I've had 15 interviews since I graduated back in the end of May

RomanGod

My degree is in Finance. I have been offered two internship positions by the way but declined because I need a salary to stay in Dublin


1. Ezetop - Phone interview, new to this type of interview protocol, also first interview since my last job, failed to reach next round

2. Paddy Power - Made it past the online assessment to the group assessment then followed by the individual interview. Didn't get the job

3. Fitz Casino - book keeper - Got through 2 interviews, 4 of us left, didn't get picked. Good interview experience

4. Permanent TSB - Online assessment cleared, through to interview, didn't get picked

5. Top Accounting Firm - Good interview, best one so far, yet to hear back

6. Medium sized Accounting Firm - Yet to hear back

7. Suit shop - Disaster, don't know why I applied, interview took place standing and lasted 5 minutes

8. Audi - Came in thought it was an interview, I am great at selling and was looking forward to getting my foot in the door with this multinational company, was told at the beginning of the interview that it was a 'pre-interview', lost interest immediately

9. Insurance Sales Advisor - Decent interview, said one or two things that lost me points, probably lost out to someone who had QFAs completed

10. Honda - Great interview I thought, yet to hear back

11. AA - Went well, will hear back soon

12. Meteor - Went well, yet to hear back

13. Sales for Wine distributor - Good interview lost out to better candidate

14. Bank of Ireland - Good interview, yet to hear back

15. Recruitment Agencies, I've had 5 interview alone but coupling them together because they are the biggest waste of time


Not sure how I feel about this statistic. It's obvious I am coming across well with my CV and cover letter to get that many interviews. Some people would be lucky to get 15 in a year. Just a shame that I didn't seize my chances. I am in my early 20s so I am hoping this will all be down to improving my future interview etiquette.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

pauliebdub

Youre clearly getting the interviews so on paper you look good enough for the positions. Do you know where you are going wrong at the interview by means of post interview feedback? Have you considered interview coaching to improve how you put yourself across to interviewers?

Im detecting a negative attitude in parts of your post, this may also be an issue as the interviewers will be able to spot this.

RomanGod

pauliebdub wrote: »

Youre clearly getting the interviews so on paper you look good enough for the positions. Do you know where you are going wrong at the interview by means of post interview feedback? Have you considered interview coaching to improve how you put yourself across to interviewers?

I have only ever asked once for feedback and that was because I was generally surprised that I didn't get it. The HR manager said she could arrange a call next week to go over it with me. I politely declined because she didn't interview me and it was obvious she didn't know off hand why I wasn't chosen


I would like to add that I have a somewhat 'Dublin accent'. Although my dialect is up to par, vocabulary and pronunciation, its just the accent that comes out now and again. I lift weights and it shows so the meathead stereotype might be ongoing in the mind of the interviewer, the facial hair of course could be a detriment. These might not be the reasons but I'm disclosing them incase a board member has received feedback due to his appearance from one of these companies


EDIT: Yeah I guess there's a little bit of negativity, I'm going through a few life/family problems that are ongoing in the background. I try my best to keep a smile on my face because I know a stable career would ease my problems for sure

pauliebdub

RomanGod wrote: »

I have only ever asked once for feedback and that was because I was generally surprised that I didn't get it. The HR manager said she could arrange a call next week to go over it with me. I politely declined because she didn't interview me and it was obvious she didn't know off hand why I wasn't chosen

You should have spoke to the HR manager and got feedback, what harm would it have done? The HR Manager would likely have spoken to the interviewers and would have offered you some perpective in how the interview went. To refuse the call would also create a negative impression in my opinion, its important to network and to come across as best you can when dealing with people.

I would contact the companies you listed and look for feedback on the interviews you did. Ring them today.

Your accent, beard, appearance would have very little to do with the result in my opinion.

Kato74

Even go to a recruitment agency, good ones will interview you as if you were at an actual job interview & at the end go over where you are not good & how to change your faults.
Companies such as Hayes & Morgan McKinley are very good at this in my opinion.

Morgan McKinley more so, phone them tell them that you are looking for work in finance & be completely open with them.

