Closing Job Application Process Early

[CockatooZoo]

Just wanting some thoughts on this. I was applying for a job under the guaranteed interview scheme, I would have been offered an interview as I met all the criteria and had several years experience with all points of the criteria, qualified in the subject area and worked at a more senior level to this role in another organisation (similar).

I read through the application thoroughly and had worked on my draft application for quite a while, adjusted my CV and ensured everything was easy to link together to demonstrate the competencies. It also included a personal statement which I wrote from scratch.

There was no mention of rolling applications or that applications would close early for any circumstance on the website.

I went to submit the application on Friday (having had a reminder email at midnight) and they had closed it early. I have been told it's because they chose the candidate.

Now, I have a big issue with this because I feel it puts women and people with disabilities at a huge disadvantage. I feel really off that they have closed it on the final day of school closures, before a weekend (when partner's could have been in a better position to provide childcare) and with zero information about the possibly this would happen.

I have emailed HR but had no response yet.

Must admit I'm always suspicious of early closing dates (that's both recruiting periods that are very short and recruiting periods that are closed early). Totally coincidence that these post tend to go to the internal candidate. I have no problem with this - if the fit is good between employer and employee - great. What I object to is being used to fulfil the company's Equal Ops policy. Sorry slightly off the point there....

[quote CockatooZoo]@MereDintofPandiculation but it would have also given everyone a fairer chance to submit an application that could have been considered.

I would not mind if they had actually canned me after the process of selecting a candidate - really doesn't bother me, but I wasn't given that chance.[/quote]
What I was meaning was that they can either close applications when they have enough people to interview; or "continue to receive applications until the closing date" in which case, in practice, they wouldn't have looked at any of the late applications, they'd have just gone in the bin unopened.

Of course, in the latter case the difference for you would have been you should have been guaranteed an interview but wouldn't have got it because they wouldn't have read your application, whereas if they close applications they're on safer ground because your application would have arrived too late.

It would have been fairer if the advert had made it clear that applications might be closed early.

Those who really want a particular job manage to find the time to fill in an application. It really really isn't that hard.

As a single parent of 3, working full-time, & more or less fully occupying a parental role (limited involvement from ex), I can say that it's not that easy.

For me, if I really wanted a role, I'd be able to find the time - but I do not have a disability.

However, if the application closed early, I'd lose out - as I don't have the option to do it at the first opportunity in every case.

Typically, women bear the greater load both in married relationships & most definitely in divorce / separation. Working mothers in this situation have to be all things to all people - work, children - and trying not to let it show, because, IME, there's still judgement, hidden or overt, around single mothers.

Throwing in a significant piece of work like a job application can be enough to tip everything over into unmanageable territory. I've been there.

"continue to receive applications until the closing date" in which case, in practice, they wouldn't have looked at any of the late applications, they'd have just gone in the bin unopened.

Then they are a totally shit organisation. Nowhere I've ever worked (I've been involved in recruitment quite a lot) would ever do this.

Allow candidates to legitimately submit applications up to the closing date, and not even look at them?!!!

This should have been mentioned on the original advert. It’s super common in teaching to see ‘We reserve the right to close early if we feel we have a strong enough field’.

OP can I ask if you would still have applied/ started applying if the ad stated they might close early?

Most jobs these days don't accept cvs anyway. All of the jobs I have applied for in the past few months have had insanely long online forms and even the previous employment and education sections have taken hours to complete. Then there is the 1000 word essay matching the job spec etc. Definitely not things to complete ideally when wrangling toddlers or exhausted after a long day at work. I never realised that some recruiters consider early applicants more suitable and find that quite unfair as everybody fits things around other commitments if they know the closing date. Thank God I got a new job recently as the whole process is tedious. It's about time there was a standard sheet for the basic information to save pointless repetition .

I usually hand my applications in with hours (sometimes minutes) until the deadline because I have 4 children and a job.

Sound to me like they already had a candidate lined up , either internal or external, but were obligated to advertise the role. Happens all the time. Personally I’d rather miss the deadline than be out through the whole process only for someone to be already tapped for the role.

@dontdisturbmenow

It's well known that short deadlines disadvantage female applicants Because Cari g children makes it much harder to apply to a job than working 40h a week and having even less opportunities to find even 10 minutes to do something else then your job! Because you know, men are more likely to work FT...

Give me a break! Is this where we are going? The moment they are not happy because things didn't go their way, the sexist card comes out?

Men have caring duties just like many mums work FT. Those who really want a particular job manage to find the time to fill in an application. It really really isn't that hard.

Finally a bit of common sense!

@orpah already answered.

I really don't ascribe to the female aspect. I am applying and have been sole childcare to two dc due to DP working away. (And before anyone jumps on the bandwagon I have been an actual single parent I am not saying they are the same but in terms of time access currently it is similar ).

If you want a job then apply for it. Disability yes I can understand the restriction and for that it is unfair. However playing the woman card is crap. We wonder why employers still see us as snowflakes around childcare ? This is why. I have spent decades working in some truly male dominated workplaces. I refuse to bow to rules that truly disadvantage me but I am so sick of women popping up expecting the world to revolve around them because they have children.

