Job Hunting/Job Market - A mess?
Discussion
Is anyone else job hunting at the moment and how are you finding it?
I was made redundant from an IT position within a recruitment firm so I'm aware that the recruitment sector has suffered since Covid. The firm I joined in 2023 went from 450 people down to 200 and by early 2026 was acquired by a larger firm and all business support (HR, IT, legal, finance) made redundant.
I have just accepted a job offer now which I'm pleased with but I've been actively job hunting since January (redundant mid-March) and the whole process is just, sh!te.
- ~1,300 applications submitted
- Agents call you with roles, then vanish never to be heard from again
- You get an interview and find they're looking for someone to do 3-4 roles in one
- No salary shown (usually LinkedIn) and when discussed salary is way off
- One promising role I was shortlisted for and had all the right skills was re-evaluated and they knocked £20k off the salary
- You get an interview, only to never hear back, not a "sorry it's a no" you get ghosted by the employer or agent
I have friends in the industry too and they've experienced very similar things. One friend of mine had three interviews for a role, which would usually be a good sign to then be ghosted entirely, simply heard nothing.
I appreciate there will be differences across sectors and some roles are more niche than others but the lack of courtesy and professionalism in the process has been a surprise. Last time I actively job hunted was 8 years ago and it certainly didn't feel this difficult, you also didn't have AI checking against candidates which doesn't seem to be too accurate.
Anyone else found this? Is it just the IT market or the job market as a whole?
Apologies for the long post.
I was made redundant from an IT position within a recruitment firm so I'm aware that the recruitment sector has suffered since Covid. The firm I joined in 2023 went from 450 people down to 200 and by early 2026 was acquired by a larger firm and all business support (HR, IT, legal, finance) made redundant.
I have just accepted a job offer now which I'm pleased with but I've been actively job hunting since January (redundant mid-March) and the whole process is just, sh!te.
- ~1,300 applications submitted
- Agents call you with roles, then vanish never to be heard from again
- You get an interview and find they're looking for someone to do 3-4 roles in one
- No salary shown (usually LinkedIn) and when discussed salary is way off
- One promising role I was shortlisted for and had all the right skills was re-evaluated and they knocked £20k off the salary
- You get an interview, only to never hear back, not a "sorry it's a no" you get ghosted by the employer or agent
I have friends in the industry too and they've experienced very similar things. One friend of mine had three interviews for a role, which would usually be a good sign to then be ghosted entirely, simply heard nothing.
I appreciate there will be differences across sectors and some roles are more niche than others but the lack of courtesy and professionalism in the process has been a surprise. Last time I actively job hunted was 8 years ago and it certainly didn't feel this difficult, you also didn't have AI checking against candidates which doesn't seem to be too accurate.
Anyone else found this? Is it just the IT market or the job market as a whole?
Apologies for the long post.
It's systemic I'm afraid. The very worst of what you've described is the ghosting by recruiters, which I find abhorrent. It takes less than 1 minute to send even a templated email saying you weren't successful but the cowards can't even stretch to that. I have companies on my own blacklist because of this!
Been like this for several years.
Occasionally I might get an unsolicited call from an agent suggesting a great role; I'll indicate happy to chat, then nothing. I can't be arsed now, and just ghost them myself.
I used to think, be polite, you never know when you might need them, but I doubt any of them would give a damn.
Occasionally I might get an unsolicited call from an agent suggesting a great role; I'll indicate happy to chat, then nothing. I can't be arsed now, and just ghost them myself.
I used to think, be polite, you never know when you might need them, but I doubt any of them would give a damn.
What is driving this I wonder? The recruiters?
It seems pretty bad from the other side I've found. The candidates we are sent by recruiters rarely meet the bare minimum requirements let alone any of the desirable attributes. We know the right people are out there, we do find them occasionally. But the amount of unsuitable applicants sent in, just to meet their numbers it seems is unreal.
Majority of long term hires have still been through word of mouth or people that someone has previously worked with.
It seems pretty bad from the other side I've found. The candidates we are sent by recruiters rarely meet the bare minimum requirements let alone any of the desirable attributes. We know the right people are out there, we do find them occasionally. But the amount of unsuitable applicants sent in, just to meet their numbers it seems is unreal.
