Anyone else job hunting and feeling disheartened by slow recruitment processes?

[Questi3nn]

Ive been looking for a new role for 4/5 months.
I am seeking some solidarity.
I had hopeful conversations with a company who had reached out to me and I had many meetings with them whilst they worked through some logistics until a role came up. But Ive now been ghosted for around a month after they said they would call me with an update (4 weeks ago...)

Anyway I had slowed down my search which was silly so back at it with gusto.
Im tracking my applications and I am at 8 open/active applications. 1 of them I am awaiting feedback from 1st stage. The rest are still at application stage.

How is everyone elses journey going?

It's awful. Applying for jobs can be like a FT job.

Slowly. When I last spoke to an agency I asked the consultant what it was honestly like at the moment and she said slow.

I'm a PA and unless I want to work in London (the cost of commuting would make me worse off) there isn't much out there.

I have an interview next week so fingers crossed it goes well. I really dread still being in my current job in 6 months time because it made me cry a couple of weeks ago and when it's making me that unhappy it's time to go.

I've also noticed a lot of companies seem to expect me to drop everything and attend an in person interview with 24hrs notice.

I was job hunting a couple of months ago and it was absolutely brutal OP.

The market is awful and so much ghosting. I had never experienced anything like it in my whole career. I had always found something within a month or so.

I did find something in the end though. Using Linkedin to contact recruiters directly was how I managed to get interviews in the end.

I recently recruited someone for a role, 257 people applied, that took some (almost a month) time going through the applications, then whittling down to who would be suitable, then to interview

@ForWiseRoseCat my job is really getting me down too Ive stuck it out as long as I can but no job has every made me as depressed as this one does. I have no savings to fall back on so need to find something secure before moving.
@Noshadowsinthedarkness absolutely agree. In the past Its almost like ive semi considered moving and BAM new job. If I see the role is managed by a recruiter from now on I'll contact directly
@HalzTangz competition is fierce!! What level of seniority was that role?

@Questi3nn I'm the same. No savings and only me so I can't just quit as much as I long to.

I enter Make me a winner on Absolute Radio and dream of winning 600k just so I can quit.🤞🏻😂

Hello I will join you. I am unemployed for the first time in 22 years due to being laid off.

Already on my 12th version of my CV and have no savings so realistically I have about 4 months before my money runs out and then the shit will truly hit the fan, just in time for Christmas 😅😢😅😢

I have applied for everything and anything and did have a couple of interviews but now it's gone very quiet. Trying to remain positive at the moment but in 6 months I don't think I will feel quite so positive!

Wishing you luck in your search, it's not easy out there!

Thanks for sharing your stories all...
I cant believe how slow the process is too. I applied in mid Feb for a role and went through a 2 stage proceess and recieved the rejection outcome 3 months after applying. But the companies ask if there is any flexibility on my start date or notoce period (3 months) but their processes from start to end take 3 months so its likely jobs i am applying for now if I am lucky and get one ill be starting in the new year at this rate 😩

Good luck to you 💐💐 i agree its very quiet on outcomes or next steps!!

Totally agree. It’s very strange environment for job seekers. This year I’ve been ghosted after an interview. Expected to work for free at a job trail and had strange conversations about being self employed for only a few hours a week but expected to fit in flexible for exact employers requirements like it’s a PAYE job. Lots of jobs advertised without stating the hours citing we require flexibility. Lots of applications put in to not hear anything. Recruitment agency even quiet barely any opportunities. I’ve stayed sane by setting up regularly volunteering whilst unemployed.

My biggest frustration is companies who don't advertise the salary, which is probably more than half of them, yet they expect you to take the time to fill out the application still. It annoys me so much and shows disregard for the candidates time.

I'm joining you here, leaving my current role at the end of this month with currently nothing to go to 😬 have applied for a few things already, some of which I have heard zero back. Have an interview next week, fingers crossed.

I was made redundant on 30/4. By the end of that week i had two job offers and turned down one for another. I have done everything they have asked. they gave me a start date for last Monday then on the Friday before, cancelled it saying DBS check was not through. You would have thought they would check that before offering a start/ induction date ! I had arranged for dh to take a half day so our dog wasn't on his own all day as the induction day would have been in another town and quite long commute. So induction day cancelled with one working days notice and dh could not cancel Annual leave, so a wasted half annual leave day for him .Emails on my part asking if I should chase up the DBS myself etc have been ignored and there has been no further communication this week. It is really frustrating. If I've not heard by the end of today then I'm going to have to sign up for JSA as I only got a small amount of redundancy pay which has virtually gone. I'm feeling in limbo just kind of wondering if the job is still going ahead. I've not signed a contract.

Thats awful!! This lack of transparency and urgency really get you down!

As a recruiter we are getting flooded with hundreds of AI generated applications for every job. It’s impossible to get through them all

@Funkylights the advice I am seeing is so conflicted right now, everything online says that most applications are ATS tracked now which means applicants should be using AI to get through the barrier of that.

I have no idea what is true and what isn't when it comes to the best way to apply and my head is a spin with it all! At the minute I'm trying a combination of old school ways and new ways and having no success with either 😅

We are advertising for two weeks only jobs at £30k and getting 500 applicants and even £75k jobs we are getting 150+ applications.

It’s not sustainable and whilst we say it’s ok to use AI to help you, we end up trying to find any applications that actually look like a real person

I guess it's industry dependent as well.

The other side of that is some recruiters using AI as screening tools, so you have to use the algorithm to beat the algorithm.

I applied for a job with a MNC who was looking for national head of ‘widgets’ with sector knowledge in fairly specific areas, and I’m the CEO of the national widget association, which is the main research body for widgety stuff. Thought my application was well focussed to the job description but I got an auto decline in less than 30 minutes.

And they say ‘people hire people.’

Right with you. I’m at the 10 month mark! It is so exhausting and m becoming depressed with it all.

I have been ghosted numerous times, particularly by recruitment agencies - I won’t be using them again.

I have applied for roles below my level and been rejected numerous times.

I don’t see how AI can be detected if you use it properly ? Makes no sense. I haven’t been pulled up on it and that’s even through applications that have specified not to use it.

10 months is a long time 😢 what industry are you in? I hope you find something soon