To apply for jobs just for fun?

[MyHeartyBlueShaker]

I’ve noticed a few times where I’ve applied for jobs out of curiosity or just to see what’s out there, not because I’m seriously looking for a change. I know people say you should only apply if you’re genuinely interested but sometimes it’s fun to see what opportunities are out there, even if you’re not actively looking.

Is this a bit weird or do others do it too?

Oh good god, they're all out today.

I get what you mean, OP. I've occasionally applied for a job even though I am perfectly happy where I am, mainly just out of interest to see if I'd get to interview etc. To be fair the job I am in now was just that. I was bored one day, browsing LinkedIn, thought it looked interesting and BAM 5 years later here I am.

I can think of 50 more interesting hobbies than this.

I can’t think of anything I’d enjoy less than applying for jobs for the sake of it. There are a million better ways I could spend my time.

I’m not one of those LinkedIn types though. I have little interest in my career beyond doing a job I like and being paid adequately for it.

I think I understand what you mean. Wouldn’t say I do it for fun though.

I kind of do the same. I always have an eye on current vacancies within my profession. Doesn’t mean I’m unhappy with the job I have but I like to know what’s out there. It also allows me to see where is constantly hiring and where doesn’t. It means if I am actively looking for new work then I know where not to apply if there is a high turnover for staff.

I will apply though or get more information if something catches my eye. Again not that I would actively be looking to change jobs but if it was the right position I would.

I have never been actively looking for jobs since I graduated but have changed jobs over the years. All of the positions were just like this. It caught my eye and I applied. There have been times where I’ve gone so far as interview or job offer to turn it down though. was I actively looking to change jobs no, it was good practice but also none of them were right or worth me changing.

I wouldn’t apply though if it was only for fun

Its tricky
I do recruiting in the NHS so it may be different
We would definitely get wind of someone who had turned down multiple job offers and it would be viewed as you being flaky and unreliable. Even somewhere else would notice your CV popping up again if they had previously offered you a role

For example we know most of the people my fairly wide department has interviewed recently, much longer memory for job offers. I also recognise things like job histories popping up repeatedly. Before we interview we normally put feelers out about someone so other departments would be alerted to.
You wouldnt get away with doing it repeatedly in the same hospital, it wouldn't take long before the locality would be aware and then eventually the trust as we share hr

We often have to close certain roles early due to numbers of applicants, we have to only a select a short number for interview (which takes an age!). You genuinely could be knocking people out who would seriously consider it and it's all a massive time sink which will irritate the people involved

Your job may be secure now but if you later do have to go to the other firms because of redundancy, or a genuine exciting offer they may already have you earmarked as a time waster. I would

My only exception would be for jobs where the job details aren't clear or stated as open to negotiation so where you might be unclear on the wage, working patterns etc. Mostly because job adverts without wages are a sin in my opinion!

I’ve never looked at it like that but then I don’t work for the NHS but I do work in a fairly small industry where everyone knows someone.

I wouldn’t be applying for jobs if I wasn’t truly interested or at least looking for more information at least.

Would you feel the same if someone turned down an interview? What about if they turned down the job?

So basically it’s not “for fun” and your post is not anctu about what you wanted people to think it was about ? Seems you just like posting untrue things on MN

The “misunderstanding” was created by you when you created a post saying you apply for jobs “for fun”. Your actual reasons for applying aren’t “for fun” and are actually normal, yes.

I think “for fun” makes it sound less of a serious intent than I assume it is. I’ve applied for jobs that I didn’t think I had a chance of getting to see how far in the process I get and to give me ideas on what areas I need to work on. Both the job I do now and the one I am applying for at the moment fall into this category as I never thought I had the skills to do it but once I start the process and/if it becomes obvious I stand a chance I take it very seriously even if my initial interest was less so.

I think you’re being deliberately obtuse here. Plenty of people understood what I meant, including those who’ve done the same and shared how it led to real opportunities.

”For fun” was casual wording but I clarified what I meant: applying out of curiosity, openness and a desire to stay sharp, not to waste time or mislead anyone.

If that doesn’t fit your interpretation, that’s fine but twisting it into “posting untrue things” is a stretch.

Well, I suppose most people idly browse job opportunities that are in their area, as people idly browse houses sometimes.

If something really interesting crops up, you might apply because you think you’d enjoy it. I wouldn’t apply unless it was exciting, more money, fitted the skill set and had benefits the current job doesn’t.

In that case I don’t think that’s unreasonable at all. That’s how I got my last job. I hadn’t made a decision of “right, I’m getting a new job, I’m going to put a lot of time and effort into finding something new”, I was just browsing through a job site and saw one that I thought looked like it would be good.

Stop wasting people's time. There are people out there who are desperate for work and maybe just missing out on reaching the interview stage because of the likes of you.
Stop wasting every ones resources and get a life

Do you mean like if it’s on Indeed and you just submit your application with no extra work as your profile is already on it?

I have done this but not for fun, just throwing everything to the wall and see what sticks. Trouble is I’ve had people phoning me after and I can’t even remember what position they’re referring to. Nowadays I can’t get a job anyway (no one wants me :( ). The last straw was recently applying for a minimum wage job and getting a rejection about twenty minutes after I applied.