RomanGod

Kato74 wrote: »

Even go to a recruitment agency, good ones will interview you as if you were at an actual job interview & at the end go over where you are not good & how to change your faults.
Companies such as Hayes & Morgan McKinley are very good at this in my opinion.

Morgan McKinley more so, phone them tell them that you are looking for work in finance & be completely open with them.

It's funny you should say that, I had an interview with them but never woke up. First time I never turned up for an interview. I was mortified. Don't think I'll be calling on their door for a while but you are right they did come across as very professional. It is just that 99% of my experience with recruitment agencies has been dire

Kato74

RomanGod wrote: »

It's funny you should say that, I had an interview with them but never woke up. First time I never turned up for an interview. I was mortified. Don't think I'll be calling on their door for a while but you are right they did come across as very professional. It is just that 99% of my experience with recruitment agencies has been dire

In my experience if you are called for an interview they like what they see on paper, The interview is to meet you in person, see if they think you will fit in with the other staff, confidence etc.
If you get in the door you are half way there, you just need to be able to sell yourself.
Easier said than done, I know.

RomanGod

Kato74 wrote: »

In my experience if you are called for an interview they like what they see on paper, The interview is to meet you in person, see if they think you will fit in with the other staff, confidence etc.
If you get in the door you are half way there, you just need to be able to sell yourself.
Easier said than done, I know.

I have a good feeling about some of the ones I'm yet to hear back from, one got back to me just there and I'm into the next stage with a view to start on Monday. Fingers crossed

Kato74

RomanGod wrote: »

I have a good feeling about some of the ones I'm yet to hear back from, one got back to me just there and I'm into the next stage with a view to start on Monday. Fingers crossed

Good stuff & fingers crossed

Rdwrer

Why did a "pre-interview" with Audi put you off?

You mention in number 13 about money. If you're only 22 and serious about a good job with a secure future, then you shouldn't be worrying too much about money right now. Find a good company with a track record for treating staff well in relation to training and development. If you do this, you can progress and get experience and then start looking for a better wage but for now you are just a young guy with a degree but zero experience.

Interviewers are trained in reading signals. If you are taking a job for the money (and I'm not suggesting that's your only reason), they will figure it out quickly. If you want a job where you can develop and improve yourself both personally and professionally, they will also figure that out and be delighted to give you a chance.

You should definitely practice interviews. Get a parent friend to ask you questions and mimic an interview situation exactly.

Also, as someone else has posted above, getting feedback is essential. If you get a rejection letter, send another one back and ask where they think you could improve. This will show a desire to learn and get better. In two months time they could be looking for someone again and they might remember you.

Sunny Dayz

You mention that you are yet to hear back on a few of them. Don't forget to follow up on them.

Arnold Tanzarian

Iv applied for over 120 jobs since may. Had 8 interviews, still unemployed. I have an undergrad degree and a masters degree. And they say the country is getting better!?

RomanGod

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

You mention that you are yet to hear back on a few of them. Don't forget to follow up on them.

So if I get a rejection after an interview where they say "we were impressed but we are looking for something else, but we'll keep your CV on file" should I still enquire about feedback? I think when they say something along those lines they are politely implying that another candidate was better. I'm thinking about replying to rejections with "no problem at all, thanks for the interview experience"

RomanGod

Arnold Tanzarian wrote: »

Iv applied for over 120 jobs since may. Had 8 interviews, still unemployed. I have an undergrad degree and a masters degree. And they say the country is getting better!?

Well I was considering about doing a Masters, after reading your post, not so much... What field are you in if you don't mind me asking.. I think the finance sector is a hard nut to crack

RomanGod

HungryHenno wrote: »

Why did a "pre-interview" with Audi put you off?

You mention in number 13 about money. If you're only 22 and serious about a good job with a secure future, then you shouldn't be worrying too much about money right now. Find a good company with a track record for treating staff well in relation to training and development. If you do this, you can progress and get experience and then start looking for a better wage but for now you are just a young guy with a degree but zero experience.

Interviewers are trained in reading signals. If you are taking a job for the money (and I'm not suggesting that's your only reason), they will figure it out quickly. If you want a job where you can develop and improve yourself both personally and professionally, they will also figure that out and be delighted to give you a chance.

