ticks Employers, including the main charity relating to my condition, that have rejected me.

But the most recent (where I knew a human being would definitely read it) led to interview and a job; they even said at interview they were very impressed by my application. So I can't be doing anything really stupid on the online forms and wonder whether there's a quiet bit of filtering being carried out on computer based applications with some companies - such as 'bring up everybody who uses the word 'disability' in their application and then chuck them in the bin.

Isn't a lot of it done using algorithms now, instead of actually employing the correct person? It drives me mad.

Interesting to read some of these stories.
I’ve come across a few CVs with bad spelling, irrelevant (and sometimes embarrassing) information. But my favourite was the guy who listed being Time person of the year 2006.

I appreciated the humour and understood that he wanted to stand out, but it just made him come across as a twat - especially considering the lack of relevant stuff.

Interesting that there’s some disagreement from recruiters on here about what to put on a CV, how much of the criteria you need to meet to apply etc. Makes me wonder how I can hope to make a successful application when every recruiter has different preferences!

Re the photos on CVs: My team actually remove photos and names from CVs before sending to hiring managers. They've all had extra training to be aware of, and counteract, any bias when writing job adverts too. Another thing is they push back on any managers insisting that they cant cope with flex working. Since we started recruiting like this we have measured huge leaps in gender diversity.
We are in a very male dominated industry and we're targeted to increase diversity so it's working well for us.

I do like the hobbies and interests sections on CVs...once I only rang a candidate because she competed in husky sled riding at the weekends which I thought was wonderful.

I actually went to a group interview recently where smart business attire was requested. I wore a blazer, skirt, blouse and smart black shoes. There were multiple people in jeans, t shirts and trainers! Baffling.

Re hobbies.

Yes we brought a candidate in for interview because she put circus skills and fire eating in her hobbies. We hired her as she was great. She didn’t have all the job related skills we needed but had such a good attitude that we decided we could train her in what she didn’t have.

BrightYellowDaffodil

My CV is already saved on my computer, I just need to tweak it. For some reason voice-type software doesn't like forms.

Some forms can only be filled in by hand. Even if it can be edited cut and paste from my CV can be quite painful.

MitziK

I've had similar. Sometimes I think the employer has a person in mind but has to advertise it.

I applied for a job to train as a teacher of the deaf, I had just about everything covered eg they wanted BSL level 1, or willing to learn BSL - I have level 3.

They also had the two ticks and claim to interview any candidate with a disability who meets the minimum requirements.

I didn't even get a 'no thank you'.

After a couple of months I asked my councilor to look into it (the job was a council one), they came back with, 'you have not led any INSET training'. This was one of the, 'desirable' criteria.

They obviously didn't expect anyone to apply who was not their chosen candidate.

I dont put hobbies on my cv at all Its one page: My name, number, email, main skills, previous jobs covering 8 years, education ( not school tho)
Maybe I should expand to 2 pages and find some interesting hobbies??

I can't fit mine on 1 page even without the hobby😮

Can anyone help me with a video interview? I've never even heard of this before. What's the reason you'd get this rather than a face to face interview?
Is it like a Skype interview? In that case it's to save the money and trouble of everyone coming down for an interview. Now locals and not locals have the same process so it's fair.

Or is it a video interview where the employer sends a list of questions his video or written and then the applicants film themselves answering the questions. Our work place just did this. They are trying out different things and this way they can scene out the first batch. The employer doesn't have to spend time interviewing several rounds and applicants can film it whenever.

@NinjaInFluffyPJs my CV hasn't been a page long since I was about 19.

The 1 page CV is an American thing. 2-3 pages is fine.

It depends on the sector. For academics, a ten- to fifteen-page CV is typical.

I always think the Hobbies and Interests section is a waste of time. As a colleague helping me screen CVs once said, ‘Does it really help to know a lot of people enjoy swimming, reading and cycling?’