Help please - met all criteria but not shortlisted???

[survivingspring]

If anyone knows about HR I would be really grateful for some advice. I have recently applied for a job and was careful to meet all the essential criteria for the post on my application form. I don't have loads of recent experience of the actual work area itself but have all the skills and a fair bit of relevant experience in the past. I have just been told I wasn't even shortlisted but how can this be the case if I've met all the criteria? Should I ask them why I wasn't shortlisted?

I am really keen to get a job with the organisation but I know they have a number of recently graduated Interns who they wanted to take onto more permanent contracts. It looks like I have lost out to them which is really frustrating as I can't afford to work for free to get into this organisation.

Would be grateful for any advice or similar experiences as feeling a bit shit about it

Definitely ask why you weren't shortlisted but don't put them on the defensive or you won't get the answer. Just say you really want to work for their firm and very dissapointed that yu weren't shortlisted and is there any way you can improve your chances in the future.

This happened to me once. I wrote an email saying 'I know that I have everything you are looking for and wondered whether you had overlooked my application' and submitted it again (I know, I know it was cheeky, but the job was made for me.

They replied offering me an interview and I got the job. sometimes cheekiness and persistence pays off!

I have just advertised a job, a project manager and got over 80 applications. 36 have completely met the person spec yet I will only interview maybe 5, the ones who show just a little something extra. Being willing to go that extra mile might be one of the things that sways it and gets that interview.

Its a competitive time.

Thanks for your replies - very helpful and good to know persistence can pay off Lifeissweet. The thing is, I was very persistent and had even met with the team leader to ask what I needed to do to stand out. I just can't understand how I was not even shortlisted after showing loads of passion and enthusiasm for the job.

Other than working for free to get in, I'm just not sure what else I could have done?? I will ask for some feedback I think although not sure they give it..

You can ask, but you might not get a reply due to sheer weight of numbers.

I'm afraid it's easy to not make it onto the short list if the qualifications re not rare and specialised ones, as most/all applicants will have them. And there will be candidates with as much - and from what you've said - probably more recent experience.

I'd suggest that what you need to think about now is how to make your CV really stand out. And you say you are keen to work for this organisation - do you mean in a specific role, or in any role? What can you do to make yourself fit it even better - if internship us out, are there other roles eg in voluntary sector that would add to your experience and/or update it (whilst you retain the current day job)? Or additional qualifications you could take (that are relevant - not just badge collecting)?

Thanks Edith - have been trying to gain some voluntary work experience but not that easy to get anything that would be really specific enough. The team leader I met said I shouldn't need to but clearly I need to do something else to stand out!

Getting a job these days seems impossible

Keep trying!

Stay in touch (without becoming an irritant); network if you can; apply for everything remotely plausible.

And unless the application process is tightly defined (in which case you should follow I to the letter), make sure your covering letter is really good. Keep both a set of useful phrases for that, and your CV updated at all times, and ask your most skilled pedant friends to proof-read them for you from time to time.

I'd definitely suggest contacting them in a positive way. Employment is an odd thing. I went for a job at a school in Swindon, got the interview, thought it went well and was getting a tremendous vibe from the Assistant head but failed. When I asked about it I was told that the head of faculty was looking for more of a "yes man" and less of an innovator which I thought was all smoke up the bum and code for being too pushy. On the way out the Assistant Head gave me an email address and told me to send my application to it. It was for another Swindon school that I'd missed the application deadline for. They were interviewing the next day.

I sent the application with a cover note saying that the person in question (who had previous worked at that school) had told me to do so and waited. I got a reply straight away to say the application period was 2 weeks closed and that they thanked me anyway.

Then the next day I got a second reply inviting me to interview as they hadn't appointed.

I came to interview and was the only candidate...thankfully I managed to beat myself to the job.

It transpires that on the day of the interviews every candidate was weighed up against my application form and the feedback from the Assistant Head and they were all found to be wanting. Thankfully I matched up in person to the me on paper. And what they wanted? Innovation and the ability to stand up to the boss if necessary to push through new ideas...

Always worth going the extra mile especially in the current climate.

Were you too pushy? I generally notice that the applicants who contact me for more info before applying are better than those who just fill in the form. We were recently interviewing for a sought after admin post ( over 40 good applicants) and there were two who were just so pushy and wanted so much information that I felt slightly intimidated by them. We interviewed one, and she was so full on that she was rejected, she did ring to get feedback but I didn't feel able to be truthful with her and just said that she was fine but one of the other applicants was a better fit within the team.

This reply is so typical of inexperienced managers & managers incompetent in the recruitment process. You have just wasted the time of 31 people who met your criteria as set out in your original job description but were not shortlisted. If you wanted applicants with that "little bit extra" then set a job description and essential criteria that encompasses this. An alternative is to also include desirable criteria in the job description. This can be used in addition to essential critetia when shortlisting where large numbers apply. But, please please stop writing job descriptions then not shortlisting where people meet the criteria you have set.

I have just advertised a job - essential and desirable criteria - good job detailed spec. I got over 190 applications, of which probably 35 met all the criteria - I just couldn’t interview them all so it came down to experience and answers on the form.

So you did apply additional Criteria!! Unfortunately only you knew what it was.

Eight years later I imagine the OP probably has a new job...

Irrelevant comment. The point is, eight years later nothing has changed

It’s irrelevant you’re giving advice to someone (who? Not the OP?!) 8 years down the line?