You should definitely practice interviews. Get a parent friend to ask you questions and mimic an interview situation exactly.

Also, as someone else has posted above, getting feedback is essential. If you get a rejection letter, send another one back and ask where they think you could improve. This will show a desire to learn and get better. In two months time they could be looking for someone again and they might remember you.

Well he said a few things that put me off, such as "there are 100 applicants going for this role", I didn't think that was necessary to say, I think everyone knows the job market is saturated. It felt like he was trying to psych me out. I mentioned my sales experience and he said it wouldn't help with this position, I felt that you either have a talent for sales or you don't, irrespective of industries. We agreed to disagree. The email said it was an interview, it should have stated 'pre' in my opinion

Rdwrer

RomanGod wrote: »

Well he said a few things that put me off, such as "there are 100 applicants going for this role", I didn't think that was necessary to say, I think everyone knows the job market is saturated. It felt like he was trying to psych me out. I mentioned my sales experience and he said it wouldn't help with this position, I felt that you either have a talent for sales or you don't, irrespective of industries. We agreed to disagree. The email said it was an interview, it should have stated 'pre' in my opinion

He clearly WAS trying to put you off. He was looking for someone who absolutely wanted that job, not someone who was a bit iffy about it. Interviewers use these tactics all the time.

Another one they use is "Relax, this is not an interview, just an informal chat." DO NOT relax, it IS an interview and not an informal chat. They just want you to relax so you let your guard down and they can find out if you really want the job.

Arnold Tanzarian

RomanGod wrote: »

Well I was considering about doing a Masters, after reading your post, not so much... What field are you in if you don't mind me asking.. I think the finance sector is a hard nut to crack

food business / marketing. I had a phone interview with a company in the UK this morning , lasted 40 mins on the phone went iffy enough so duno what to think! Pretty much every sector besides IT / Engineering is saturated and impossible to get a job from what I am hearing from my college friends, If i had the money to go to oz/usa/canada to emigrate I would be gone like a heartbeat, unfortunatley I am broke and am stuck here getting rejected for jobs i am well qualified to do.

Tarzana

I'm hearing stuff about the Dublin job market picking up and I'm thinking 'Really? REALLY?'

It is still very, very tough out there outside a small number of fields. I don't know how anyone gets started in a science career in this country, for example. I left the country to do that in 2009 and it's as hard now as it was then as far as I can see.

Every available job is fought for, tooth and nail. Sure, look at many people applied for the civil service CO positions, and the salary is pretty low.

Tarzana

Arnold Tanzarian wrote: »

food business / marketing. I had a phone interview with a company in the UK this morning , lasted 40 mins on the phone went iffy enough so duno what to think! Pretty much every sector besides IT / Engineering is saturated and impossible to get a job from what I am hearing from my college friends, If i had the money to go to oz/usa/canada to emigrate I would be gone like a heartbeat, unfortunatley I am broke and am stuck here getting rejected for jobs i am well qualified to do.

What about the UK? You'd need less money to get there and their unemployment rate is half what ours is.

RomanGod

HungryHenno wrote: »

He clearly WAS trying to put you off. He was looking for someone who absolutely wanted that job, not someone who was a bit iffy about it. Interviewers use these tactics all the time.

Another one they use is "Relax, this is not an interview, just an informal chat." DO NOT relax, it IS an interview and not an informal chat. They just want you to relax so you let your guard down and they can find out if you really want the job.

I wanted the job believe me, I think I had what it took to be a good sales executive, I even applied to Honda as well so I'm particular on my choices, I don't just bombard my CV everywhere

I think I need a full drivers license, provisional at the moment

RomanGod

Tarzana wrote: »

I'm hearing stuff about the Dublin job market picking up and I'm thinking 'Really? REALLY?'

It is still very, very tough out there outside a small number of fields. I don't know how anyone gets started in a science career in this country, for example. I left the country to do that in 2009 and it's as hard now as it was then as far as I can see.

Every available job is fought for, tooth and nail. Sure, look at many people applied for the civil service CO positions, and the salary is pretty low.

