The Silent Phone Agony - Anybody Suffering It?

andygb

lynzpower wrote: »

This might be true but some are still recruiting, we put two jobs on the other day. I woud say though the quality of some of the applications were quite poor, ranging from spelling mistakes to half finshed sentences.

Considering how desperate most of the applicants must be there was no ovbvious sign of quality control in most of the applications & we struggled to find enough people to interview.

Moneysavers, make sure every application you do is really really good. I cant imagine - and I know, as Ive been in your situation myself- that firing off loads of CVs every day- that they all can be perfect

Are you all tailioring th CVs for each job? Ie reflecting in your CV everything required in each seperate person spec? I know this can be v timeconsuming but in my experience very worth it.

Very interesting Lynzpower, you talk about the standard of spelling, and yet you seem to have difficulties with this very subject. I have often felt that the general standard of grammar and specific knowledge from recruitment staff was very poor, you have merely confirmed this.
Judge not others, lest you be judged.

lufcgirl

andygb wrote: »

Very interesting Lynzpower, you talk about the standard of spelling, and yet you seem to have difficulties with this very subject. I have often felt that the general standard of grammar and specific knowledge from recruitment staff was very poor, you have merely confirmed this.
Judge not others, lest you be judged.

Why be so patronising over some spelling mistakes on a FORUM?! Everyone does it...and I'm sure they spellcheck the official stuff at work that needs to be done.

Least she's trying to help :rolleyes: And no point getting on at recruitment staff because I dunno how many times people have to say it but...

If there is a job at an agency, they get paid to put you in it. It's the way these companies work...so why would they refuse you unless they didn't think you were suitable! People should stop being so self pitying and start being a bit more proactive and stop blaming the fact they don't have a job on outside sources.

sackcloth

Truegho, thanks for the loan of your other thread, I've now started my own so you don't feel so hijacked.

I know that things are really tough for you and if you need to vent, please feel free to come over and have a go...

Re. your original comment on this thread, unfortunately there are too many candidates chasing too few jobs for the agencies to call everyone back all the time. One tip I had given to me was to follow up every email application with a telephone call to see if they had received your details. That then moves you to the top of the pile for a while.

It is so difficult out there but please don't lose hope. And you just vent if you want to.

Sackcloth.

andygb

lufcgirl wrote: »

Why be so patronising over some spelling mistakes on a FORUM?! Everyone does it...and I'm sure they spellcheck the official stuff at work that needs to be done.

Least she's trying to help :rolleyes: And no point getting on at recruitment staff because I dunno how many times people have to say it but...

If there is a job at an agency, they get paid to put you in it. It's the way these companies work...so why would they refuse you unless they didn't think you were suitable! People should stop being so self pitying and start being a bit more proactive and stop blaming the fact they don't have a job on outside sources.

I would not normally take someone to task over spelling, but Lynzpower did comment on other people's spelling.
There are as I see it, some problems with agencies:
They are not very helpful to candidates over the age of 40 looking for basic positions.
They are very bad at giving feedback on roles for which they have put your CV forward.
They can lack specific knowledge of any given role - technical aspects, skills/system requirements of the client.
As the age of recruitment staff gets younger, then they are bound to look after people in their age bracket first, because that is the way that it "works" in the workplace.
Lastly, this is not "self pitying", it is realistic, it is based on what is happening in the job market. Like it or not, most people have to rely on agencies, because more employers are farming out the work of sifting through hundreds of CVs, meaning that most people's CV will never see a prospective employer's desk.

wigglebeena

mizzbiz wrote: »

If I didn't need to, I would never work again. I certainly don't work to fill in my time or alleviate boredom. I only work (and I stress only) to make money.

Me too! Me too! Oh, me too!

Can I thank this twice?

Depends what you call work, of course. Given a lottery win I would spend only about 15% of my time sipping strawberry daiquiris on a lilo in my swimming pool. Rest of the time? Learning silversmithing, reading endlessly, gardening continuously, writing poetry and SF, designing a Phd program and setting sail with it.... just endless.

Life is so short, there are so many things to be done, and work gets in the way of many of them.

wigglebeena

andygb wrote: »

Very interesting Lynzpower, you talk about the standard of spelling, and yet you seem to have difficulties with this very subject. I have often felt that the general standard of grammar and specific knowledge from recruitment staff was very poor, you have merely confirmed this.
Judge not others, lest you be judged.

To be completely, excessively, unnecessarily fair to someone I've personally found positively badgering and... well, let's leave that... I think most of the examples in the post you quote are typos, rather than misspelling as such.

lufcgirl

andygb wrote: »

I would not normally take someone to task over spelling, but Lynzpower did comment on other people's spelling.
There are as I see it, some problems with agencies:
They are not very helpful to candidates over the age of 40 looking for basic positions.
They are very bad at giving feedback on roles for which they have put your CV forward.
They can lack specific knowledge of any given role - technical aspects, skills/system requirements of the client.
As the age of recruitment staff gets younger, then they are bound to look after people in their age bracket first, because that is the way that it "works" in the workplace.
Lastly, this is not "self pitying", it is realistic, it is based on what is happening in the job market. Like it or not, most people have to rely on agencies, because more employers are farming out the work of sifting through hundreds of CVs, meaning that most people's CV will never see a prospective employer's desk.

