Number of interviews before you were offered a job?

noelphobic

falko89 wrote: »

The thing that most frustrates me at the moment is you see a job advertised, it seems to suit you down to a T, you've got the experience, you've got the qualifications, you are confident that you should at least get an interview and if you're honest you think you've chance of getting the job. You don't even make it to the interview, you hear nothing back.

Is your CV as good as it can possibly be? The same applies when you fill application forms in?

TBagpuss

falko89 wrote: »

The thing that most frustrates me at the moment is you see a job advertised, it seems to suit you down to a T, you've got the experience, you've got the qualifications, you are confident that you should at least get an interview and if you're honest you think you've chance of getting the job. You don't even make it to the interview, you hear nothing back.

Do you know what levels of applications are like in your field? And what size are the companies you are applying to? Unfortunatly there are a lot of situations at present where there may be enormous numbers of suitable applicants and it is not practical for an employee to respond to every application (Example - An acquaintance of mine, who is a manager at a smallish local firm told me they had over 600 applications for a single role - it simply wasn't practical to respond to all of them.

I haven't (thank god!) had to apply for a job for a while - last time I did (about 13 years ago) I had 3 or 4 interviews out of about 10 applications, before getting the job. The time before that it took over a hundred applications, and about 12 interviews. At that time, in my field, there had been a big contraction in the market but the number of qualified people was large (lots of new people being trained, just before everything crashed) so there were 100s of people chasing every job, and most employers didn't/couldn't respond to applications unless they were offering an interview. It's soul destroying.

Noelphobic - you can only really realistically compare yourself with other people who are applying for the same types of jobs as you, with the same level of skills/experience. We are currently recruiting - one post is for a secretary/support worker. We have had a LOT of applications (almost 100) most of whom have (on paper at least) all the skills and experience we are looking for. We are interviewing 5. So for that job, there is a 1/20 chance of an interview and a 1/5 chance of getting the job. The other post is a professional one. It's quite specialised - we have had about 8 applications, 6 of which don't have the full range of skills we are looking for. We are interviewing the other 2. So for that job, the chance of getting an interview if you have the right skills is 100% and the chance of getting the job is 1/2.

It sounds as though you are doing all the right things - you are getting interviews, which suggests that your CV and qualifications are good.

Good Luck

morganedge

morganedge wrote: »

I've been rejected for lots of admin type roles, too.
I think they really want people with degrees and stuff. Not like it used to be. I had much better jobs when I was about 19 than anything i've had for the last decade.

Not sure what sort of jobs to try next. I want it to be office based I think. I'm looking into data entry, but I don't think i'm fast enough at typing?

Failing that, I guess i'll sign back on when I run out of savings!

Do'h. Decline for a junior role.

''
Dear xxxx

Thank you for your application for the position of Junior Online Marketing assistant. I regret that we will not be taking it further on this occasion because we have had CVs from a number of candidates whose skills and experience more closely matched our requirements.

Thank you for your interest in working for xxxx. I hope that you will apply to us again when a suitable vacancy comes up.

Regards

Recruitment Team''


At least they had to courtesy to email me back!

noelphobic

morganedge wrote: »

Do'h. Decline for a junior role.

''
Dear xxxx

Thank you for your application for the position of Junior Online Marketing assistant. I regret that we will not be taking it further on this occasion because we have had CVs from a number of candidates whose skills and experience more closely matched our requirements.

Thank you for your interest in working for xxxx. I hope that you will apply to us again when a suitable vacancy comes up.

Regards

Recruitment Team''


At least they had to courtesy to email me back!

Not the reply you wanted but, as you say, at least they let you know. All the jobs I've applied for state in the job ad that they won't contact you unless they're inviting you to interview. They normally also say what date the interviews will be on so inbetween the closing date for the application and the interview date you're in this horrible limbo not knowing if and when they'll get in touch.

J_i_m

morganedge wrote: »

I've been rejected for lots of admin type roles, too.
I think they really want people with degrees and stuff. Not like it used to be. I had much better jobs when I was about 19 than anything i've had for the last decade.

Not sure what sort of jobs to try next. I want it to be office based I think. I'm looking into data entry, but I don't think i'm fast enough at typing?

Failing that, I guess i'll sign back on when I run out of savings!

Depends on the level of the admin, the stuff I'm going for is for candidates educated to NVQ 2/3 standard. For me.. with my career experience and transferable skills that's the realistic ballpark for me aim at.

I've got plenty enough qualification to get one of these roles.. indeed, there's little point in my taking on more training because to do so would over qualify me for these roles.

I've already managed to 'over sell' myself in some interviews with the panel coming back and saying, 'we think you'd get bored here, because we wouldn't keep you occupied enough'.

I've had two unsuccessful interviews this week

The first one was an utter disaster, I allowed myself to get distracted by a fidgeting panel member, and my mind simply blanked out. I was not surprised to be rejected.