Every industry is cyclical. 5 years ago job opportunities as a retail agent, car salesman and technician were scarce now they are the most frequent jobs on job sites at the moment. Just have to persevere

Tarzana

RomanGod wrote: »

Every industry is cyclical. 5 years ago job opportunities as a retail agent, car salesman and technician were scarce now they are the most frequent jobs on job sites at the moment. Just have to persevere

Technician?

In science, very few signs of improvement, but I've left the industry anyway.

Rdwrer

RomanGod wrote: »

I wanted the job believe me, I think I had what it took to be a good sales executive, I even applied to Honda as well so I'm particular on my choices, I don't just bombard my CV everywhere

I think I need a full drivers license, provisional at the moment

Well stick at it. Focus on what areas you can improve and keep trying. I'm sure you'll find something.

KCC

I think you know this anyways, but you need to make them like you.

I hope this isn't too presumptuous but you're likely very intelligent and suitably qualified. However, you're 22 with a beard, accent and perhaps an attitude.

The beard is easily sorted - just get rid of it while you are jobhunting. You could always grow it back afterwards. Obvious I know, but wear a good suit and tie - having been on an interview panel in the past, you'd be amazed what candidates wear. The accent is more tricky - nothing wrong with it at all - have a strong accent myself but you acknowledge yourself it could be an issue.

Attitude may also be a problem- did say you and the Audi interviewer had to agree to disagree? That implies that you argued with your interviewer? Not a good tactic.

Charm them. They need to be convinced that you'll fit in to their organisation and that you're not going to be any trouble. Play the part of the person they want you to be. In fact, when you get a job, this is still good advice.

KCC

RomanGod wrote: »

So if I get a rejection after an interview where they say "we were impressed but we are looking for something else, but we'll keep your CV on file" should I still enquire about feedback? I think when they say something along those lines they are politely implying that another candidate was better. I'm thinking about replying to rejections with "no problem at all, thanks for the interview experience"

This sort of proves my point. They were very impressed but the successful candidate probably charmed them more and they could have considered he/she to be a better "organisational fit".

freeze4real

Just stumbled across your post and I've to say fair play for getting those interviews.

I've noticed that white a lot Irish students love being spoon fed when it comes to job hunt. They tend to stick with what the jobs that one can primarily link their degree to. E.g Law degree > barrister , solicitor etc

But you've interviews with quite a good mixture of companies. Honda, Audi, eircom, BOI, ezetop. Fair F*** uc **king play!!

I'm from a finance background myself and when looking for job I applied to different companies in finance, business, marketing and IT sector. I didn't limit it to my field.

I had 8 interviews and was made 3 offers I a space of days. One from a Big 4 which I rejected. Another from a big 4 for an pricing analyst role a that requires mainly data manipulation using excel. I wish I went for it.

Keep your chin up mate and you surely will get something.

cliff grebouwski

1) Shave- seriously.
2) Dress well- suit and tie, make sure the top button is done up
3) Practice Interview- look up interview skills and run them in front of a camera.
4) You are only 22- you won't get a job with a main car dealer. If you really want to work in sales, start as a junior OR apply with a second hand dealer and get some experience. You might think you have sales skills, but you don't (i'm not being mean- but it takes training and a lot of experience to be a good salesperson.
5) Make sure that the interviewer knows that you would kill for the job- any half-hearted stuff will be recognised immediately and you are done. When I started in the trade I was offered €300 per week to work 60 plus hours 6 days a week and I grabbed it with both hands.
6) Practice interview skills again and again.

House of Blaze

Arnold Tanzarian wrote: »

food business / marketing. I had a phone interview with a company in the UK this morning , lasted 40 mins on the phone went iffy enough so duno what to think! Pretty much every sector besides IT / Engineering is saturated and impossible to get a job from what I am hearing from my college friends, If i had the money to go to oz/usa/canada to emigrate I would be gone like a heartbeat, unfortunatley I am broke and am stuck here getting rejected for jobs i am well qualified to do.

Also IT, myself and a bunch of the lads from college who graduated last year still haven't been able to get work.

The massive volumes of people going for every job tends to mean that there is a bit of a fluke factor coming into play.

