Employers Market!

tirl

know in this climate, it is an employers market. They can pick and choose, but does that give them the right to be unprofessional and let you waiting in limbo for a reply. I have started a blog outlining my experiences and would welcome your thoughts on the subject

http://joysofunemploymet.blogspot.com/

MysticalSoul

It's always been this way in my experience. Over the years I have attended for many interviews, who never came back to me letting me know either way. Of course that doesn't excuse the lack of courtesy, but in the current market, more and more people are realising this. They are probably not getting back in touch more so now, as more people than ever, are applying for positions.

leeroybrown

As MysticalSoul points out this kind of unprofessionalism was fairly frequent practice right through the years when it would have been considered an employee's market.

iMax

Interesting blog. I wish you the very best. Unfortunately it's likely that less than 2% will reply. At least you got 5 interviews, that's a seven percent return !! (I mean that in a positive way)

doolox

In days of old when dinosaurs stalked the earth I went to school, like all the people of Ireland. We were thought how to pray, how to read and write, how to pass exams and CONFORM and OBEY.
Fitting in was paramount.
Learning a pile of academic material, useful to only 10% of the eventual workforce, was considered important.
While Shakespeare, Irish grammar and stuff like that was thought and learned, vital skills like teamwork, feeling good about yourself and selling your good points in a stressful situation was only touched upon.
In school they only conducted one to one meetings with pupils when bad things were done and someone needed correcting, usually with corporal punishment.
Any wonder most Irish people view interviews, or any other one to one meetings with people in authority, with great trepidation.
To any one doing interviews at the moment, I would recommend getting good at selling oneself and talking at length about oneself. Many Irish people, including myself are told to be quiet and not talk about oneself. This type of self-expression is considered vain and bad manners. But it is precisely this type of effective communication which is needed to get a succesfull outcome at an interview.
Practice answering questions in front of a mirror to see how your facial expressions match up to the sales pitch. Get feedback from people in HR and other positions of authority you might know on what annoys them and what makes them warm to a person and follow suit.
Put everything down on CV, adjust detail by putting it into detachable appendixes at the back of the CV. If like me you have worked in a sector for 30 years then you are going to need more than the 2 A4 pages normally recommended.
Tailor each CV to the requirements of the job being applied for, if you have a mix of skills emphasise the ones being looked for by a particular job by altering the order in which you present your skills.
Get good at remembering names and asking people how they are getting on in the company, get to know as many people as possible that you meet in a favourable light. It is no good being cold and stuffy with the janitor, the receptionist and the security guy and then coming over all false charm with the Boss, this will be noticed and in small companies their opinion on your behaviour might even be sought by the boss after the interview. At the very least be warm and civil with every-one you meet and avoid flustered panics.
Look upon a CV as a request for interview. Look upon the first interview as a request for further selection or shortlisting.
When winding up thank the people you met for their time and say how much you would like to prove your worth to them. This might sound obvious but it will stick in their minds over the fatalist approach of some people who may have thought they have done a bad interview but might have been considered if they didn't slip away mournfully with rejection written all over their faces.........
In a weeks time make contact in a friendly way by 'phone, mail or post to see if you can get any feedback. If they say experience was the downfall ask by how much and keep hope, at least you are in the right sector. Go get the experience. If they say qualifications then you may have to think of going back to college etc... not always possible but a lot easier to obtain than experience in most sectors. If they give hints about " you didn't sell yourself well" then get working on your interview skills. Get counselling if necessary for self-esteem or other adverse personality issues which might have been brought up in the feedback. Get to join clubs such as Toastmasters to improve your public speaking skills. If you are of a religious inclination, join the readers group in your local church etc...
Those activities will get you out of your shell and make you more eloquent and fluent and persuasive, vital skills in the difficult job market ahead.
Lobby your politicians ( there ARE some good ones....) to include interview skills, public speaking, sales and persuasion etc... on the secondary school curriculum. They do it in FAS but it is already too late by that stage as a lot of people attitudes have become hardened by needless rejection and despondancy by failed job applications.
Be clear on the reasons why you left your previous job and do not be bitter or acrimonious if the departure was in bad terms. While it is OK to feel shock and disorientation on being madde redundant try to emphasise that everyone, including the previous boss, was in a difficult position and a trying time, be as diplomatic as possible. Ireland is too small a place for rants and diatribes about the unfairness of it all.
If problems are brought up try to emphasise that you are aware of them and show you are working on their solutions. Be as healthy and fit looking as you can and avoid any talk of health problems etc.. which might jeapordise your chances of a successful outcome.
About money when asked talk in ballparks not exact figures, emphasise any differences which might account for differences in pay, night shifts overtime etc.Emphasise that you know the recession and its effect on pay so at least you have a get-out clause if they think your first figure is too high. If you are still getting non-commital grunts come out straight and ask them what the job pays and what scope there is for increases with increased experience and promotion.
As a lot of people are finding out, jobs are not a lifetime commitment for either the employer or the employee. When the good times occur again wages might well rise again depending on which sector you are in.