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Qualified, Competent, Capable and Able but...

Cass Clothier

For a while now I have been searching for a job.  In my search I have encountered the good, the bad and the downright awful with regards to both internal recruitment and agencies.  I have jumped through hoops, (even agreeing to be interviewed via Skype whilst on holiday) for a role where the company were insistent that they wanted candidates interviewed by a certain time.   I have participated in doing numerous aptitude tests for a role that turned out to be a different/ more senior role than I was briefed on (this has happened more times than should be), to being asked, several times whether I want to be put forward for a job with no job description and then being advised that I don't have the right experience etc etc. And what could probably loosely be described as 'ghosting' having a conversation about a role at length and being promised an interview/being told that I have been put forward to the next stage and then never hearing from the recruiter again...

A consultant from an agency I spoke to recently said that over the last couple of years, employers are being 'extra choosy' in a way that he himself hadnt experienced in his 20 odd year career.

At the moment, my CV shows a lot of contract work - at one time this wasnt considered a bad thing.  Now, I have been advised that some employers are less likely to look at prospective candidates because of this...

In all my years of job searching I have never ever known it be this bad.....  I certainly thought that investing in myself and self funding for HRM qualification would be more appealing to employers also but I wonder whether this actually makes me in their eyes ineligible for roles that would/should otherwise be at my level

Has or is anyone else experiencing this?  Some agencies maintain it is Brexit related, others say this is a myth - any thoughts on this?

Parents
  • You are not alone, I too am experiencing all sorts of issues with interviews, questions and recruitment consultants. They seem to just want to get you in quick to get a fee, rather than looking for the right job. Don't get me started on interview questions and jd's. I had a jd which was 4 pages long - I am not looking for a CEO role! when questioned about this they said it was everything they could thing of! I think they need someone who could write a good jd. I do believe that if I volunteered (unable to do this on job seekers) it would look better. I too have jumped hoops and attended interviews at short notice. Now it looks like a lot of temp roles and the reasons are Brexit. I am thoroughly fed up and I even had my CIPD L5 Graduation today.
  • in reply to Jules
    Congratulations on achieving your Level 5 CIPD qualification. What type of roles are you looking for?
    When you say you are unable to volunteer, does this include the evenings? Some charities are happy for you to volunteer when you can so this could be for example, 3 hours across 3 evenings - surely that would not conflict with your pursuit for work and your ability to claim JSA?
  • in reply to Cass Clothier
    I was working in a stand alone role as a HR Administrator, but it was more like HR Manager role, then was made redundant. I am really proud to have done the L5, it was hard work, but I have a supportive family, which helped.

    I hadn't really thought about the evenings as I do have a Husband and two teenage children to deal with. I will speak with the dreaded Job (no jobs) Centre on Monday to clarify about voluntary work. I have a contact who is involved in Scouting and could help out there - at least until I get work.
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  • in reply to Cass Clothier
    I was working in a stand alone role as a HR Administrator, but it was more like HR Manager role, then was made redundant. I am really proud to have done the L5, it was hard work, but I have a supportive family, which helped.

    I hadn't really thought about the evenings as I do have a Husband and two teenage children to deal with. I will speak with the dreaded Job (no jobs) Centre on Monday to clarify about voluntary work. I have a contact who is involved in Scouting and could help out there - at least until I get work.
Children
  • in reply to Jules
    It seems insane that volunteering in the evenings would affected you JSA. What about people who already volunteer who happen to lose their jobs and have to gone onto JSA? They wouldn't expect them to give up their voluntary roles, would they?

    Scouting has lots of good roles that could help build your CV - it's not just helping with Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. They need people to organise fundraising events, be on the committee (secretary, treasurer etc), people to check everyone has done their various training courses and track all that side of things... There's loads of roles available. Another good one is school governor - I kept my generalist HR skills polished by being a school governor whilst I was in a specialist role. You could also volunteer for your local CIPD branch - I bet they'd be delighted to welcome you and you could build your HR networks at the same time.

    Good luck!
  • in reply to Jacqueline
    I've checked this morning with the delightful job centre. Apparently I can volunteer, but cannot take any payment and have to still be looking for a job and be available for interviews. All of which I am doing. I've found a site for volunteers, but it is not very up to date. I'll have to ask around. I'm going to a cipd seminar tomorrow so I can ask then. I just need full time job before I lose my marbles. Anyway job centre told me about a job fair. Last time I went to one it was only the police or car work companies. Not great, but I'll go and look, you never know.