Majority of long term hires have still been through word of mouth or people that someone has previously worked with.
I haven't been through this for quite a few years, but in the past I'd chat maybe every six months or year to three or four headhunters. It was symbiotic. If they were looking for candidates I'd suggest people they could try and give them an insiders opinion of the role that was on offer and the type of candidates I'd be looking for. If I had a mate who was looking for a move, I'd put them in contact. If I was hiring, I'd give them an opportunity to put candidates forward and try to get them onto our approved suppliers lists. I was genuinely happy to help them as they had a tough role, but one that oils the wheels of our industry, and in return I got an insight into the state of the market, a broad idea of who was hiring and of course had a feed of opportunities for me.
I haven't spoken to any of those guys for quite a few years now. On the one hand I was in a long-term stable role, so was less likely to be looking for a move myself, but even so I expect it reflected more of a change on their side with hirers trying to avoid paying large sums to recruitment firms.
I haven't spoken to any of those guys for quite a few years now. On the one hand I was in a long-term stable role, so was less likely to be looking for a move myself, but even so I expect it reflected more of a change on their side with hirers trying to avoid paying large sums to recruitment firms.
cml24 said:
What is driving this I wonder? The recruiters?
Yes, it seems from my experience anyway that they focus their efforts on the candidates progressing rather than spend any time on the ones who've left behind. It suggests they're busy, I get that, but in my opinion it reflects the quality and professionalism of the recruiter which is often lacking; especially considering it's an incredibly low barrier to entry role (similar to estate agents). Alex_225 said:
- ~1,300 applications submitted
- Agents call you with roles, then vanish never to be heard from again
- You get an interview and find they're looking for someone to do 3-4 roles in one
- No salary shown (usually LinkedIn) and when discussed salary is way off
- One promising role I was shortlisted for and had all the right skills was re-evaluated and they knocked £20k off the salary
- You get an interview, only to never hear back, not a "sorry it's a no" you get ghosted by the employer or agent
Ive been at work for almost 40 years now, and all of those things have been true for those 40 years. I.e. none of those things have just started happening. - Agents call you with roles, then vanish never to be heard from again
- You get an interview and find they're looking for someone to do 3-4 roles in one
- No salary shown (usually LinkedIn) and when discussed salary is way off
- One promising role I was shortlisted for and had all the right skills was re-evaluated and they knocked £20k off the salary
- You get an interview, only to never hear back, not a "sorry it's a no" you get ghosted by the employer or agent
Apart from 1300 applications in about 2 months for you.
Is that not part of the issue? You can only send that many as an automated process, and equally, how can companies look at that amount of applications? By using an automated process.
There's no people involved anymore .
I'm not in IT and found it exactly the same when I was looking 3 years ago.
I remember having a great phone interview with a blue chip company's Talent Manager. He was from my home town, we had mutual friends, he even dated a sister of one of my school friends.
Ghosted me after - never heard from him again.
Yet in the role I'm in now, we find it really hard to get good people.
There's something wrong in the middle part between candidates and employers.
I remember having a great phone interview with a blue chip company's Talent Manager. He was from my home town, we had mutual friends, he even dated a sister of one of my school friends.
Ghosted me after - never heard from him again.
Yet in the role I'm in now, we find it really hard to get good people.
There's something wrong in the middle part between candidates and employers.
p4cks said:
It's systemic I'm afraid. The very worst of what you've described is the ghosting by recruiters, which I find abhorrent. It takes less than 1 minute to send even a templated email saying you weren't successful but the cowards can't even stretch to that. I have companies on my own blacklist because of this!
Completely agree, the general lack of courtesy and effort that's put out there once they know it's a "no" staggers me. I was approached by a couple of people who were mutual connections, people we both knew so I'd expect perhaps a little bit of decency but no, as rude as any other and the moment they have no interest in you as a candidate, silence or being ignored. cml24 said:
What is driving this I wonder? The recruiters?
