To think employers want applicants to bend over backwards

[jobhunter25]

During the recruitment process? I'm currently searching for a new job and can't believe how many hoops some companies expect people to jump through, for shitty pay/benefits might I add. I left my last role around a month ago (unhappy for years, toxic environment) and luckily I had some savings I was able to live off but I'm now ready to get back into work. I've applied for around 15-20 jobs and I've realised that employers don't just invite candidates in for an interview if they like their C.V anymore. It's so long winded. For example, a role that I applied for (pay is between 18-22k btw) wanted me to take a 45 minute test, and if I passed they would call me for a pre-screen chat and if they thought I was suitable they'd invite me in for an interview. I actually emailed them back this morning saying I'd been offered another job as I really couldn't be arsed with the hassle, not for 22k anyway. I understand companies being more thorough with a high paying role though. AIBU?

Yes, I completely agree.

Many job ads don't have the decency to even state how one will be financially compensated at the bare minimum for those 'essential' and 'desirable' skills they list, rather, you're expected to upload your CV, complete an application form which may or may not covet what is stated in your CV... take time out of your day for a 'call' and then a few rounds of interviews with tasks that feel like unpaid consulting gigs.

It can be completely ridiculous.

Dsd has experienced the opposite, graduate schemes are now a short aptitude test online and a 45 minute zoom call.

This..and employers think that paying wages low enough to need state top ups are a company to aspire to join. 🤔
They need to get real. People need jobs to pay bills. The vast majority do not have a career. They are doing a job to pay the CEOs childrens school fees and for their 10 bed house whilst struggling to pay rent and feed their own kids.
If they want knowledge and expertise they need to start paying real wages. Recruitment for 'entry level' ( I hate that term, its a nonsense) needs to reflect that.

You should never apply for any role that isn't clear about the pay from the start, you just know it's going to be shite. I also avoid the whole 'pro rata'. Pain in the bloody backside, I don't want to have to do advanced calculus to work out if the pay is worth my time.

I wouldn't apply for it if I couldn't do the basic parts of it

I believe you, lieselotte, but so many do and they're not all Jobseeker applicants

A sector I used to recruit for required a good biological science degree at at least 2:1, and I swear I'd have screamed at the next application insisting that an NVQ in hairdressing counted

Some graduate schemes are moving in this direction, @gogohmm . I wish they all were.

@MrsBennetsPoorNerves makes some good points, but the whole thing sometimes seems unfit for purpose. I get to know a number of our undergraduates (in an excellent STEM degree programme). I know who is reliable and gets on well with peers, who is a good team player, who relies on others but hogs the credit and, most importantly, who is good at what they do. (I am not saying one needs all of the positive attributes to be a good employee.).

Although I believe in blind recruiting, several times a group of our students have come back from the final round of interviews and the weakest student, the one who relies on others to do the work but is happy to take credit and knows how to talk, has bagged the job. A technical job - I could possibly understand if communication was the essence of the work.

Hugely disappointing and makes me wonder what all this testing accomplishes

Sorry @Puzzledandpissedoff I did laugh at this 😂

I had to do a test and an interview for my barely above NMW job that requires a degree and experience.

@thebellagio I got this so much back when I was job hunting! Id put hours into researching and writing these test pieces. Then they wouldnt even email back. The cheeky so and sos. I think you're right, they're just stealing work and don't want to give anyone a job.

... a few rounds of interviews with tasks that feel like unpaid consulting gigs

Sadly, with the worst employers, that's exactly what they can be - a way of getting work/new ideas without actually needing to pay for them

Yet more evidence, if more was needed, that "fault" rarely exists on just one side

When DD was applying for a weekend job on min wage in retail for 8 hours PW, she had to submit a CV, complete online application forms, answer lengthy questionnaires (one was 70 questions) answer situational questions and a paragraph about why she wanted the role or about how she might fit in with the company's ethos. This was all in pre screening before she got near speaking to an actual person. You can see why someone might think they really can't be bothered. The only good thing is she has become quite the expert at this game and just tells them exactly what they want to hear according to the job spec it is just so time consuming and not always relevant to the position advertised.

If the government is serious about getting people back into the workforce they need to address this.