I.e. you have say half a dozen equally qualified, experienced and 'well fitting' candidates after the final round of interviews, who do you go with?

A single throwaway remark or shared joke, fleeting positive impressions of a particular candidate will determine the final outcome. The so called gut instinct will take over and you will lose out for no real reason at all and are left wondering what the hell is going on with yourself!

I don't say this solely from a job seekers perspective either as I used to be a recruitment consultant years ago and have experienced this myself.

Keep slogging mate, i've been looking since february (and that's after I finshed the internship I did straight after graduating). Hopefully things really are picking up and we just can't see it yet.

Go to the uk I know people who has done it to get the experience and they are getting very valuable experience in a specialised area of fraud prevention which will stand to them work wise, its much easier to get entry level experience in finance, banking and so on in the uk ( with an agency ) plus with the experience you can do the profession exams o what every area you are interested in.

London is a very expensive city to live in, but there are other large cities in the uk with large financial industries I don't think people realy grasp how big the UK and the UK jobs market is compared to Ireland.

RomanGod

KCC wrote: »

I think you know this anyways, but you need to make them like you.

I hope this isn't too presumptuous but you're likely very intelligent and suitably qualified. However, you're 22 with a beard, accent and perhaps an attitude.

The beard is easily sorted - just get rid of it while you are jobhunting. You could always grow it back afterwards. Obvious I know, but wear a good suit and tie - having been on an interview panel in the past, you'd be amazed what candidates wear. The accent is more tricky - nothing wrong with it at all - have a strong accent myself but you acknowledge yourself it could be an issue.

Attitude may also be a problem- did say you and the Audi interviewer had to agree to disagree? That implies that you argued with your interviewer? Not a good tactic.

Charm them. They need to be convinced that you'll fit in to their organisation and that you're not going to be any trouble. Play the part of the person they want you to be. In fact, when you get a job, this is still good advice.

I will shave it next week if nothing materializes. When people say facial hair you think the worst but its dark, neat and shaped. I don't let it go out of control. I got a lot of compliments over it before but I did take a good bit off. An example of what it looks like would be Dan Bilzerian, it's that shape and colour

RomanGod

cliff grebouwski wrote: »

1) Shave- seriously.
2) Dress well- suit and tie, make sure the top button is done up
3) Practice Interview- look up interview skills and run them in front of a camera.
4) You are only 22- you won't get a job with a main car dealer. If you really want to work in sales, start as a junior OR apply with a second hand dealer and get some experience. You might think you have sales skills, but you don't (i'm not being mean- but it takes training and a lot of experience to be a good salesperson.
5) Make sure that the interviewer knows that you would kill for the job- any half-hearted stuff will be recognised immediately and you are done. When I started in the trade I was offered €300 per week to work 60 plus hours 6 days a week and I grabbed it with both hands.
6) Practice interview skills again and again.

I did cold-calling in my last job and had a good sales record smashing my targets. This was telecommunications and I appreciate it's different from motor industry. My argument was that you either have the knack for sales or you don't. That's the hard part. Once you know you have it then all you need is an in-depth knowledge of all company products, positive attitude, confidence and come across as passionate over the item you are selling. I have been a personal trainer on/off since I was in school. Selling an idea or a product is my speciality

RomanGod

freeze4real wrote: »

Just stumbled across your post and I've to say fair play for getting those interviews.

I've noticed that white a lot Irish students love being spoon fed when it comes to job hunt. They tend to stick with what the jobs that one can primarily link their degree to. E.g Law degree > barrister , solicitor etc

But you've interviews with quite a good mixture of companies. Honda, Audi, eircom, BOI, ezetop. Fair F*** uc **king play!!

I'm from a finance background myself and when looking for job I applied to different companies in finance, business, marketing and IT sector. I didn't limit it to my field.

I had 8 interviews and was made 3 offers I a space of days. One from a Big 4 which I rejected. Another from a big 4 for an pricing analyst role a that requires mainly data manipulation using excel. I wish I went for it.

Keep your chin up mate and you surely will get something.

