However, as someone who has been involved in recruiting for our own organisation over the past few weeks, I have been quite literally gobsmacked at the poor level of effort, courtesy and basic communication skills displayed by applicants.  We hear lots of stuff about how we need to really engage [...]]]> I have read many articles and blog postings about the candidate experience – hell I even wrote one myself bemoaning the bad service candidates get in terms of engagement and feedback.

However, as someone who has been involved in recruiting for our own organisation over the past few weeks, I have been quite literally gobsmacked at the poor level of effort, courtesy and basic communication skills displayed by applicants.  We hear lots of stuff about how we need to really engage with Generation Y – but have we gone too far? Do Generation Y now  feel that they have to make no real effort?  And is that one of the reasons that graduate unemployment is currently so high? Are we creating a whole generation of people who think that they can just sit back and wait for the ever so eager employer to find them within their ‘talent communities’?

A few examples:

• The applicant that I interviewed– a good degree, good A level grades and relevant work placement experience. When asked what had appealed to her about the role, she answered: “Dunno really – I just thought I could do it!”
• The applicant who, during a telephone screening interview, asked our Account Manager:  ”How old are you? Yousound really young!”
• The graduate  applicants ( and I’m not talking about just a few) whose covering letters and CVs are so full of spelling mistakes it makes me want to throw my hands up in despair at the current state of our education system. One was actively seeking a “roll in pubic relations.”
• The applicant who e-mailed me to say that he thought his experience would be of interest to me and directed me to site where I could find out more about him. I didn’t bother – because he couldn’t be bothered to sell himself.

Am I just a grumpy old woman?  Is there something I’m missing? Is it too much to expect applicants to make some effort to engage with ME?  What do others think?

…you’ll have to get through these interview questions first. These have been doing the rounds over the last couple of weeks, but I thought I would share a few of my favourites in case you had missed them, or wanted to take another look. Some questions are designed to test creativity, others are intended to test your ability to calculate. A handful are simply brainteasers that Google want to hear your responses to. Here are some of the more bizarre and [...]]]>

…you’ll have to get through these interview questions first. These have been doing the rounds over the last couple of weeks, but I thought I would share a few of my favourites in case you had missed them, or wanted to take another look. Some questions are designed to test creativity, others are intended to test your ability to calculate. A handful are simply brainteasers that Google want to hear your responses to. Here are some of the more bizarre and thought provoking questions:

• How many piano tuners are there in the world?
• Why are manhole covers round?
• You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and your mass is proportionally reduced so as to maintain your original density. You are then thrown into an empty glass blender. The blades will start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?
• How many golf balls can you fit in a school bus?
• Design an evacuation plan for San Francisco
• You have five pirates, ranked from 5 to 1 in descending order. The top pirate has the right to propose how 100 gold coins should be divided among them. But the others get to vote on his plan, and if fewer than half agree with him, he gets killed. How should he allocate the gold in order to maximize his share but live to enjoy it?

My brain is hurting just thinking about the answers to some of these – and there are plenty more. Have a read of this blog entry about a real life nightmare interview with Google. And click here if you want to read some answers as suggested by Business Insider and its readers.

There are various different interview techniques and debates about the merits of competency based interviewing. What do you think about Google’s ideas? They must work pretty well given Google’s global dominance, but is throwing brainteasers at a candidate really a good indication of how well they can do the job? Or is it just another tool for employers to use to narrow down a shortlist of skilled candidates? What’s the weirdest question you’ve ever asked / been asked?

Interviews. We all know the basic rules, don’t we? Arrive on time, do your research, firm handshake and so on. Well, apparently not. Whilst browsing the Times online I found this article with some great examples of what you definitely should not do in an interview. Here are a few of my favourites.

Do not:

* wear a white suit * admit your girlfriend wrote your CV * tell the interviewer you’ve only just got out of bed and haven’t had any breakfast * be [...]]]>

Interviews. We all know the basic rules, don’t we? Arrive on time, do your research, firm handshake and so on. Well, apparently not. Whilst browsing the Times online I found this article with some great examples of what you definitely should not do in an interview. Here are a few of my favourites.

Do not:

* wear a white suit
* admit your girlfriend wrote your CV
* tell the interviewer you’ve only just got out of bed and haven’t had any breakfast
* be arrogant (example given in the article: “In the middle of the questions, he came out with, ‘Come on son, dig deep’. ”)
* ask the interviewer out on a date

But these are just a few, which got me thinking there must be a lot more horror stories out there in the big world of recruitment. So please share – what’s the worst interview blunder you’ve experienced?

• Posted by: Sam Woodward