Feedback on rejected job application

Tom Dunne

As I am utterly miserable in my current job, I have been applying for other jobs left, right and center.

To add to my misery, I seem to be getting rejected, left, right and center.

As I am interested in finding out what I am doing wrong, I was wondering what is the protocol on asking an employer that has rejected your application for feedback? Do you phone the person who signs your letter/email? Do you email them? Write to them? Do companies generally respond well to requests for feedback or do they see it as a someone who is cheesed off an asking the company to explain themselves?

I like to think I am employable, I have a first class honours Masters and around 8 years IT experience in various different positions.

uberwolf

it depends on the kind of role, but companies tend to have policies in place, with more likely to get feedback the further through the procedure you advance.

Alarmingly many companies have automated scanning of CVs, with a target proliferation of buzz words required before a human will review your application. You may be falling at that hurdle.

For your orig question. Ring up, they'll tell you if they will or won't.

seamus

tom dunne wrote:

I like to think I am employable, I have a first class honours Masters and around 8 years IT experience in various different positions.

Are you underselling yourself, and applying for anything just to get out of your current job?
The big thing I found last time I was jobhunting was this mortal fear from interviewers that you'd be gone elsewhere in three to six months.

WhiteWashMan

id agree with seamus, the biggest fear an employer has is that the person they are hiring is gonna bugger off after 6 months.

i found that apart from selling your abilites and your wonderfulness and that youa re right for the position, i have always said in an interview that i am looking for a long term position which will give me the stability to buy my own house. that makes employers think youa re rock solid and not likely to up sticks and move.

well, it gives the impression....

Tom Dunne

seamus wrote:

Are you underselling yourself, and applying for anything just to get out of your current job?

I am probably underselling myself, I have a habit of doing that. As for applying for anything - there are two strands to my job hunting: academic positions and database development. I have experience in both. Not just any old jobs, I am sure you will agree.

seamus wrote:

The big thing I found last time I was jobhunting was this mortal fear from interviewers that you'd be gone elsewhere in three to six months.

This is what I am beginning to wonder. If most jobs call for a BSc (which I also have), are they considering anyone with and MSc over qualified? Is there a "fear" of hiring someone more qualified than you?

RicardoSmith

Someone more qualified is less likely to stay in a job as they simply don't need the experience, and will jump when they get a better offer. You have to convince them that you're there for the long term. If you undersell your self, say you need experience, or a steady paycheck for a house etc, then it might help. My own experience was that once I down played my experience I started getting better responses.

I tried getting feedback from employers and I got hardly any. I wouldn't try that. It will make you even more depressed. Have you read a book a called what color is your parachute. Some good ideas in that for job hunting. Be old but it helped me re-evaluate how I approached the job hunt.

If you want, to PM me your email address I'll email you some of My CV's that didn't work, and those that did. I had a hard time finding a decent job. I rethought how I was applying and it seemed to work. Maybe the same would work for you.

Tom Dunne

Thanks, I would really appreciate that.

I am trying to keep positive about it - but it's proving very difficult. I am at the stage of leaving out some experience on my CV's, but I am bitterly opposed to leaving out the Masters - I worked very hard for it and it goes against everything I did it for to leave it out.