What would be the one thing that put you off hiring someone?

[greyrabbits]

Of all the things that would put you off giving someone a job, what’s the one thing that’s a definite no thanks.

They’ve worked at numerous places, moving frequently, same job and similar salary, just keep moving. Na, you’re not becoming my problem.

Not listening. we don’t hire bulldozers.

I’ve interviewed a fair few people for 3 different roles recently. One person had held a lot of jobs, staying a maximum of 9 months in each. Wanted to give him a chance as there could have been a very good reason why he never stayed long. I asked the question and he went through a list of all the grievances he’d had with his 11 past employers. I turned him down on the basis that he just seemed like a lot of hard work (and given his record, probably wouldn’t stay long anyway).

In the past I’ve turned down people for over-stating their abilities and not being properly qualified and one time turned a guy down for his astonishing arrogance. He talked over the interviewers, had a sort of condescending look on his face and actually referred to me as ‘love’. Yeah, no thanks.

We have a blind recruitment policy which means that when I review applications I don’t see any gender, age, name, nationality information so I never know who’s going to walk through the door. I love this and actually wish it was a legal requirement for employers.

Smoking, lack of integrity. If only 17 year old me had felt the same!

I hope my ds comes across a recruiter like you, not because he's got convictions or will be rude to a receptionist but because you sound very fair and sensible to work for.

Totally agree with you on the DBS front - far too many people being turned down for jobs when they did their time/paid the fine etc.

I'm not the poster you were asking but I have had someone use a very out-dated and racially insensitive term in an interview once. She was asked to give an example of how she had dealt with a particular kind of challenging situation. She told a story about something that had happened in a previous role and was referring to a colleague, whose ethnicity was in no way relevant to the story or the question. She didn't get the job.

Smelly

We were also recruiting recently- the number if people who don’t listen is unreal. We ask for task A, they give us B. Rejected.

Smelling of cigarette smoke.

Lateness.

Most of the other things are not immediately apparent.

Wow, well at least she outed herself before she got any further!

@Jackiepumpkinhead i recently had an applicant refer to me as “sweetie”. Rejected.

I had an application from someone who listed “drag king” among their other roles… looked them up on instagram. They had pictures of their top surgery all over their feed.

🤯🤣

Hear bloody hear. But then pp's username tells the whole tale.

😂 oh my, some people are clueless.

Anyone who over shares or rambles on a self absorbed tangent, you just know they’ll be a complete pain in the arse and never get any work done.

I googled an applicant once, to learn all about their conviction for elder abuse.
Another time an applicant gave me an example of problem solving, which would have been great if it hadn't involved telling us all about breeching any number of data protection rules.
All rejected.

I once interviewed someone who thought they were interviewing for a job at another institution with a similar name....

The biggest issue for me is candidates who have no get up and go, evidence they have ever used their own initiative or drive to get on in life. It's a more frequent occurrence with candidates who have been born with the proverbial silver spoon but not always. I look for people who are prepared to put in the hours when necessary [not to be exploited just recognise that life is not always 9-5], show ambition and desire to progress.

That and Maths. Good solid basic arithmetic skills are needed in a huge number of jobs.

Flagshagging.

Ha! I’ve had someone slagging off my organisation in an interview- hilarious! What planet are these fuckers on?!

I was on the interview panel for a position that’s the same level as my job but a completely different role. I was informed by the candidate, in front of the whole panel, that I was doing my job wrong and that if she was successful she’d be changing the way I do things.

I work for a tiny and very niche charity and we were so desperate to fill the position urgently that we offered her the role, albeit short term to start with to see if she could fit in. She lasted 3 months and we didn’t renew her contract. Twice during that time she went behind my back to try to make changes to my role.

I hate to be that person, but gender isn't a PC, gender reassignment is. And many people who don't have the PC of gender reassignment state pronouns.

Hi @dynamiccactus my DC in same position at the moment and I do sympathise. But yes to be a fully functioning and active member of my team you have to have a professional qualification and a few years experience ( ideally). It’s not this exactly but think insurance / legal work - a professional role which requires a professional membership etc. I’m actively lobbying my manager for a position where we can recruit a graduate apprentice role too which would pay a grad salary and we can then train them and pay the going rate for a trainee in our field .

It wouldn’t be sex discrimination.

for it to be direct sex discrimination there would need to be a comparator, who would be a “cis” straight male who declared his pronouns. If he’d also be rejected, then no direct sex discrimination claim would exist.

An indirect sex discrimination claim wouldn’t fly either as they wouldn’t IMO be able to establish that a provision, criterion or practice of not employing people who declared pronouns placed one sex at a disadvantage.

And it’s not harassment as it’s not because of their sex.

The only possibility would be the religion and belief claim, potentially.