Soooo disappointed in job applications!

[SnowfallSnowball]

Hi
I am currently shortlisting for a role and the level of applications are so disappointing. I totally understand that nowadays applications are a task in themselves but if you’re not going to take the time to read the application guidance, JD and PS why bother applying at all?

I have already seen a high number of people who have just wrote a cover letter and attached their CV when we specify no CV’s and to write a supporting statement abiding by items on the PS. Many of these applicants are already in a job so they must have applied properly to posts in the past, I don’t get it!

Any other recruiters have these issues?

@RemoteControlledSheep

We usually have three interviews - a fit/personality interview, a skills/technical interview and finally a meet the big cheese interview - all achieve different things and if nothing else meeting the big cheese is as much for the candidate as the company - they get to judge him and question him - we also offer them access to interview our team - any one of our team.

This is massive overkill... who's interested in such an invested interview process with no guarantee of a job?! You must work somewhere really interesting!

@RemoteControlledSheep

We usually have three interviews - a fit/personality interview, a skills/technical interview and finally a meet the big cheese interview - all achieve different things and if nothing else meeting the big cheese is as much for the candidate as the company - they get to judge him and question him - we also offer them access to interview our team - any one of our team.

If you're recruiting for a senior or very well paid position, or perhaps an extremely competitive graduate scheme-type role, then okay. Anything less then that would be an instant no from me as a job hunter. I respect my time too much!

The role we are recruiting for is highly skilled and very well paid and if you valued your time to the point where you found 3 interviews off putting then I think we would happily give you up as a candidate.

The general standard of job applications is shockingly awful tbh. Recent graduates are the worst for it - some can barely write a coherent sentence.

I agree 3 interviews is absurd overkill unless the position is very senior.

@Chimentolo

I agree 3 interviews is absurd overkill unless the position is very senior.

It's a choice. Before you even submit a CV we tell you what the process involves - at that point you are perfectly welcome to walk away, with very little of your time wasted.

@RemoteControlledSheep well if it's senior and high paid then great! As I said

There's no need to take it so personally though. The fact of the matter is why would I attend three interviews when headhunting is so commonplace in my industry and I'm regularly contacted. I certainly wouldn't want to work for an employer that doesn't like the fact that I value my time 🤣

[quote minatrina]@RemoteControlledSheep well if it's senior and high paid then great! As I said

There's no need to take it so personally though. The fact of the matter is why would I attend three interviews when headhunting is so commonplace in my industry and I'm regularly contacted. I certainly wouldn't want to work for an employer that doesn't like the fact that I value my time 🤣[/quote]
So you are contacted by a head hunter who presumably will do the first interview with you over the phone - then you only have have one interview - for 45mins with the company you are thinking of working for? And that's it? Is that how it works in your industry? Two interviews?

@RemoteControlledSheep generally yes 🤷🏻‍♀️

Unless, as I have always stated in this thread, it's a particularly senior position. Until I got to senior level positions, I've never done anything more than a chat with the recruiter and then an interview with the company. Or if I've been contacted directly by the company themselves, just one interview. They're the ones contacting me, after all!

@minatrina

Unless, as I have always stated in this thread, it's a particularly senior position. Until I got to senior level positions, I've never done anything more than a chat with the recruiter and then an interview with the company. Or if I've been contacted directly by the company themselves, just one interview. They're the ones contacting me, after all!

What would you call a particularly senior position. We invest 6 figures in our team after salary, benefits and taxes - they aren't senior though - just specialised.

@FlowerArranger

... people who have just wrote...

Op recruiting into HE, Jesus wept 😂

I think number of interviews is very role dependant. The norm for my profession is to have several even when reasonably junior but I have tended to be the only one in my position at the organisation. Likewise, I had a three month notice when not particularly senior.
Now, some of my recent interviews have included a minimum of three interviews plus tasks and some with psychometrics etc. All of which I was headhunted for rather than applied.

Is your job special enough to merit this effort though? Or are you paying below market rate for a routine post?

You get the applications you deserve in reality

@RemoteControlledSheep I don't exactly know what point you're trying to make. I said I dislike multiple interviews unless they're for senior or very well-paying roles. You said that you give three interviews. I said that I think that's ridiculous, unless it's senior or well paid/competitive. You have since clarified that the roles you recruit for are very well paid. Okay great! So what are you arguing with me about?

Your website needs to clearly state that you don’t accept cvs.

Also consider if the pay is enough, you might be trying to punch above your weight with regards to applicants

@minatrina I am not arguing with you - I was trying to understand your point - seeking clarification on your opinion if you like. Sorry, I seem to have upset you - that was not my intention.

When I’ve recruited to (relatively high level) public sector roles recently I’ve found the same. The last time it was appropriate for me to apply with a CV was when I was speculatively looking for bar work after uni. I’m not young. It’s been online applications in my field of work for well over a decade and yet some applicants think I’m going to make an exception and go off their CV instead. Since attention to detail and ability to read and comprehend written statements is part of the job, I won’t.

Of course every HR person that wants to stick to a process is welcome. Just don't blame applicants if your process does not work.

One person's process is another person's pointless bureaucracy.

Sending in a CV when you've been asked for a completed application would be a big red flag, who does this and thinks it's ok - wouldn't matter how talented someone was - they'd be trouble!

Ugh I hate how much employers expect from candidates vs how little they give in return. Lengthy application forms, multiple interviews, etc, just puts me off entirely. Especially when you don’t even hear back in return.

And also I don’t want to waste several hours on an application form if it’s not really clear what the salary and benefits will be. You want focus and detail from me? Then give me as much focus and detail as a potential employer in return. It’s a two way street.

As a comparative outsider to this discussion, it's interesting to observe that those recruiting are holding fast to their recruitment processes and yet bewailing the poor crop of applicants.

Einstein's definition of madness springs to mind - 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'.

If your recruitment process isn't being followed and you're not getting candidates of the appropriate quality, you have to address your processes, especially at a time when we're lead to believe it's a seller's market in the game of employment. Blaming potential candidates demonstrates a very narrow field of vision. Alternatively you will need to accept a smaller pool of candidates to chose from. If the tortuous application processes are an aspect of the filtering, you shouldn't be complaining the smaller number of applicants.

Can you understand that it's a massive hassle for people to fill out a form or send a supporting statement when the chances are they won't get an interview or (with many employers) not even hear back?

I've been put off applying for roles before when there's excessive hoop jumping in the pre interview stage. Unless it's a dream.job I'm probably going to save my energy for the less onerous roles where I can send a CV.

This may be why you're missing out on good candidates

You're likely asking too much if ppl aren't complying. It's on employers to prioritise candidate experience and make the job process attractive.

A CV plus a few very targeted screening questions is fair, long personal statements just create work for job seekers who are likely job seeking on top of full time work.