The memes are true. Recruiting has gone insane.

[iloveeverykindofcat]

I've never seen it this bad. I'm an academic/charity professional. I'm fortunate that I've worked one relatively good contract after another for ten years now, and the last five years has been very good indeed. I'm well paid at the moment. But my contract ends in April. I'm very used to looking for the next thing, that's just how the industries are these days- even so-called permanent jobs are falling to redundances and budget freezes. Normally my I'm pretty sanguine about it.

Oh my God. I have never seen it this bad in my life. Jobs that don't exist, posted purely for data gathering. Five page applications for a first sift. Employers that ghost. RECRUITMENT COMPANIES THAT GHOST. 100+ applications per post. Experience mandatory, then rejected for being overqualified. Bullshit salaries for posts that are easily 3 jobs in 1. 4+ stage application processes for entry level posts.

It seems like my 2 best leads right now are based on my network - effectively, who I know. Which is sad, that's but reality right now. Anyway this is a vent post. I've built up a bit of a savings buffer over this last post, and I'm a hairs breadth from jacking it all in for a year and cleaning houses whilst listening to podcasts.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

The examples provided by the OP are not down to 'poor users of AI. They're serious errors that have resulted in the use of AI being banned for specific purposes in some industries. Far from increasing efficiency and cost saving, I'm now paid more to sort out AI-induced shite.

Where I work, they regularly post jobs externally on LinkedIn etc that they will only give to someone internally (usually that they have already decided upon).

It's just justifying certain people's salary I think.

Makes no sense.

I remember taking a precious day’s annual leave to attend an interview where it became clear as I waited that I was just there for process and an internal candidate had the job. I nearly walked out but it was a small world and I knew I might see them again. I was furious.

With the retail online questions they are looking for always always always customer first leave a job even if you wont finish to help a customer and if not sure ask manager /supervisor they do not want initiative. Also if they get an interview smile and talk to interviewer its, amszing how many people don't. Retail want smiley confident outgoing people.

@BrokenSunflowers Same. I have also - uncomfortably - been on the other side of it, where I basically knew the post had my name on it and the other candidates were wasting their time. Anyway, someone in my network came through with some assistance today, not a paid post or anything, but basically a valuable affiliation that means I can make use of some key resources and online infrastructure that will certainly help in my search. So that's one bit of good news to go with the ChatGPT rejection I got this morning.

I can't stand

(1) application portals and all the inane questions. In the old days sending off your CV with a short covering letter as why you are interested in a job and what you feel you can bring was totally sufficient. Surely a recruiter would be able to see your ability from the jobs you had been doing? Applying for jobs was fast & easy. None of this having the register and complete an application on a company portal.

(2) Panel interviews. You know the type where you have 4 white women, all aged between 30-35, mostly blonde (although some bottle) and of the same social background, named Emily, Sarah, Cressida and Amanda... wanting to discuss diversity with you.

(3) Video answers: I recently applied for a job where they wanted you to pre-record video answers to 10 set questions as clearly they couldn't be arsed to meet you in person.

For those interested, google South Korean spy, remote interview, USA tech company.

Yes, it's all getting v wild, recruiters are using AI and candidates are also using AI and other resources to amplify their appearance and change location to suit the position. VPN access to make it look like they are working in the jurisdiction, when they are in fact working USA hours (for example) in another jurisdiction and timezone.

This makes me worried for my son when he graduates in 2027 😥 My other son doesn’t really like his job (doesn’t hate it but is getting itchy feet) but I’ve had to tell him it’s really hard out there (he’s already had one redundancy and only graduated last year), so stick it out for as long as he can unless it becomes unbearable.

Where exactly is this going to end up?

I watched a YouTube video recently where an AI generated interviewer ending up talking to an AI generated interviewee and the whole thing turned into a complete farce. Would have been funny if the implications weren’t so negatively impactful for humans.

I was interviewed by a bot, it got tiresome, but I just keep talking at it for 30 mins, I was successful, but did not accept the job.

As someone who is tentatively looking for a new role as well as being a hiring manager, both sides are utterly f*cked. I generally would look for someone 3 years into a software development career who are very keen to get stuck in and would pay s salary starting at around 70k plus bonuses, for the last three years I get PHD level people 10 years of experience willing to work for £50k. I don’t understand what is going wrong to be honest.

I've seen this trying to hire - jobs we would normally struggle to fill, we had 70 applicants, mostly with well written, tailored applications. I wondered if it was ChatGPT and people wouldn't seem as good in person, but everyone we interviewed was great and we could easily have appointed any of them. The salary isn't great and normally we struggle to find anyone for these roles.

To be fair, if someone has done a PhD then they are coming from academia where salaries are low and £50k would feel a fortune, unlike for those coming from industry.

I’l get that but I’m talking PHD plus 10 years experience and coming in at a salary well under market level. To be blunt these are shit jobs having to deal with irrational over stressed traders or brokers, but well paid and very good stepping stones. There is such a lack of talent across my industry and there really is a huge amount of agism if you don’t go down the management route, but this junior level glogging seems bizarre. How is a newish graduate supposed to get a job against a 32 PHD with ten years experience?

