To wonder how anyone gets a job in Tescos

[Tootsey11]

Ds20 has been applying for jobs over the last few months and has applied twice to our local Tesco store, most recently for Xmas staff. For the second time he has been rejected, not even getting to interview stage. We cannot work out what he is doing wrong.

He has 5 Gcse's, 6 A levels, is willing and able to work, and can take a variety of shifts, so fully flexible.

Can anyone give me an idea of what he is doing wrong.

They prefer not to hire people who are overqualified as they leave quickly. (Older workers wanting part time at the other end of their career is their preference dsd was told). But if over 21 they are hiring youngsters to drive the home delivery trucks

Conversely he was taking a mature approach by filling his time productively rather than sitting on his arse all day. The period up until June last year was chaotic to say the least with many employers not recruiting.

What do you suggest he did instead.

I work with post 16s. I think your ds did really well going back and gaining good grades. I see many with 5 GCSEs or less.

Not many young people know what they want to do and it sounds like your ds kept trying and chose something productive.

Id suggest applying for lots of apprenticeships at degree and higher level. It’s hard going and try not to get disheartened.

Whilst waiting for a job opportunity I would recommended volunteer work. It’s useful to gain experience, transferable skills and an idea of likes/dislikes.

@Speedweed,@Speedweedas I've said I can't see what I am typing ever on this site. All I can see is ads ads and more ads. It is me typing this not him. I can assure you he checks all applications for spelling and grammar. He is meticulous about this.

Mumsnet does not work right on this device!

It was Covid. Those years were weird for kids. They had their exams cancelled, course work ignored and then sat at home for months. Grades were moderated depending on their school. Loads of kids resat, deferred uni, put on hold gap year plans etc. It’s amazing how quickly people forget the impact on the 15-21 years old education.

Our store in bangor ni are recruiting atm...friends and family welcome..closing date this weekend....do u know anyone who will let u have their employee number...do another application with another email address and employee number

My brother got xmas work there because he knew someone. I don't think he even had a proper interview.

I tried to get a part time job at Asda during college/uni and was rejected as my career aspirations didn't lie in Asda. I read that as they didn't want to invest time money and training in someone who wasn't going to stay long term.

Who knows? I put my name down for order picking in Sainsbury's but the shift manager is about 21. No cv, no forms to fill out. Four questions along the lines of " you someone shoplifting, do you...

A give them a bag to help steal more
B set off the sprinkler system
C alert security
D go home, ain't no one paid enough to deal with that"

I didn't get the job. They was still advertising for months after and lots of people in the same situation on my towns FB community page.

Some bosses want a certain type of person. This one wanted students. Maybe the Tesco manager has some unattainable ideal employee and also wants a lack of staff until all the uni student work all night until 9am in term time ( when are at uni during the day).

Their loss. Try waitrose. They seem a bit better on HR stuff and not being so discriminatory.

In my interview I wasn't even allowed to fill out the application form. Totally bizarre. The boss did it in front of me

I think it's just the volume of applicants. He needs to apply everywhere. I bet they also get students who are home for Christmas who worked there before.

Ex Tesco manager here. I'd say 2 possibilities, firstly he's not passing the online test, you automatically get rejected and don't get through to the interview stage. Secondly, he's up against others who have retail experience, it's easier to train up someone who has knowledge of how retail works.

Did he get to the stage where he had to provide his right to work?

6 a levels with at least 3 at A*? Surely he’s bright enough to know that he needs to go to university now? And that Oxbridge is within close reach. Why aren’t his former college support him in this, which is the norm?

@IncessantNameChanger What does it matter if the shift manager is 21?

Our local Tesco has a wide range of ages working there...I'd say more in their late teens and 20s tbh.

My DS attempted the online application with the eleventy billion questions and failed.

A friend of mine, her daughter applied with the help of her mums other friend who is a manager at their local big tesco...and the daughter failed the online process 🤣 even with the managers help!!! 🤦‍♀️

I expect he is failing the online test. My daughter has tried several of these to get supermarket jobs and was unsuccessful. She answered them very much from the perspective of the customer, and what would be best for them.

We did some googling and found answer suggestions on the internet, I can't remember where. The correct answers were very much based on what would be best for the store. She was successful with her next application to Tesco.

I guess it contributed to him wanted uni students as his first choice? Being uni student age himself. He dpent half the interview raving about he normally fills his picker roles with uni students. It wasn't very stutle.

From his point of view he wanted young fit adults as its a physical role. Just unfortunately not realistic when it's term time and nearest uni is 15 miles away.

It's beyound human psychology to be drawn to bias of your own peer group is it? I'm sure he was a excellent boss, just a bit dillusional about his pool of applicants at that point in time

So odd he got funding to do three more a levels. That’s so unusual and to be declined for an apprentice electrician as over qualified. He’s having very unique experiences.

I agree with this. It is likely one of the online tests he is failing.
.

Long time since I applied for anything but when I was, I knew from a few friends working in Tesco/McDonalds/Burger King/cinema etc... if there were too many applicants they would just ditch half without looking.

Could be the first half of the alphabet so if your surname was A to J.. in the bin you went.. or the second half, or just randomly.

Might be less likely now with online applications!

It could well be a combination of over qualified - ie likely to piss off once a better opportunity turns up and no relevant retail experience.

Both DDs had similar at Next. It’s hard these days as all online. I remembered walking to Superdrug after school and asking for a Saturday job and being told to come on Saturday morning and start. Some things were better in the 80s!

I'm surprised someone as ignorant as yourself can spell !

OP is it an online application system? One year I needed shop work so I did loads of these and there's a "formula" to them, like a psychological test. Could you sit with him/help him do these? You're basically being asked to show that you are willing to work and willing to toe the line.

Unfortunately they seem to (it's an opaque system so no one really knows) screen for things like distance to the store from home - so they prioritise people who can get in to work even if their usual transport options fail them. If you live rurally this probably isn't going to help.

It's all very well having a good explanation for the two sets of A Levels and poor GCSEs, but at the stage he's being rejected it will just be AI, unlikely to be a human rejecting the application. So he'd be better off just putting 3 or 4 A Levels down.

Help him with the questionnaire. You still might not pass, plenty of adults don't, but you might have a better idea of how to play the system/what sort of answer looks right. In Sainsbury's, the correct answer was nearly always 'refer to a manager', they actively screened for people who don't show any initiative (don't know if this is still the case)!

I am reading all replies, he did not get to right to work stage.

So, how does anyone get some retail experience if no business will take on a beginner. We don't have waitrose here and we are nowhere near a Sainsburys or an M and s and no Aldi here either. We are an 80 mile trip from Belfast.

What level are his 5 GCSEs - 1,2,3,4?
What grades did he get for his 6 A levels? How did he do 6?