Do you think employers are unnecessarily picky?

getmore4less

Planet_Switzerland wrote: »

I've been there too long so am sick of the place and leaving seems the only way to get a decent pay rise.

That could be your problem, lack of progression won't look good.

What achievements can you take to any new place

MacMickster

Marcon wrote: »

Some are, most aren't. Try the word 'discerning' (instead of 'picky') - nothing wrong with that, surely?

Maybe if the OP put themselves in the position of an employer. The decision between employees comes down to the likely long-term cost:benefit ratio. Its not always about who can simply do the advertised job, but instead who is likely to progress and add more value to the business in the long term. Someone who has failed to progress in a similar position with a similar employer, and who doesn't demonstrate a bit of get-up-and go in an interview is probably going to lose out to someone with less experience but who is clearly more driven to achieve success,

charlotte1994

I think they can be some times. They don't want to do any training. They want the perfect candidate which doesn't exist most of the time.

Gavin83

This does feel a bit like the work equivalent of men complaining they can't get a girlfriend because women don't like nice guys.

Exodi

At my last interview, when they asked if I had any questions for them, I said "do you have any reservations about my ability to do the job?". It would seem they appreciated my bluntness as they said "we think you're a bit too young for this position and may use our company as a stepping stone down the line" - I was able to mention that I wanted to settle down and planned on buying a house within the next year and was intending to look close to the business. Well I'm now employed by the company and set to be moving in the next two weeks .

It makes me wonder - if I hadn't asked about their reservations, they would have likely walked out that interview and put a big cross on my application. As others have said, if you've been in the same position for a long time without progression, they may also be wondering why - you could maybe cater for this and perhaps ask if they have any reservations yourself.

TBagpuss

I don't think companies in general are 'too picky'
I think that individual managers may be overly picky, and that employers, some of the time, make poor decisions.
For instnace, it sounds as though, if what you are saying is correct, that your current employer wants a higer level of skills/experience than they are willing to pay for, so they are having a hard time filling the job and getting suitable candidates. That doesn't mean that employers in general will do the same.
The fact that you mention lack of raises as a reason you wantleave, may suggest that your current employer is out of step with realistic pay rates for your induistry andtype of work.

I think it goes both ways, though. You seem to be looking at your employer and the issues thy have with recruiting, and then assuming that all of the companies you have applied to have a similar approach.

it's possible that thee are other reasons why your interviews are not trnaslting to offers. Some of it is luck, and numbers - you can be a good candidate, but if there is another applicant who is outstanding, they are going to get the job.
However, it can be helpful to look at whethr you are getting the same or similar reactions, and work specifcally on addressing those. So if there is a concenr that you lack epxerience in one very specifc area, think about how you can address that. For instnace, flag it up yourself, tell the interviewer what similar / relevent experience you have,, how quickly you have been able to get up get up to speed etc. In your car analogy, you might be saying "I've never previpously foxed a Corsa, but I am very familiar with Astras and other Vauxhall models, and I am aware that the Corsa shares x,y &z characteristics. I had simialr experiences when I started by lastjob - at that time, i hd never fixed a ford focus, but I was able to spend some of my own time studying the Haynes Manual and the instruction books which gave me most of what I needed, and then when one came in I asked to be allowed to work on it so I could translate that into practice. I arranged with my supervisor to call her over before making doing anything major to ensure I had correctly understood and found that worked well - I had to call her a couple of tims, and both times, I outlinedwhat I propsed to do and she confirmed it was correct. I'm confident I would be able t oadd Corsa's to me range of knowlege in a similar way "

If you are finding that the same things are being flagged up in morethan one interview then it is worth looking at whether you can improve that area of you knowledge as you job hunt.

Similarly, if you are getting concers about whther you will stay, address those - in the interview explain why toy want that job, mention long term committments, links to the area or the reason you want to move there etc.

in other words, try to address the specifc concerns you are hearing.

Bests of luck.

OliviaGrand

no, just the robot publisher wants to find a person who will work and not sit on the internet, believe me ... I had a lot of interns ...

Gwendo40

Thanks to mass unskilled immigration employers can be as picky as they like.

nicechap

Gwendo40 wrote: »

Thanks to mass unskilled immigration employers can be as picky as they like.

Care to explain the logic behind your xenophobic post? or post a link to research backing it up?