I am angry, I have reached the end of my tether

bristol_pilot

As a general rule, it is best not to ask for feedback following unsuccessful interviews. The feedback is unlikely to be genuine, they will just say the first thing that occurs, so if you then act on it there is a danger that you will head off in completely the wrong direction. For low-level jobs, they will just employ whoever looks best and talks best, there will be no in-depth search of your abilities. Group interviews are a complete lottery. The more demanding the job is, the more they will be interested in what your abilities actually are and, just as important, will uncover the weaknessess of the other candidates. I have a friend who always does well at interviews because she is good looking and chatty, however she is a terrible employee (always late, thowing sickies, losing paperwork, can't spell or do sums) and usually gets the sack after a few weeks. As a graduate, you should be aiming a bit higher with the jobs you are applying for. To get some work experience under your belt, register with a temping agency.

thor

I agree with jammygreeny about interviews not being the be all and end all of how competent a person is for the job. It is a highly subjective thing and if you have the gift of the gab you will be able to bluff yourself into a job that you are not suitable for. I have seen planty of people clearly incapable of doing their job but somehow must have been convincing at their interview.

Astaroth

Absolutally to the fact that interviews are not a great sellection method but generally speaking (or at least in my experience) interview being the main selection method is the mainly limited to high volume roles.

If you have to employ 30 new people every month into a job which in reality 90% of people would be fully capable of doing what would be the best method of selecting? Doing full assessment days really does feel like over kill (esp for temp workers) and far too costly for a company.

Your application form is a basically a CV in a standardised format - again easiest for roles where most people can do the job and you are probably getting hundreds a month to read. On the basis of this you get an interview and then it is very much answer the questions "correctly" (particularly with the current trend for "recruit for attitude") and how you get on with the interviewer. Be it right or wrong, people will recuit others that they will get on with... you may have a candidate that will do the job better than any of the others but if you are going to want to kill them every time they open their mouths because of total personality clashes you simply arent going to employ them.

Have to agree with what others have said, experience is measured both in relivance and how long ago it was gained. If you have been out of work for so long it may well be worth while doing voluntary work in a local charity shop or such.

The other concern from my perspective (having done many years of call centre recruitment) would be how long you are going to stick to the job. Recruitment is damned expensive when you consider all the other parts like training etc. Unfortunately you are going to be stuck between a rock and a hard place as you would appear over qualified for the job because of the degree and so unlikely to be sticking around for long but if you go for the "I want to become management" then you are likely to fail recruit for attitude type questioning as you do not want to be recruiting 30 people a month who all want to be management as it is unrealistic that these all will become team leaders then managers within 12 months and so people will leave when they realise this. Many mundane jobs really want people that are happy to do a basic routine, do as they are told and would be happy to be doing exactly the same thing in 5 years time.

going2die_rich

It was probably the fact it was pointless in taking you on as holding a degree meant they knew it would be a stop gap, whether that be for a better job or back into further eductation. So why would they waste their time and money taking you on, only having to recruit again later on?

Hay_2

As an employer who held regular group interviews I thought this may help~not meant to offend but a fact throughout the retail industry.
For part time temp seasonal jobs it's easier and far less time consuming for the manager to hold these type of interviews.CVs and completed application forms start pouring into most shops at this time of year.We usually then sit and sift through and pick say 25 people from the "pile" for 10 vacancies and so on.They are then invited for interview.......
How were you originally invited to attend the group interview?I assume through an application or CV being given in?So the manager surely would already have seen some evidence of your skills and experience prior to the interview?Or were you not asked to provide these details at all?
I have to be totally honest in saying that 99.9% of unsuccessful applicants NEVER ring for feedback on their interview for temp jobs~I guess partly through embarrassment or inexperience.In a group situation like you were in it's pretty unlikely that the feedback you were given was accurate.I could bet if the manager was given a photo of the group and asked to pick you out they couldn't....I bet they were just put on the spot and churned out the standard first thing that entered their mind to explain your rejection letter.
Unfortunately for some there are far more people looking for temp xmas jobs than there are vacancies so managers can pick and choose as they wish.

ems2

have you tried banks?? with retail experience and a degree you shouldbe able to get teller work if not more

FZwanab

I have a degree myself and some years ago applied for jobs that I would have willingly done, eg. cleaner, Mc Donalds,warehouse stores ,but to no avail. I asked for feedback too, and the reason they gave was that even though it was a simple job, they needed someone who would more or less stay there over the years, as I was way over qualified they knew I would move from them as soon as I could, thereby costing them money to train me etc.. In the end I got a job with plenty of potential and stayed with them for a number of years with increased responsibility and salary as the years went by.

peter999

Where did you hope your History degree would lead you & where do you want to go ??

Unfortunately the Graduate entry jobs that existed 20+ years ago seem to have reduced drastically.

-jobs aren't advertised in papers like they used to be
-internet recruitment is very impersonal
(agencies trawling for CVs with fake/repeat ads for jobs that don't exist)
-agencies have fleeting interest when they think they can place you (& make some money)
-IT systems have removed many admin jobs
-globalised recruitment & transfer of jobs abroad

The job market is much more competitive.

I think nowadays some graduates maybe at a disadvantage.

peter999

Hay_2

Sorry to say BUT this has become FAR too much about how his degree/experience was not considered.Sorry guys but this was a TEMP XMAS JOB... no need to bring in recruitment costs/RE-recruitment costs/non permanent/ambitious staff threatening management OR leaving for brighter prospects.
Seriously this was a part time TEMPORARY seasonal job...am I the only one who sees this?To take feeedback seriously from this type of interview from a manager who has probably help 2/3/4 such interviews in the past few weeks is not sensible.I say chin up,carry on and good luck x

liney

The person who interviewed the group probably doesnt see the CVS because they have already been deemed to be suitable by another HR person. On the day you just didn't shine. There's plenty of work out there. The person who interviewed you formed an opinion based on what they saw, and you need to learn from it and move on. Best of luck.