It seems pretty bad from the other side I've found. The candidates we are sent by recruiters rarely meet the bare minimum requirements let alone any of the desirable attributes. We know the right people are out there, we do find them occasionally. But the amount of unsuitable applicants sent in, just to meet their numbers it seems is unreal.
Majority of long term hires have still been through word of mouth or people that someone has previously worked with.
I don't think recruiters help. As I mentioned in my first post, I worked with them and I'd say 80% of the ones I dealt with were laddish (male and female), they appeared to have a real disdain for candidates as much as clients too. Admittedly they were mostly under 25 but if they're indicative of the types you deal with, I shouldn't be surprised. It seems pretty bad from the other side I've found. The candidates we are sent by recruiters rarely meet the bare minimum requirements let alone any of the desirable attributes. We know the right people are out there, we do find them occasionally. But the amount of unsuitable applicants sent in, just to meet their numbers it seems is unreal.
Majority of long term hires have still been through word of mouth or people that someone has previously worked with.
It is a numbers game to a point. I was lucky to have internal recruitment teams in my last two roles and they vetted the CVs/candidates for roles on my teams and were good at it, but I can only imagine how many CVs landed that were meaningless too.
I was quite lucky that 8 years ago I started working with a CIO who then brought me across to my next job when he moved but even in that time frame, recruitment feels like a different world. Wasn't super easy then but at least people bothered a tiny bit.
snuffy said:
Alex_225 said:
- ~1,300 applications submitted
- Agents call you with roles, then vanish never to be heard from again
- You get an interview and find they're looking for someone to do 3-4 roles in one
- No salary shown (usually LinkedIn) and when discussed salary is way off
- One promising role I was shortlisted for and had all the right skills was re-evaluated and they knocked £20k off the salary
- You get an interview, only to never hear back, not a "sorry it's a no" you get ghosted by the employer or agent
Ive been at work for almost 40 years now, and all of those things have been true for those 40 years. I.e. none of those things have just started happening. - Agents call you with roles, then vanish never to be heard from again
- You get an interview and find they're looking for someone to do 3-4 roles in one
- No salary shown (usually LinkedIn) and when discussed salary is way off
- One promising role I was shortlisted for and had all the right skills was re-evaluated and they knocked £20k off the salary
- You get an interview, only to never hear back, not a "sorry it's a no" you get ghosted by the employer or agent
Apart from 1300 applications in about 2 months for you.
Is that not part of the issue? You can only send that many as an automated process, and equally, how can companies look at that amount of applications? By using an automated process.
There's no people involved anymore .
It is possible the automated elements of it highlight how bad it is on the whole.
In terms of applying, keep in mind I'd say 85% of those were roles I could genuinely do the rest were perhaps a bit ambitious. Yes there is automation but the ones that stood out were those where I'd actually interacted with a person who then vanishes. Also, with LinkedIn it's a case of applying within hours of it posting and when there are less than 50 applicants ideally.
Muzzer79 said:
I'm not in IT and found it exactly the same when I was looking 3 years ago.
I remember having a great phone interview with a blue chip company's Talent Manager. He was from my home town, we had mutual friends, he even dated a sister of one of my school friends.
Ghosted me after - never heard from him again.
Yet in the role I'm in now, we find it really hard to get good people.
There's something wrong in the middle part between candidates and employers.
Very much how I feel on it. If recruiters are planning to use more and more AI (which I know for a fact they are) and their lacklustre approach to candidates/clients alike, then it may as well just be automated entirely. I remember having a great phone interview with a blue chip company's Talent Manager. He was from my home town, we had mutual friends, he even dated a sister of one of my school friends.
Ghosted me after - never heard from him again.
Yet in the role I'm in now, we find it really hard to get good people.
There's something wrong in the middle part between candidates and employers.
Exactly my experience, talk to someone, feel like they're vouching for you but it's totally insincere! Perhaps as a non-sales type person, I can't relate but it seems lousy. Don't get me wrong I've spoken to many a w*nky recruiter who's full of promise but it just seems worse than ever.
As I said above, maybe that's due to it being such a numbers game compared to 10+ years ago.
Edited by Alex_225 on Friday 1st May 09:38
I've been contracting for nearly 30 years (jeez) and in all that time it's always been the same.