We would completely get people turning down things sometimes but a pattern of it isn't good.

We expect for example that people will apply to multiple entry level jobs (eg newly qualified), accept a couple of interviews because they will be trying to make sure they a secure a job. We get a bit sad when they reject us (because we are excited about having them!) but it's common place and not a big deal.

The same when people moved area. I applied to 2 jobs, went to 2 interviews and got both. Its completely reasonable that it happens once or twice. I wasnt going to turn down interviews without a solid offer

However if I've interviewed you before (or been involved in shortlisting where you might not know I'm even involved) and the reason given wasn't good, I would be dubious about wasting another interview slot.

I would expect questions about work patterns, terms and conditions to come fairly early on. I realise that's maybe a nhs thing as some private roles you'd maybe want salary negotiations etc

It would really depend on the reason, but you couldnt keep applying for similar roles. Pre interview i wouldn't blink too much at it unless I repeatedly saw the same person, but by interview you've invested a bit of time in it.

The way nhs interviews work, you're not always interviewing a mass of people so you might have pulled people in from different teams/bases etc and I'd be annoyed to do that for a morning to find it was simply to get interview experience.

I wouldn't be like furious, but I'd just think "we've interviewed that person before, they always turn it down, or things we can't give, so I won't bother interviewing this time"

We were recruiting last month, two through to final interview and one pulled out, thankfully I'd kept a reserve and we could push them through, but I had even drafted the email to let her down but some intuition said don't send. Would have massively complicated the process as I wasn't certain about the other one for her to go through alone. I'd say at the end of the first interview if you think you are likely to pull out. There are a lot of people desperately looking for jobs at the moment and you slow down the process and might lead to people being dropped in third place so to speak who may have proved themselves later.

OP, there is a 'misunderstanding of your intent' because you phrased your post poorly. You're not applying for fun. You're not actively looking, but if you see a job advert that catches your eye, you apply. That's not odd; that's what many people do.

Exactly this

You are wasting the employer's time and being unfair to people who really want tej job. So yes you are being unreasonable

I have done it a few times where I’ve applied then when I’ve got more details about the work place, T&Cs, salary etc then my interest has gone.

there are so many through agencies etc then it gets to interview and things are very different to what I was told. I have turned down jobs in the past though as they weren’t for me. I’m usually pretty open though and will be honest at interview stage or if I turn it down.

maybe I’ve just been lucky as never had a problem

It helps me keep my CV sharp

You've said this numerous times, OP, and I'm confused ... what difference do all these applications make to your CV, since jobs which have actually been done are usually all that's listed?

@Worriedparenting

yeah i do think in other industries theres a real problem about transparency
It drives me made when things like pay are transparent! DW once applied for a job to discover the salary was 20,000 less than expected.

All those things should be clear. We also have a section in the interview where we dont score it but allows for things like working from home discussions.

We also encourage candidates to contact us

If the request was say about flexible hours, working from home then I wouldn't keep interviewing the same person for roles where it wasn't possible

I understand what you mean OP - but I can also understand how it’s come across differently to how you intended as it did sound like you were doing it for fun with no intention of taking the jobs if offered. But I totally understand the idea behind keeping an eye out and being open to things, and putting an application in to see what happens even if you’re not actively “job hunting” or aren’t desperate to leave where you are. I’ve done this - perfectly happy where I was, not looking for anything else, but one day saw a job advertised on LinkedIn and thought there’s no harm going through the process and seeing what happens, thinking I’d learn more about the role as the process went on and could then decide whether I wanted to leave my current role for it. I wouldn’t apply if I knew I had no intention of taking it though - I wouldn’t intentionally waste anyone’s time. But it’s not uncommon for people to not be 100% sure they’d take a role if offered - that’s why we should look at interviews as being as much us deciding whether the company / job is right for us as the other way round.

Having said that, when I have applied to a role out of curiosity I got so invested in it that I started to become annoyed with my current job, and noticed things that I wasn’t happy with that I’d been ok with before. I didn’t get the job I applied for, but my head had been turned and from that point I then was actively job hunting because I then wanted to leave where I was. So it backfired on me a little! 🤣

What you’re describing OP after your updates is not applying “just for fun”. It’s a perfectly normal thing to do for someone who is quite happy in their current role but open to moving for something better paid / more interesting etc.

Yes it’s different from people who are desperate to move jobs and making dozens of applications, but it’s not “just for fun” either.

it’s a bit like people viewing houses when they are fine with their current house but open to moving if the right place comes along. Rather than viewers who are needing to move. Both sorts are genuine viewers , not just for fun, although obviously the first sort will be more picky.

Your original post made it seem that you do apply for jobs you’re not truly interested in but then when challenged about the ethics of this you’ve completely evolved your reasoning to say you only apply if there’s something if you got through to interview on that you would be interested in pusrsuing. In which case why even post a Q since if that’s what you’re doing that’s just normal job searching/keeping your eyes open for possible career advancement 🤷🏻‍♀️