I am looking at finance, sales and customer service roles. I'll apply to any position that ticks one of those categories. I have an interview today for a job that ticks all 3 so I'm going all out on this one. I worked in a similar position in my last job so I should be an ideal candidate. It's my race to lose essentially

Lux23

I've had about 30 interviews in the last year, I've six years experience in my field and a first in a Marketing/Communications degree. In the beginning it was generally that I wasn't the best fit for the company, then it was because I studying and then I just got worn out and I swear it came across. In June, I decided that I would take a job in a shop and give my head some space. I'm back on the job hunt now and taken on a Jobbridge to get back into the swing of things. (I only got 12 hours in the shop)

I'm naturally a shy person so if I'm uncomfortable in any way, I won't come across as particurly friendly so that doesn't help either. But when I practice this doesn't happen so I can't get a handle on the problem really.

Tarzana

Lux23 wrote: »

I've had about 30 interviews in the last year, I've six years experience in my field and a first in a Marketing/Communications degree. In the beginning it was generally that I wasn't the best fit for the company, then it was because I studying and then I just got worn out and I swear it came across. In June, I decided that I would take a job in a shop and give my head some space. I'm back on the job hunt now and taken on a Jobbridge to get back into the swing of things. (I only got 12 hours in the shop)

I'm naturally a shy person so if I'm uncomfortable in any way, I won't come across as particurly friendly so that doesn't help either. But when I practice this doesn't happen so I can't get a handle on the problem really.

That's mad. With a first and your experience, you'd think you'd be fine. Maybe shyness doesn't gel well with marketing and communications?

Best of luck!

Lux23

I'm not shy on a day to day basis really, in fact most people would be surprised if I said I was shy. I just found that after doing so many interviews and getting rejected, my confidence was shook quite a bit. I'm raring to go again and have an interview for a senior position in a big company next week so hopefully my run of good luck is over.

RomanGod

Lux23 wrote: »

I've had about 30 interviews in the last year, I've six years experience in my field and a first in a Marketing/Communications degree. In the beginning it was generally that I wasn't the best fit for the company, then it was because I studying and then I just got worn out and I swear it came across. In June, I decided that I would take a job in a shop and give my head some space. I'm back on the job hunt now and taken on a Jobbridge to get back into the swing of things. (I only got 12 hours in the shop)

I'm naturally a shy person so if I'm uncomfortable in any way, I won't come across as particurly friendly so that doesn't help either. But when I practice this doesn't happen so I can't get a handle on the problem really.

How would you explain that on your CV when they ask why you worked in a shop?

I am anticipating an offer from an interview I had, but they said it's not as finance based as I thought it would be. I don't want to waste my degree but I don't want a full on finance job either. It's a bad position to be in. The employers from other fields think I'm disinterested and the finance employers think I'm disinterested

RomanGod

Tarzana wrote: »

That's mad. With a first and your experience, you'd think you'd be fine. Maybe shyness doesn't gel well with marketing and communications?

Best of luck!

No disrespect to the guy but I'm pretty sure I read that Marketing and Communications has the highest % of 1.1

RomanGod

Interview 16 tomorrow for a Sales Manager role in a gym. I'm big into fitness so I'll definitely come across as passionate

Tarzana

Lux23 wrote: »

I'm not shy on a day to day basis really, in fact most people would be surprised if I said I was shy. I just found that after doing so many interviews and getting rejected, my confidence was shook quite a bit. I'm raring to go again and have an interview for a senior position in a big company next week so hopefully my run of good luck is over.

I hear that, I find interviews harder the more rejections you get, even though it's supposed to increase your confidence. Hope you get the role!

Tarzana

RomanGod wrote: »

Interview 16 tomorrow for a Sales Manager role in a gym. I'm big into fitness so I'll definitely come across as passionate

My BF conducts a fair few interviews and he said the most outgoing people are the ones most likely to get hired. Come across as professional but also as someone they'd like to grab a pint with after work on a Friday. :pac:

You are clearly doing something right with the quality of interviews you've had so far.