If like me you are moving every couple of years the current agency/recruiter has made a fair few quid out of you and usually try and find you something to roll into, obviously this is market dependent.
I've dealt with countless recruiters that are just CV gathering and want you on their books with the promise of an opportunity that never amounts to anything, over the years I've weeded these out somewhat.
My advice would be to try and find a small number of recruiters who you trust 10-20 max and spend time speaking to them, keep in contact even if they have nothing, but they will offer advice and listen. This will keep your name on their radar and hopefully when something comes in they'll each out to you first. You can continue to use LinkedIn and job boards but bear in mind that the pool is huge and results are low.
I've had a few insightful and frank conversations over the years with recruiters, it's a horrible business. What none of them want to do is advertise a role, they want to get a role and have a list of candidates they know/trust already that they can speak to, failing that they ask if they know anyone and if they are looking, and finally they advertise the role.... this is where the floodgates open. My current role there were over 1000 applicants and although the recruiter will have used AI/ATS to weed out applications they still get bombarded with emails/calls from people who clearly aren't suitable, lack the desired skills.
Thus why I say build relationships with trusted recruiters.
However, most of my work over the years has come through referrals from others, people I have worked with previously and they reach out occasionally asking if I am available or looking to move. Have you explored this OP?
If like me you are moving every couple of years the current agency/recruiter has made a fair few quid out of you and usually try and find you something to roll into, obviously this is market dependent.
I've dealt with countless recruiters that are just CV gathering and want you on their books with the promise of an opportunity that never amounts to anything, over the years I've weeded these out somewhat.
My advice would be to try and find a small number of recruiters who you trust 10-20 max and spend time speaking to them, keep in contact even if they have nothing, but they will offer advice and listen. This will keep your name on their radar and hopefully when something comes in they'll each out to you first. You can continue to use LinkedIn and job boards but bear in mind that the pool is huge and results are low.
I've had a few insightful and frank conversations over the years with recruiters, it's a horrible business. What none of them want to do is advertise a role, they want to get a role and have a list of candidates they know/trust already that they can speak to, failing that they ask if they know anyone and if they are looking, and finally they advertise the role.... this is where the floodgates open. My current role there were over 1000 applicants and although the recruiter will have used AI/ATS to weed out applications they still get bombarded with emails/calls from people who clearly aren't suitable, lack the desired skills.
Thus why I say build relationships with trusted recruiters.
However, most of my work over the years has come through referrals from others, people I have worked with previously and they reach out occasionally asking if I am available or looking to move. Have you explored this OP?
Alex_225 said:
Is anyone else job hunting at the moment and how are you finding it?
I was made redundant from an IT position within a recruitment firm so I'm aware that the recruitment sector has suffered since Covid. The firm I joined in 2023 went from 450 people down to 200 and by early 2026 was acquired by a larger firm and all business support (HR, IT, legal, finance) made redundant.
I have just accepted a job offer now which I'm pleased with but I've been actively job hunting since January (redundant mid-March) and the whole process is just, sh!te.
- ~1,300 applications submitted
- Agents call you with roles, then vanish never to be heard from again
- You get an interview and find they're looking for someone to do 3-4 roles in one
- No salary shown (usually LinkedIn) and when discussed salary is way off
- One promising role I was shortlisted for and had all the right skills was re-evaluated and they knocked £20k off the salary
- You get an interview, only to never hear back, not a "sorry it's a no" you get ghosted by the employer or agent
I have friends in the industry too and they've experienced very similar things. One friend of mine had three interviews for a role, which would usually be a good sign to then be ghosted entirely, simply heard nothing.
I appreciate there will be differences across sectors and some roles are more niche than others but the lack of courtesy and professionalism in the process has been a surprise. Last time I actively job hunted was 8 years ago and it certainly didn't feel this difficult, you also didn't have AI checking against candidates which doesn't seem to be too accurate.
Anyone else found this? Is it just the IT market or the job market as a whole?
Apologies for the long post.
