Unsuccessful employment applications

[Sir Radfordin]

As I near the end of my degree I have felt the urge to find some form of employment. I'm yet to decide which I hate the most - assignments or job applications.

Increasingly I am seeing statements such as:

"In view of administrative costs, it will not be possible to write to candidates who have not been short-listed for interview. If, therefore, you have received no futher communication within four weeks, you have been unsuccessful."

To me this is just rude. Since every job I have so far applied for as included a space to give an email address why not at the very least send an email to say that the application has not been taken any further forward but thanking the applicant for their time.

Just because personal details are removed before the application is reviewed (to prevent discrimination I assume) doesn't mean companies have to stop treating the applicant as a person. What does it say about the world we live in?

[Pilch]

Sir Rad..

I agree, looking for work is a pain in the rear end.

I have had companies take a couple of months to get back to me, in which time you think they dont want you.

I hate being un-employed but can i find work in kent other than care work? Can i heck... Looks like back down to devon for me then on the quad's...

[Smiffy99]

I am in the position of having to find not only "Employment" but a "Training Contract" (Used to be "articles") necessary to qualify as a solicitor.

Not only do the employess have to put time, effort and expense into training me over a two year period, there is no requirtement that they keep me on after that.

Most large law firms will also pay for the vocational stage of training (The LPC at about £9,500) and also provide you with a "Maintenence" grant of about 5k. These employers are certainly in the driving seat as it were.

Due to the large number of applications recieved (somewhere in the region of 1500 for maybe as few as 50 places) most applications are electronic.

I have yet to receive one rejection in the form of "No response the assume failure" and every firm has responded polietely, even to the point of suggesting that I try again for the next intake. OK, some are automated but even that is better than nowt but most actually do send out a paper rejection which actually eases the "pain" aspect slightly.

Either that or they just pity me......... :(

[djohn]

Definitely not. The least a company can do is inform you of the outcome. Those that don't, well I don't think I would want to work for them.

Pilch. I don't know if you have any experience in the construction industry but over here in Norwich they are 400 personnel short on a major building contract [should last a couple of years] The going rate for skilled contractors is in the region of £80.00 per hour! :)

[pwp]

it is unfortunate but from the firms point of view it costs about 35p for

each letter. and with some jobs attracting hundreds of applications rejection

letters can cost hundreds of pounds.

[andsome]

it is unfortunate but from the firms point of view it costs about 35p for

each letter. and with some jobs attracting hundreds of applications rejection

letters can cost hundreds of pounds.

This is irrelevant. I too would never have wanted to work for an employer who had no manners.

[pwp]

they do hve manners as sir rad said.

they said if you havn't heard in 4 week you have been unsuccessfull.

to say nothing would be bad manners.

[Pilch]

DJohn, Being in Margate kent that is a bit far away and being 20, i doubt i have the experience that they would require.

But cheer's anyway... i guess i can hope that the big construction near me went that way, but it seems to be going well....

As i said it looks like No PC or net very soon for 6 months till end of sept, but i enjoy the job down there working on quad's and it is one of the very places in my life that i am very appriciated by the owner's..

[Sir Radfordin]

Was interesting to see that someone had writen a letter to Computer Weekly (Trade mag for computer people!) saying the very same thing that I had said.

Yes companies may get a huge number of applications for a post, I had an interview once with Vauxhall and was told for 150 jobs they recevied 70,000 applications!!! However an email saying thank you for applying but we have decided not to interview would be a small cost but make a huge difference. No wonder the work force is demotivated.

By contrast to others I had this response to one application (granted an automated one)

"We will contact you to discuss your application within the next 10 working days.

If you need assistance in the meantime or wish to discuss any vacancy further, please call Human Resources on xxxxx xxxxxx and ask to speak to one of our Recruitment Officers. The opening hours are 9.00am-5.00pm Monday to Friday."

[pwp]

somebody still has to address and send emails and in this day and age

those without email would probably sue for discrimination.

and i'm sure should you be successful it will give you great pleasure in

telling them to stuff their job because they are bad mannered and didn't

send out rejection slips. :rolleyes:

i once went for a job and at the interview was asked if i could start monday

i said yes and the boss said to the forman go and tell so+so he finishes friday.

now thats what i call a s**t boss. needless to say i never went back.

[-pops-]

It most certainly is not right.

I have been responsible for employing a large number of people in my time and I made sure that each and every applicant for any job got a letter from me stating whether or not they had got the job. In one case we had over 800 aplicants for one job (bigger ratio than the Vauxhall example, 1 in 467) but even though we resorted to sending a photocopied rejection letter, it was done on real company headed paper and personally signed.

My feeling has always been "what would I expect myself?" The answer is obvious (to me anyway) and that is why I felt obliged to reply.

I have only ever had four real jobs in my working life and only ever had to apply for six. All of this was a long time ago (I was in my last job for 20+ years before I set up my own business). Things were more courteous then and ther's no reason why they shouldn't be now.

[Sir Radfordin]

>and i'm sure should you be successful it will give you great pleasure in

>telling them to stuff their job because they are bad mannered and >didn't send out rejection slips

but if I got the job I wouldn't know would I ;)

There was recently a report in the news about how people were treated at interview and how badly some companies treat candidates (haven't read applications/delay for hours etc). That to me would be a good indication of what the company would be like as an employer and to me no job is better than that.

[pwp]

for some small firms to reply to 800 letters would be a weeks takings and

more. larger companies may well be taking on on a weekly basis and the cost over

the year is just not practical.

unfortunately profit margins are cut to the bone and if you look in the shops and

see what you can get for a £1. ( is there a pound shop by you ) it's no wonder firms cut unneccessary costs.

rejection is never easy but does a piece of paper or an email make it any

better.

look at the stink in the papers when the boss of claims direct texted his staff

to say they where sacked. (no i don't think it was right ). still better than turning up for work an finding yourself locked out.

time and money now rule and customer is king and until people like ourselves

are willing to pay the going rate firms have to cut costs to the bone.

[pwp]

but if I got the job I wouldn't know would I

sir rad

your first post said that if you hadn't heard in 4 weeks, so if you got the job i

presume the rest got the 4 week f*** off .

but seriously time are hard and job being lost to the likes of india.

i would rather my firm was competative than polite.

i'll get off me box now

hope all goes well in the job hunt,

bill