The second one went really well. The feedback was that my typing test was "immaculate". I spotted and pointed out two errors which the person who designed the test hadn't noticed. My answers to the questions were "excellent". There wasn't a single bit of criticism and I did ask them to elaborate to say if there was. It was simply that irritating old adage that I did well, but someone else did better.

I've got another interview tomorrow morning, and then in the afternoon I've been invited back to attend a work based assessment to a role which I've already interviewed for.

One day... I might even get a job.

J_i_m

And today is that day :j

After so long and soooo many unsuccessful interviews I have finally been offered a job.

I'd like to offer some moral encouragement to noelphobic and all the others still trying to get a job.

Keep chipping away, someone somewhere will recognise your potential reward your perseverance.

fannyadams

put something a little risque (Ann Summers rep? or polenastics enthusiast) or interesting Scouting/Guiding leader, parish clerk, footpath warden on your CV...

pretty much guarantees an interview as the interviewers are nosy and want to know what kind of person does this type of activity.
--
in answer to your question I have been out of work since April 2012, I've applied for about 5 jobs per week, of which I get offered about one interview per month.
--
another tip is (if you are going to submit your CV electronically is to 'hide' the key words from the advert (white words on a white page anyone?) on your CV in the spaces between the black type that tells them how awesome you are. Most HR companies have CV screening software that look for keywords in the CV... it doesn't matter that the HR person can't see them on your CV the computer can and hey presto your CV makes it onto the print off and look at pile...

Hope this helps
FA
xx

xnatillyx

Been to one unjustly didn't get it

Had another lined up but it was the day of my grandad's funeral and the vile person on the email had a tone basically saying to get this job you have to miss it because it would likely be gone on the day i rearranged it to. Thought no point and they way it come across i didn't want to deal with them.
It was an average shop assistant job hardly a top job , plenty of others. No way was that worth missing a funeral for , that can only happen once. My nan needed me and i also said something at the funeral which i couldn't have done if i wasn't there. Drove me mad.

That poxy job doesn't matter anyway i have my third interview next Tuesday for an apprenticeship. One that gives me great prospects and is a dream job of mine. Beats working in some sandwich shop , i get to work with some wonderful animals. A very rewarding apprenticeship , they have meerkats which i am especially excited about.

Just have to nail the interview first , i am so passionate about it. Anything animal related seems very hard to come across and any i do find there is no way to get there. This is really once in a lifetime opportunity , i actually don't know what i would do if i don't get it.

If i get it it would be on interview two

xnatillyx

Also my fiance finally got his dream job as well recently. It is also an apprenticeship but the top bosses of the company really like his work so i can see him getting a job at the end of it.

He left school 8 years ago. Until he met me in 2011 he never really bothered since then. In the 3 years he tried he has been let down so many times.

This is just what i can recall

His first job was temporary and was literally cleaning up all sorts of rubbish at a waste plant.
He has worked a few weeks for amazon temporary , and you have heard the horror stories of working there.
He's worked at a self employed job got via an ex school friend of mine. Despite the fact he did get paid the company was dodgy and he was messed about.
He did one day which was a punishing 12 hour shift at a meat packing place but next day the transport left early and that was it with those.
He has been to a few other interviews including one recently , he was the only one dressed smart yet he heard nothing back , some scruffy person got it.
He's had other phone interviews/interviews that haven't worked out. Some due to the travel where we live.
Other than those his main bulk of jobs has been a couple of temporary zero hour contact warehouse jobs.

Most of the time he has been signing on when he hasn't been in those rubbish temporary jobs. None of them were long term or had prospects and those were the ones he got communication from. He has made hundreds/thousands if not job applications and like most has had limited response.
He has been in tears over not being able to get just a stable office job. Nothing flashy , that's all he wanted.

Even now i am still nervous his new employers will change their mind after the battles he has been through getting a proper job. Any he has had haven't lasted. The longest has been 2/3 months at most. We both thought he would never find anything.

But it all paid off. All the crap and scraping by the past few years. This apprenticeship is more than an admin qualification. He works for a tight nit company and he is basically the company bosses PA. All the staff are lovely. To boot this is his dream job as well. They are hugely impressed with his work so far and it a special job to be close to the person who actually runs the company. He even goes above and beyond his role as well. It is such an amazing job , i hate the thought of an office based job and even i am jealous.

I honestly thought he would never get something like this. I wanted to share the story to show that there is hope. After all the rubbish jobs he has had to do , i wouldn't see most people have their first job involving coming home smelling of god knows what.
Don't give up guys

lakes17

Well, after being made redundant 17mths ago, far to many applications to mention and about 10 interviews I've finally landed a job. Nothing fancy, just a temp retail post. But at least it's a job and as I am the wrong side of 55 I hope this thread will give hope to all others in the same age bracket that there are still employers out there who are willing to employ people in the late 50's!!