Can fully relate to some of the above, looking for a new role after 26 yrs has been an eye opener, the market, CV's, process etc has all changed. Recruiters and HR have generally been a nightmare at feedback and follow-up (even from blue chip / tier 1 companies), warm-up interviews with HR or hiring manager only to be ghosted after or companies seemingly looking for good free advice obtained via the interview. Also the reliance on communication via e-mail, company website (for updates) or whats-app vs a phone call (I missed a role as a company called me to an interview via e-mail and it went to spam .... no follow up from them) There are jobs on linked-in in my industry (construction) which have been there for over 8 months now, so either the candidates don't exist for them (e.g. data centre work), the salary is wrong and not attracting people or they simply aren't real and are bait to lure CV's in ? And don't get me on the excuses for not proceeding with my application ..... I was made redundant from an IT position within a recruitment firm so I'm aware that the recruitment sector has suffered since Covid. The firm I joined in 2023 went from 450 people down to 200 and by early 2026 was acquired by a larger firm and all business support (HR, IT, legal, finance) made redundant.
I have just accepted a job offer now which I'm pleased with but I've been actively job hunting since January (redundant mid-March) and the whole process is just, sh!te.
- ~1,300 applications submitted
- Agents call you with roles, then vanish never to be heard from again
- You get an interview and find they're looking for someone to do 3-4 roles in one
- No salary shown (usually LinkedIn) and when discussed salary is way off
- One promising role I was shortlisted for and had all the right skills was re-evaluated and they knocked £20k off the salary
- You get an interview, only to never hear back, not a "sorry it's a no" you get ghosted by the employer or agent
I have friends in the industry too and they've experienced very similar things. One friend of mine had three interviews for a role, which would usually be a good sign to then be ghosted entirely, simply heard nothing.
I appreciate there will be differences across sectors and some roles are more niche than others but the lack of courtesy and professionalism in the process has been a surprise. Last time I actively job hunted was 8 years ago and it certainly didn't feel this difficult, you also didn't have AI checking against candidates which doesn't seem to be too accurate.
Anyone else found this? Is it just the IT market or the job market as a whole?
Apologies for the long post.
Appreciate a tough market let down badly by agencies imho who seem to have gone AI silly. 100 applications for roles etc totally crazy.
You'd never even go to an interview without knowing the salary of course which is rarely posted on the ads any more so you need to ring or contact each one which is more wasted time.
TX.
You'd never even go to an interview without knowing the salary of course which is rarely posted on the ads any more so you need to ring or contact each one which is more wasted time.
TX.
There's never been a stronger "it's not just you" reply than here. The job market is a miserable, soul-destroying mess.
I was not made redundant but I did over about a year apply to quite a lot of jobs. No idea how many, but maybe 100.
I really feel for anyone who is out of work trying as even whilst employed it was incredibly tiring and a bit depressing.
My main complaints are:
1) The salaries in this country are a joke
2) Even "good salaries", say £60k/£100k are for jobs which should really be paid a lot more due to responsibilty and dept of experience
3) The salaries are NEVER listed (well 90% of the time anyway) - as a result you have to play a stupid game of trying to say what range you are looking for, and hoping it's reasonable. It's all just so bloody unnnecssary
4) Recruiter and company ghosting - especially when they say they'll be in contact by some particular day or when you've given up a reasonable amount of time, like 1-2 hours of interviews for example.
5) AI-screening of CVs. I even heard about one which would refuse ALL CVs if a psot code wasn't listed, and hwere there was a post code, it had to be in a certain area to be considered. I know that may make some sense, but it takes no account of the hybrid working, different circumstances and is just a bit of a blunt tool to use
I was not made redundant but I did over about a year apply to quite a lot of jobs. No idea how many, but maybe 100.
I really feel for anyone who is out of work trying as even whilst employed it was incredibly tiring and a bit depressing.
My main complaints are:
1) The salaries in this country are a joke
2) Even "good salaries", say £60k/£100k are for jobs which should really be paid a lot more due to responsibilty and dept of experience
3) The salaries are NEVER listed (well 90% of the time anyway) - as a result you have to play a stupid game of trying to say what range you are looking for, and hoping it's reasonable. It's all just so bloody unnnecssary
4) Recruiter and company ghosting - especially when they say they'll be in contact by some particular day or when you've given up a reasonable amount of time, like 1-2 hours of interviews for example.
