1700 applicants for 8 jobs at costa coffee.

[usualsuspect]

wow

This is the reality for many job seekers.

Having said that though, both DH & I found our jobs (we were both out of work 12 months ago - DH through redundancy, I had been a SAHM), by sending "spec letters" to local employers. We fell lucky as DH's employer had a vacancy in his exact field (it's a bit specific) which they were just about to advertise, but decide to "have a look at" DH first as his CV was on the desk as it were & offered him the position. He had already been searching for 6 months, god knows how much longer it might have been.

I was lucky enough to be interested in working in the one field with plentiful job opportunities (care), so had less of a problem.

Best of luck to everyone looking by the way .

What I think this shows is how much jobseekers really want a job despite them being demonised as spongers and scroungers, and how many people really want to contribute (and i apologise for using this phrase) the 'big society' and pay their own way. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Cameron!

I've just recruited. It took me a whole day to work through the applications because there were so many. It was also heart rending because many were desperate for a job and that came through on their application. 50% were over qualified.

Our online application is not 'easy' at all. It requires time and consideration and minor research if you wish to have a chance.

About 10 applications were from people who really couldn't be arsed or were forced to apply by job centre possibly. The vast majority made me feel sick at turning them down

does the job centre actually force peope to apply? dh didnt find that the case, he only had to write that he had looked in papers.

he looked in papers and online. and the job centre looked online too - to no avail.

Rhiannon, sorry but how many online applications have you done? most online websites don't allow copying and pasting from word / other applications so you have to start each application from scratch; you can't just paste in your qualifications from another application.

If you're putting sufficient detail in to an online application, you can't do hundreds every day. If you're able to fit in that many, it says a lit about either a) the detail you're putting into your application, or b) the lack of detail - previous employment or experience, or c) both.

Paper applications won't reduce the few who have been told to apply for a job so they just bung some brief application in with no thought or detail, but it'd be a fine way to discriminate against disabled users plus employers often require IT / word processing skills and the online application form shows these off nicely.

Many employers don't do any sort of online shortlisting, but just get a print off of all online applications anyway.

sorry, disabled applicants rather than users.

and you only get jsa for 6 months.
but other cases may be different.

Rhiannon does not have a point, she is in fact spectacularly missing the point.

sorry, we only got JSA for 6 months. however we were financial better off when DH was out of work

Miemohrs. I don't get given applicants personal details so cannot reply to them but would if I could. Realistically I couldn't because there were just so many applications. I have spoken to a couple who rang to ask me about their 'failed' application and was happy to do that bearing in mind I couldn't actually recall the specific form and couldn't access them once I'd short listed.

I did wish I could give jobs or at least positive feedback because there were some really brilliant applicants.

My constructive feedback would generically be...
Adjust your application to the job. E.g. Ok you are an architect and can evidence your superb skills but if you're applying for a completely different role, explain why, what attracts you and what you can bring to that role

Spell check

Don't use constant upper or lower case. If you do cut and paste check to make sure it's spliced well and reads, making sense.

The one that I recall is a person who had no relevant skills, experience or qualifications but the statement she/he gave shone with why she/he wanted the job, what a fascinating experience of life she/he had and what she/he could bring to our team in terms of vibrant, lively, proactive and brave character. Sadly the many applications meant I couldn't not choose a person with all the right background to gamble on this applicant

Another that stands out for all the wrong reasons is a woman who bitterly recounted why her ex husbands lack of commitment to his share of childcare meant she hadn't worked in the past but she felt she could now...

Overall I'd say don't be disheartened. It's just sheer volume of applicants - the short lister probably felt like me

On JSA while 5 months pregnant I was told I had to apply for 5 jobs per week, I did feel forced as I knew people who had their benefits stopped for not complying with th job seeker's agreement. I think people have more chance of getting a job doing fewer, better quality applications than firing off hundreds of poor ones to inappropriate jobs.

My line manager dreads having to recruit as she has to wade through so many applications that it takes a ridiculous amount of time. There were over 300 applications for my part-time position, it was advertised through the job centre but even if 2/3rds were applying just as a box ticking excercise that's still 100 people applying for 1 job!

Meanwhile my colleague, who is a qualified librarian with decades of experience, is having to apply for Library Assistant posts since being made redundant.

Wish i hadnt read that. Im looking for work after i resigned/was about to be forced out from my job. :( doesnt look good for me. Im fairly well qualified and i think this will be held against me if i apply for those type of jobs. (Not that i havent applied anyway !)

Im trying to sort out jobseekers etc but because i am under 35 i only get shared house HB so i may also have to leave my flat unless i can find something soon.

Somebody - don't admit to the quals? I have employed over qualified candidates but they did need to convince me that they wanted the post and would stay in it

Sad. Very sad situation.

You know what somebody, you are the reality if the cuts . And people think these changes were good,

Ive thought of doing that cabbage - but i am a recent graduate how will i explain what i have been doing all this time ?

somebody I had the same problem when I graduated with a PhD. You are overqualified and people won't give you a chance because they think you won't stay for a job "beneath" you. Our university's career advice told us to include our postgrad experience, but clearly explained why you are really interested in the job despite the over-qualification.

What me and my class did was either 1) start our own business 2) move to where the jobs are. I'm from NZ and it's always as depressed as here in the recession. We've mostly all left for Oz, UK, and the US. It's great the UK is part of the EU and that you can find jobs anywhere in the continent. I'm not sure what age you are and whether moving is an option for you. But I can say both DH and I would have stayed/gone back if we could find jobs, even if it doesn't use our qualifications. No where is like home.

All the best.

I applied for a teeny tiny job - averaged 2 days a week working from home which was only advertised on the organisation's website (think highly specialised, not that much traffic) and not promoted - they got over 70 applicants for that post ...

Rhiannon, people can't win with you can they? They are either lazy scroungers who don't want to work or they are applying for too many jobs. You can't have it both ways.