KCC

RomanGod wrote: »

I will shave it next week if nothing materializes. When people say facial hair you think the worst but its dark, neat and shaped. I don't let it go out of control. I got a lot of compliments over it before but I did take a good bit off. An example of what it looks like would be Dan Bilzerian, it's that shape and colour

Yeah it's probably more a personal preference of mine for men to be clean shaven. I know it's in fashion at the moment, but a lot of interviewers might not realise that! Also, if you google dos and don'ts for clothes and grooming for interviews, they are very strict! See http://work.chron.com/need-shave-beard-before-interview-17506.html - apparently another definition of "beard" is to divert suspicion from oneself!

Companies want you to "fit" with their image.

hmmm

Lux23 wrote: »

I just found that after doing so many interviews and getting rejected, my confidence was shook quite a bit.

I've sat on the other side of the table a lot, and it can be quite dispiriting the number of times you have to reject excellent candidates. People can be very good at what they do, can do a good interview, but just aren't the right fit because the interviewers have some very specific criteria in mind that you just don't meet.

You might say, "but why waste my time interviewing me then?" but unfortunately it's often only when you meet people and interview them that you'll be able to flesh out the role in your own mind. Job specs are written by HR people who are afraid of getting sued, so they tend to be very generic and might not catch the nuances of a role. A lot of the times when you hear back that you did a good interview but you're not the right fit, that's the truth - particularly over the past few years when the numbers of good candidates vastly exceeded the number of good roles on offer.

Guess I got fairly lucky, decided to change career path recently, did one interview, and was offered the job.

Gael23

I have number 7 tomorrow and am rapidly losing hope of finding anything.
I don't have excellent academics but have other things including good work experience.
To me it seems like its 2.1 or nothing and anything else doesn't matter if you don't have a 1.1 or 2.1 degree

RacoonQueen

The two times I've asked for feedback on interviews I was just told ''other candidates had more experience''. One of these was a job with twitter so I thought that was a fairly poor answer.

Went through 3 rounds of interview with another American company, and never heard back after that despite them telling me that I would hear back within a week. They ended up not hiring for that position but didn't bother telling any applicants. After 3 rounds, there can't have been THAT many applicants to contact!

Haven't bothered asking since. Following up after interview isn't something I do though.

RomanGod

ryanf1 wrote: »

I have number 7 tomorrow and am rapidly losing hope of finding anything.
I don't have excellent academics but have other things including good work experience.
To me it seems like its 2.1 or nothing and anything else doesn't matter if you don't have a 1.1 or 2.1 degree

I have a 2.1 and obviously I'm struggling here. I think a 1.1 and you're sorted, it would make up for any character weakness because academically you are cream of the crop

RomanGod

Tarzana wrote: »

My BF conducts a fair few interviews and he said the most outgoing people are the ones most likely to get hired. Come across as professional but also as someone they'd like to grab a pint with after work on a Friday. :pac:

You are clearly doing something right with the quality of interviews you've had so far.

My cv screams individualism, any sport I played was an individual one like tennis, all my job experience was sales orientated where you work by yourself. It's an advantage because I can work to my own initiative but I know a good few of the rejections were due to the employer's fear I wasn't a team player

Lux23

RomanGod wrote: »

How would you explain that on your CV when they ask why you worked in a shop?

I am anticipating an offer from an interview I had, but they said it's not as finance based as I thought it would be. I don't want to waste my degree but I don't want a full on finance job either. It's a bad position to be in. The employers from other fields think I'm disinterested and the finance employers think I'm disinterested

It's not on my CV. But if if was, I would say it's a family owned store. Simple.

Lux23

RomanGod wrote: »

I have a 2.1 and obviously I'm struggling here. I think a 1.1 and you're sorted, it would make up for any character weakness because academically you are cream of the crop

I don't know, I have a first and it rarely comes up.

RomanGod

Lux23 wrote: »

It's not on my CV. But if if was, I would say it's a family owned store. Simple.

Ok, but if it's not on your cv how do you explain the gap in employment? I finished my last exam in May, it's looking like September is the earliest ill be in a job, that's 3 months that I need to disclose to a future employer who asks

RomanGod

Lux23 wrote: »

I don't know, I have a first and it rarely comes up.

Well I mentioned on the last page that a 1.1 is more common for marketing degrees than let's say finance or engineering. If I got a 1.1 in finance I'd be at a top firm and this thread would not have been made.