I can't believe this is turning into another agency debate. I don't care either way about them...because if I'm hell bent on a job then I'll go out of my way to make sure my application is read or I'm seen.

1. Do you have any evidence thats it's just to people over 40? Or could it be that there is different people (how do you know the ages of people that get put forward?!) who is more suitable for the position? Because if your going down the age discrimination route here...you better start seeing a solicitor.

2. They get very little feedback. I had an interview for a job and was called by the agency to be told I was unsuccessful. They said it was because I didn't know enough about the company. What else would you want them to say? Or would you like them to make something up to make you feel better?

3. They get a very basic job description. Albeit for very technical roles it's perhaps better for the company to use a specialist agency rather than the general ones. It's down to the employer...not the agency over what information they are given to pass on to the candidate.

4. Again...any proof of this? I've seen people start jobs same time as me from agencies who are well over 30.


Overall you seem to think because of your age agencies are discriminating against you. Something which they are not legally allowed to do. Unless you have solid evidence of this, you can't keep throwing these accusations around about them.
They don't have a lot of jobs, companies are very specific about what they want (whats to say the company doesn't want someone younger) and so they look for the tiniest of margins before deciding which CV's to put forward.
If you are sure you should be put forward for the job, contact the company direct...ask to speak to a manager at the agency about it and why you weren't put forward. Walk in and speak to them.

andygb

lufcgirl wrote: »

I can't believe this is turning into another agency debate. I don't care either way about them...because if I'm hell bent on a job then I'll go out of my way to make sure my application is read or I'm seen.

1. Do you have any evidence thats it's just to people over 40? Or could it be that there is different people (how do you know the ages of people that get put forward?!) who is more suitable for the position? Because if your going down the age discrimination route here...you better start seeing a solicitor.

2. They get very little feedback. I had an interview for a job and was called by the agency to be told I was unsuccessful. They said it was because I didn't know enough about the company. What else would you want them to say? Or would you like them to make something up to make you feel better?

3. They get a very basic job description. Albeit for very technical roles it's perhaps better for the company to use a specialist agency rather than the general ones. It's down to the employer...not the agency over what information they are given to pass on to the candidate.

4. Again...any proof of this? I've seen people start jobs same time as me from agencies who are well over 30.


Overall you seem to think because of your age agencies are discriminating against you. Something which they are not legally allowed to do. Unless you have solid evidence of this, you can't keep throwing these accusations around about them.
They don't have a lot of jobs, companies are very specific about what they want (whats to say the company doesn't want someone younger) and so they look for the tiniest of margins before deciding which CV's to put forward.
If you are sure you should be put forward for the job, contact the company direct...ask to speak to a manager at the agency about it and why you weren't put forward. Walk in and speak to them.

I think that you have gone off the deep end here a bit.
You must be a very special person, if you think that you can make sure that a potential employer looks at your CV, so special in fact that you would have no need to post on here, because you would be in the "perfect" job already.
Most sensible people know that age discrimination is rife in the employment market, and that no solicitor will ever be able to prove the fact beyond doubt.
You then go on to contradict yourself about agencies not being allowed to discriminate on age, but follow that up by saying that the company may want someone younger - and that is not discriminating?

lufcgirl

Sorry I did sound like I was contradicting myself. What I actually meant was that it sounds as though your making out it's all the agencies fault when it could be the company. Of course discrimination is rife, I never claimed it wasn't, but for you to say that it's all their fault is a tad unfair.

I'm not special, and I don't have employment at the moment. But I don't go around blaming agencies for my failure to gain employment either. Like I said if you feel that strongly that you should have a job, why not take it to the company in question or the manager of the agency.

dwsjarcmcd

Just a small point, as someone who is in the same position i.e. redundant and over 40, take your Date of Birth off your C.V. According to the placement company I'm working with, it's not best practice and agencies cannot pass your DOB to employers.

I have been at this a month, although I'm in a very fortunate financial situation compared to most it is beginning to drive me crackers....although the weather helps ! My thoughts (and actions) are

- You need to be thick skinned, you can't afford not to be, so follow up each application with at least an E-mail.
- Don't spend all day in front of a computer, you'll go nuts and see the same jobs. Do 2 hours and aim for one milestone per day - agency contact or job application and leave a week then follow up.
- Accept agencies and employers are awash at the moment. Don't leave it to them to contact you, because you will be disappointed.
- Network, network, network. Friends, ex-collegues etc. That's how most jobs are got. Try linkedin or even facebook.
- Go back to point 1 - you must be thick skinned.

I have my silent days but not many. I try to make something happen each day, then like proverbial buses they will all come together.

Between 4 and 5p.m today I had three calls from agencies wanting meetings, one in response to a role I applied for a couple of days ago. I also have a meeting in a few weeks with my former boss, who left a few years ago to discuss a project.

Keep the faith and good luck.