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New job, enhanced wellbeing and old wounds

10/14/2014

2 Comments

 
As I write, I am in good spirits: a new job is the source of my feelings of wellbeing. Having spent three years doing time on the outside, I am pleased to report that I am back within the folds of the finance industry (importantly including fleet finance).

The new role has brought much positive change and I am excited about the future. I suddenly have a lot to learn/absorb in a small amount of time and an expectation that I will deliver good things quickly (the usual pressure then).

In reflecting, I find it comment worthy that whilst I am so chuffed about having a new job, the whole process of finding new employment is generally (this time excluded) something that I don’t enjoy at all.

As a marketer, you might think that I’d be quite happy promoting/pitching my skills and experiences to potential employers but the fact is that I find the process of selling myself makes me feel cheap, grubby; like some kind of prostitute touting his/her wares. 

To add to the emotional mix, I really struggle with recruitment agencies because the majority of them offer standards of service to candidates that are lower than a limbo dancer’s imagination. The challenge is that in searching for alternative employment, you can’t avoid having to deal with the recruitment industry.

Dear Readers, how many of you have spent hours working on your CV, covering letters, application forms, equal opportunities forms, references etc. to then upload everything to a recruitment agency’s website…

…only to get an automated, non-personal acknowledgement that goes along the lines of “Thanks for your interest; due to the high volumes of applications we receive we cannot respond to all applicants. If you haven’t heard from us in seven days, please assume you have been unsuccessful”.

For me, this kind of appalling communication irks me to the point of violence. I once got so cross that I wrote to one particular agency to express my anger. Here’s the content of that note:

“Dear Greg,

Thanks for this ‘standard’ acknowledgement note. As a marketing/communications manager expressing an interest in a communications role, I have to be honest and state that your automated email is horrible!

The key messages are that:

·         You can’t be bothered to manage applicants in a thoughtful way

·         You might give feedback but don’t expect it

·         As an applicant, I should expect failure

The line “should you not have heard from us within the next week, please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion” is a ghastly affront to customer service. Seriously think about changing it, and the policies behind the sentiment, because both are contemptible!

Crikey I even work for a business associated with the recruitment industry and I hate this dismissive language!

As a bare minimum, you should change your automated response so that the salutation addresses the individual not their email account.  This is a simple database/email merge issue!

I’ll even help you write something significantly better if you’d value the input.

I am passionate about good communication; hopefully your client is too!

I’ll look forward to a conversation, but in the meantime will manage my expectations!

Best regards,

Adrian”

Funny enough, my application didn’t get progressed by the agency although I did have a frank conversation with one of the directors. The amount of difference it actually made – probably nothing (and I didn’t get to write a more humane, engaging “candidate interest acknowledgment”) but I felt better for venting my frustration.

Seriously, if corporate clients got the same kind of treatment when making enquiries as the candidates get, there would be far fewer recruitment agencies in existence.

Stating one’s distrust, dislike, distaste for recruitment agencies is potentially dangerous because it could affect one’s career potential – from a personal perspective though, I expect to be away from the clutches of recruiters for some years to come - so I’ll take my chances.

Have old wounds made me bitter and twisted or do my comments resonate with you? I’d be intrigued to know.

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2 Comments
C Tucker link
10/22/2014 09:00:29 pm

Hi Adrian,

Congratulations on the new job - it's great to hear you're back in a more suitable province! As promised, I've been checking your blog from time to time and this article struck a particular chord!

Following my stint at The Radcliffe School, and subsequent decision to forego teaching as a career move, I had the unfortunate experience of engaging with recruitment 'consultants' over a two-month period. I thought I'd share a few of my own horror stories!

Home Retail Group:

I interviewed for a 3 to 6-month contract with their POS (Point of Sale, not another acronym that might come to mind!) marketing team. The interviewer arrived 30 minutes late, thereby cutting the interview down to a paltry 20 minutes. After a rushed conversation in the canteen - no meeting room had been booked - I was told I'd be informed of the outcome within a few days. A few weeks later, long after I'd given up on any positive results, the responsible consultant contacted me to state that the position had been pulled due to budgetary constraints.

But it doesn't end there!

A month or so after the hurried canteen interview, I was invited back to interview for a permanent position that had become available. The interview took place on the same day as the one with my current employer - NHBC - and went fairly well as far as I was concerned. I was promised a response within three days of the interview, though I didn't actually hear back until I'd been in my current role for over a fortnight! Typically, it was the consultant that contacted me with the 'bad news' rather than the interviewer - yet another empty promise!

The ICAEW Saga:

I first heard about a role with their student engagement team after a call from a consultant that had seen my CV online. I went down to the offices of an unnamed recruitment consultancy and spent over two hours answering a battery of questions and filling in forms. I was told that I was perfect for the role, having studied at two universities during my time in further education. I left their offices feeling positive and waited for a response.

A week later I was contacted by another recruitment consultancy about the same position. Naturally, I informed them I had already been put forward for the role by another organisation and felt it improper to go ahead with another application. I was then told that the consultancy that had contacted me previously was not on the ICAEW's PSL, thus my CV and details had been sent to the recruiter on the off-chance that they would induct the company into the PSL in order to interview me. Frustrated, I agreed to meet the new recruiter in order to be put forward for the role. Another two hours of questions and forms, thirty minutes of which was spent sat alone in a room with only a cup of water while I waited for the incredibly late consultant to materialise.

The consultant didn't materialise until the end of the meeting, but fortunately one of her subordinates picked up my case and went through the motions with me.

Once the meeting concluded, and the usual handshakes and thanks were exchanged, I asked what the next steps would be. I was then told that the post in question - the one they had called me about - had been pulled. I had spent two hours in their offices for no reason, and it was plainly obvious that they just wanted me on their books for future reference. I was referred to their temporary recruitment department, who made fairly efforts to get me on board with a short-term contract with...Home Retail Group.

I would hear about the phantom ICAEW post several more times during my brief flirt with the recruitment industry, but this saga has already stretched on for too long.

The Security Company International:

Unlike the above positions, I had actually applied for this particular post independently. I was met with a very positive response, and was asked to complete a form that expanded upon my skill set and experience in the technology industry. All good and well - the consultant was happy with my background and invited me to his offices for a meeting. This meeting went brilliantly, and the consultant - the only one I had met that was deserving of the title 'consultant' - bet me £1 that I would be offered the role. I as forwarded to the hiring manager for a formal interview at the company's premises...in a month's time.

At last the interview comes around, and I performed just as well as I had in the first meeting. I was invited back for a third (and final) interview...in a month's time. I was informed that I was, in fact, the only person to make it to the third stage - the final interview would be more of an assessment of my personality than my ability to perform in the role. However, by this time I had been offered my current position. The turnaround time of this organisation, in conjunction with uncanny similarities between their CEO and a certain CEO of our mutual acquaintance, had driven me far off the path. I was then offered the posi

Reply
Adrian Baldwin
10/22/2014 09:12:45 pm

Chris,
Great to hear from you and to find out that you have a role at NHBC. Your commentary was cut off in its prime - some kind of word limit presumably - but I'd really like to read the rest. Will I be seeing you in Purson on Friday? Ade

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