My experience of recruiting new staff

stix62

they are actively trying to avoid getting shortlisted.

....or actively trying to avoid JSA sanctions.

iclayt

A friend, self-employed, received a CV and cover letter from somebody unsuitable for a job they were advertising (a delivery driver, but the applicant had no driving license). There was a note attached basically apologising for wasting their time, but explaining the Job Centre were making them apply for everything, but please keep my CV on file in case anything suitable does come up. I still can't decide if I think that was a good idea or not, in case there was a chance of it being fed back to the Job Centre (which it wasn't), but at least it was honest.

PenguinYeltz

Still an application, note or no note? I think it's a nice and honest touch.

bugslet

PenguinYeltz wrote: »

Do people seriously turn up to interviews in casual wear? I class casual wear as t-shirts, jeans etc?

I even wore a tie to my interview, that's a rarity! I didn't wear a suit, it was far too hot! Just had a smart shirt, grey trousers and shoes. Looked smart enough through my eyes!

We employ drivers and although it's a manual job, the ones that look smarter, not necessarily a suit, make me think that they would present a decent image to my customers.

TBH, we try not to advertise jobs, it's a nightmare going through all the applications. As other posters have said, you get ones that are being forced to apply for unsuitable jobs, it's a waste of my time.

brightonman123

HAs OP ever used a recruiting agency? I often wonder what info they get from firms, to give to candidates so they can prepare..


every one I have been to, and had an interview arranged, just said look on x y z website - they gave no idea what the firm does / treats staff etc..


for the commission they earn ( have seen invoices!), rather a poor show imo!

Caroline_a

To be honest if you were applying through an agency I would have thought you'd have had the wherewithal to research the company yourself. People should not be spoonfed or companies will end up with staff who are not what they thought they were!

The best one I ever saw was someone who put under 'Qualifications' her cycling proficiency test that she'd taken when she was 10 ..... the woman was around 40+!!

InsideInsurance

brightonman123 wrote: »

HAs OP ever used a recruiting agency? I often wonder what info they get from firms, to give to candidates so they can prepare..


every one I have been to, and had an interview arranged, just said look on x y z website - they gave no idea what the firm does / treats staff etc..

The agents not supposed to give the candidate the information, the candidate is supposed to go off and find it themselves. How can you decide if its a job you want to do if you have no idea what they do etc?

poorlittlefish

To answer a couple of the questions... it was a fairly generic administration/customer service role, so I did expect quite a high number of applications, just not such poor quality. Quite a few of the applicants had degrees - even Masters degrees (yet some of those had poor GCSE grades - don't quite get that).

Applicants had to apply through our website, which has a very obvious Jobs section and the process itself is step-by-step and easy to use (as I know from applying for my own job only a few months ago).

A couple of people openly admitted that they had been out of the working environment for a number of years and really made an effort to sell themselves, but most didn't and yes, I can only presume it's because they've been told to apply or face sanctions.

The message is simple, isn't it: if you put the effort in you are much more likely to be rewarded. When I was looking for a new job I tailored my CV to each vacancy to best highlight how my skills matched the requirements, before each interview/assessment day I researched each company, made notes and memorised them before the day, when I turned up dressed smartly. Not exactly rocket science for anyone who actually wants a new job!

trollopscarletwoman

This thread seems just like another attack on the British workforce.

bristol_pilot

I have totally the opposite experience, I'm constantly amazed by the high quality of applicants. They ALL have a string of A/A* at GCSE, 4-5 A-grade A-levels, a first from a top university (often a PhD), a string of awards and prizes and well-prepared answers to competency-type questions. OP, I suggest you are simply not paying enough to attract good candidates and are just getting those seeking to avoid JSA sanctions.