I chose to have my children and I expect fair treatment not special measures either way. If you cannot find time in the week to apply then you aren't appropriate for the job. You don't get to winge that you had to look after your children. If you really want it you will find a way.

Stop touting the secism card because it loses value when we need to highlight actual unfairness , actual sexism. It dilutes the times when we actually need something to change because its hurting us. This crap undermines women trying to make real change , fair change because some drum banger wanders up with entitlement masking as joining the fight.

Yes childcare at the moment is incredibly hard (seriously I have a partner working away each week , absolutely no family to help out and no friends that are in the position to help so believe me when I say I understand the issue with finding childcare to work) but that doesn't apply to sitting down and putting an application in. That can be done after hours. Even if you have to do it each night for half an hour at a time.

Stop undermining every damn thing women fight for by being an entitled pain. That said disability is a genuine issue here so for that , entirely fair enough to raise it. Leave the woman bit out of it.

Why did my message get deleted for calling @user643289 a bully?

They are quite literally picking on the op

This is nothing new, it's been going on for years. If companies feel they have enough to work with and start their selecting they will.

@Okbussitout I think it's because their post was deleted.

YANBU. Some harsh comments here. If the organisation expects a lot of applications then shorten the deadline so it's clear to all parties at the outset. It DOES take time to do a good application and conversely takes no time to submit a completely generic CV that will waste the recruiters time. At least you have updated your CV and now have good material for a future application, and wish you good luck in your job search.

I agree this goes on but it is rather silly because ideally in a job you'd like to recruit someone already busy doing a similar job and not someone with lots of time as they're not so employable! I have definitely not applied for teaching posts as I haven't got time. They can take several evenings to do. It's well overdue for sectors like health and education to have a common application form. You tend to spend 90% of the time cutting and pasting information into a different format.

These processes do impose different burdens on people with different home set ups and could be discrimatory.

Even if they had kept it open they would likely have only read the applications until they had enough suitable candidates to interview - they do have other things to do with their time. If you were at the end of a big pile you would still miss out so always worth getting in quickly regardless. And I have been the one sifting through the pile and not getting to the end because I was having to do it in the evening to fit it in.

How long was the actual advertisement/application open OP? 2 weeks? Less? I think 2 - 3 weeks is a reasonable time to enable all suitable applicants to apply.

I've spent my career in the public and not for profit sectors and we've never closed a recruitment early as far as I can recall. We would usually allow 2.5 weeks unless we were using agencies who could deliver a strong roster from the relevant field.

What sounds very odd to me is if they have already appointed someone as the deadline was closing. I really doubt that's true as it's clearly not an equal opportunities appointment process if they haven't considered all the applications and gone through a proper selection process (even if they have closed early - all applications should be considered). If you find out that's definitely true and they claim to be an equal opportunities employer then I think they will have broken their own protocols.

But ultimately I don't think being cross about it will make any difference. As a candidate with disabilities I would however send my application in and say that as an equal opportunities employer (which I presume they are as a public sector body) you hope they will still consider it.

Otherwise it's just one for experience. I never leave applications to the last minute in case a family crisis pops up.

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl

What's it got to do with women and people with disabilities?

Women and people with disabilities are less likely to be able to fire off a quick application, so closing early puts them at a disadvantage.

Hang on, are you saying that all women are less likely to be able to complete an online job application quickly???

What utter bollocks

If OP really wanted the job, she should have set time aside to complete the bloody application well before the deadline.

The only one in the wrong is the OP (and every other muppet) for thinking an employer can't close a job advert early if they receive a certain number of applications.

Every job I've applied for (I work in the NHS) always has a disclaimer that the advert will close early if sufficient applications are received.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself OP and next time don't hang about, get the application done ASAP

The reminder was probably automated.

It’s poor form for them not to state on the advert that they may choose to close before the deadline date, while this is common practice in some sectors this thread shows that it’s not in others. I’m not particularly convinced by the discrimination argument though, although I understand it must be very frustrating and disappointing when you’d put the work in to the application. Here’s hoping something more suitable comes along.

Or, they've not hired the best applicant... we will see, it will be very easy for me to find out who it is.

Whoa that's pretty arrogant! Suggesting that you can review someone's online profile/experience and judge that you would be better.

I know many examples where the person with the most 'experience' wasn't necessarily the best choice for the role. They know what they're looking for, and they felt confident enough they'd found it in order to make the hire and close applications early. Doesn't sound like they're settling.

@Okbussitout

Why did my message get deleted for calling *@user643289* a bully?

They are quite literally picking on the op

It's against talk guidelines. You're calling me names.

I'm not sure calling out bullying is name calling but ok.

Point is you are behaving in a bullying way. So hope you can live with that

@Okbussitout

I'm not sure calling out bullying is name calling but ok.

Point is you are behaving in a bullying way. So hope you can live with that

Calling someone a bully is name calling.

I'm living peacefully thank you.