5) AI-screening of CVs. I even heard about one which would refuse ALL CVs if a psot code wasn't listed, and hwere there was a post code, it had to be in a certain area to be considered. I know that may make some sense, but it takes no account of the hybrid working, different circumstances and is just a bit of a blunt tool to use
Lightweight79 said:
Can fully relate to some of the above, looking for a new role after 26 yrs has been an eye opener, the market, CV's, process etc has all changed. Recruiters and HR have generally been a nightmare at feedback and follow-up (even from blue chip / tier 1 companies), warm-up interviews with HR or hiring manager only to be ghosted after or companies seemingly looking for good free advice obtained via the interview. Also the reliance on communication via e-mail, company website (for updates) or whats-app vs a phone call (I missed a role as a company called me to an interview via e-mail and it went to spam .... no follow up from them) There are jobs on linked-in in my industry (construction) which have been there for over 8 months now, so either the candidates don't exist for them (e.g. data centre work), the salary is wrong and not attracting people or they simply aren't real and are bait to lure CV's in ? And don't get me on the excuses for not proceeding with my application .....
26 years would be a big shocker. When I was first working (2000) I still recall walking into job agencies with printed copies of my CV to hand to them. Very similar experience to me though mate, talk to an internal recruiter all goes well and silence. Like you've, I've seen jobs still advertised for months, ones which match my skillset but not a peep after applying.
The friend of mine who was blanked after three stages of interviews for a role was contacted by three different agencies for the same role! So despite messing people about, they're not filling the roles quickly either.
Terminator X said:
Appreciate a tough market let down badly by agencies imho who seem to have gone AI silly. 100 applications for roles etc totally crazy.
You'd never even go to an interview without knowing the salary of course which is rarely posted on the ads any more so you need to ring or contact each one which is more wasted time.
TX.
I do think the agencies are a big part of the issue. AI and automation seemingly what make them totally faceless. I have a friend who's a CIO and we were discussing IT support/helpdesk type roles. They had 800 applicants for one low level IT role in London. You'd never even go to an interview without knowing the salary of course which is rarely posted on the ads any more so you need to ring or contact each one which is more wasted time.
TX.
Totally agree on the time wasted regarding salaries. I must have had 8-10 calls about roles and when they ask what your last salary was, there's a pause and then they go, "the max salary for this role is X" knowing it's a pointless conversation. If the salary was on the role, at least you know and don't waste anyone's time!
bobtail4x4 said:
I found things the other way,
agents ringing offering about 30% more than I was on,
before interview, "that post is filled, now other post at +20%,"
in interview they offer less, then wonder why you turn it down,
That is infuriating too. I had one interview for which I was put forward on a good salary. The role wasn't quite what I'd been doing before but technically junior to my last job. Good interview etc. They came back and offered £8k less and it transpired the full salary wasn't available until I'd got security clearance that takes 10-12 months, so actually it was £15k less. I spoke to the internal recruiter who said he'd go back to them about the salary and guess what..........radio silence! agents ringing offering about 30% more than I was on,
before interview, "that post is filled, now other post at +20%,"
in interview they offer less, then wonder why you turn it down,
I’ve been job hunting since last October and prior to Christmas the market was okay but post Christmas the market has been awful. Almost every application I’ve sent I’ve followed with a phone call the following day some will get back to you with feedback others you leave a voicemail/email and you will never hear from.
I’ve spoken to recruiters after applying for a role and they’ve said they will submit my application to their client only for the role to be pulled or their client all of a sudden is unreachable despite me having gone for a interview. This has happened multiple times. As you can imagine it’s very frustrating.
In my experience there are some good recruiters out there that will be straight with you but there are a lot that just want you to sign on and they will never come back to you with any roles even if you check in with them on a regular basis.
I’ve spoken to recruiters after applying for a role and they’ve said they will submit my application to their client only for the role to be pulled or their client all of a sudden is unreachable despite me having gone for a interview. This has happened multiple times. As you can imagine it’s very frustrating.
In my experience there are some good recruiters out there that will be straight with you but there are a lot that just want you to sign on and they will never come back to you with any roles even if you check in with them on a regular basis.
