What the hell do employers want?

dawyldthing

It's true that places want people that will stay. Before I started where I am I stipulated that I wanted a job to settle down to as I didn't want to keep changing jobs. Theres nothing worse than having to keep training people up to see them leave weeks or months later as people get used to you being around and stuff and then you go. It will need to shine through on application and at interview that you are wanting to stay around for quite a while, especially with the choice of applicants places have nowadays

Lisa_27

In the current climate I wouldn't be upping and leaving after 6 months but at 16 hours evenings and weekends it is likely I could use it as a 2nd job or find another 20 hours elsewhere but they never asked?

Takeaway_Addict

Lisa_27 wrote: »

In the current climate I wouldn't be upping and leaving after 6 months but at 16 hours evenings and weekends it is likely I could use it as a 2nd job or find another 20 hours elsewhere but they never asked?

But in real life you will still look for a full time job and then leave them if you found one in say 1 months time...hence you are a higher risk.

And they don't have to ask you.

JimmyTheWig

Person_one wrote: »

How many people would see 16 hours in a Spar as their dream job and stay forever?

Presumably, though, with some candidates they thought there was a chance of this.
Or that they would want to start at the bottom and move up the Spar career path, e.g. taking on a full-time role in the store when one became available, taking on resposibility after some time, etc.

thorsoak

In a Spar shop, which will be relatively small, they will need someone who is compatible with the other staff, who will be flexible enough to swap shifts if and when needed ...maybe you came over as a bit "this is beneath me/I'm too good for this".

TrickyWicky

I think you have to be realistic and accept that there is little work out there and that many employers have their own agendas with regards to wages and staff loyalty. If you go for something to tide you over you're obviously going to leave as soon as something better pops along. That doesn't suit many employers who will then have the hassle of recruiting again. That doesn't sound like much to most folk but to them it's advertising, sorting through the numerous CVs and skills, working out who might be suitable, interviewing, deciding who has what motives and experience etc.

At least you're getting interviews. There are some of us that don't!

November5th

Lisa_27 wrote: »

My CV is good, I get interviews for most jobs I apply for and some are probably out of my league as far as experience goes.

My CV is honest, there just must be something employers like, actually got interviewed for a job 10k over my last salary and was rejected but told by the man who interviewed me that if he had his way he would have hired me as he liked me and saw potential but had to go for the one with most experience.

Anyway, I apply for anything I can do so applied for a part time job in the local Spar shop; I have retail experience and bags of CS experience, the job would have been ideal for now. 16 hours and 5 min walk from my house so no travel costs.

Guess what? I never even got to the interview stage :mad: What on earth were they wanting? me to get on my knees and beg?

Same here - not only am I not getting hired - nobody is. I can usually take it on the chin when the better candidate gets the job, but in over 15 interviews - 5 of which were exact match for my skills (quite niche) nobody got hired and the jobs are still being advertised (and I get called by recruiters about them all the time).
I really don't know what is going on.

National_Careers_Service

Lisa_27, the good news is it sounds as though most of your applications are doing their job; they’re getting you an opportunity to further convince the employers, in interviews, that you’re the one for the job. It does sound as though you’re feeling pretty frustrated, as you’re in the dark about how to take things to the next stage to get a job offer.

I think soontobemrsg makes a really good point about what some employers might want. Employers will not only be looking at whether you can do the job on paper but whether you are motivated to do well within the job and have a passion to work well within their team.

Although I can see that you’ve been applying for a lot of different jobs, with varying success, do you have a focus on the type of role that you’d like to find?

Sometimes having a focus on one or two areas of work can really help when it comes to developing your applications and interview preparation further.

Perhaps you have a ‘Plan A’ and ‘Plan B’ – an ideal scenario, and a backup plan if it doesn’t work out?

If this is the case, the important thing to remember is employers who are in the position to offer you jobs for both of your plans are likely to want similar things when it comes to your commitment and motivation.
Maybe you might find it useful to re-visit your applications and interviews for your Plan B roles. You could consider these from the employers’ perspective.

Looking at these with fresh eyes, do you think they might have been able to get even the tiniest whiff of your preference for a Plan A? For example, you may have placed emphasis on experience or a skill, qualification and/or knowledge that isn’t required for the role that you’re applying for. Perhaps you haven’t prepared to the same extent for interviews of roles that you felt you could ‘do easily’. Remember that, if you’re applying for your Plan B jobs, you are likely to be in competition with other applicants who see the same opportunity as their Plan A. This could help them to convey a greater sense of motivation, passion and commitment for the role.

These are just a couple of suggestions that you could consider looking at to figure out if there’s room for you to further develop your applications and interview preparation.

Good luck!

Emma

Valli

CKhalvashi wrote: »

We've had an employment round close yesterday, and received more than 12,000 applications for 15 posts, and henceforth, we're doing an online-only application system with a 'best person for the job' automated system. We have to get this down to 50 interviews.

CK

And you have time to post on here?

wow...

Affynity

Don't take it personally. Your C.V can be sound, your interview can go amazingly. The exact same thing can be said about massive numbers of candidates that they will see.
This is an employer's market, when unemployment is high. Influential criteria can start creeping in beyond what is normally looked at and some of it might be quite flippant. E.G. Person A might live closer to the job than person B. Person C might have a hobby that resonates well with the interviewer etc etc...
Sad fact of this labour market is, when we're at saturation point, it only takes something tiny to tip the scales in either direction.