Job Interview: Employers recruiting employed staff rather than the Unemployed!

sangie595

mariposa687 wrote: »

Fair point well made sangie595. For me anyway, it was kick that I needed! I need to try and not let the frustration of job searching get the better of me.

It does make a lot of sense that companies wouldn't go to the hassle of external applicants if they didn't need to.

In my experience, the thing that people don't get about public sector recruitment is that it is usually scrupulously transparent - and they just ignore this! At both shortlisting and interview stage, the interviewers are looking for people to meet the person specification. At both, not one or the other. They do two things wrong. They fail to address the person specification. And the tell the interviewers how wonderful they are at things that the interviewers aren't interested in! If you read the person specification, then the kinds of questions you will be asked are really obvious. And so are the answers that you need to give. If being able to make decisions without constant supervision is a requirement, then they don't want to hear that you are a great team player. The less they have to sort through what you say to them to find what they are looking for, the higher you will score.

So it isn't just about ticking all the boxes in the application. It's about preparing yourself with examples, so that you have them foremost in your mind to use as answers to questions. That is actually the reason why internal candidates may do better - they know the system and prepare better for it. But it is the worst kept secret in the world. Every public sector agency tells you how to apply and what matters to them. So it is astonishing how many people just ignore it. I have sat in on shortlisting meetings where over half the applications in no way address the points that people have been told to address. In interviews where people tell you just about anything other than anything about how they meet the requirements of the job.

That's the reason why people struggle to get jobs in the public sector. You might be the greatest candidate in the world, but if you don't tell them that in the answers you give them, then they aren't allowed to assume. For example, one requirement is almost always " must be willing to abide by the equal opportunities policy". It's ever so easy. You write "i am willing to abide by the equal opportunities policy" on the application form. Want to guess how many applicants never mention it? Don't mention it, there's no tick on the shortlisting, and being an essential requirement, you probably just failed to get an interview!

shortcrust

sangie595 wrote: »

In my experience, the thing that people don't get about public sector recruitment is that it is usually scrupulously transparent - and they just ignore this! ...

An excellent post and, for those interested in public sector positions, a valuable insight into how things actually work in public sector recruitment.

SandC

But surely you shouldn't have to mention every requirement in the application? I would assume if something is an essential requirement they wouldn't be applying for it if they didn't have the prerequisites? (Although granted many applicants do not have those prerequisites but the c.v. usually highlights that straight away - or do many public sector jobs say no to cvs?).

sangie595

SandC wrote: »

But surely you shouldn't have to mention every requirement in the application? I would assume if something is an essential requirement they wouldn't be applying for it if they didn't have the prerequisites? (Although granted many applicants do not have those prerequisites but the c.v. usually highlights that straight away - or do many public sector jobs say no to cvs?).

Public sector organisations do not accept CV's. All of them. And if you are told to show how you meet every requirement (which is the case) and you don't, what does that say about your ability to operate accurately and to the instructions given. And no, they do not assume things - I just said that. Should they assume that every person who applies is willing to work within the equal opportunities policies which, for public authortities, are law - the requirements for public authorities are higher in law than for others. So when the local BNP organiser says "well I never told you I'd not be a racist and you didn't say anything", what should they do???

And really? You assume people don't apply for jobs they can't do? You mustn't have a lot of experience interviewing then, because honestly, people do it a lot!

SandC

My comment in brackets did acknowledge that. And no, I'm not a recruiter so haven't much experience in interviewing nor public sector as I've always worked private. You don't have to be quite so terse in your responses on here. It's really not necessary. I asked a perfectly legitimate question.

sangie595

What you interpret an answer as being is your problem and not mine. How on earth do you construct "terse" out of answering what you have asked.? You questioned "do many public sector jobs say no to cvs ?" - the answer is none of them do. You didn't acknowledge; you asked a question which I answered. I made it clear in the original that public sector organisations are not allowed to assume anything - you went on to say that you would assume things, so I repeated the fact that they are not able to assume things, and gave you an example of why. Etc. So it was a response to your question. If you want to read emotion or intent on my part into the answer, that is your prerogative, but is has nothing at all to do with the response you received. The response was simply that - a response to what you said.