Alex_225 said:
I do think the agencies are a big part of the issue. AI and automation seemingly what make them totally faceless. I have a friend who's a CIO and we were discussing IT support/helpdesk type roles. They had 800 applicants for one low level IT role in London.
So are you saying for the 800 applicants that someone should be manually reviewing every CV, to then whittle this down to a manageable 5 candidates? That's the whole point of AI to do the donkey work and get to a manageable number. I'm not saying it's perfect, but for the role you mention that would be a couple of months of CV reading before you even got to the interview stage by which point some of them may have found other roles anyway.Unfortunately that's the harsh reality of things that most people applying don't have the skills that have been clearly defined in the JD. Like I said in my previous post over a 1000 had applied for the role I am doing now, some were bakers and had no idea about the industry or experience that the JD requested.
borcy said:
I wonder what it's like from the recruiters side of the fence?
Difficult. My last role was within a recruitment firm and as I saw the place struggle I had various conversations with the consultants. One theme that came up from long term recruiters (which were a rarity) was that to make the same kind of money they were making, they had to put in so much more effort. I think recruiters who are new to the industry just operate at current levels which equates to a lacklustre service. I admit, this may have been indicative of the industry well before my experience but the lot I worked with cared about nothing but the money - no care for clients or candidates, no care for internal policies or authority really. Like herding cats! Obi Wan said:
I ve been job hunting since last October and prior to Christmas the market was okay but post Christmas the market has been awful. Almost every application I ve sent I ve followed with a phone call the following day some will get back to you with feedback others you leave a voicemail/email and you will never hear from.
I ve spoken to recruiters after applying for a role and they ve said they will submit my application to their client only for the role to be pulled or their client all of a sudden is unreachable despite me having gone for a interview. This has happened multiple times. As you can imagine it s very frustrating.
In my experience there are some good recruiters out there that will be straight with you but there are a lot that just want you to sign on and they will never come back to you with any roles even if you check in with them on a regular basis.
You have my sympathy mate as that is extremely frustrating and it's also pretty soul destroying. The right role will land but it just takes it's time. I ve spoken to recruiters after applying for a role and they ve said they will submit my application to their client only for the role to be pulled or their client all of a sudden is unreachable despite me having gone for a interview. This has happened multiple times. As you can imagine it s very frustrating.
In my experience there are some good recruiters out there that will be straight with you but there are a lot that just want you to sign on and they will never come back to you with any roles even if you check in with them on a regular basis.
What kind of work is it you're looking for mate?
Freakuk said:
So are you saying for the 800 applicants that someone should be manually reviewing every CV, to then whittle this down to a manageable 5 candidates? That's the whole point of AI to do the donkey work and get to a manageable number. I'm not saying it's perfect, but for the role you mention that would be a couple of months of CV reading before you even got to the interview stage by which point some of them may have found other roles anyway.
Unfortunately that's the harsh reality of things that most people applying don't have the skills that have been clearly defined in the JD. Like I said in my previous post over a 1000 had applied for the role I am doing now, some were bakers and had no idea about the industry or experience that the JD requested.
Well that's the irony, they don't use AI for it they will allow 800 to apply, "in case" but actively and manually reviewed about 50 of them. This was questioned by my friend who was told, "we leave it open just in case" despite knowing they literally won't even look at them. The reality is that these scenarios simply waste candidates time. Unfortunately that's the harsh reality of things that most people applying don't have the skills that have been clearly defined in the JD. Like I said in my previous post over a 1000 had applied for the role I am doing now, some were bakers and had no idea about the industry or experience that the JD requested.
You are right though, so many apply who are literally not even remotely suited to the job and even through all that you don't get the right people in front of you. I've interviewed many timed with candidates, most are ok with the standout ones you offer to, but some have been a total car crash despite looking decent on paper. Having said that, I applied for multiple roles over the last few months where on my CV and from my experience, I tick almost all the boxes but get no where. One place said they'd short list me but weren't happy that the role was such a big jump in salary!! Can't win haha
Edited by Alex_225 on Friday 1st May 15:19
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