To be annoyed work posted this job in this way?

[7stripybaskets]

I’m on annual leave from work this week for half term by chance I logged onto our companies’s intranet.
There is a job advert for a job within our department that I wasn’t aware of this would be the next step up from my current role there is 8 or so of us in a similar role to mine that would probably want to go for it. I haven’t been told it was coming and it’s advertised for internal department applications only and with an opening application window of 4 days which closes today. So, obviously they had someone in mind which wasn’t me but I think that’s not good practice for half of us that are off with children this week it was a well timed way of reducing applications I suppose. I feel really demotivated I suppose.

The PP didn't say it would take two weeks to draft a decent application. She said the window when the job is open for applications should be a minimum of two weeks. Not everybody can drop everything and draft the application as soon as they see it. Most of us would need a bit of notice to ensure an uninterrupted period to work on an application in the evening or at the weekend. Where I worked you couldn't apply with just a CV, you had to fill in a standard online form and draft statements explaining how you met the person specification and demonstrating that you could do everything in the job description. It was not something most people could dash off in a few minutes and still be in with a chance of being shortlisted.

Two weeks to see the vacancy and draft an application, as well you know. If people are away they probably won't see it.

And 5 hours might not be enough, not that the OP has 5 hours anyway because she's out for the afternoon. Every job I've ever applied for has needed a good few hours in front of a laptop writing statements and answering questions. Plus digging out and scanning qualification certificates. She can't just stab at her phone a few times to apply.

Give it a go. Get home by 4-4.30pm. Settle DC with snacks in front of TV. Make a cup of tea. Update your CV using the exact vocabulary they use in their job spec and advert. Or if it's a form, fill it in using their exact langauge. use Chat GPT to help if you need to.

Then send it through with a brief email expressing stonrg interest in being considered for the role.

As so many PP have said - you can't get it if you don't apply. And if you prioritise an extra hour or so wiht your children, that's a perfectly valid choice but then a cknowledge it and don't feel miffed about the advert coming out when it did. After all, you spotted it in time!

I agree that this is the ideal situation, but it is still worth a shot. I'm sometimes amazed that things I dash off do better than things I slave over. It can help not to overthink things and just cut to the chase.

I would absolutely do this

We don't know what kind of job the OP has. There is no reason whatsoever to assume that this is the job of a lifetime and that she has the sort of high-flying career where people are routinely expected to put work first and family second, where cancelling plans with your children is just par for the course.

I’m not sure people are fucking ChatGPT.

I imagine thry have someone in mind with such a small window and/ or,if I was being cynical, don't want parents applying as they have requirements that they don't want to accommodate.

YANBU to be annoyed, that's incredibly underhand and sneaky of your company. Given it's internal only they MUST expect at least one of your colleagues to apply otherwise there wouldn't be any point in advertising it, so does sound as though they've deliberately done it when fewer people would be aware. Apart from anything else it's lazy - if there are only 8 of you it's hardly a huge swathe of applications to sift through!

However as pp's said, it is on you that you didn't apply. You had at least 6 hours, you could have put something in even if it wasn't great, before/after going out with the kids or postponed your plans with them. Mum getting a potential payrise is worth more to them long term than one trip to the cinema or whatever.

Personally I'd be considering whether I wanted to work for a company that were so underhand and unfair.

I disagree if people are told to disengage completely on their personal time/holidays as it's supposed to be a genuine break from work. And many companies do follow this policy.

Take the kids to the park/soft play and do your application whilst supervising. Like any other working parent would do if they really wanted the job.

It was a bit sneaky of them I suppose. But thats life. Theyve obviously got somebody in mind so short window to apply and advertised when you're on holiday. Dont think Id bother applying under this set up. Look for a new job with another company.

You don’t know how long the application will take.

I think parents do over estimate how much attention non-parents pay to half terms etc.

I would respectfully disagree. There are very few - if any - people who are oblivious to the metronome of the school year.

Obviously as a child you are aware of it. And even as you leave full time education (which could be early 20s) there is every chance you - or friends - will have younger siblings still doing the time.

Then you move into the world of work where it takes about 10 seconds to remember how the school year runs as colleagues fight it out for annual leave slots. That's even if you are unobservant enough to wonder why your commute can treble in term time.

From there you - or family or friends - will become parents yourselves. That's going to be at least 14 years when you are directly exposed to the school calendar.

After that when the kids piss off, there are still those colleagues fighting over annual leave.

And when you leave work, there's the grandparent phase. And - guess what - that too will march to the beat of the term time tempo.

Even having my morning tea, I am aware of the parents walking their kids to school, and there absence during half term.

(really just proving a post I made yesterday that the fossilised remains of the western educational calendar was centred around getting the harvest in).

Before kids I had not a tiny idea when half term was. Ever. Doesn’t it change every year?

This.

Some people find solutions, other excuses. Which are you?

I think this is really unfair and awful of the company and probably breaching some policy. Surely employees should have equal knowledge and time to be informed of/apply for a role. Especially something internal that is related to your role. I work for the NHS and if an internal post is coming up, we get emails in advance informing us 'next week a job advert is going out for...' also our managers would keep us updated if on leave.

Those saying "it's up to you if you want to prioritise your children" are just plain rude. The OP is currently out with the children, it's only by chance she spotted the advert.
Why shouldn't the OP have equal time to apply for the job, why should she have to do some rushed application whilst others have had a full week notice. It's about equal opportunity, which they should all have. If you really want the job then I would try to get an application done if you can but also email your manager explaining you weren't aware of the post due to annual leave, they should allow you time to do your application as they haven't treated you fairly.

I’m absolutely sure men people are.

Email your manager cc’ing hr

Dear x
I hope you’re having a good week.
I was surprised to see the post of x advertised with a short window covering my annual leave. (If your company has a not checking emails whilst on leave policy maybe mention it) I would like to apply for the role, but obviously cannot give the application sufficient attention in such a short timespan. Please confirm you’ll be able to consider my application on my return from AL on date.

I’d also consult my union / ACAS
It stinks.

I think posters have got distracted by half term/ looking after dc.
A four day recruitment period for an internal role is incredibly dodgy.
OP is this part of an unfair culture? Do send that email, you need a timestamp that you only knew about the role in a short window.

No, it doesn't change every year, but that's not the point. HR should be thinking about these things. Suppose a job was advertised internally and put on the intranet at 4pm on 24th December with a closing date of 28th December, and only one member of staff applied, having been tipped off, while the rest were in total ignorance that the vacancy even existed. Would that be fair?

Yes! Who cares about children anyway? The OP chose to have them, to the great inconvenience of her employer no doubt. I bet she even took maternity leave, the entitled so and so! And now she has the gall to want to take time off when her children are off school and spend some time with them and perhaps other family members and friends without checking work emails and intranet every few minutes. Best to stick to promoting just childless people and men. OK, there are these tiresome things called laws and policies, but they're easily circumvented. Just tip off good old Harry, he's a safe pair of hands and his wife does all the childcare, and make sure the advert goes out when the OP and all the other women with kids and the odd man who also takes responsibility for his own children are out of the way. Sorted.

I'm missing the point of this thread but all this talk of contacting HR, call your manager! It is your manager's vacancy, not HR's. HR didn't need to tell you there was an opportunity coming up, your manager did!

It's all been said but in your position I'd call your manager right now and say you plan to apply, but you only saw it today so will need some time. It would be wholly unreasonable for your manager to refuse, unless you don't have the requisite qualifications required so wouldn't be eligible to apply.

Go home a bit earlier?

At my workplace this timeline means that there's someone lined up. I would view it as a heads up and not bother applying.