I am just reminded of a school leaver level position I saw advertised recently: they expected candidates to work a week for free as part of their recruitment process (which they sold as ‘work experience’). I have heard of employers asking people to work a shift for free (‘trial shift’) which is outrageous enough, but a week!

Just saw this today:

Should more be done to tackle 'ghost jobs'? - BBC News

Glad it's being looked at, i did notice particularly one company I left 2 yrs ago that turned me down for a couple of roles when my contract ended, that those same roles are still advertised today 🤨 if you can do business wuthout this role for 2yrs you ave to question whether it's needed 😅 makes more sense it's not even real.

I remember it was tough in 2018 or so. My work was hiring for my team and there were a few very holier than thou types that made it to the interview stage. Looked good on paper, but were total know-it-alls with one candidate having the balls to say that our software is rubbish. It's probably true, but to say that while trying to get hired is going to raise some eyebrows, isn't it? Setting aside nervousness, they did no research on us and hadn't the foggiest idea what we did, they had almost no social skills, like they're used to a lecture hall instead of one on ones in a room, which to be fair, is true because they were graduates.

It's almost like university/academia is not all it's cracked up to be and doesn't equip you for work. At least not these days. And yet, they roll out with a piece of paper and thousands in debt that they're almost certainly never going to pay off.

With the exception of some professions requiring time in university, I'd go back to basics and bring apprenticeships back and make trade work more popular.

You are dreaming -honestly
I have been to demos of this and will be using it
Where a1 is now is like when the Model T ford was built and look at what cars are now
Something in the Lancet said that AI is diagnosing patients better than trained doctors#
A lot of sports journalism is not done every well by AI for instance
A mate of mine who owns a solicitors will be losing 10 staff next year replaced by AI that works 7 day s a week 24 hours a day 365 days a year

I saw competitive salary listed when I was searching. Then underneath it said minimum wage

also listing benefits as
pension
annual leave

its not benefits if they’re the legal minimum!

I definately think we are heading into a recession (if we aren't already in it).

News reporting spending is down which must be a bit shocking given it's the run up to xmas.

Reports yesterday that inflation was falling - they are touting it as good but I think it's because people have stopped spending.

So budget with no growth and higher welfare, unemployment going up, war in Ukraine costing everybody money. Seen a few posts on here about people struggling to sell their house so not sure if housing market is starting to stall as well. I mean I know it did prior to the budget but I think the expectation was it would pick up.

I certainly have been curtailing my own expenditure (except food which seems to be impossible at the moment to keep under control).

Obviously we have no choice but to support Ukraine unless we want the front line of the war to become Poland/NATO territory.

I've been through two 'big' recessions now - end of the eighties when lots of people were in negative equity and the 2008 one because of the banking system. It does feel a bit like we are about to have another one.

Good luck to everyone out there looking for work. It is so disheartening to spend ages on applications / interviews and be no further forward.

Also if the AI bubble does burst (and the general view does seem to be that these companies are hugely overvalued now) we can look forward to all our pensions and investments falling again (apart from the lucky ones with DB benefits)

Some of the online recruiting platforms seem to keep jobs up to make it look like they are where you should go to look for a job. But when you try to apply you find a dead end.

For those with teens looking for work - go in person. My son got the three jobs he’s had by walking in. One did tell him to apply via FB but he followed it up by going back in a couple times to ‘remind’ them he was keen. Another job (where he’s been for four years) he was a customer and just told them a couple times he’d like to work there. They eventually asked for his CV.
Here in London I know two teens who had little success applying on line and both got jobs by walking in - one at a pub the other at a big department store.

Another one who has experience of teens / young adults looking for work and finding online applications are 100% ghosting and no result.
Walking into a place in person, neatly dressed, CV in hand, and asking to speak to the manager has worked on 4 occasions for my lads.

I would say that many of the online jobs pages and processes are awful. It encourages poor and mis-matched applicants and raises their hope and creates an admin headache as we do an initial sift.

Further up the chain, I am proud of my organisations recruitment process and feedback we get from both successful and unsuccessful applicants.

We have stopped using anything such as Indeed or Linkedin because of the false hope and avalanche of inappropriate applications from online sites.. Applications are via our webpage, and have three things - Covering Letter, CV and short equal ops & UK working right form.

We do NOT employ AI or automated screening. We have never used multiple levels, group interviews, assessment centres or psychometric testing.

We have fair requirements and salaries (hey, we are a charity so not the best pay in the world), and are clear about wider benefits. We treat people like humans and every applicant gets a reply, even if it is no. Interviewees get to meet some of our staff team where we can (without a manager there), and our interviews are usually only two of us and at most a application - phone interview - in-person interview. The interview is two-way, and has both questions and a simple presentation or pre-prepared task depending on the role we are recruiting for. Any interviewees get feedback on their interview. It is not really that difficult, and we get an excellent calibre of candidates with huge retention level. And we are growing - I just took on 8 new staff and likely have 8 more in February taking us to 50 in the organisation.

There are some jobs out there, but I agree the recruitment system is broken and there is a lack of jobs.

Exactly.