As an example of this, in my search for a job to fill 2 days of my time rather than earn a fortune I applied for a part time retail position. I didn’t get to send a CV but had to do one of those what would you do in these situations tests.
I failed the test.
Had they seen my CV they’d have seen that before I had my daughter I was the manager of a large multi million £ turnover store in central London, consistently top of the (huge) company at achieving KPis & had won industry awards.
Despite not working in retail for some years I have no doubt that I would have been more than capable to be a 2 day a week shop assistant.

I agree.

I recently withdrew from an application after an interview and an unpaid trial when I was asked to dona second unpaid trial.

The person recruiting was extremely offended that I withdrew and tried to argue with me about it. So I blocked her.

I read an advert a few days ago for an office assistant -Document scanner. Temp role for approximately 6 weeks until work complete, duties include removing staples from documents and check scan quality. Essential qualification needed A-level in business or administration. Thought it would be the ideal job to fill a gap but im not qualified enough to use a scanner 🙄 job market is ridiculous.

I recently withdrew from an application after an interview and an unpaid trial when I was asked to do a second unpaid trial

Nice try, sunshine ... I just hate employers like that (though well done for blocking them)

I suspect they want someone who can be mugged off by doing additional duties but for the same low wage, albeit not sure how having an A level demonstrates that. Lots of businesses who are aiming above their stations, the local GP surgery keeps moaning no one wants to work for them- but no sick pay (ironic for a doctors I suppose), minimum wage not even living wage, and wanting someone with a degree even though I'm sure there are skills obtained through work experience etc that are infinitely more useful.

I use pivot tables almost daily to play around with all manner of very different data sets to look for trends, patterns, insights, outliers etc. Impossible to tell what I'm looking for as it's exploratory, so can't be automated. I wouldn't call it bollocks.

@evilharpy

I don’t bother explaining anymore. People who refuse to accept using Excel in the way you do (and I do) is reasonable and insist ‘you need to automate’ just don’t get it.

What utter bullshit.
I'm scared of balloons, what HR fuckwit dreamt that one up?
I would have left. (I've stopped an interview and left when it was obvious they were wasting my time)

It's not a random irrational phobia, I'm just very jumpy and wary around them. It's very common.
Seriously though, popping balloons? For a job interview?
I bet the recruitment team were actually proud of that too.
I absolutely would not have continued that interview.

The balloon thing could be very triggering for people with sensory issues. What a terrible idea

I been applying for jobs lately and it's been awful!

Some companies seem to be of the opinion that it would be an absolute honour and privilege to work for them! Therefore potential employees should be willing to jump through multiple hoops.

I've noticed the worst seem to be within the charity sector. If you go to the charity jobs website you can have a laugh at their initial requests e.g. "Write a 2,000 word essay detailing how your experience and skills fits our person specification". No thanks!

Another one that made me laugh was an IT Trainer role with Direct Line. I noticed (on LinkedIn) that IT Trainer roles are fairly popular and receive numerous applications. The Direct Line role however did not - so it piqued my interest. It seems they want candidates to send in a video outlining 3 aspects of training they feel is important (or something along those lines). They would re-advertise this role every couple of weeks as, surprise surprise, hardly anyone is applying. It genuinely astounds me that companies can be so short sighted - I mean it's Direct Line - not exactly prestigious (no offence to anyone that works there but it's not exactly Pixar!).

My boss doesn't know what an accrual is, either.... and they're a finance manager on £40k a year with no accounting or finance qualifications whatsoever. They'd struggle to get recruited into a basic bookkeeping role were they ever to leave the lush environs of the role they've accidentally - and very luckily - found themselves in.

It's unfathomable that some people hang onto a position they're blatantly unqualified for so, in my view, screening and tests are quite often necessary to avoid accidentally recruiting an idiot - or charlatan - you can't then easily get shot of. And, a good HR function can be instrumental in that process when it comes to skill-testing candidates.

I think the point is that its stupid to do something unrelated to the job as part of the selection process when some people are going to have a problem with it. Obviously most people don't care about balloons, but some will. Not just phobias but potentially some sensory issues. If the job was a kids party entertainer or something where facility with balloons mattered, ok, but not when it's completely irrelevant. It's not even in the employers interest either because they could lose out on a good candidate.